Category Archive: 4.) Marc to Market

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Yen Leads Charge Against the Dollar Amid Falling Rates

2023-11-17

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2023-11-17

Overview: The Japanese yen is leading the charge against the dollar today. Short covering in the Japanese bond market, the decline in US rates, and some reports of real money saw the dollar tumble to around JPY149.25 to approach the low for the month near JPY149.20. All the G10 currencies are firmer today, as are all but a few emerging market currencies. The Dollar Index finished October near 106.55 and it has been finding support near 104.00 in...

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Dollar Consolidates Amid Rate Volatility

2023-11-16

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2023-11-16

Overview: The dollar is consolidating its recent moves as interest rate swings continue. The US two-year yield has traded in a nearly 28 bp range in the first two sessions this week, and near 4.88% now, it is 18 bp lower since last Friday's close. The 10-year yield is slipping below 4.50%. It reached almost 4.70% on Monday and had fallen to almost 4.40% yesterday. Part of this reflects the shift in overnight rate expectations. The implied yield of...

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The Pendulum of Fed Expectations Swings Too Hard

2023-11-15

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2023-11-15

Overview: The capital markets' reaction to softer than expected CPI was too much. The implied yield of the December 2024 Fed funds futures fell by 25 bp as if the October's CPI was worth a full quarter-point rate cut next year. US two- and 1-year yields are around two basis points higher today and the dollar is mixed, with the euro and sterling under the most pressure. China's data were uninspiring, and more stimulus is in the pipeline. Japan's Q3...

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US CPI Front and Center, but Can Congress Avert a Government Shutdown?

2023-11-14

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2023-11-14

Overview: The dollar is somewhat better offered today ahead of the October CPI report. The US House of Representatives may hold a vote today on a continuing resolution to avoid a partial government shutdown at the end of the week. Narrow ranges have prevailed. Most emerging market currencies are firmer, though paradoxically, the South Korean won is the weakest, despite a strong equity market rally (~1.2%), encouraged by the first in increase in...

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US Treasury Yields Come Back Softer After Moody’s Cut Outlook, and the Dollar Rises to New Highs Against the Yen

2023-11-13

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2023-11-13

Overview: The dollar is beginning the new week narrowly mixed against the G10 currencies. Sterling seems largely unaffected by the cabinet reshuffle that has seen former Prime Minister Camron return as the foreign minister, replacing Cleverly who replaces Home Secretary Braverman. The dollar rose to new highs for the year against the Japanese yen (~JPY151.85). The market has shown little reaction to the pre-weekend news that Moody's cut the outlook...

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Week Ahead: Will Softer US Price Pressures and Weakness in Retail Sales Weigh on the US Dollar and Rates?

2023-11-11

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2023-11-11

The recent dollar gyrations seem tightly linked to US rates. The FOMC meeting and October jobs report saw the two-year Treasury yield drop 17 bp and the dollar was taken broadly lower. Indeed, against several currency pairs, it approached three standard deviations below its 20-day moving average. What seemed like a mild adjustment to the over-extended technical development turned into a rout after a weak reception to the US 30-year bond auction to...

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Who Changed: Powell or the Market?

2023-11-10

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2023-11-10

Overview:  A poor reception to the 30-year Treasury sale and Federal Reserve Powell pledged to raise rates again, if necessary, not exactly a new ground, but it spooked the doves--driving rates sharply higher and fueling a strong dollar recovery. There was a large five basis point tail on the bond sale. The eight-day rally in the S&P 500 and nine-day advance in the NASDAQ was snapped like dry kindling. The S&P 500 comes into today down on...

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Food Prices Drive China’s CPI Lower while the Greenback is Mostly Firmer in Narrow Ranges

2023-11-09

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2023-11-09

Overview: The dollar is mostly firmer against the G10 currencies and has been confined to tight ranges through the European morning. Outside of the China's deflation and Japan's monthly portfolio flow data that showed Japanese investors bought the most amount of US Treasuries (~$22 bln) in six months in September, the news stream is light. Most emerging market currencies are trading with a softer bias today. The Philippine peso is the strongest...

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Greenback Returns Better Bid

2023-11-08

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2023-11-08

Overview: After the making marginal new highs in early North America yesterday, the dollar pulled back, arguable dragged lower by the softness of US rates, helped by the sharp drop in oil prices and healthy reception to the US three-year note auction. However, the greenback has returned better bid today as the market continues to search for direction post-FOMC and US jobs report. The euro and sterling are the weakest of the G10 currencies through...

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The Dollar’s Recovery has been Extended, but it may Give North American Operators a Better Selling Opportunity

2023-11-07

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2023-11-07

Overview: The dollar's sell-off last week was extreme and it recovered yesterday and through the European session today. The Australian dollar has been hit the hardest. It is off more than 1% today after the RBA lifted the cash rate by 25 bp (to 4.35%). Still, the US dollar's gains have stretched intraday momentum indicators, suggesting the upside correction may be nearly over. The greenback's moves appear to have been driven by interest rate...

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The Dollar Remains Mostly Softer but Near-Term Consolidation is Likely

2023-11-06

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2023-11-06

Overview: The US dollar, which was sold last week after the FOMC and soft employment report, remains on the defensive today. The Antipodean currencies and yen are struggling, but the other G10 currencies are firm. The dollar is also lower against most emerging market currencies. Still, given the magnitude of the dollar's pullback, we suspect some consolidation is likely.Asia Pacific equities rallied, helped by the sharp gains in the US before the...

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Week Ahead: Have the Markets Turned?

2023-11-04

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2023-11-04

An inflection point may have been reached last week. Despite, Chair Powell's insistence that the Fed did not adopt an easing bias and confirmed that there is still no talk of a cut, the market knows better. The implied yield of December 2024 Fed funds futures contract is about 4.45%, which is to say, the market is discounting not only the two cuts in the Fed's September projections, but a third cut, and the risk again (~60%), of a fourth cut. The...

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Barring Upside Surprise on US Jobs, the Greenback Looks Vulnerable

2023-11-03

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2023-11-03

Overview: The US dollar has been confined to narrow ranges today as the market awaits the October employment report. Barring a significant upside surprise, we suspect the dollar is more likely extend this week's losses. The Dollar Index is off about 0.5% this week. Within the narrow ranges, it is sporting a slightly softer profile again nearly all the G10 currencies. It is also lower against most emerging market currencies, but tight ranges...

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Dollar Extends Losses Post-FOMC

2023-11-02

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2023-11-02

Overview: We suspect that if Martians read the FOMC statement, which was nearly identical to the September statement and listened to Chair Powell, they would conclude there was nothing new. Yet, the market habitually hears Powell as dovish and this has weighed on rates and the dollar, while lifting risk appetites. Follow-through selling of the greenback has dragged it lower against all the major currencies, with the Antipodean leading the way, and...

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Japanese Fireworks Continue as the Market Turns to the FOMC

2023-11-01

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2023-11-01

Overview: The FOMC meeting is today's highlight but the drama in Japan continues to rivet the market. The Ministry of Finance warned of the risk of material intervention in the foreign exchange market, and the BOJ bought bonds in an unscheduled operation a day after its downgraded the 1.0% cap to a reference rate, whatever that means. The yen is trading with a slightly firmer bias. The Swiss franc is also trading a little firmer, but the other G10...

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BOJ and China PMI Disappoint, While EMU Q2 Growth and October Inflation were Softer than Expected

2023-10-31

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2023-10-31

Overview: The Bank of Japan softened its 1.0% cap on the 10-year, while lifting its core CPI forecast this fiscal year and next. This disappointed many who anticipated a bolder move to exit the extraordinary monetary policy. The yen was sold in disappointment and the dollar has returned to the JPY150.75 area. The eurozone contracted by 0.1% in Q3, while October CPI came in below expectations at 2.9%. The greenback is softer against most of the...

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Markets Calm but Trepidation Runs High

2023-10-30

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2023-10-30

Overview: Fears that the Israel-Hamas war was going to widen this past weekend sent gold and oil sharply higher at the end of last week. A reportedly more restrained Israeli entrance into Gaza has seen gold pullback back below $2000 (~-0.6%) and December WTI soften (~-1.7%). The US dollar is mostly softer. Stronger-than-expected Australian retail sales fan the risk of a hike next week and this appears to be helping the Australian dollar lead the...

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November 2023 Monthly

2023-10-28

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2023-10-28

November may be an in-between month. It will be a month of limited monetary policy actions and a period of heightened geopolitical tensions. Fiscal policy may be more interesting, with a Japanese supplemental budget, more measures expected from China, and a debate in Europe over the re-implementation of the Stability and Growth Agreement. In the US, the drama that played out in the House of Representatives could still leave the federal government...

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Is the Market Putting on Risk Ahead of the Weekend?

2023-10-27

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2023-10-27

Overview: The US dollar is trading with a softer bias. Among the G10- currencies, only the euro and Swiss franc are the laggards and are nearly flat. In shifting expectations, the market sees the Reserve Bank of Australia as the most likely to hike rates again, while the swaps market appears to be bringing forward cuts by the European Central Bank and the Bank of Canada. The Australian dollar is the strongest G10 currency today and this week. After...

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Tensions Run High Ahead of ECB Meeting and US Q3 GDP as JPY150 Breached

2023-10-26

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2023-10-26

Overview: The market is on edge. Anxiety is running higher. It is partly geopolitics, and it is partly market stresses. The dollar is holding above JPY150 but so far, no reports or signs of intervention. Bank shares are under pressure. An index of Japanese banks has fallen for five of the past six sessions and are off about 8% from the year's high set last month. An index of European bank shares has fallen in six of the past seven sessions and...

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