Tag Archive: Trade

FX Daily, May 31: US Struggles to Build Physical Wall, Tries Tariff Wall on Mexico

2019-05-31

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2019-05-31

Overview: The US announcement to lay a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico (starting June 10) until it stops the flow of "illegal migrants" spurred sharp losses in the Mexican peso and general risk-off move that strengthened the yen. The tariffs are set to rise every month until reaching 25%. This is a significant surprise and especially given that the Trump Administration is preparing to formally submit the USMCA to Congress.

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FX Daily, May 30: Kill Bull: Intermission

2019-05-30

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2019-05-30

Overview:  After significant moves in equities and interest rates, investors are taking a collective breath, waiting for fresh developments.  A nervous calm has settled over the capital market.  China, Japan, and Australian equities leaked lower, but other bourses in the region, including Korea and Taiwan posted modest gains, while Indonesian equities are still responding positively to the recent election.

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FX Daily, May 29: Equity Slump Deepens while Yields Plunge

2019-05-29

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2019-05-29

Overview:  The slump in equities continues after the poor showing in the US yesterday.  Nearly all bourses in Asia Pacific and Europe are lower.  Indonesia is the notable exception as domestic operators re-position after the election.  Foreign investors have been notable sellers of Korean and Taiwanese shares this month (in excess of $6.2 bln). Europe's Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is testing its lowest levels since March, and the S&P 500 is poised to gap...

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FX Daily, May 28: Risk Appetites Curbed, US Leadership Awaited in FX

2019-05-28

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2019-05-28

Overview:  The euro initially reacted positively to the EU Parliament elections.  The populists did not do quite as well as many expected.  The two main groupings failed to secure a majority, but with the help of the Liberals, and possibly the Greens, that did well throughout Europe, a new European Commission will be forged.  The heads of state meet later today, but no real decisions are likely.  The horse trading will likely take most of the next...

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FX Weekly Preview: The Evolution of Three Issues are Key in the Week Ahead

2019-05-27

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2019-05-27

As May winds down, the light economic calendar will allow investors to take their cues from the evolution of three disruptive forces--trade, Brexit and the US economy. With actions against Huawei and possibly a handful of Chinese surveillance equipment producers, the US raised the stakes. The retaliatory tariffs are effective on June 1, but Beijing has not formally responded to the moves against Chinese companies.

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FX Daily, May 23: Trade, Brexit, and Disappointing Flash PMIs Weigh on Global Markets

2019-05-23

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2019-05-23

Overview:  The deterioration of the investment climate is spurring the sales of stocks and the buying of bonds. The dollar is firm.  China and the US appear to be digging as if the trade tensions will remain for some time and the breech is beginning to look too big for Trump and Xi to pull another rabbit out of the hat like they did at the end of last year when the tariff truce was struck.   The move against Huawei and possible a number of...

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FX Daily, May 22: Sterling Can’t Get Out of Its Own Way

2019-05-22

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2019-05-22

Overview:   There is a nervous calm in the capital markets.  Yesterday's rally in US shares failed to excite global investors.  China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan markets fell, while Japan was mixed. Foreign investors continued to sell Korean shares, but the Kospi rose.  European shares narrowly mixed, leaving the Dow Jones Stoxx 600 little changed.

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Rare Earths may Provide Leverage

2019-05-22

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2019-05-22

Many American observers argue that the trade imbalance gives the US an advantage in a trade war with China. The US enjoys escalation dominance in tariffs because Chinese imports of US goods are so much less than the US imports of Chinese goods.  However, the focus on quantities may be misleading.

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FX Weekly Preview: The Week Ahead featuring the Battle for 7.0

2019-05-20

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2019-05-20

The strategic objective is to integrate China into the world economy. The liberal international solution was trade, investment flows, and cultural exchanges. The rise of nationalism and China's own willingness to flaunt the international rules are defeating the strategy.

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FX Daily, May 17: China Questions US Sincerity

2019-05-17

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2019-05-17

Since the presidential tweets on May 3, the US had the initiative in the negotiations with China, but today, China has pushed back. It is cool to the idea promoted by the US that trade talks will resume shortly. Now it may take the Trump-Xi meeting at the end of next month to restart talks. This, coupled with US sanctions on Huawei banning imports from it and sales to it, threatens to disrupt business and this took a toll on Chinese, Taiwanese and...

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FX Daily, May 16: US Struggles to Strike a Less Strident Tone

2019-05-16

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2019-05-16

Overview: Retail sales and industrial production disappointed in both the US and China prior to the end of the tariff truce, declared by the US in a series of presidential tweets on May 5.  The reaction function of the US to the drop in equities was to play down tensions on three fronts.  First, a US team is expected to return to Beijing in the coming weeks. 

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The Thumbnail Sketch of the Euro You are Looking For

2019-05-16

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2019-05-16

Here is an overview of the broad macro considerations for the euro, with some thoughts about the price action, including volatility. It is shared not so much as an argument as a sketch the considerations that drive a view.

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FX Daily, May 14: Too Weak to Muster Much of a Turnaround Tuesday, Markets See Small Reprieve

2019-05-14

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2019-05-14

OECD Gauge hits Lowest Level
President Trump's willingness to meet China's Xi at the G20 meeting at the end of next month and his "feeling" that an agreement will still be found seemed sufficient to break the momentum that had swept through the capital market.

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FX Daily, May 13: Investors Still Looking for New Balance

2019-05-13

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2019-05-13

The end of the tariff truce between the US and China has discombobulated investors. They had been repeatedly that a deal was close and there had even been talk at the US Treasury about where Trump and Xi should meet to sign the agreement. Now China was given around a month to capitulate to US demands or face a 25% tariff on their remaining exports to the US.

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FX Weekly Preview: Trade, the Dollar, and the Week Ahead

2019-05-13

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2019-05-13

China is isolated on trade. No one supports its trade practices. The idea that China was going to "naturally" evolve to be more like the US, or Europe for that matter, was always fanciful and naive. The emergence of China, as Napoleon warned two centuries ago, would make the world shake.

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FX Daily, May 10: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

2019-05-10

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2019-05-10

Overview:  Contrary to hopes and expectations, the US made good on the presidential tweet and raised the tariff on around $200 bln of Chinese goods from 10% to 25%.  Trump indicated that the process that will levy a 25% tariff on the remaining Chinese imports has begun. Also contrary to expectations, Chinese officials did not detail their response, though it is expected to be forthcoming.

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FX Daily, May 09: De-Risking as US-China Trade Talks Resume

2019-05-09

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2019-05-09

The end of the tariff truce between the US and China continues to dominate investment considerations. The truce was often cited in narratives explaining the recovery of equities from the Q4 18 slide. Ahead of the midnight US tariff hike, global equities are being smashed. Korea's Kospi was off 3%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was shed 2.4%. Shanghai lost 1.5%.

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FX Daily, May 08: Markets Trying to Stabilize

2019-05-08

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2019-05-08

Overview:  It is taking investors a bit more than two sessions to find its footing after being the unexpected end of the tariff truce between the US and China struck last December. Asia Pacific equities tumbled after the S&P 500 shed nearly 1.7% yesterday, the third largest decline in 2019, but Europe's Dow Jones Stoxx 600 is consolidating near yesterday's lows.

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FX Daily, May 07: Markets Steady as China Pushes Forward

2019-05-07

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2019-05-07

Overview: News that the US tariff escalation did not scupper trade talks with China has helped the global capital markets stabilize today.  China's Vice Premier Liu He is still leading a delegation to the US.  Most Asian equities recouped part of yesterday's losses, including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, and Singapore.  Japanese and Korean markets were closed on Monday and bore some selling pressure today.

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FX Daily, May 06: Trump’s Tariff Tweets Help Investors Discover Volatility

2019-05-06

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2019-05-06

Reports that a US-China deal could be struck by May 10 before the weekend left investors ill-prepared for the presidential tweets yesterday that announced that the US was ending the tariff truce. Trump indicated that the 10% tariff on $200 bln of Chinese goods would be lifted to 25% at the end of the week and that the remaining $325 bln of Chinese goods that have not been subject to an extra levy, will be slapped with a 25% tariff soon.

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