Tag Archive: China

FX Daily, December 02: Calm Surface Masks Lack of Conviction

2021-12-02

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2021-12-02

The downside reversal in US stocks yesterday seemed to accelerate after the first case of the Omicron variant was found in the US.  In itself, it should not be surprising, but perhaps, what was especially disheartening is that the person had been fully vaccinated. 

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Fragile Calm Returns and Powell’s Anti-Inflation Rhetoric Ratchets Up

2021-12-01

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2021-12-01

Overview:  Into the uncertainty over the implications of Omicron, the Federal Reserve Chairman injected a particularly hawkish signal into the mix in his testimony before the Senate.  These are the two forces that are shaping market developments.  Travel restrictions are being tightened, though the new variant is being found in more countries, and it appears to be like closing the proverbial barn door after the horses have bolted. Equities are...

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Jobs (US) and Inflation (EMU) Highlight the Week Ahead

2021-11-27

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2021-11-27

The new covid variant and quick imposition of travel restrictions on several countries in southern Africa have injected a new dynamic into the mix.

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The ‘Growth Scare’ Keeps Growing Out Of The Macro (Money) Illusion

2021-11-26

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2021-11-26

When Japan’s Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry (METI) reported earlier in November that Japanese Industrial Production (IP) had plunged again during the month of September 2021, it was so easy to just dismiss the decline as a product of delta COVID.

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Market Shrugs Off Chinese Signals and Keeps the Yuan Bid

2021-11-22

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2021-11-22

Overview:  The US dollar has come back bid from the weekend against most currencies following the talk by a couple of Fed governors about the possibility of accelerating the tapering at next month's FOMC meeting.  The weekend also saw protests against the social restrictions being imposed by several European countries in the face of a surge in Covid cases.  The Swedish krona, yen, and sterling are the weakest, while the dollar-bloc currencies are...

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Covid Wave Knocks Euro Down and to new 6-year Lows Against the Swiss Franc

2021-11-19

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2021-11-19

Overview:  Concerns about the virus surge in Europe cut short the euro's bounce and sent it back below $1.1300 and are also weighing on central European currencies, including the Hungarian forint, despite yesterday's aggressive hike of the one-week deposit rate.  Austria has reintroduced a hard 20-day lockdown.  Germany's health minister warned that the situation deteriorated and vaccines were not enough to break the wave.  He was explicit that a...

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European Gas Jumps, while the Euro and Yen Slump

2021-11-17

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2021-11-17

Overview: The prospects that the 6.2% CPI will prompt the Fed to move quicker continue to underpin the dollar.  The euro fell to about $1.1265, its lowest level since last September, and the Japanese yen slumped to a fresh four-year low.  The JP Morgan Emerging Market Currency Index tumbled 1% yesterday, the largest decline since February.  A more stable tone is evident in Europe, as the euro has recovered above $1.13, and the JP Morgan Index is...

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Biden-Xi “Summit” Leaves Markets Unmolested, While Bailey Continues to Blame Investors for Misunderstanding Him

2021-11-16

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2021-11-16

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Overview: The much-heralded Biden-Xi meeting left little impression on the capital markets.  Equities in the region were mixed, and China's main markets fell, alongside Australia, South Korea, and India.  European equities continue their upward market, with the Stoxx 600 gaining for a fifth consecutive session. US futures are softer.  The bond market is quiet, with the US 10-year yield softer slightly below...

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The Greenback Slips to Start the New Week

2021-11-15

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2021-11-15

Overview:  While the Belarus-Poland border remains an intense standoff, there have been a couple other diplomatic developments that may be exciting risk appetites today.  First, Biden and Xi will talk by phone later today.  Second, reports suggest the UK has toned down its rhetoric making progress on talks on the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

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US Retail Sales and Industrial Output to Accelerate; China not so Much

2021-11-13

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2021-11-13

At the halfway point of Q4, the markets' focus is on three things:  inflation, growth, and central banks' response. With US and Chinese October inflation readings behind us, the focus shifts to the real economy's performance, the world's two largest economies reporting retail sales and industrial production figures.   Helped by stronger auto sales, the first increase in six months, US retail sales likely turned in another solid showing of around...

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Euro and Sterling Record New Lows for the Year

2021-11-12

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2021-11-12

Overview: The capital markets remain unsettled.  The US CPI with a 6%-handle has lifted bond market volatility, disrupted rallies in stocks, and extended the dollar's rally.   Small gains in the US S&P 500 and NASDAQ yesterday and a better news stream from China helped lift Asia Pacific equities today.  Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea, and India rose more than 1%.  Europe's Stoxx 600 is struggling as energy, health care, and utilities are...

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Half a Dozen Things You Should Know about FX

2021-11-11

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2021-11-11

1.  The market is still digesting the implications of Wednesday's CPI shock.  The dollar has strengthened, yields have risen, the stock market wobbled after a long advancing streak, and in any event, stabilized in light trading during the US and Canadian holidays. However, given the low year-ago reading, there is a significant risk that inflation (including the core rate) will accelerate over the next few months. As a result, the Federal Reserve...

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China’s CPI Accelerated to 1.5%, US CPI to Approach 6%

2021-11-10

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2021-11-10

Overview: As bond yields slumped yesterday, stocks snapped their advancing streak.  The Stoxx 600 fell for the first time in nine sessions yesterday and is lower today.  The S&P 500 ended a nine-session advance, and the NASDAQ snapped a 12-session rally.  Futures on the indices point to a lower open.  Bonds are paring yesterday's gain, which saw the US 10-year yield fall below its 200-day moving average (~1.45%) and may explain the soft auction...

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FX Daily, November 9: Falling Yields Give the Yen a Boost

2021-11-09

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2021-11-09

Overview: Reports that the Fed's Brainard was interviewed for the Chair helped soften yields a bit, not that they needed extra pressure, on ideas she is more dovish than Powell.  In turn, the lower yields saw the yen rise to its best level in nearly a month and led the major currencies higher against the dollar. 

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Markets Await Fresh Developments

2021-11-08

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2021-11-08

Overview: Last week's bond market rally has stalled.  Benchmark 10-year yields are up 1-3 bp in Europe, and the three bp increase in the US puts the yield slightly below 1.50%.  Equities were mixed in the Asia Pacific region. 

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US and China’s October Inflation Featured in the Week Ahead

2021-11-07

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2021-11-07

The cycle of the major central bank meetings has passed.  The Anglo-American central banks and Norway are ahead among the high-income countries in the adjustment of monetary policy. Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to scar, and flare-ups are extending the economic and social disruption in some large countries, including China and Russia.  Parts of Europe are experiencing another wave, including Ireland, the UK, and Germany. From the RBA and ECB to...

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What Might it Take for the Fed to Deliver a Hawkish Tapering Announcement?

2021-11-03

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2021-11-03

Overview: With the FOMC's decision several hours away, the dollar is trading lower against nearly all the major currencies.  The Antipodeans and Norwegian krone are leading.  The euro, yen, and sterling are posting minor gains (less than 0.1%).  Most of the freely liquid and accessible emerging market currencies are also firmer.  The Turkish lira is a notable exception.  The decline in the core inflation and a smaller than expected rise in the...

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RBA Jettisons Yield Curve Control but Continues to Resist Market Pressure

2021-11-02

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2021-11-02

Overview: The third record close of the S&P 500 failed to lift Asia Pacific and European shares today.  In Asia, the large bourses fell, except South Korea, which rallied a little more than 1%.  Europe's Stoxx 600 is threatening to snap a three-day advance, while US index futures are soft.  The US 10-year yield is firm, around 1.56%.  European bonds are rallying.  Peripheral yields are off 8-9 bp, while core rates are 3-5 lower.  The Reserve...

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US-EU Rapprochement, Can France and UK Do the Same?

2021-11-01

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2021-11-01

Overview:  It is mostly a quiet start to the new month.  Most of Europe is closed for the All -Saints holiday and the week's key events start tomorrow with the Reserve Bank of Australia meeting.  News that the Liberal Democrats retained a majority in the lower chamber of the Diet helped lift Japanese indices by 2%.  Most of the large regional markets gained, though China and Hong Kong markets fell. US index futures are trading with a higher bias...

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Short Run TIPS, LT Flat, Basically Awful Real(ity)

2021-10-28

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2021-10-28

Over the past week and a half, Treasury has rolled out the CMB’s (cash management bills; like Treasury bills, special issues not otherwise part of the regular debt rotation) one after another: $60 billion 40-day on the 19th; $60 billion 27-day on the 20th; and $40 billion 48-day just yesterday.

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