Tag Archive: FOMC

FOMC Sets New Course

2021-12-15

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2021-12-15

The Fed delivered what it was expected to do:  double the pace of tapering and project a more aggressive interest rate response with its individual forecasts.  The dollar initially rallied on the headlines, and new sessions highs were recorded, but the price action was a bit of a head-fake, as it were. The greenback's gains were quickly pared,  though it remained above JPY114 ahead of Chair Powell's press conference. The market had already...

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Has the Market Carried the Fed’s Water? Is the Dollar Vulnerable to Buy the Rumor and Sell the Fact?

2021-12-15

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2021-12-15

Overview: The US dollar is trading with a bit of heavier bias against most of the major currencies as the focus turns to today's FOMC meeting, where a clear consensus has emerged in favor of faster tapering and a dot plot pointing to a steeper pace rate hikes.  Emerging market currencies led by Turkey and South Africa are mostly lower. The JP Morgan Emerging Market Currency Index is lower for the third straight session.  The US 10-year Treasury...

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Dollar Starts the Week Bid ahead of the FOMC

2021-12-13

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2021-12-13

Overview: Equities, bonds, and the dollar begin the new week on a firm note.  Japanese, Chinese, Australian, and New Zealand equities advanced in the Asia Pacific region.  Europe's Stoxx 600 is snapping a three-day decline, and US futures are 0.25%-0.35% higher.  The US 10-year yield is a little softer at 1.48%. European benchmark yields are mostly 1-2 bp lower, and near 0.71%, the UK Gilt's yield is at a three-month low.  The dollar is rising...

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The Greenback Finds Traction ahead of the Jobs Report

2021-12-03

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2021-12-03

Overview:  The Omicron variant has been detected in more countries, but the capital markets are taking it in stride.  Risk appetites appear to be stabilizing.  The MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose for the third consecutive session, though Hong Kong and Taiwan markets did not participate in the advance today.  Europe's Stoxx 600 is struggling to hold on to early gains, while US futures are narrowly mixed.  The US 10-year yield is a little near 1.43%,...

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This Is A Big One (no, it’s not clickbait)

2021-12-02

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2021-12-02

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: dollar up for reasons no one can explain; yield curve flattening dramatically resisting the BOND ROUT!!! everyone has said is inevitable; a very hawkish Fed increasingly certain about inflation risks; then, the eurodollar curve inverts which blasts Jay Powell’s dreamland in favor of the proper interpretation, deflation, of those first two.

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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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Flash PMIs Play Second Fiddle to US PCE Deflator and Accelerating Inflation

2021-11-20

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2021-11-20

The flash November PMIs would be the main focus in the week ahead if it were more normal times.  But these are not normal times, and growth prospects are not the key driver of the investment climate.  This quarters' growth is largely baked into the cake.  The world's three largest economies, the US, China, and Japan, are likely to accelerate for different reasons in Q4 from Q3.  Europe is the weak sibling, and growth in the eurozone and UK may slow...

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What Does Taper Look Like From The Inside? Not At All What You’d Think

2021-11-05

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2021-11-05

Why always round numbers? Monetary policy targets in the post-Volcker era are changed on even terms. Alan Greenspan had his quarter-point fed funds moves. Ben Bernanke faced with crisis would auction $25 billion via TAF. QE’s are done in even numbers, either total purchases or their monthly pace.

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And the Dollar Bounces Back, While BOE is in Focus

2021-11-04

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2021-11-04

Overview:  The Federal Reserve announced tapering and, like the Reserve Bank of Australia earlier in the week, did not validate expectations for an aggressive rate hike.  Now the focus is on the Bank of England, where several officials seemed to goad the market into lifting short-term rates. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ rallied to new record highs yesterday and helped raise global shares today.  Among the large markets in the Asia Pacific region,...

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Week Ahead: The First Look at US and EMU Q3 GDP and more Tapering by the Bank of Canada

2021-10-23

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2021-10-23

The macro highlights for the week ahead fall into three categories.  First are the preliminary estimates for Q3 GDP by the US and the EMU.  Second, are the inflation reports by the same two.  The US sees the September PCE deflator, which the Fed targets, while the eurozone releases the first estimate for October CPI.  Third are the meetings of three G7 central banks, the BOJ, the ECB, and the Bank of Canada. The broad backdrop includes softening...

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What to Expect When You are Expecting

2021-09-22

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2021-09-22

Overview: The markets have stabilized since Monday's panic attack but have not made much headway.  China and Taiwan returned from the extended holiday weekend.  Mainland shares were mixed. Shanghai rose by about 0.4%, while Shenzhen fell by around 0.25%.

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How (Not) to Win Friends and Influence People

2021-09-13

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2021-09-13

Overview:  There are two big themes in the capital markets today.  The first is the ongoing push of the Chinese state into what was the private sector.  Today's actions involve breaking Ant's lending arms into separate entities, with the state taking a stake.  This weighed on Chinese shares and Hong Kong, where many are lists. On the other hand, Japanese markets extended their recent gains.

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The FOMC Accidentally Exposes Itself (Reverse Repo-style)

2021-06-18

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2021-06-18

UST Yield Curve, Mar 2021 - Jun 2021
Initially, the dots got all the attention. Though these things are beyond hopeless, the media needs them to write up its account of a more fruitful monetary policy outcome because markets continue to discount that entirely.

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FX Daily, June 16: Will the Fed Talk the Talk?

2021-06-16

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2021-06-16

With the outcome of the FOMC meeting awaited, the dollar is narrowly mixed in quiet turnover. The Scandis are the weakest (~-0.3%) among the majors, while the Antipodeans are the strongest (~+0.25%). JP Morgan's Emerging Market Currency Index is snapping a three-day decline

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FX Daily, June 15: Commodities Ease though Oil remains Firm

2021-06-15

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2021-06-15

The new record high in the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ's sixth gain in seven sessions may have helped lift Asia Pacific markets today. Only China and Hong Kong did not participate. MSCI's regional index rose for its fourth consecutive session. Europe's Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is moving higher for the eighth session in a row. 

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FX Daily, June 14: Dollar Becalmed as Markets Wait for US Leadership

2021-06-14

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2021-06-14

The short squeeze that lifted the US dollar ahead of the weekend has seen limited follow-through buying, and instead a consolidative tone emerged. Europe is searching for direction and perhaps waiting for US leadership after a quiet Asia Pacific session, with several centers closed for holiday today (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Australia).

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FX Daily, April 8: Calm Capital Markets See the Dollar Drift

2021-04-08

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2021-04-08

Overview:  Global stocks are moving higher today.  Fears of a new lockdown in Tokyo amid rising covid cases weighed on Japanese stocks, a notable exception as the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rose for its fifth session of the past six.  Europe's Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is edging to new record highs today and is advancing for its fifth session of the past seven. 

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FX Daily, January 28: A Sea of Red Gives the Dollar a Bid

2021-01-28

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2021-01-28

The steepest loss in US equities since last October is rippling through the capital markets in the form of de-risking.  The rout is not over, and the S&P 500 is poised to gap lower.   Many of the largest markets in the Asia Pacific region were off around 2%. 

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FX Daily, January 27: The Fed and Earnings on Tap

2021-01-27

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2021-01-27

Overview:  Risk appetites seem subdued even if GameStop's surge draws attention. Asia Pacific equities mostly slipped lower, and profit-taking was seen in Hong Kong and Seoul, which are off to an incredibly strong start to the year. Small gains were reported in Tokyo, Beijing, and Taipei.

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FX Daily, January 25: A Subdued Start to a Big Week

2021-01-25

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2021-01-25

What promises to be an eventful week has begun off on a mostly subdued note. Asia Pacific equities moved higher, again led by Hong Kong and ostensibly mainland buying. The Hang Seng rose 2.4% to bring this year's gain to 10.75%. South Korea's Kospi also increased by more than 2%, and, so far this month, it is up almost 11.7%. 

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