Monthly Archives: October 2020

Growth’s Pace Declining

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Lagarde said, ‘what we have detected’
“More rapidly than [we] expected”
Is growth’s pace declining
And so, we’re designing
New ways for cash to be injected

The pundits were right about the ECB as they left policy unchanged but essentially promised they would be doing more in December.  In fact, Madame Lagarde emphasized that ALL their tools were available, which has been widely interpreted to mean they are considering a cut to the deposit rate as well as adding to their QE menu of APP, PEPP and TLTRO programs.  Interviewed after the meeting, Austrian central bank president, Robert Holtzmann, generally considered one of the most hawkish ECB members, confirmed that more stimulus was coming, although dismissed the idea of an inter-meeting move.  He also seemed to indicate that a further rate cut was pointless (agreed) but that they were working on even newer tools to utilize.  Meanwhile, Lagarde once again emphasized the need for more fiscal stimulus, which has been the clarion call of every central banker in the Western world.

As an aside, when considering central bank activities during the pandemic, the lesson we should have learned is; not only are they not omnipotent, neither are they independent.  The myth of central bank independence is quickly dissipating, and arguably the consequences of this process are going to be long-lasting and detrimental to us all.  The natural endgame of this sequence will be central bank financing of government spending, a situation which, historically, has resulted in the likes of; Zimbabwe, Venezuela and the Weimar Republic.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Meanwhile, this morning brought the first set of European GDP data, following yesterday’s US Q3 print.  By now, you have surely heard that the US number was the highest ever recorded, +33.1% annualized, which works out to about +7.4% rise in the quarter.  While this was slightly better than expected, it still leaves the economy about 8.7% below its pre-Covid levels.  As to Europe, France (+18.2%), Germany (+8.2%), Italy (+16.1%) and the Eurozone as a whole (+12.7%) all beat expectations.  On the surface this all sounds great.  Alas, as we have discussed numerous times in the past, GDP data is very backward looking.  As we finish the first month of Q4, with lockdowns being reimposed across most of Europe, it is abundantly clear that Q4 will not continue this trend.  Rather, the latest forecasts are for another negative quarter of growth, adding to the woes of the global economy.

Keeping yesterday’s activities in mind, it cannot be surprising that the euro was the weakest performer around.  In fact, other than NOK, which suffered from the sharp decline in oil prices, even the Turkish lira outperformed the single currency.  If the ECB is promising to open the taps even wider than they are already, the euro has further to fall.  This has been my rebuttal to the ‘dollar is going to collapse’ crowd all along; whatever you think the Fed will do, there is literally a zero probability that the ECB will not respond in kind.  Europe cannot afford for the euro to strengthen substantially, and the ECB will do everything in its power to prevent that from happening, right up to, and including, straight intervention in the FX markets should the euro trade above some fail-safe level.  As it is, we are nowhere near that situation, but just remember, the euro is capped.

Turning to markets this morning, risk appetite remains muted, at best.  Asian equity markets ignored the US rebound and sold off across the board with the Hang Seng (-1.95%) leading the way lower, but closely followed by both the Nikkei and Shanghai, at -1.5% each.  European markets are trying to make the best of the GDP data, as well as the idea that the ECB is going to offer support, but that has resulted in a lackluster performance, which is, I guess, better than a sharp decline.  The DAX (-0.4%) and FTSE 100 (-0.35%) are both under a bit more pressure than the CAC (+0.1%), but the French index is hardly inspiring.  As to US futures, the screen is dark red, with all three futures gauges down about 1.0% at this hour.  One other thing to watch here is the technical picture.  US equity markets certainly appear to have put in a short-term double top, which for the S&P 500 is at 3600.  Care must be taken as many traders will be looking to square up positions, especially given that today is month end, and a break of 3200, which, granted, is still 3% away, could well open up a much more significant correction.

Once again, bond market behavior has been out of sync with stocks as in Europe this morning we see bonds under some pressure and yields climbing about 1 basis point in most jurisdictions despite the lackluster equity performance.  And despite the virtual promise by the ECB to buy even more bonds. Treasuries, meanwhile, are unchanged this morning, but that is after a sharp price decline (yield rally) yesterday, which took the 10-year back to 0.82%.  With the US election next week, it appears there are many investors who are reducing exposures given the uncertainty of the outcome.  But, other than a strong Blue wave, where market participants will assume a massive stimulus bill and much steeper yield curve, the chance for a more normal risk-off performance in Treasuries, seems high.  After all, while growth in Q3 represented the summer reopening of the economy, we continue to hear of regional shutdowns in the US as well, which will have a detrimental impact on the numbers.

And lastly, the dollar, which today is mixed to slightly softer.  Of course, this is after a week of widespread strength.  In fact, the only G10 currency that outperformed the greenback this week is the yen, which remains a true haven in most participants’ eyes.  Today, however, we are seeing SEK (+0.4%) leading the way higher followed by GBP (+0.3%) and NOK (+0.2%).  Nokkie is consolidating its more than 3% losses this week and being helped by the fact that the oil price, while not really rallying, is not falling either.  The pound, too, looks to be a trading bounce, as it fell sharply yesterday, and traders have taken the Nationwide House price Index data (+5.8% Y/Y) as a positive that the economy there is not collapsing.  Finally, SEK seems to be benefitting from the fact that Sweden is not being impacted as severely by the second wave of the virus, and so, not forced to shut down the economy.

In the emerging markets, the picture is mixed, with about a 50:50 split in performance.  Gainers of note are ZAR (+0.7%), which seems to be a combination of trading rebound and the benefit from gold’s modest rebound, and CNY (+0.4%), which continues to power ahead as confidence grows that the Chinese economy is virtually back to where it was pre-pandemic.  On the downside, TRY (-0.5%) continues to be troubled by President Erdogan’s current belligerency to the EU and the US, as well as his unwillingness to allow the central bank to raise rates.  Meanwhile, RUB (-0.35%) is continuing its weeklong decline as, remember, Russia continues to get discussed as interfering in the US elections and may be subject to further sanctions in their wake.

Once again, we have important data this morning, led by Personal Income (exp +0.4%) and Personal Spending (+1.0%); Core PCE (1.7% Y/Y); Chicago PMI (58.0) and Michigan Sentiment (81.2).  Arguably, the PCE data is what the Fed will be watching.  It has been rising rapidly, although this month saw CPI data stall, and that is the expectation here as well.  Now, the Fed has been pretty clear that inflation will have to really pick up before they even think about thinking about raising rates, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t paying attention, nor that the market won’t respond to an awkwardly higher print.  If inflation is running hotter than expected, it has the potential to mean the Fed will be less inclined to ease further, and that is likely to help the dollar overall.  However, barring a sharp equity market decline today, and given the dollar’s strength all week, I expect we will see continued consolidation with very limited further USD strength.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
Adf

There is Trouble

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It seems that the virus mutated
In Spain, which has now complicated
The efforts by France
To alter their stance
On lockdowns, with new ones created

In Germany, too, there is trouble
With cases, this week, set to double
So, Madame Lagarde
Will simply discard
Her fears, and inflate the bond bubble

The second wave of infections, or perhaps the third, is clearly washing over Europe with Covid-19 cases surging across the continent.  The situation has deteriorated so rapidly that, in short order, both Germany and France have ordered lockdowns, closing restaurants, bars, gyms and theaters for the next month.  Public gatherings are being restricted to ten people drawn from only two families as hospital beds throughout both nations fill up quickly.  Research to be released this morning has identified a new strain of the virus that apparently originated in Spanish farm workers during the summer and has been the main version in the latest outbreak.  It seems that it was spread by people returning to their homelands from Spanish holidays.

Meanwhile, Spain and Italy are also contemplating nationwide lockdowns as infections surge there, and even countries that saw a limited outbreak last spring, like the Czech Republic, are under severe pressure now.  Add it all up and you have a recipe for a fourth quarter of negative growth on the continent.  Seemingly, the only part of the Eurozone economy that is performing well are German capital goods exporters as their main market, China, has been rebounding.

With this as background, now consider that you are Christine Lagarde and chairing the ECB policy meeting today.  While the ECB has made significant efforts to support every Eurozone nation during the current crisis, clearly the situation remains fraught.  Is there anything that she can do to shore up confidence?

The punditry is pretty united in their views at this time, not expecting any policy changes at today’s meeting in the belief that the council will want to wait for updated economic forecasts in December before adding to the PEPP. Estimates for an increase in that QE program have coalesced around €500 billion.  If anything, the only expectations for today are for Lagarde to essentially promise that the ECB will announce the expansion of their policy accommodation in December.  While this may well be the outcome, if there is one thing we should have learned from Signor Draghi’s time in Lagarde’s chair, it is that acting sooner than expected and larger than expected are the only ways for the ECB to alter the narrative.  And right now, the narrative is leaning toward the ECB is powerless to prevent the next downturn.

With this in mind, and recognizing that Lagarde, while perhaps not the most sophisticated economic mind on the council, is clearly the best politician, and with the new gloom and doom reports coming in daily, if not hourly, I think there is a decent probability that the ECB acts today.  After all, if they are certain they are going to increase the PEPP program in December, what is the advantage to waiting.  And while I don’t think that a rate cut is in the cards yet, there is a non-zero probability of that too.  News earlier this week, that didn’t get much press in the US, highlighted that small German banks, of which there are nearly 1800, have started to charge depositors to maintain deposits from the first euro.  So, savings accounts are going to be taxed subject to negative interest.  If banks are starting to pass on the costs of ECB monetary policy, then the ECB is likely to be far more comfortable in cutting rates further as they recognize that the banking system there is likely to have halted the decline in lending spreads.  Hence, my out of consensus view is we see some definitive action from the ECB this morning.

Leading up to that meeting, with the announcement to be made at 8:45 this morning (Daylight Savings time has already occurred there), markets are rebounding modestly from yesterday’s risk reducing session.  I’m sure you are all aware of he size of the decline in stock market indices yesterday, with US markets falling ~3.5%, their worst single day performance since June.  What was quite interesting about the session, though, was while equity risk was abandoned, haven assets, which had a bid early in the session, lost their luster as well.  In fact, Treasury bonds wound up the day unchanged, and yields there are actually almost a basis point higher this morning.

A quick tour of equity markets shows that Asian markets were somewhat lower (Nikkei -0.4%, Hang Seng -0.5%, Shanghai +0.1%), although they all closed well off the worst levels of the session.  European bourses are ever so slightly higher, on average, with the DAX (+0.4%), CAC (+0.1%) and FTSE 100 (+0.3%) all in the green.  The big outlier here is Spain’s MIB (-0.95%), which is feeling the pain of the latest story about the genesis of the new strain of the virus, as well as responding to the announcement by PM Sanchez that the national state of emergency has been extended for six months, meaning lockdowns are almost certainly coming there soon.  US futures, meanwhile, are currently up about 0.5%-0.7%, although that is well off the earlier session highs.  The question remains is this a modest trading bounce, or was yesterday an aberration?

Unlike the Treasury market, with a modest uptick in yields, Bunds and OATs are both rallying with 1 basis point declines.  It seems I am not the only one who thinks the ECB may act today, as any early action should see an uptick in demand for European paper.  Oil, on the other hand, is having another tough day, down 3.5%, and at $36/bbl, WTI is back to its lowest level since mid-June.  Fears over slipping demand alongside growing supply are infiltrating the market.

As to the dollar, early price activity was mixed, but it is seeing some demand in the past hour and is now largely higher on the day.  NOK (-0.95%) is the laggard again, following oil lower, but we are seeing weakness, albeit modest weakness, from SEK (-0.4%) and EUR (-0.2%).  Certainly, if I am correct in my view on the ECB, we should see the euro decline further.  On the plus side, only JPY (+0.25%) is gaining on the greenback as the BOJ’s lack of policy action combined with a background of fear over the new lockdowns and their impact on economic activity, has some Japanese investors taking their money home.  This is a trend that has legs.

EMG currencies have also turned from a mixed bag to a nearly universal decline, although the losses are not enormous.  For a change of pace, MXN (-0.7%) is the laggard today, suffering from the ongoing oil price declines, and pushing TRY (-0.6%) back to only the second worst performing currency.  But EEMEA currencies are all lower in the 0.3%-0.5% range.  In fact, the only gainer today is CNY (+0.25%) which continues to benefit from investment inflows as the Chinese economy continues to be the world’s top performer.

On the data front, today we see the most important points of the week.  Initial Claims (exp 770K) and Continuing Claims (7.775M) have been falling but remain substantially higher than even during the worst recessions in the past 75 years.  Of possibly more interest will be this morning’s first reading of Q3 GDP (exp 32.0%), which while it will be a record, will not make up for the loss in Q2.  And right after those are released, we hear from the ECB, so the 30 minutes between 8:30 and 9:00 have the chance for some fireworks.

In the end, it appears to me that risk will continue to be shed leading up to the election, and with that activity, we will see the dollar (and yen) grind higher.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Giddy and Squiffed

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The narrative’s starting to shift
As good news is getting short shrift
From ‘Here comes the boom’
To darkness and gloom
Short sellers are giddy and squiffed

In Europe the data is fading
While Covid continues invading
At home in the States
All our interest rates
Are falling amidst active trading

Just two weeks ago, equity markets were pushing higher, and despite the growing resurgence in Covid cases worldwide, it looked like new all-time highs were in store for investors.  After all, there was so much optimism that a stimulus package would be enacted before the election, and there was so much optimism that a vaccine would be approved in short order, with the combination of those events resulting in the final leg of that elusive V-shaped recovery.  There was hope on the Brexit front, and the story of the blue wave in the US election was everywhere, which seemed (for some reason) to be seen as a positive for risk assets.  Ah…the good old days.

But that is soooo two weeks ago!  This morning, the world looks a different place.  Seemingly, every headline revolves around either government reactions to quickly inflating Covid case counts (Curfews in Spain, German restaurants, bars, clubs and gyms to be closed for a month, Chicago closing restaurants for a month), or central bank responses to these issues (Bank of Canada to reiterate lower forever for longer, ECB to describe expansion in PEPP).  And guess what?  Investors are no longer feeling the love of the longest bull market in history.  Risk assets, overall, are being tossed out as quickly as possible and haven assets are in demand.  While yesterday had many risk-off features, today is the textbook definition of a risk-off session.

Let’s dive into the equity market first, the asset class that most associate with risk appetite.  While Asian markets were mixed (Nikkei -0.3%, Hang Seng -0.3%, Shanghai +0.45%), Europe really spit the bit this morning, with the FTSE 100 (-1.7%) the best performer of the lot.  The DAX (-3.2%) and the CAC (-2.9%) are both under significant pressure, as is Spain’s MIB (-2.9%) after the curfew announcement.  Not only have all these markets fallen below key moving averages, but the DAX (-11% from the recent high) and CAC (-9% from recent high) have either entered or are nearing correction territory.  The big difference between European markets and those in the US has been that post-Covid, European markets never came close to regaining the pre-Covid highs.  So, these declines are quite painful.  As to US futures markets, all are much lower, with DOW futures down by more than 1.5%, and even NASDAQ futures down by more than 1.0%.  In other words, equity investors are running scared today.

What about bond markets, you may ask?  We couldn’t have a more classic risk-off session in government bond markets than we are seeing today.  Treasury yields are down 2 basis points in the 10-year, which takes the move since Friday’s highs to 11 basis points.  Perhaps that much steeper curve is not in our immediate future.  Meanwhile, in Europe, Bunds are 2.5bps lower, now trading at their lowest yield (-0.64%) since the spike in March.  But we are seeing buying interest in OAT’s (-1.2bps) and Gilts (-2.3bps) as well.  At the same time, the PIGS are showing their true colors, government bonds that are risk assets, not havens.  This morning, Portugal (+1.4bps), Italy (+4.4bps), Greece (+5.3bps) and Spain (+1.0bps) have all seen selling interest, with the two countries with the biggest debt loads seeing the worst outcome.  I would also note that Canadian Treasury yields have fallen 3 basis points this morning as investors prepare to hear from Governor Tiff Macklem at 11:00, after the BOC announcement, with near universal expectations that he will reiterate the fact that the BOC will not be raising rates for many years to come, as they seek to sustainably achieve 2.0% inflation.

Nobody will be surprised that commodity markets are under pressure this morning, with oil really suffering (WTI -3.8%), and the metals and agricultural complexes also feeling the heat.

Finally, as we turn to the FX market, we once again see classic risk-off behavior, with the dollar higher against all its G10 brethren except the yen (+0.2%).  Leading the way lower is NOK (-1.5%) as the weak oil price is taking a significant toll on the krone, but also SEK (-1.0%), NZD (-0.65%) and GBP (-0.55%) are under serious pressure.  Prior to today’s decline, SEK had rallied more than 5% over the past month and was the top performing G10 currency during that time.  Sweden’s approach to Covid, while blasted in the press back in March, turned out to have been pretty successful, as they are the only country in Europe not suffering a second wave of note.  As such, their economy has outperformed the rest of Europe, and the currency benefitted accordingly.  But not today, when risk is out the window.  As to Kiwi, the news that the government is forcibly removing infected people from their homes and placing them in government run facilities has certainly tarnished the image of the country being a free land.  The resurgence in the UK, and truthfully throughout all of Europe, as well as the government responses is making clear the idea that whatever economic gains were made in Q3, they are likely to be reversed in Q4.  So, while things are no picnic in the US, the situation here seems to be better than there.

In the emerging markets, we are also seeing a significant sell-off in most currencies.  TRY (-1.3%), MXN (-1.25%) and RUB (-1.15%) are the worst performers, with the latter two clearly under pressure from declining oil prices while Turkey continues to suffer capital flight as the President Erdogan courts more sanctions from Europe and the central bank is forbidden restricted from raising rates to protect a free-falling currency by the president.  But the weakness is pervasive as the CE4 are all much weaker, led by PLN (-1.1%) and HUF (-1.0%) and the rand (-0.85%) and even KRW (-0.45%) are falling.  LATAM currencies have yet to open, but after yesterday’s performance (BRL -1.45%), they are all called lower at this hour.

Interestingly, there has been no data of note released anywhere in the world, and we are not expecting any here in the US either.  So, this market movement is far more about market positioning and market sentiment, two things which are the direct consequences of the narrative.  We have discussed the record short positions in Treasury bond futures as the narrative had focused on the assumed Biden victory in the election resulting in massive fiscal stimulus and correspondingly massive debt issuance driving bond prices lower and yields higher.  The thing is, the trajectory of recent polls shows that the certainty of a Biden victory is fading, which would naturally change that piece of the narrative.  It is critical to remember, as one is managing risk, that markets move for many reasons, with clear catalysts like data points or election results, driving a minority of the activity.  Most movement comes from narrative shifts and position adjustments as well as particular flows in a currency or other instrument.  The point is, if the narrative is shifting like I described, and I do believe it is doing so, then we have further risk reduction in store.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Quickly Fading

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With stimulus hopes quickly fading
And Covid, more countries pervading
Most risk appetites
Have been read last rites
Thus traders, to buy, need persuading

Well, yesterday was no fun, at least if you owned equities in your portfolio, as we saw sharp declines throughout European and US markets.  And frankly, today is not shaping up to be much better.  Risk assets are still being jettisoned around the world as investors run to havens.  Perhaps the only place this is not true is China, where recent data releases show the economy there moving back toward trend growth.  The question at hand, then, seems to be, Is this the beginning of the widely anticipated sell-off/correction?  Or is this simply a short-term blip in an otherwise strong uptrend in risk asset pricing?

Evidence on the side of the broader sell-off comes in the form of; a) the lack of a stimulus bill, which seems officially impossible before the election, and to which may hopes were pinned; and b) the increasing spread of Covid-19, forcing governments worldwide to reimpose restrictions on dining, drinking and many in-person services.  Without the stimulus to offset the economic activity that is being halted, the prospects of economic growth are fading quickly.  And unless the Fed or ECB starts to give money directly to citizens, rather than simply purchase securities, there is very little either one can do to prevent a more serious economic downturn.

Worryingly, the evidence for the short-term blip thesis is entirely technical, as yesterday’s price action halted at a key trend line, thus did not ‘officially’ break lower.  Certainly, it is exceedingly difficult to find a good reason to believe that, after a remarkable runup since the March lows, there is much left in the tank of this rally.  On what basis does one become bullish from here?  After all, the hopes for stimulus have been dashed, at least in the near-term.  Hopes for a vaccine have taken a back seat as well, with much less discussion as numerous candidates continue to go through phase 2 and 3 trials, but nothing has been approved.  The problem with the hopes for a vaccine being approved quickly is that a key part of the approval process is to ensure that there are no long-term side effects for those that prove efficacious.  And that simply takes time and cannot be accelerated.

Meanwhile, as the US election nears, investors appear to be taking their cues from the polls and expectations for a Biden victory are growing.  It is interesting to me that given the Democratic platform of higher taxes, more government intrusion into the economy and an attack on the mega-cap tech companies with an eye toward breaking them up, that investors believe a Blue wave will be positive for equities.  It seems to me, all of those would be decidedly negative outcomes for shareholders as we would transition from one of the most openly business-friendly presidencies to what, on the surface, would shape up as one of the least business-friendly administrations.  Yet, nearly everything that has been published, or at least that I have seen, comes down on the side of a Biden victory as being positive for risk assets.  While this appears to be entirely on the strength of expectations for a massive new stimulus bill, for an institution that prides itself on its forward-looking abilities, one would think the negatives of even larger increases in the budget deficit and the public debt required to fund those, would be recognized as distinctly negative.

But for now, the narrative remains if the polls are correct, risk assets will perform well, the yield curve will steepen, and the dollar will decline.  While I would argue the first two are unlikely, the dollar’s behavior will depend on what happens elsewhere in the world, thus seems impossible to call at this time.

And that seems to be the state of play this morning.  So, let’s take a look around markets at this hour.  Overnight equity action saw a mixed bag with the Nikkei essentially unchanged, the Hang Seng (-0.5%) softening and Shanghai (+0.1%) marginally higher.  As an aside, Australia’s ASX 200 fell 1.7%, despite the relatively positive news about China.  In Europe, while the FTSE 100 is back to flat on the session, the Continent remains under water led by the CAC (-1.0%) but with solid declines elsewhere (DAX -0.4%, Italy’s MIB -0.55%).  These readings, though, are actually better than from earlier in the session.  Finally, US futures have also improved in the past hour and are now pointing higher by roughly 0.5%.

Bond markets are showing modest risk-off tendencies this morning, at least throughout Europe, with Bund yields lower by 1bp, as are French OAT’s.  Treasuries, on the other hand are unchanged in the session, trading right at 0.80%, which represents about a 7-basis point decline (bond rally) from last week’s levels.  There remains a huge amount of sentiment that the yield curve is going to steepen dramatically after the election as traders and investors anticipate a tsunami of bond issuance to fund the new Administration’s platform.  Of course, if the polls prove to be wrong, as they were in 2016, my sense is we could see a very sharp bond rally as the record short interest in bond futures gets quickly unwound.

Commodity prices, which yesterday were under pressure, and have seen oil trade well back below the $40/bbl level, are bouncing this morning, up ~1.0%, but looking through the rest of the complex, in base metals and ags, movement has been very modest and is mixed.

Finally, the dollar has turned from a dull opening, to some modest weakness overall.  NOK (+0.65%) is leading the way higher in the G10 space as it benefits from oil’s bounce.  However, after that, CAD (+0.3%) is the next biggest mover, also being helped by oil, and the rest of the bloc is +/- 0.2%, with no real stories to tell.  The pound, which has really done very little this month, continues to be whipsawed by Brexit headlines, although there is some positivity as both sides are meeting right now in London.

Emerging market currencies have two outliers this morning, ZAR (+0.75%) and TRY (-0.8%), with the rest of the bloc +/- 0.2% and very little of news to discuss.  If I had to characterize the market, it would be slightly dollar bearish, but in truth, the modesty of movement makes any judgement hard to offer.  As to the big movers, Turkey’s lira continues to suffer (-3.5% this week) as investors flee the country amid concerns the central bank has completely lost control of markets there, while President Erdogan continues his war of words with Europe and feels the sting of further sanctions.  On the flipside, ZAR is actually the leading gainer in the past week, as well as today, with hopes for positive budget news bolstering the demand for very high real yields.

Data today brings Durable Goods (exp 0.5%, 0.4% ex transport), Case Shiller Home Prices (4.20%) and Consumer Confidence (102.0).  With the Fed meeting next week, we have entered into the quiet period, so will not be hearing them castigate Congress for failing to pass a spending bill, although they all will be thinking it!  Across the pond, the ECB meets Thursday, and analysts are anticipating a strong signal that the ECB is going to increase monetary ease in December, yet another reason to be suspect of the collapsing dollar theory.  As for today, if the bulls can get the upper hand, then the dollar’s modest retreat thus far today can certainly extend.  But I don’t really see that happening, and think we see a bit of dollar strength before the session ends.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Quickly Diminished

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As Covid continues to spread
The hopes for a rebound ahead
Have quickly diminished
And though, not quite finished
The data needs to, higher, head

Today, for example, we learned
That Germany’s growth trend has turned
Instead of a V
The bears, filled with glee
Are certain the bulls will be burned

The seeds of doubt that were sown last week may have started to sprout green shoots.  Not only is it increasingly unlikely that any stimulus deal will be reached before the election in eight days, but we are starting to see the data reflect the much feared second wave in the number of Covid-19 cases.  The latest example of this is Germany’s IFO data this morning, which disappointed on the two most important readings, Business Climate and Expectations.  Both of these not only missed estimates, but they fell compared to September’s downwardly revised figures.  This is in concert with last week’s Flash PMI Services data, which disappointed throughout Europe, and can be directly attributed to the resurging virus.  Germany, Spain, Italy and France are all imposing further restrictions on movement and activity as the number of new cases throughout Europe continues to rise, climbing above 200K yesterday.  With this data as this morning’s backdrop, it cannot be surprising that risk is under pressure.

For investors, the landscape seems to have shifted, from a strong belief in a V-shaped recovery amid additional fiscal stimulus throughout the G10 along with a change at the White House, that for many would bring a sigh of relief, to a far less certain outcome.  The increase in government restrictions on activity is leading directly to more uncertainty over the economic future.  Meanwhile, a tightening in the polls has started to force those same investors to reevaluate their primary thesis; a blue wave leading to significant fiscal stimulus, a weaker dollar and a much steeper yield curve.  That has seemingly been the driver of 10-year and 30-year yields in the US, which last week traded to their highest levels since the position related spike in June.  In fact, positioning in the long bond future (-235K contracts) is at record short levels.

With this as backdrop, it is entirely realistic to expect some position unwinding, especially if the underlying theses are being called into question.  This morning, that seems like what we are watching.  Risk is decidedly off this morning, with equity markets around the world broadly lower, haven government bond yields falling and the dollar on the move higher.  Oil prices are under pressure, and the risk bulls’ rose-tinted glasses seem to be fogging up, at the very least.

Starting with equity markets, Asia had a mixed session, taking its lead from Friday’s US price action, as the Hang Seng (+0.5%) managed to rally a bit while both the Nikkei (-0.1%) and Shanghai (-0.8%) finished in the red.  Europe, meanwhile, is floating in a red tide with Germany’s DAX (-2.3%) the laggard, but the CAC (-0.6%) and FTSE 100 (-0.4%) starting to build momentum lower.  The DAX is suffering, not only from the IFO data, but also from the fact that SAP, one of the major components in the index, is lower by nearly 19% after dramatically cutting its revenue forecasts due to the virus’ impact on the economy.  It seems the question should be, how many other companies are going to have the same outcome?  And finally, US futures are all pointing lower by 0.8% or so, certainly not an encouraging sign.

Bond markets have shown quite a bit of volatility this morning, with 10-year Treasury prices climbing and yields down 3 basis points from Friday.  However, the European session is quite different.  The first thing to note is Italian BTP’s have rallied sharply, with yields there falling 5.5 basis points after S&P not only failed to downgrade the country’s credit rating, but actually took it off negative watch on the basis of the idea that ECB support plus a resumption in growth would allow the country to reduce its budget deficit and hence, the trend growth in its debt/GDP ratio.  German bunds, on the other hand, have sold off a bit and are higher by 1bp, but that appears to be the result of the unwinding of Bund-BTP spread wideners, as the market was definitely convinced a downgrade was coming.  The S&P news also has helped the rest of the PIGS, which have all seen yields decline about 2 basis points this morning.  Caution, though, is required, as an ongoing risk-off performance by equity markets will almost certainly result in Bunds finding significant bids.

As to the dollar, it is broadly stronger this morning, although not universally so.  In the G10, the euro (-0.3%) is under pressure as Germany suffers, and we are also seeing weakness in CAD (-0.4%) with oil prices making a strong move lower, and WTI now sitting well below $40/bbl.  On the plus side, the pound (+0.15%) seems to be benefitting from a bit of Brexit hope as talks between the two sides have resumed, while SEK (+0.15%) is the beneficiary of the fact that Sweden will not be locking down the country as the growth in Covid cases there remains miniscule, especially compared to the rest of Europe.

EMG currencies, though, are having a tougher time this morning with TRY (-1.25%) leading the way, but MXN (-0.8%) and ZAR (-0.6%) also significantly underperforming.  The latter two here are directly related to weakness in commodity prices across the board, while Turkey remains in its own private nightmare of an impotent central bank trying to overcome the threat of further economic sanctions driven by President Erdogan’s aggressive actions in the Eastern Mediterranean.  Meanwhile, the CE4 are all softer (CZK -0.6%, PLN -0.4%) as they feel the pain of further government restrictions on social activities amid a growing caseload of new covid infections.  In fact, there was really only one gainer of note in this bloc, KRW (+0.45%) which responded to growing expectations that South Korea’s economy would rebound more quickly than the G7 amid growing exports and the so-far absent second wave.

As it is the last week of the month, we have a bunch of data to which to look forward, including the first reading of Q3 GDP, and we also hear from the ECB on Thursday.

Today New Home Sales 1025K
Tuesday Durable Goods 0.5%
-ex Transport 0.4%
Case Shiller Home Prices 4.20%
Consumer Confidence 101.9
Thursday ECB Deposit Rate -0.50%
Initial Claims 780K
Continuing Claims 7.8M
Q3 GDP 31.8%
Friday Personal Income 0.3%
Personal Spending 1.0%
Core PCE Deflator 0.2% (1.7% Y/Y)
Chicago PMI 58.0
Michigan Sentiment 81.2

Source: Bloomberg

Now, the GDP number, which will almost certainly be the largest ever, is forecast to mirror the percentage gain of Q2’s percentage loss, but remember, the way the math works is that a 30% decline requires a 42% gain to make up the difference, so the economy is still well below the activity levels seen pre-covid.  As to the ECB, there are no expectations for policy changes, but most analysts are looking for strong indications of what will come in December.  To me, the risk is they act sooner rather than later, so perhaps a little more opportunity for the euro to decline on that.

As for today, unless we see positive stimulus bill headlines from the US, my sense is that the dollar will drift a bit lower from here as further position adjustments are the order of the day.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Naught Left to Wield

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The PMI data revealed
The Continent’s yet to be healed
The second wave’s crest
Must still be addressed
And Christine has naught left to wield

It appears as though the market reaction function has returned to ‘bad news is good.’  This observation is based on the market response this morning, to what can only be described as disappointing PMI data from Europe and Japan, while we have seen equity markets higher around the world, bond yields generally declining and the dollar under pressure.  The working assumption amongst the investment community seems to be that as economic weakness, fostered by the much discussed second wave of Covid infections, spreads, it will be met with additional rounds of both fiscal and monetary stimulus.  And, this stimulus, while it may have only a marginal impact on economies, is almost certainly going to find its way into investment portfolios driving asset prices higher.

Unpacking the data shows that France is suffering the most, with Manufacturing PMI declining to 51.0 and Services PMI declining to 46.5, with both of those falling short of market expectations.  Germany, on the other hand, saw Manufacturing PMI rise sharply, to 58.0, on the back of increased exports to China, but saw its Services data decline more than expected to 48.9.  And finally, the Eurozone as a whole saw Manufacturing rise to 54.4 on the back of German strength, but Services fall to 46.2, as tourism numbers remain constrained, especially throughout southern Europe.

This disappointment has analysts reconfirming their views that the ECB is going to increase the PEPP by €500 billion come December, with many expecting Madame Lagarde to basically promise this at the ECB meeting next week.  The question is, will that really help very much?  The ECB has been hoovering up huge amounts of outstanding debt and there is no indication that interest rates on the Continent are going to rise one basis point for years to come.  In fact, Euribor rates fell even further, indicating literally negative concern about rates increasing.  And yet, none of that has helped the economy recover.  While the ECB will offer counterfactuals that things would be worse if they didn’t act as they have been, there is no proof that is the case.  Except for one thing, stock prices would be lower if they hadn’t acted, that much is true.  However, in their counterfactual world, they are focused on the economy, not risk assets.

The message to take away from this information is that the second wave of infections is clearly on the rise in Europe, (>217K new cases reported yesterday), and correspondingly as governments react by imposing tighter restrictions on activities, specifically social ones like dining and drinking, economic activity is going to slow.  At this point, estimates for Q4 GDP are already sliding back toward 0.0% for the Eurozone as a whole.

One last thing, the weakening growth and inflation impulses in Europe is a clear signal to…buy euros, which is arguably why the single currency is higher by 0.25% this morning.  Don’t even ask.

A quick look at the UK story shows PMI releases were also slightly worse than expected, but all well above the critical 50.0 level (Mfg 53.3, Services 52.3, Composite 52.9).  While these were softer than September’s numbers, they do still point to an economy that is ticking over on the right side of flat.  Retail Sales data from the UK was also better than expected in September, rising 1.6% in the month and are now up 6.4% Y/Y.  Despite all the angst over Brexit and the mishandling of the pandemic by Boris, the economy is still in better shape than on the Continent.  One other positive here is that the UK and Japan signed a trade deal last night, the UK’s first with a major country since Brexit.  So, it can be done.  Ironically, in keeping with the theme that bad news is good, the pound is the one G10 currency that has ceded ground to the dollar this morning, falling a modest 0.15%, despite what appear to be some pretty good headlines.

And that is pretty much the story this morning.  Last night’s debate, while more civil than the first one, likely did nothing to change any opinions.  Trump supporters thought he won.  Biden supporters thought he won.  Of more importance is the fact that the stimulus discussions between Pelosi and Mnuchin seem to be failing, which means there will be nothing coming before the election, and quite frankly, my guess is nothing coming until 2021 at the earliest.  If this is the case, the stock market will need to refocus on hopes for a vaccine, as hopes for stimulus will have faded.  But not to worry, there is always hope for something (trade deal anyone?) to foster buying.

So, let’s quickly tour markets.  Asian equities were generally on the plus side (Nikkei +0.2%, Hang Seng +0.5%), but Shanghai didn’t get the memo and fell 1.0%.  European indices have been climbing steadily all morning, with the DAX (+1.2%), CAC (+1.55%) and FTSE 100 (+1.7%) all now at session highs.  Meanwhile, US futures, which had basically been unchanged earlier in the session, are now higher by 0.3% to 0.5%.

Bond markets are actually mixed at this time, with Treasury yields edging ever so slightly higher, less than 1bp, with similar increases in France and Germany.  The PIGS, however, are seeing demand with yields there lower by between 1bp and 3bps.  As an aside, S&P is due to release their latest ratings on Italian debt, which currently sits at the lowest investment grade of BBB-.  If they were to cut the rating, there could be significant forced selling as many funds that hold the debt are mandated to hold only IG rated paper.  But it seems that the market, in its constant hunt for yield, is likely to moderate any impact of the bad news.

As to the dollar, it is broadly, but not steeply, weaker this morning.  AUD (+0.35%) is the leading gainer in the G10 bloc as copper prices have been rising on the back of increased Chinese demand for the metal.  Otherwise, movement in the bloc remains modest, at best, although clearly, this week’s direction has been for a weaker dollar.

In the emerging markets, most currencies are stronger, but, here too, the gains are not substantial.  HUF and CZK (+0.35% each) are the leaders, following the euro, although there is no compelling story behind either move.  The rest of the bloc is generally higher although we have seen some weakness in TRY (-0.35%) and MYR (-0.3%).  The lira is still suffering the aftereffects of the central bank’s surprise policy hold as many expected them to raise rates.  Rationale for the ringgit’s decline is far harder to determine.  One last thing, there was a comment from the PBOC last night indicating they were quite comfortable with the renminbi’s recent strength.  This helped support further small gains in CNY (+0.2%) and seems to give free reign for investors to enter the carry trade here, with Chinese rates substantially higher than most others around the world.

On the data front here, yesterday saw the highest Existing Home Sales print since 2005, as record low mortgage rates encourage those who can afford it, to buy their homes.  This morning brings the US PMI data (exp 53.5 Mfg, 54.6 Services), but recall, that gets far less traction than the ISM data which is not released until Monday, November 2nd.  As to Fed speakers, we are mercifully entering the quiet period ahead of the next FOMC meeting.  But the message has been consistent, more fiscal stimulus is desperately needed.

As the weekend approaches, I would not be surprised to see the dollar’s recent losses moderated as short-term traders take risk off the table ahead of the weekend.  At this point, having broken through a key technical level in EURUSD, I expect an eventual test of 1.20, but once again, I see no reason for a break there, nor expect that if the dollar does fall to that level, it will be the first steps toward the end of its status as a reserve currency.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
Adf

Concerns Within Europe

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Concerns within Europe have grown
As surveys this morning have shown
Small businesses think
That many will sink
If Covid is not overthrown

The world seems a bit gloomier this morning as negative stories are gaining a foothold in investors’ minds.  Aside from the ongoing election and stimulus dramas in the US, and the ongoing Brexit drama in the UK/EU, concern was raised after a report was released by McKinsey this morning with results of a survey of SME’s in Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the UK.  Those results were not promising at all, as more than half of the 2200 companies surveyed in August expected to file for bankruptcy in the next year if revenues don’t increase.  More than 80% of those companies described the economy as weak or very weak.  If this survey is representative of SME’s throughout Europe, this is a very big deal.  SME’s (defined here as companies with less than 250 employees) employ over 90 million people in the EU.  Losing a large portion of those companies would be a devastating blow to the EU economy.  In fact, the IMF, which in its past had been the high priest of austerity for troubled nations, is now urging European (really all) countries to continue to spend any amount necessary to prevent businesses from collapsing.

This report serves as a fresh reminder of the remarkable contrast between market behavior and economic activity worldwide.  Not only is the current business situation tenuous, but prospects for the immediate future remain terrible as well.  And yet, equity markets worldwide have been able to look past the current economic devastation and rally on expectations of; 1) a blue wave in the US which will prompt massive stimulus spending; and 2) the quick and successful completion of Covid vaccine trials which will restore confidence in people’s everyday activities.  After all, if you were no longer concerned about getting infected with a deadly disease by a stranger, going to a movie, or taking a train or any one of a thousand different normal behaviors could be resumed, and the economy would truly start to rebound in earnest.

The question, of course, is how realistic are these assumptions underlying the market behavior?  Anecdotally, I have seen too many things to disrupt the idea of a blue wave and would question the accuracy of many of the polls.  Again, in 2016, Hillary Clinton was given a 98.4% probability of winning the election the day before voting, and we know how that worked out.  My point is, this race is likely significantly tighter than many polls reflect, yet markets do not seem to be taking that into account.  Secondly, vaccines typically take between four and five years to be created and approved, so expecting that a safe and effective vaccine will be widely available in a twelve-month timeline seems quite the stretch as well.  I understand technology has improved dramatically, but this timeline is extremely aggressive.  And this doesn’t even answer the question of how many people will take the vaccine, if it becomes available.  Remember, the flu vaccine, which is widely available, generally safe and constantly advertised, is only taken by 43% of the population.

The bigger point is that the market narrative has been very clear but could well be based on fallacious assumptions.  And looking at market behavior yesterday and today, it seems as though some of those assumptions are finally being questioned.

For instance, equity markets, after falling in the US afternoon on the back of worries that the Pelosi/Mnuchin stimulus talks are stalling, fell in Asia (Nikkei -0.7%, Shanghai -0.4%) ) although early losses in Europe have since been pared back to essentially flat performance.  US futures are pointing slightly lower, but only on the order of 0.1%-0.2%.  Aside from the negative tone of the McKinsey survey discussed above, GfK Consumer Confidence in Germany fell to -3.1, a bit worse than expected, and French Business Confidence indices all turned out lower than expected.  Again, evidence of a strong recovery in Europe remains hidden.

Bond markets remain disconnected from the equity sphere, at least from traditional correlations when discussing risk appetite.  While today has more characteristics of a risk-off session, and in fairness, 10-year Treasury yields have fallen 1 basis point, European government bond markets are selling off, with yields rising across the board.  Once again, the PIGS lead the way as Greece has seen its 10-year yield rise 20bps in the past week.  For a little perspective on 10-year yields, which have become a very hot topic as they traded through 0.80% two days ago, looking at a 5-year chart, the range has been 3.237%, in November 2018, to 0.507% this past August.  It is hard to get overly excited that yields are rising rapidly given the virtual flat line that describes the trend of the post Covid activity world.

Finally, the dollar, which has been under pressure this week overall, is seeing a little love this morning, having rallied modestly against most of the G10 as well as the EMG bloc.  Starting with emerging markets, the CE4 have been key underperformers with PLN (-0.4%), HUF (-0.4%) and CZK (-0.3%) following the euro lower.  Remember, these currencies tend to track the single currency quite closely, if with a bit more beta.  CNY (-0.4%) has also come under pressure, but given its performance over the past five months, this blip appears mostly as profit taking.  The only EMG currency in the green today is ZAR (+0.2%) which is most likely driven by ongoing interest in South African bond yields.

In the G10, SEK (-0.4%) is the laggard, although both GBP (0.3%) and EUR (-0.3%) are not far behind.  Swedish krona price action looks to be purely position related, as it has been among the best performers in the past week, so a little profit-taking seems in order.  As to the euro, we have already discussed the weak data and survey results.  And finally, the pound remains beholden to the Brexit negotiations, which while heavily hyped yesterday, seem to have found a few more doubters this morning, with a positive outcome not nearly so clear.

On the data front, this morning brings weekly Initial Claims (exp 870K) and Continuing Claims (9.625M) as well as Leading Indicators (0.6%) and Existing Home Sales (6.30M).  Last week’s Initial Claims data was disappointingly high, so this week’s results should get extra scrutiny with respect to the pace of any economic recovery.  As to the Home Sales data, Starts and Permits earlier in the week were solid, and record low mortgage rates, thanks to the Fed’s QE, continue to support housing, as does the flight to the suburbs from so many major urban areas.

From the Fed, it can be no surprise that uber-dove Lael Brainerd virtually demanded more federal stimulus in her comments yesterday, but that has been the theme from the Chairman on down.  Today we hear from three speakers, and it is almost certain that all three will maintain the new Fed mantra of, we will do what we can, but stimulus is necessary.

And that’s really it for the day.  If I had to guess, I expect there to be some positive stimulus headlines, although I doubt a deal will actually be reached.  But all the market needs is headlines, at least that’s all the algos need, so look for the dollar to give up its early gains on some type of positive news like that.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Boris Has Gotten His Way

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The EU will change what they say
To get a deal with the UK
They’ll now make believe
(The Brits, to deceive)
That Boris has gotten his way

The other thing that’s worth your note
Is guesstimates of next month’s vote
Investors are betting
A Blue Wave is heading
Our way, so bond prices they smote

This morning brings a little more clarity on one issue, and a little more hope on another, with both of these discussions driving market prices.

The hope stems from comments by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, who finally admitted that both sides will need to make compromises in order for a deal to be reached in time to prevent a hard Brexit.  While that may seem obvious to an outsider, we don’t have the benefit of the conceit that forms the EU negotiating stance. Interestingly, it seems the new ‘secret sauce’ for the EU is to make believe that Boris is getting his way in the negotiations for his home audience, while not actually ceding any ground.  Of course, what’s a bit odd about this tactic is their willingness, nay eagerness, to publicize the concept.  After all, this seems better left unsaid, to help perpetuate the story.  If the British people read about this, they may question the value of any concessions and demand more.  Of course, I am no politician, so would never presume to claim I understand the political machinations required to achieve a deal this complex with so many different constituencies to satisfy.

Nonetheless, today’s price action clearly demonstrates that, despite already crowded long GBP positions in the trading and investor community, there is further appetite for pounds on the assumption that a Brexit deal will give the currency an immediate boost.  As such, cable is leading the G10 higher versus the dollar with a 0.8% rally and taking the pound back to its highest level in more than a month.  what is even more surprising about the cable move is the fact that yet another BOE member, Gertjan Vlieghe, was on the tape discussing the need for further stimulus and the fact that negative rates are very much on the table.  You may recall yesterday when the RBA made the same comments, the Aussie dollar fell.  But today, those comments are insignificant compared to the renewed hope for a Brexit deal.  My final thought here is for hedgers to beware this movement.  The pound’s rally ahead of any deal implies that a ‘sell the news’ event is increasingly likely.  Regardless of the Brexit outcome, I believe the next leg in cable is lower.

On to the clarity, which has seen the US yield curve, and in fairness most major curves, steepen further with 10-year Treasuries now yielding 0.80% and 30-year Treasuries up to 1.61%.  According to pretty much everyone, the new narrative is as follows: the polls show not merely a Biden victory in the presidential election, but that the Democrats will be retaking the Senate as well.  This means that not only will there be a much larger pandemic stimulus response, but that spending will be much higher across the board, with much larger budget deficits, significantly more Treasury issuance and inflationary expectations increasing accordingly.  The outcome will be a much steeper yield curve, as the Fed is able to maintain control of the front end, between QE and forward guidance but will have much more difficulty controlling the back end of the curve.  In fact, I have consistently read that curve steepeners are now the most crowded trade out there.  Of course, the most common market reaction to an overcrowded trade is to go the other way, at least in the short run, but given the assumptions, the logic behind the trade seems sound.

Of course, the key is that the assumptions are accurate.  Any outcome other than a Blue Wave will arguably not result in the same type of government spending, Treasury issuance and subsequent inflationary outcomes.  So, while there does not appear to be a clear idea of what will happen to the dollar given potential election outcomes, there is certainly a strong view as to what will occur in the bond market.  We should know more in two weeks’ time.

Meanwhile, today is difficult to characterize in terms of risk appetite.  Equity markets, bond markets and FX markets seem to each be dancing to their own tune, rather than listening to the same music.  For instance, Asian equity markets were modestly positive in general (Nikkei +0.3%, Hang Seng +0.75%, Shanghai -0.1%) but European bourses are all in the red (DAX -0.65%, CAC -0.8%, FTSE 100 -1.05%).  US futures have managed to unwind earlier losses but are generally unchanged on the day.  Yesterday’s deadline, as set by Speaker Pelosi, apparently was as hard as Boris’s Brexit negotiating deadline of last Thursday.  But in the end, I would say there is more risk aversion than risk accumulation here.

The bond market, as discussed above, is under more pressure this morning, with today’s 1.7 basis point rise in yields taking the week’s movement to a 6.0 basis point gain since Monday morning.  Europe is seeing generally higher yields as well, although German bunds are little changed.  UK gilts have seen yields rise 2.5bps and Italy (+2.5bps) and Greece (+6.5bps) especially, are seeing movement.  But the point is, bonds selling off are more consistent with risk-on than risk-off.  So, as stocks and bonds are both selling off today, I wonder what people are buying!

As to the dollar, it is broadly lower, with the pound in the lead, but strong gains by NOK (+0.75%), NZD (+0.75%) and JPY (+0.6%).  One might assume that oil is rallying given the move in NOK, but that is not the case, as WTI is lower by 1.7% this morning.  Once again, there is no obvious catalyst for this movement as there have been neither data nor comments regarding the krone.  One thing to keep in mind is that NOK has been the worst performing G10 currency vs. the dollar this year, so unwinding of medium-term positions, especially if there are concerns over a dollar “collapse” is certainly realistic.  As to kiwi, it is possible that modestly higher bond yields there has encouraged some buying, but the movement appears to largely be an unwinding of yesterday’s sharp decline.  Finally, the yen’s strength is in keeping with equity market activity, but at odds with bonds.  Comments from BOJ member Sakurai indicated no rush to add additional monetary stimulus in response to the resurgence in Covid infections, so perhaps that is helping underpin the currency.

Interestingly, EMG currencies have seen less movement than their G10 counterparts, with the biggest gainer KRW (+0.7%) and the rest of the bloc generally rising in the 0.3% range.  Here, at least, there is a cogent explanation, as early export data showed a 5.9% rise in October compared to a 9.8% decline in September.  While the Y/Y data were still weak (-5.8%) that was more a function of the number of days in the period than actual performance.

On the data front, the only thing released in the US today is the Fed’s Beige Book at 2:00pm.  But, six more Fed speakers are on tap for the day, starting with Cleveland’s Loretta Mester at 10:00 this morning.  A broad summary of recent comments would indicate that virtually every FOMC member is willing to implement further monetary stimulus, but all are begging for a fiscal package to really help the economy.  Who knows, maybe today is the day that Mnuchin and Pelosi agree to one.

As the dollar has broken some key technical levels, there is room for a bit more of a decline.  But I wouldn’t be looking for a collapse.  Hedgers, take advantage of these levels.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Hope Springs Eternal

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The White House and Congress have talked
‘Bout stimulus but both sides balked
Still, hope springs eternal
That both sides infernal
Intransigence will get unblocked

Throughout 2019, it seemed every other day was a discussion of the trade deal with China, which morphed into the Phase one trade deal, which was, eventually, signed early this year.  But each day, the headlines were the market drivers, with stories about constructive talks leading to stock rallies and risk accumulation, while the periodic breakdowns in talks would result in pretty sharp selloffs.  I’m certain we all remember those days.  I only bring them up because the stimulus talks are the markets’ latest version of those trade talks.  When headlines seem positive that a deal will get done, stock markets rally in the US, and by extension, elsewhere in the world.  But, when there is concern that the stimulus talks will break down, investors head for the exits.  Or at least algorithms head for the exits, its not clear if investors are following yet.

Yesterday was one of those breakdown days, where despite reports of ongoing discussions between Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and House Speaker Pelosi, the vibes were negative with growing concern that no deal would be reached ahead of the election.  Of course, adding to the problem is the fact that Senate Majority Leader McConnell has already said that the numbers being discussed by the House and Congress are far too large to pass the Senate.  Handicapping the probability of a deal being reached is extremely difficult, but I would weigh in on the side of no action.  This seems far more like political posturing ahead of the election than an attempt to address some of the current economic concerns in the country.

Yet, despite yesterday’s negativity, and the ostensible deadline of today imposed by Speaker Pelosi (we all know how little deadlines mean in politics, just ask Boris), this morning has seen a return of hope that a deal will, in fact get done, and that the impact will be a huge boost to the economy, and by extension to the stock market.  So generally, today is a risk-on session, at least so far, with most Asian markets performing nicely and most of Europe in the green, despite rapidly rising infection counts in Europe’s second wave.  Remember, though, when markets become beholden to a political narrative like this, it is extremely difficult to anticipate short-term movements.

Down Under, the RBA said
We’re thinking, while looking ahead
A negative rate
Is still on the plate
So traders, their Aussie, did shed

While the politics is clearly the top story, given the risk-on nature of markets today, and the corresponding general weakness in the dollar, it was necessary to highlight the outliers, in this case, AUD (-0.4%) and NZD (-0.5%), which are clearly ignoring the bigger narrative.  However, there is a solid explanation here.  Last night, between the RBA’s Minutes and comments from Deputy Governor Kent, the market learned that the RBA is now considering negative interest rates.  Previously, the RBA had been clear that the current overnight rate level of 0.25% was the lower bound, and that negative rates did not make sense in Australia (in fairness, they don’t make sense anywhere.)  But given the sluggish state of the recovery from the initial Covid driven recession, the RBA has decided that negative rates may well be just the ticket to goose growth once covid lockdowns are lifted.  It is no surprise that Aussie fell, and traders extended the idea to New Zealand as well, assuming that if Australia goes negative, New Zealand would have no choice but to do so as well.  Hence the decline in both currencies overnight.

But really, those are the only stories of note this morning, in an otherwise dull session.  As I mentioned, risk is ‘on’ but not aggressively so.  While the Nikkei (-0.4%) did slip, we saw modest gains in Shanghai (+0.5%) and Hong Kong (+0.1%).  Europe, too, is somewhat higher, but not excessively so.  Spain’s IBEX (+0.85%) is the leader on the continent, although we are seeing gains in the CAC (+0.4%) and the FTSE 100 (+0.3%) as well.  The DAX (-0.3%), however, is unloved today as Covid cases rise back to early April levels and lockdowns are being considered throughout the country.  Finally, the rose-tinted glasses have been put back on by US equity futures traders with all three indices higher by a bit more than 0.5% at this hour.

Bond markets, however, are following the risk narrative a bit more closely and have sold off mildly across the board.  Well mildly except for the PIGS, who have seen another day with average rises in yield of around 3 basis points.  But for havens, yields have risen just 1 basis point in the US, Germany and the UK.

Commodity prices are little changed on the session, seemingly caught between hopes for a stimulus deal and fears over increased covid cases.

And lastly, the dollar is arguably a bit softer overall, but not by that much.  Aside from Aussie and Kiwi mentioned above, only the yen (-0.15%) is lower vs. the dollar, which is classic risk-on behavior.  On the plus side, SEK and NOK (both +0.5%) are leading the way higher, although the euro has been grinding higher all session and is now up 0.4% compared to yesterday’s close.  There has been no news of note from either Sweden or Norway to drive the gains, thus the most likely situation is that both currencies are simply benefitting from their relatively high betas and the general trend of the day.  As to the euro, the technicians are in command today, calling for a move higher due to an expected (hoped for?) break of a symmetrical triangle position.  Away from these three, though, gains are extremely modest.

In the emerging markets, CZK (+0.7%) is the outlier on the high side, although there is no obvious driver as there have been neither comments by officials nor new data released.  In fact, given that Covid infections seem to be growing disproportionally rapidly there, one might have thought the Koruna would have fallen instead.  But the rest of the CE4 are also firmer, simply tracking the euro this morning as they are up by between 0.3%-0.4%.  There have been some modest losers in the space as well, with THB (-0.25%) leading the charge in that direction.  The Thai story is a combination over concerns about further stimulus there not materializing and anxiety over the political unrest and student protests gaining strength throughout the nation.

On the data front, this morning brings Housing Starts (exp 1465K) and Building Permits (1520K), as well as four more Fed speakers.  Yesterday, Chairman Powell was not focused on monetary policy per se, but rather on the concept of digital currencies, and specifically, central bank digital currencies.  This is something that is clearly coming our way, but the timing remains unclear.  One thing to keep in mind is that when they arrive, interest rates will be negative, at least in the front end, forever.  But that is a story for another day.

Today, we are beholden to the stimulus talks.  Positive news should see further risk accumulation, while a breakdown will see stocks fall and the dollar rebound.

Good luck and stay safe
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Willing to Meet

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The latest from 10 Downing Street
Is Boris is willing to meet
Midway twixt the stance
Of England and France
In order, the talks, to complete

Meanwhile, from the Far East we heard
That growth was strong in, quarter, third
They’re now set to be
The only country
Where year on year growth has occurred

The weekend has brought a few stories of note, all of them with bullish overtones, and so it should be no surprise that the week is starting with a risk-on tone.  The first place to look is in China, which released its Q3 GDP data last night at a slightly worse than expected 4.9% Y/Y.  While the market was looking for 5.5%, given that China is the first nation to achieve positive year over year growth, it was still seen as a market plus.  At least to the broad market. Interestingly, the Shanghai stock market fell 0.7%.  But, between the GDP data, Retail Sales rising 3.3% Y/Y and the Surveyed Jobless Rate falling a bit more than expected to 5.4%, the Chinese are painting a picture of a solid recovery.  And while this is well below the levels seen prior to the pandemic, it is still well ahead of the rest of the world.

Next up is the UK, where optimism has grown that a Brexit deal will, in fact, be reached. Boris, playing to both his constituents and the Europeans, has said that the UK is preparing for a no-deal outcome, but is happy to continue to talk if the Europeans would consider some compromises.  As well, in the House of Lords, word is they are prepared to remove the offending language from the UK government’s proposed Internal Market Bill, the one that caused all the concern since it was published in July.  In this bill, the UK sets out the relationship between the four nations in the UK; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  However, it was written in such a way as to render part of the Withdrawal Agreement moot, essentially overturning international law unilaterally.  Hence the issue.  In fact, the EU has sued the UK in the ICJ to prevent the law from being enacted.  This has been a major sticking point for the EU and has undermined a great deal of trust between the two sides.  Hence, the removal of that language is seen as a clear positive.  Certainly, FX traders saw it that way as the pound has rallied 0.75% since the news first was reported and is now back to 1.30.  While I believe the probability of a deal being completed remains above 50% (neither side wants a no-deal outcome), I also believe that the pound will fall after a deal is reached.  Sell the news remains the most likely situation in my view.

Adding to these two positive stories, the never-ending US stimulus talks continue to garner headlines despite a distinct lack of progress.  Yet, optimism on a stimulus bill seems to be a key driver in US equity markets, and in fact, in global ones as they are all, save Shanghai, propelled higher.  Given the proximity to the election, it seems unlikely that either side will allow the other to have a political victory, and so I remain skeptical a deal will be reached soon.  Of course, that merely means we can have a whole bunch of rallies on optimism that one will be reached!

With all that in mind, let’s take a look at the markets this morning.  Aside from Shanghai’s negative outcome in Asia, we saw strength with the Nikkei (+1.1%) and Hang Seng (+0.65%) both rallying nicely.  Europe as seen modest strength with the CAC (+0.6%) leading the way although the rest of the continent has seen far less love with the DAX (+0.1%), for instance, barely positive.  In fact, as I write, the FTSE 100 is actually slightly lower, down -0.15%.  US futures, though, have taken the stimulus story to heart and are much higher, between 0.8% (DOW) and 1.1% (NASDAQ).

Bond markets are feeling the risk-on mood as well, as they have fallen across the board with yields rising in every developed market.  Treasury yields are higher by 3.2 basis points, while bunds have seen a more modest 1.2 basis point rise.  Interestingly, the PIGS are seeing their bonds tossed overboard with an average rise of 4.5 basis points in their 10-year yields.

Oil prices (WTI -0.35%) are little changed, surprisingly, as one would expect commodities to rally on a positive risk day, while gold (+0.7%) and silver (+2.6%) are both quite strong, again somewhat surprising given higher yields and positive risk.  There are still many market relationships which have broken down compared to long-term trends.

Finally, the dollar is under pressure across the board this morning, with every G10 currency higher led by NOK (+0.95%) despite oil’s decline.  One of the drivers appears to be the unwinding of some large short positions in commodity currencies, a view that had been gaining credence amongst the leveraged community set.  This has helped SEK (+0.6%) and NZD (+0.55%) today as well.  The rest of the bloc, while higher, has been far less interesting.

On the EMG front, ZAR (+0.65%) is the leader with KRW (+0.5%) next in line.  After that, the gains are far less significant.  Korea’s won clearly benefitted from the Chinese GDP news, as China remains South Korea’s largest export destination.  Meanwhile, any gain in gold is likely to help support the rand given the gold mining industry’s importance to the economy there.  And as you consider the fact that the dollar is weak against virtually every currency, it is far more understandable that gold and silver have rallied as well.

On the data front, this week is not terribly interesting with only a handful of releases:

Tuesday Housing Starts 1455K
Building Permits 1506K
Wednesday Fed’s Beige Book
Thursday Initial Claims 865K
Continuing Claims 9.85M
Leading Indicators 0.7%
Existing Home Sales 6.30M
Friday Manufacturing PMI 53.5
Services PMI 54.6

Source: Bloomberg

However, despite a lack of data, there is no lack of Fedspeak this week, with six speeches just today, led by Chairman Powell at 8:00 on an IMF panel.  One of the themes of this week seems to be the discussion of central bank digital currencies, an idea that seems to be gaining traction around the world.  The other central bank tidbit comes from Madame Lagarde, who, not surprisingly, said she thought it made sense the PEPP (Pandemic EMERGENCY Purchase Program) be made a permanent vehicle.  This is perfectly in keeping with central bank actions where policies implemented to address an emergency morph into permanent policy tools as central bank mandates expand.  Once again, I will point out that the idea that other G10 central banks will allow the Fed to expand their balance sheet and undermine the dollar’s value without a response is categorically wrong. Every central bank will respond to additional Fed ease with their own package, thus this argument for a weaker dollar is extremely short-sighted.

But with all that said, there is no reason to believe the positive risk attitude will change today, unless there is a categorical denial by one of the parties discussing the stimulus bill.  As such, look for the dollar to continue to slide on the session.

Good luck and stay safe
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