Category Archive: 4.) Marc to Market

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FX Daily, July 19: Greenback Extends Gains

2018-07-19

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2018-07-19

The US dollar is extending its recent gains against most of the world's currencies.   We continue to see the most compelling case for the macro driver being the diverging policy mixes.  There are also more immediate factors too.  The surprisingly poor UK retail sales report, for example, managed to do what the Brexit chaos and softer than expected CPI fail to do. 

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FX Daily, July 18: Greenback Extends Gains-For Now

2018-07-18

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2018-07-18

After softening in Europe yesterday, the dollar recovered in the North American session with the help of assurances by Fed Chair Powell who reaffirmed the path gradual path despite clear recognition that tariffs threaten wages and growth.  The greenback has extended those gains today and is higher against all the emerging market currencies, expected the Turkish lira, which is slightly firmer.

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Great Graphic: Fed Raising Rates, but Yields Still Negative

2018-07-18

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2018-07-18

3-month US Treasury
The yield on the 3-month US Treasury bill is pushing above 2% today for the first time since 2008. The yield had briefly dipped below zero as recently as late 2015. Although today's yield seems high, this Great Graphic shows the nominal generic three-month yield going back to 1990. Then the three-month bill yielded 8%. The peak in the last cycle (2006-2007) was a little above 5%.

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FX Daily, July 17: Dollar on Back Foot Ahead of Powell

2018-07-17

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2018-07-17

The US dollar eased in Asia session and the European morning. The greenback had appeared technically vulnerable, and the economic news stream is light. Sterling, unlike most of the other major currencies, remains within yesterday's range. Yesterday's high, a little above $1.3290, maybe reinforced a little today by the GBP245 mln $1.33 option that is expiring. Brexit concerns may also be acting as a drag.

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Great Graphic: Two-year Rate Differentials

2018-07-17

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2018-07-17

Two-year interest rate differential between the US and four countries
Given that some of the retail sales that were expected in June were actually booked in May is unlikely to lead to a large revision of expectations for Q2 US GDP, the first estimate of which is due in 11 days.  Before the data, the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow projects the world's biggest economy expanded at an annualized pace of 3.9% in Q2. 

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FX Daily, July 16: Dollar Softens a Little as Market Awaits Developments

2018-07-16

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2018-07-16

The US dollar is slightly softer against most of the major currencies but is in narrow ranges ahead of today's key events, which include US retail sales and the debate in the UK parliament over Brexit.  The yen is the main exception.  The local markets are closed for a public holiday, and the yen did initially strengthen (the dollar eased to ~JPY112.10) but surrendered those gains and consolidating its biggest loss last week in 10 months.

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FX Weekly Preview: For the Millionth Time: Investors Exaggerate Trade Tensions at Their Own Peril

2018-07-16

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2018-07-16

You would never have guessed it reading many of the op-eds and pundits pronouncing the end to globalization or the West, or liberalism. Global equities have rallied.  Of course,  stock prices are not the end all and be all, but it stands in stark contrast to the cries that the sky is falling.

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Great Graphic: Two Stories for Two Trend Lines

2018-07-15

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2018-07-15

The Dollar Index made a marginal new high for the year at the end of June a touch below 95.55. It fell through the start of this week when it reached nearly 93.70. With the earlier gains, the Dollar Index briefly traded above the 61.8% retracement of the pullback (~94.85). A move now below 94.20 would be disappointing.

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Great Graphic: Is Mr Market Thinking About the First Fed Cut?

2018-07-14

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2018-07-14

EDZ0 Comdty - EDZ9 Comdty, Jan 2017-Jul 2018
The US economy is among the strongest among the large economies. Goosed by the never-fail elixir of tax cuts and spending increases, the US economy is accelerating. Nevertheless, we continue to see the fiscal boost as short-lived, and a recent Fed paper suggested that fiscal stimulus in an upswing may not have the same multiplier as during a downturn.

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FX Daily, July 13: Trump Trips Sterling, but Greenback Enjoys Broad Gains

2018-07-13

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2018-07-13

President Trump weighed in on Brexit and spurred the largest drop in sterling in more than two weeks.  Trump encouraged Brexit, but he indicated he "would have done it much differently" and that he "actually told Theresa May how to do it, but she did not listen."  Trump cautioned that May's plan would mean it would still be too close to the EU and this would "kill" a free-trade deal with the US.  In effect, Trump backed the harder Brexit camp...

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FX Daily, July 12: Dollar Remains Firm as Risk Returns

2018-07-12

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2018-07-12

The US dollar rallied yesterday as the escalating trade tensions between the world's top two economies choked off the animal spirits and a marked down in equities and risk assets.  It remains firm today even as risk has come back.  Equities are mostly higher today and bonds lower.  Emerging market currencies, from Turkey to South Africa are firmer, as is the Chinese yuan. 

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FX Daily, July 11: Escalating Trade Tensions Set Tone for Capital Markets

2018-07-11

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2018-07-11

The US took the first step in making good its threat to put a 10% tariff on $200 bln of Chinese goods in response to the PRC retaliating for the 25% tariff on $34 bln of its exports. The US provided a list of products that will get the new tariffs after the public comment period is completed at the end of next month. This time the list included numerous consumer goods, like digital cameras, baseball gloves, but have left off popular products, like...

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FX Daily, July 10: May Survives to Fight Another Day, but Sterling’s Recovery Falters

2018-07-10

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2018-07-10

The political obituary of UK's May, who many see as an "accidental" Prime Minister, has been written many times in the past year and a half only to be withdrawn.  Again, it looked like the resignation of two ministers, and a couple of junior ministers was going to spur a leadership challenge. While this still may come to pass, the hard Brexit camp, which has huffed and puffed, simply does not appear to represent a majority of the Tory Party, and...

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Central Bank Investment Strategies

2018-07-10

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2018-07-10

A survey of central banks and sovereign wealth funds by Invesco sheds light on their investment plans. The traditional separation of markets and the state may be helpful for ideological arguments, but the real situation is more complicated.  Central banks and their investment vehicles (sovereign wealth funds) are market participants.  In some activities, such as custodian, central banks compete with the private sector.

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FX Daily, July 09: Possibility of a Soft Brexit Excites Sterling (too Early?)

2018-07-09

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2018-07-09

After a little wobble, sterling has responded favorably to the resignation of the UK Brexit team led by David Davis. The idea is that a path to a softer Brexit is good for sterling.  In fairness, it is a bit early to reach this conclusion, and the softer dollar tone puts wind in sterling's sale. There is a GBP244 mln sterling option at $1.3375 that expires today. The June highs were set in the $1.3450-$1.3470 area.  

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FX Weekly Preview: Macro Considerations for the Capital Markets

2018-07-09

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2018-07-09

The triumphalism that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall nearly three decades ago has evaporated.  The Great Financial Crisis and inexorable widening of income and wealth inequalities within countries undermined claims of moral and economic superiority.  Liberal democracies are fighting a rearguard action and the rise of illiberal regimes. 

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FX Daily, July 06: Dollar Slips After Tariffs and Before Jobs Data

2018-07-06

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2018-07-06

The first set of US tariffs aims specifically at China were implemented, and the retaliatory actions were also launched. The tariffs cover hundreds of goods, though the initial amount of trade covered is relatively small at $34 bln. Tariffs on another $16 bln are in the pipeline and could be put into effect in a few weeks. The US is threatening to ramp up its response by imposing a tariff on another $200 bln of Chinese goods, though the details...

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FX Daily, July 05: Dollar is Mixed on Eve of US Jobs and Tariffs

2018-07-05

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2018-07-05

The US dollar is softer against most of the major currencies and mixed against the emerging market currencies.  European currencies firmer, with the continued recovery of the Swedish krona on the back of a more hawkish central bank, and the euro poking through $1.17 for the first time in over a week with the help of strong factory orders report from Germany.  Central and East European currencies are leading among emerging markets.  Asian equities...

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FX Daily, July 03: Markets Trying to Stabilize

2018-07-03

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2018-07-03

The global capital markets are trying to stabilize. US equities recovered from early losses yesterday but this was not enough to stop Asian equities from extending recent losses. The MSCI Asia Pacific Index slipped 0.2% for the sixth decline in the past seven sessions, However, several local markets, including China, Australia, and Korea advanced.

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FX Daily, July 02: Third Quarter Begins With a Thump

2018-07-02

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2018-07-02

The window dressing ahead of the end of Q2 failed to signal a turn in sentiment. Equity markets have taken back those gains and more. The US dollar is broadly firmer, though it was coming off its best levels near midday in Europe, and the three-basis-point slippage puts the US 10-year yield at 2.83%, its lowest in more than a month.

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