Category Archive: 4.) Marc to Market

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Macro and Prices: Data and Psychology in the Week Ahead

2022-11-19

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2022-11-19

The week ahead has a relatively light economic schedule, punctuated by the US Thanksgiving Day holiday on November 24. Nevertheless, the data highlights include the preliminary November PMIs, Tokyo's November CPI, and the FOMC minutes from this month's meeting.

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Higher Japanese CPI Won’t Change the BOJ’s Stance

2022-11-18

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2022-11-18

Overview: The capital markets are heading into the weekend mostly quietly in a consolidative fashion.  Ambiguous signals from yesterday’s US equities saw a narrowly mixed performance among the large Asia Pacific bourses, but of note, Hong and China markets saw this week’s gains trimmed. Europe’s Stoxx 600 is up around 1% near midday and is slightly above last week’s close.  US equity futures are trading with a firmer bias ahead of a large...

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The Dollar Comes Back Better Bid

2022-11-17

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2022-11-17

Animal spirits are retreating today. Asia Pacific and European equities are lower, and US futures are narrowly mixed. US 2- and 10-year yields are edging higher, while European benchmark 10-year yields are mostly softer.  Italy and the UK are notable exceptions.

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Markets are Less on Edge as the Darkest Scenarios seem Less Likely

2022-11-16

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2022-11-16

The situation in central Europe is still intense but it appears top US, European and Polish officials are more reluctant than some market participants to attribute the darkest of intentions and paint extreme narratives.

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Poor Chinese and Japanese Data Are Not Deterring Euphoria

2022-11-15

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2022-11-15

Overview: Recent developments have spurred a euphoria that is exciting the animal spirits. Greater confidence that US inflation has peaked, and new initiatives from China, and yesterday’s Biden-Xi meeting are all feeding this narrative. The dollar, which slumped last week, is sliding anew today. Strategically, we anticipated the turn, but tactically, we thought last week’s move had stretched the near-term technical condition.  The dollar is...

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The Dollar Posts Corrective Upticks, while the Market Digests China’s Initiatives

2022-11-14

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2022-11-14

Overview: China’s new initiatives to support the property sector helped lift the Hang Seng. And while the China’s CSI 300 edged higher both the Shanghai and Shenzhen composites fell. Most Asia Pacific markets fell, while Europe’s Stoxx 600 is posting a small gain.

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Dollar Turn More Credible but Maybe Too Much Too Fast

2022-11-13

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2022-11-13

Even before the softer-than-expected US inflation, we had been suggesting the dollar was in the process of carving out a significant high. Our strongest conviction was that sterling bottomed in late September at a record low near $1.0350. Our conviction had also been growing that the greenback has topped against the Canadian dollar, a little shy of our CAD1.40 target.

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Capital Flows Outstrip Trade Flows and that is Where to Look for Drivers of FX

2022-11-12

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2022-11-12

Policymakers have often said that exchange rates should reflect fundamentals. What does that really mean? Can they do anything but that? It begs the question of which fundamental factors they should reflect.

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Caution Advised in Chasing FX, but Wow!

2022-11-11

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2022-11-11

Overview:  The softer than expected US inflation figures unleashed significant market adjustment that continue to ripple through the capital markets. The modification of some of China’s Covid stance may have also fanned some optimism, but we suggest that measures are modest tweaks, and the surge in infections will prevent the end of disruptive restrictions.

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High Anxiety: China’s Covid and US Inflation

2022-11-10

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2022-11-10

Overview: Anxiety is running high. Rather than ease its Covid restrictions, a surge in cases is seeing more areas in China come under restrictions. The US reports CPI and of the ten reports this year, seven of them have been stronger than expected.

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Markets Consolidate After US Election

2022-11-09

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2022-11-09

Overview: It is difficult to see the impact of the US midterm election in the immediate aftermath. The dollar is stronger against all the major currencies, but this seems to be mostly position adjusting ahead of tomorrow’s CPI report after a pullback in recent days.

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The Dollar Edges Higher

2022-11-08

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2022-11-08

Overview: After selling off amid speculation that China’s Covid policy was going to ease, we expected the greenback to recover and consolidate ahead of Thursday’s CPI. This did not materialize yesterday, but the dollar has come back better bid today. Equity markets are mostly firmer, but nearly all the large markets, but China/Hong Kong, rising in the Asia Pacific region. Europe’s Stoxx 600 is posting small gains. It is the third session in a row...

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Risk Appetites Survive China Keeping Zero Covid Policy

2022-11-07

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2022-11-07

Overview: Chinese officials denied plans to end the zero-Covid policy and after a brief wobble, risk assets have traded better. Asia Pacific equities rallied, led by Hong Kong and mainland stocks that trade in Hong Kong. Europe’s Stoxx 600 opened lower but recovered and is around 0.5% higher after the 1.8% gain before the weekend. US futures are firm. Benchmark 10-year yields are mostly 2-4 bp softer in Europe and the US. The dollar is mixed. The...

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Can the Dollar Sell Off Much More Before the CPI?

2022-11-06

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2022-11-06

The apparent hawkishness of Fed Chair Powell's comments at the press conference following the FOMC's fourth consecutive rate hike extended the dollar's recovery, which had begun in late October. 

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The Week Ahead: How Sticky is US Inflation and How Soft is China’s?

2022-11-05

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2022-11-05

There are three potential inflection points. The first is a pause from the Fed; if nothing else, Powell signaled it was too early to think about it. The second is for the Bank of Japan to change monetary policy. Governor Kuroda has signaled that it is not time. Conventional wisdom is there will not be a change until Kuroda's term ends next April. However, we note that the surveys suggest economists and BOJ inflation forecasts for next year have...

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US Dollar Offered Ahead of the Employment Report

2022-11-04

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2022-11-04

Overview: Risk appetites have returned but may be tested by the US jobs report. News of progress with US auditors in China helped lift Hong Kong and Chinese equities. Most of the large bourses in the region also rose. Europe’s Stoxx 600 is up a little more than 1% near midday after shedding 1.3% over the past two sessions. US futures also are trading with an upside bias. Benchmark 10-year yields are mostly a little softer today. The 10-year US...

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Fed’s Hawkishness Roils the Capital Markets

2022-11-03

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2022-11-03

Overview: The Fed delivered the expected 75 bp rate hike, and although it says it will take into account the cumulative effect of past hikes and their lagged impact, the takeaway has been a hawkish message. Risk appetites have evaporated. The dollar is stronger, while stocks and bonds have been sold. Japan’s markets were spared due to the national holiday, but the other large markets in the area were sold, lead by the 3% decline in the Hang Seng....

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It is not So Much about the Fed’s hike Today but the Forward Guidance

2022-11-02

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2022-11-02

Overview: A consolidative tone has emerged ahead of the outcome of the FOMC meeting later today. The focus is not so much on the 75 bp rate hike, but on its forward guidance. Many expect the Fed to signal it will return to a 50 bp move next month, but we are not convinced that it will go beyond indicating that 50 bp or 75 bp will be debated in December, depending on the data. The market has a 5% terminal rate discounted. The Fed does not need to...

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RBA Hikes by 25 bp, Chinese Stocks Surge, and the Greenback Trades Heavier

2022-11-01

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2022-11-01

Overview: Risk appetites have returned today. Bonds and stocks are advancing, while the dollar is better offered. Unsourced claims that Beijing has formed a committee to assess how to exit the zero-Covid policy sent Chinese shares sharply higher. An index of mainland companies list in Hong Kong jumped nearly 7% and closed up almost 5.5%. The Hang Seng surged 5.2%, while all the large markets in the region advanced. Europe’s Stoxx 600 recovered...

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The Dollar Returns from the Weekend Bid

2022-10-31

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2022-10-31

The dollar has come back from the weekend bid. After the ECB and BOJ meetings last week, the focus has shifted back to the US where the FOMC meeting concludes in the middle of the week and the October employment report is out ahead of the weekend. Sterling and the yen are the weakest performers among the G10 currencies and are off 0.45%-0.50%. The Antipodeans are performing best and are straddling little changed levels.

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