Category Archive: 4) FX Trends
Great Graphic: Dollar Index Bottoming?
The Dollar Index set the year's high on January 3 a little above 103.20. Today it made a marginal new lows for the year at 95.464. The previous low, set at the end of last month was 95.47.
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FX Daily, July 14: Aussie Scales New Highs for the Year, as the Greenback Remains on the Defensive
The Australian dollar has taken over leadership in the dollar bloc from the Canadian dollar. The Aussies are up about 0.35% today to extend this week's gains to more than 2% and reach a new high for the year a little more than $0.7760. The Canadian dollar is up 1.1% this week, in comparison.
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FX Daily, July 13: Sterling and Antipodeans Trade Higher
The US dollar is mostly consolidating yesterday's move. Sterling is pushing back through $1.29 as the hawks on the MPC may not have been dissuaded by disappointing PMI readings and the softer earnings growth. The table is being set for another 5-3 vote at next month's MPC meeting.
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FX Daily, July 12: Currencies Stabilize, but Yen Strengthens
The US dollar and sterling have stabilized after being sold off yesterday. The yen, which had begun recovering from a four-month low, is the strongest of the major currencies today, gaining around 0.5% against the dollar (@~JPY113.40).
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Great Graphic: Aussie is Approaching 15-month Trendline
This Great Graphic, made on Bloomberg, depicts the Australian dollar since April 2016. We drew in the trendline from that April high, through the November high and the March 2017 high. It nearly catches last month's high as well. It comes in now near $0.7725.
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FX Daily, July 11: Markets Looking for Next Cue
Investors await fresh policy clues as the Bank of England's Broadbent is seen as a key vote on a closely balanced MPC, while the Fed's Brainard, is also seen as a bellwether, will speak shortly after midday in NY. Broadbent has not spoken since the election, and his current views are not known.
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FX Daily, July 10: Firm Dollar Tone may be Challenged by Softer Yields
The US dollar has begun the new week on a firm note, but the decline in yields limit the gains. The US 10-year yield is pulling back from the 2.40% area, which is it not been able to sustain gains above since Q1. European bond yields are also 1-3 basis points lower today after jumping last week.
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Weekly Speculative Positions (as of July 04): Speculators Still Dollar Negative
The net short CHF position has fallen from 4.7k short to 0.1k contracts short (against USD). Speculators in the futures market made several significant position adjustments in the CFTC reporting week ending July 4, despite it being a holiday-shortened week.
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FX Weekly Preview: Bank of Canada, US CPI, and UK Labor Update Featured
Yellen will unlikely deviate from general tone of post-FOMC meeting remarks. FOMC minutes were clear, most members see the decline in inflation due to transitory developments. Bank of Canada is expected to hike rates and will likely leave the door open to another rate cut in Q4. UK wage growth has continued to slow.
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FX Weekly Review, July 03 – July 08: Second Euro appreciation phase
The ECB appears to be preparing investors for a further adjustment of its risk assessment and a reduction of its asset purchases as they are extended into next year.
This assessment has marked a new phase of an appreciating EUR/CHF rate. It followed the previous phase, the one with and after the French elections.
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FX Daily, July 07: Taper Tantrum 2.0 Dominates
Taper Tantrum 2.0, emanating from Europe rather than the United States continues to overshadow other developments. Yesterday, the yield on the 10-year German Bund pushed through the 50 bp mark that has capped the occasional rise in yields in recent months. The record of the ECB meeting was understood as indicating that the official assessment had surpassed the actual communication in order try to minimize the impact.
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FX Daily, July 06: Stocks and Bonds Mostly Heavier, while Dollar Hovers Little Changed
The US dollar is narrowly mixed against the major currencies after being confined to tight ranges through the Asian session and European morning. Equities are nursing small losses, and interest rates are pushing higher. The yield on the 10-year German Bund reached 50 bp for the first time since early 2016. Oil prices have steadied after yesterday's slide.
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FX Daily, July 05: Dollar Firm as Investors Await Fresh Directional Cues
The US dollar is enjoying a firm tone today. Yesterday's two weakest major currencies, the Australian dollar and Swedish krona are the strongest currencies, but little changed on the session. After a strong rebound in the greenback to start the week, it mostly consolidated yesterday.
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FX Daily, July 03: Dollar Bounces to Start H2
The beleaguered US dollar is enjoying a respite from the selling pressure that pushed it lower against all the major currencies in the first six months of 2017. A measure of the dollar on a trade-weighted basis fell about 5% in the first half after appreciating nearly 8% in Q4 16.
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Weekly Speculative Positions (as of June 27): Speculators Scramble to Cover Short Canadian Dollar and Mexican Peso Futures
The net short CHF position has risen from 3k short to 4.7k contracts short (against USD). Speculators bought back previously sold Canadian dollar and Mexican peso futures positions in dramatic fashion in the CFTC reporting week ending June 27.
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FX Weekly Preview: Official Coordination or Is the Market Getting Ahead of Itself?
The consensus narrative sees a coordinated attempt by officials to prepare investors for less accommodative monetary policy. Data from the eurozone and UK may suggest the respective economies are not accelerating. Before getting to the jobs report, the US economic data, like auto sales, may be soft, while the prices paid in the manufacturing ISM may ease.
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FX Weekly Review, June 26 – July 01: Normalization Ideas Weigh on Greenback
A virus has spread across the markets as the first half drew to a close. Many investors have become giddy. The low vol environment was punctuated by ideas that peak in monetary accommodation is past and that the gradual process of normalization is beginning.
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FX Daily, June 30: Greenback Stabilizes
The US dollar has been battered this week amid a shift in sentiment seen in how the market responded to comments mostly emanating from the ECB's annual conference. It is not really clear that Draghi or Carney gave new policy indications.
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FX Daily, June 29: Run on Dollar and Yen Continues
The main driver of the foreign exchange market is the continued reassessment of the trajectory of monetary policy in the UK, EMU, and Canada. The OIS market does not show that higher rates are discounted for the next policy meeting (August, September, and July respectively), but rather there is greater confidence that, outside of Japan, peak monetary stimulus is behind us.
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FX Daily, June 28: Draghi’s Sparks Mini Taper Tantrum, Euro Chief Beneficiary
Sounding confident, ECB President Draghi seemed prepared to reduce the asset purchases, and this overshadowed his explicit recognition that substantial accommodation is still necessary. This is very much in line with what many, including ourselves, anticipate: At the September ECB meeting, an extension of the asset purchases into the first part of next year, coupled with a reduction in the amounts being purchased.
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