Category Archive: 4) FX Trends

Main Author Marc Chandler
Marc Chandler
He has been covering the global capital markets in one fashion or another for more than 30 years, working at economic consulting firms and global investment banks. After 14 years as the global head of currency strategy for Brown Brothers Harriman, Chandler joined Bannockburn Global Forex, as a managing partner and chief markets strategist as of October 1, 2018.

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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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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Great Graphic: Dollar Breaks Out Against Yen

The dollar is at new lows for the year against the euro and Swiss franc. Draghi's comments earlier that transitory forces are dampening price pressures were seen as broadly similar to the Fed's leadership's assessment about US prices. The implication is that the ECB will announce tapering its purchases as it extends them into next year.

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Great Graphic: US Wage Growth Exceeds Productivity Growth

One of the longstanding challenges to growth US aggregate demand has been that wages have not kept pace with inflation and productivity.  The decoupling appears to have taken place in the late 1960s or early 1970s depending on exactly which metric one uses.In my book, the Political Economy of Tomorrow, I argue the decoupling of men's wages from productivity and inflation made it possible and necessary for women to enter the workforce in large...

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FX Daily, June 27: Euro Surges on Draghi, While Yuan Rises on Suspected PBOC Action

ECB President Draghi told the audience at the annual ECB Forum transitory factors were holding back inflation. This was quickly understood to be bullish for the euro, and it rallied from near the session lows below $1.12 to around $1.1260, a nine-day high.

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