Tag Archive: RBA

Greenback Bid Ahead of CPI

2024-12-11

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2024-12-11

Overview: The dollar is on fire. Ahead of today's US November CPI and tomorrow's anticipated rate cuts by the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank, the greenback is rising against all G10 currencies and nearly all emerging market currencies (but the Hong Kong dollar and the Indian rupee, which slipped to a record-low earlier today). There is a press report claiming that Beijing is considering allowing the yuan to fall further but it is...

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Dovish Hold Sends the Aussie Lower

2024-12-10

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2024-12-10

Overview: The US dollar is little changed against most of the G10 currencies today. The antipodean currencies are the main exception. A modest change in tone from the Reserve Bank of Australia, boosting the chances of a rate cut early next year sent the Australian dollar back toward yesterday's lows, and the New Zealand dollar fell in sympathy. Most of the G10 currencies sporting softer profiles within the consolidative price action. The greenback...

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US Dollar is Offered and China’s Politburo Promises more Monetary and Fiscal Support

2024-12-09

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2024-12-09

The dollar is offered. Neither the 227k rise in nonfarm payrolls, nor the above 3% Q4 growth that the Atlanta Fed sees the economy tracking, or the uptick in November CPI expected to be reported on Wednesday has been sufficient to dampen speculation of a rate cut next week.

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Fall of French Government Does Not Roil the Markets and a BOJ Dove did not Rule out Rate Hike this Month

2024-12-05

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2024-12-05

Overview: The US dollar is mostly softer today. The only G10 currency that has not gained on it today is the Swedish krona, which is nursing minor losses. Still, the tone is one of consolidation and this may persist through the North American session, ahead of tomorrow US employment report. The median forecast in Bloomberg's survey has crept up to 215k. Most emerging market currencies have also gained on  greenback, but the South Korean won. The...

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Busy Wednesday: French Confidence Vote, Fed’s Powell Speaks, ADP Jobs Estimate, and Beige Book

2024-12-04

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2024-12-04

Overview:  The dollar is mixed on what will start critical second half of the week. France holds its confidence vote in a few hours. Fed Chair speaks at a moderated discussion at the New York Times around 1:40 ET. The US data focus shifts to the labor market with the ADP estimate today and the nonfarm payroll report on Friday. The head of the main opposition party in Japan stepped down ostensibly until March due to a personal scandal and this has...

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Trump’s Tariff Talks Wobble Forex Market, Close Neighbors Suffer Most

2024-11-26

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2024-11-26

Overview: As some market pundits were debating about a possible grand deal between the US and China. In exchange for a lighter tariff regime, Beijing would accept yuan appreciation. As far-fetched as such scenario may be, it was predicated on ideas that people like the Bessent, the Treasury Secretary-nominee, was pragmatic. Trump's comments hit in early Asia Pacific turnover specifically cited a 25% tariff on all product from Canada and Mexico and...

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Markets do Cartwheels in Response to Traditional Pick for US Treasury Secretary

2024-11-25

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2024-11-25

Overview: The selection of Scott Bessent, the hedge fund manager as next US Treasury Secretary was greeted euphorically in the capital markets:  one of their own and, arguably, like many of new economics team could have been picked in any Republican administration. Risk appetites have been animated. Still, we suspect market positioning may have led to an exaggerated response. The dollar has been sold. Stocks have bought. The euro is leading the G10...

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Geopolitics Roil Capital Markets

2024-11-19

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2024-11-19

Within hours of the US giving permission to Ukraine to use US weapons to strike Russian territory, which it did, Moscow announced a change it is nuclear doctrine that allow for the use of nuclear weapons against a conventionally armed adversary that is backed by nuclear powers.

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Fragile and Consolidative Tone Starts the Week in FX

2024-11-18

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2024-11-18

Overview: The US dollar has begun the new week consolidating in a mixed fashion against the G10 currencies. Bank of Japan Governor Ueda remains circumspect and did not provide guidance about next month's central bank meeting. Without positive guidance, the market sold the yen, but the swaps market shows about 13 bp of tightening has been discounted, up a couple of basis points from a week ago. Leave aside the New Zealand dollar, which is also under...

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Nervous Calm Hangs over the Markets

2024-11-05

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2024-11-05

Overview: A nervous calm hangs over the markets as the US goes to the polls. The proximity of the presidential contest warns that the results may not been known as soon as people hope. Indeed, many fear the voting simply begins the next phase of the contest, with premature declarations of victory and disputes over votes. The dollar is in mostly narrow ranges today, but the Antipodeans and Scandis are the strongest, and the Reserve Bank of Australia...

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US Polls Spur Position Adjusting Ahead of Tomorrow’s Election

2024-11-04

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2024-11-04

Overview: Weekend polls in the US made it seem that the Trump victory, which many large pools of capital, had discounted, was not so inevitable after all. The most dramatic market response was taking US yields and the dollar lower. The US 10-year yield is off about nine basis points to straddle 4.30% and the two-year yield down four basis points to around 4.16%. The greenback is also against all the G10 currencies. Most emerging market currencies...

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Eurozone Growth Surprises, Lifts Euro, while UK Budget is Awaited

2024-10-30

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2024-10-30

Overview:  The US 10-year yield is off around a dozen basis points off yesterday's high and European growth in Q3 was better than expected. This appears to have encouraged some dollar liquidation today. The greenback is softer against the G10 currencies, but the Canadian dollar and sterling. The much-awaited UK Autumn budget will be announced shortly. Sterling is consolidating around $1.30. Most emerging market currencies also are enjoying a firmer...

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Consolidative Tone in FX Ahead of Key Events and Data

2024-10-29

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2024-10-29

Overview: A consolidative tone is emerging in the foreign exchange market as the week's key events begin tomorrow:  UK budget, eurozone and US Q3 GDP, and the US ADP private sector jobs estimate, and quarterly refunding. Outside of the Norwegian krone, which is up nearly 0.5%, the other G10 currencies are largely +/- 0.1%. The yen, Swiss franc, and antipodeans are trading with a slightly heavier bias. Among emerging market currencies, most from the...

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US Rates Extend Gains to Fray 4 percent

2024-10-07

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2024-10-07

The stronger than expected US jobs report triggered a 20 bp jump in the US two-year yield and sent the greenback broadly higher. The market slashed the probability that the Fed would cut by 75 bp in Q4.

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Run on the Dollar Stalls after the Market Boosted Odds of another 50 bp Fed Cut

2024-09-25

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2024-09-25

Overview: Weak US consumer confidence, especially regarding the labor market boosted speculation of another half-point Fed cut in November when the central bank meets again. This weighed on the dollar. Sterling and the Australian dollar rose to new 2 1/2-year highs. The PBOC followed up yesterday's package with a 30 bp cut in the one-year Medium-Term Lending rate. After extending its losses earlier today, the dollar has steadied and turned higher...

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Stocks Higher, Dollar Lower: Post-Fed

2024-09-19

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2024-09-19

Overview: The Federal Reserve's 50 bp rate cut has made for a volatile 15 hours or so in the foreign exchange market. As North American traders return to their posts, the greenback is heavy. They will find that only the yen and Russian ruble are softer. Norway delivered a hawkish hold, and the krone leads the G10 currencies with more than a 1% gain. Australia's employment data was sufficiently strong that the Reserve Bank of Australia will likely...

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Consolidative Tuesday

2024-09-10

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2024-09-10

Overview: The US dollar is mostly consolidating so far today with a slightly heavier bias against the G10 currencies and most emerging market currencies. The larger than expected Chinese trade surplus did not lift the yuan. The greenback is trading above its 20-day moving average against the Chinese yuan for the first time since late July. Sterling is rising for the first time in three sessions after a strong jobs report. The Canadian dollar is the...

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USD Remains Soft but Consolidation is Threatened

2024-08-20

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2024-08-20

Overview: The US dollar's recent retreat has been marginally extended today but it seems to be moderating. Still, the greenback is on the defensive, arguably ahead of tomorrow's BLS annual revisions of nonfarm payrolls, where there is talk that April 2023-March 2024 job growth could be slashed from 2.9 mln to 1.9 mln. And that is ahead of Friday's Jackson Hole address by Fed Chief Powell that is expected to be the strongest confirmation of a rate...

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BOJ Offers Verbal Support, Extends the Yen’s Pullback

2024-08-07

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2024-08-07

Overview:  The calls earlier this week for an emergency rate cut seemed to be a call for the Fed put, which, we argue is misunderstood. It is not about the stock market per se but financial stability, which did not seem threatened in the US. Japan is a different story, and the Bank of Japan offered a verbal put today, with an indication that it wants to maintain low (accommodative) rates. The markets reacted accordingly. The yen was sold (and...

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Greenback Catches a Bid

2024-06-18

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2024-06-18

Overview: The dollar has caught a bid ahead of the US retail sales and industrial production figures. It is higher against all the G10 currencies but the Swiss franc. The SNB meets Thursday. It surprised many by cutting rates in March and the same logic (low inflation, move ahead of the ECB, stronger franc) may apply now. A hawkish hold by the Reserve Bank of Australia has not done much for the Australian dollar, which is little changed on the day....

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