Category Archives: Uncategorized

Rates Will Be Hewn

Posted on by

Inflation remains far too low
In Europe, and so Mario
Has promised that soon
Their rates will be hewn
And, too, will their balance sheet grow

The ECB did not act yesterday, leaving all policy unchanged, but Signor Draghi was quite clear that a rate cut, at the very least, would be coming in September. He hinted at a restart of QE, although he indicated that not everyone was on board with that idea. And he pleaded with Eurozone governments to implement more fiscal stimulus.

That plea, however, is a perfect example of why the Eurozone is dysfunctional. While the ECB, one of the key Eurozone institutions, is virtually begging governments to spend more money, another one of those institutions, the European Commission, is prepared to sanction, and even fine, Italy because they want to spend more money! You can’t make this stuff up. As another example, consider that Germany is running a 1.7% fiscal surplus this year, yet claims it cannot afford to increase its defense spending.

It is this type of contradiction that exemplifies the problem with the Eurozone, and more specifically with the euro. Every nation is keen to accept the benefits of being a member, but none want to assume the responsibilities that come along with those benefits. In other words, they all want the free option. The euro is a political construct and always has been. Initially, countries were willing to cede their monetary sovereignty in order to receive the benefits of a more stable currency. But twenty years later, it is becoming clear that the requirements for stability are greater than initially expected. In a way, the ECB’s policy response of even more NIRP and QE, which should further serve to undermine the value of the single currency, is the only possible outcome. If you were looking for a reason to be long term bearish on the euro, this is the most powerful argument.

Speaking of the euro’s value, in the wake of the ECB statement yesterday morning, it fell 0.3% to 1.1100, its lowest level since mid-May 2017, however, Draghi’s unwillingness to commit to even more QE at the press conference disappointed traders and the euro recouped those early losses. This morning, it is basically right at the same level as before the statement, with traders now turning their focus to Wednesday’s FOMC meeting.

So, let’s consider that story. At this point it seems pretty clear that the Fed is going to cut rates by 25bps. Talk of 50bps has faded as the last several data points have proven much stronger than expected. Yesterday saw a blowout Durable Goods number (+2.0%, +1.2% ex transport) with both being well above expectations. This follows stronger than expected Retail Sales, CPI and payroll data this month, and even a rebound in some of the manufacturing surveys like Philly and Empire State. While the Housing Market remains on its heels, that doesn’t appear to be enough to entice a 50 bp move. In addition, we get our first look at Q2 GDP this morning (exp 1.8%) and the Fed’s favorite inflation data of PCE next week before the FOMC meeting concludes. Strength in any of this will simply cement that any cut will be limited to 25bps. Of course, there are several voting members, George and Rosengren top the list, who may well dissent on cutting rates, at least based on their last comments before the quiet period. Regardless, it seems a tall order for Chairman Powell to come across as excessively dovish given the data, and I would contend that the euro has further to fall as a result. In fact, I expect the dollar has further to climb across the board.

The other big story, of course, is the leadership change in the UK, where PM Boris had his first discussion with EU leaders regarding Brexit. Ostensibly, Boris demanded to discard the Irish backstop and the EU said absolutely not. At this point the EU is counting on a sufficient majority in the UK Parliament to prevent a no-deal Brexit, but there are still three months to go. This game is going to continue for a while yet, but at some point, it is going to be a question of whether Ireland blinks as they have the most to lose. Their economy is the most closely tied to the UK, and given they are small in their own right, don’t have any real power outside the EU. My money is on the EU changing their stance come autumn. In the meantime, the pound is going to remain under pressure as the odds of a no-deal Brexit remain high. This morning it is lower by a further 0.2%, and I see no reason for this trend to end anytime soon.

In other news, Turkey slashed rates 425bps yesterday as the new central bank head, Murat Uysal, wasted no time in the chair responding to President Erdogan’s calls for lower rates. The market’s initial response was a 1.5% decline in the lira, but it was extremely short-lived. In fact, as I type, TRY is firmer by nearly 1.0% from its levels prior to the announcement. Despite the cut, interest rates there remain excessively high, and in a world desperately seeking yield, TRY assets are near the top of the list on both a nominal and real basis.

Beyond that, it is hard to get excited about too much heading into the weekend. While equity markets suffered yesterday after some weak earnings data, futures are pointing to a better opening this morning. Treasuries are virtually unchanged as are gold and oil. So all eyes will be on the GDP data, where strength should reflect in a stronger dollar, but probably weaker equities, as the chance for more than a 25bp cut dissipates.

Good luck
Adf

Thus Far They’ve Failed

Posted on by

The ECB meeting today
Is forcing its members to weigh
The costs if they wait
To cut the base rate
Vs. benefits if they delay

Their problem is as things now stand
Recovery should be at hand
But thus far they’ve failed
As growth’s been curtailed
From Sicily to the Rhineland

Today brings the first of three major central bank meetings in the next six days as the ECB is currently meeting and the market awaits the outcome. Next week we will hear from both the BOJ and then the Fed, but for now all eyes are turned toward Frankfurt.

Expectations, as measured by the futures market, have moved to a 48% probability of a 10bp rate cut by the ECB this morning, although most of the punditry believe that Signor Draghi will simply lay the groundwork for a cut in September at the next meeting. The arguments for waiting are as follows: given the expectations of a Fed rate cut, with some still holding out hope for 50bps, the market benefits of cutting today would be quickly offset, and one of the few arrows the ECB still has left in its quiver would be wasted. The key benefit they are seeking is a weaker euro, and the concern is that any weakness will be short-lived, especially in the event of a 50bp cut by Powell. Of course, one need only look at the chart to see that the euro has been trending steadily lower for the past year, falling nearly 5% since last July, although as we await the meeting outcome it remains unchanged on the day. It’s not clear to me why else they would wait. After all, the data continues to point to ongoing Eurozone weakness every day. This morning’s example was the German Ifo Business Climate Index, which fell to 95.7, its lowest point since April 2013. It is becoming abundantly clear that Germany is heading into a recession and given Germany’s status as the largest economy in the Eurozone, representing nearly one-third of the total, that bodes ill for the entire bloc.

I maintain that it makes no sense to wait if they know that they will cut next month. They are far better off cutting now, maybe even by 20bps, and using September to restart QE, which is also a foregone conclusion. The funny thing about appointing Madame Lagarde, the uber dove, as the next ECB president, is that she won’t have anything to do once she sits down given the fact that all the easing tools will have been used already. Well, perhaps that is not strictly correct. Lagarde will be able to expand QE to cover, first, bank bonds and then, eventually equities.

(As an aside, for all you capitalists out there, the practice of central banks buying equities should cause great discomfort. After all, they can print as much money as they need to effectively buy ownership in all the public companies in an economy. And isn’t the definition of Socialism merely when the government owns the means of production? It seems to me that central bank equity purchases are a great leap down that slippery slope!)

At any rate, FX markets have largely been holding their breath awaiting the ECB outcome this morning. The same cannot be said of equity markets, where we continue to see records in the US, and markets in both Asia and Europe continue to rally on the idea that lower rates will continue to support stocks. At the same time, bond markets are also still on the march, with Bunds trading to yet another new low, touching -0.46% yesterday, and currently at -0.41%. Treasuries, too, remain bid, with the 10-year yield ticking slightly lower to 2.03%. And in the commodity space, oil prices are firmer after both a surprisingly large inventory draw and the ongoing issues in the Persian Gulf as the UK and Iran duke it out over captured tankers.

With the Brexit story now waiting for its next headlines, which will likely take at least a few days to arrive, and the US-China trade story awaiting next week’s meetings in Beijing, it is central banks all the way as the key market drivers for now. This morning’s Initial Claims (exp 219K) and Durable Goods (0.7%, 0.2% -ex transport) seem unlikely to be key movers.

So Mario, it’s all up to you today. How dovish Draghi sounds will be the key event for today, and likely the impetus behind movement until next Wednesday when Chairman Powell takes the spotlight. Personally, I think he will be far more dovish than the market is currently pricing and we will see the dollar rally further.

Good luck
Adf

 

The Die Has Been Cast

Posted on by

So now that the die has been cast
And Boris is PM at last
The window is closing
To set forth composing
A Brexit deal that can be passed

Meanwhile throughout Europe the tale
Shows Draghi is likely to fail
In rekindling growth
While he and Jay both
Find prices their great big White Whale

By the end of the day, Queen Elizabeth II will install Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. After naming a new cabinet, he will make his first speech and will certainly reiterate that, regardless of the status of negotiations with the EU, the UK will be leaving on October 31. While all of these things had been widely anticipated, their reality sets in motion a potentially turbulent three months. Given the overall weakening growth impulse in the UK economy and the ongoing political intrigue, there is not much to recommend owning the pound right now. Interestingly, however, it is firmer by 0.3% this morning on a combination of a slight uptick in Mortgage Approvals, demonstrating that perhaps the UK housing market is not completely dead, as well as some ‘buy the news’ activity after a prolonged decline in the currency.

Looking ahead, it appears that the only thing that will help rally the pound in any significant manner would be a clear change of heart by the EU regarding reopening negotiations on Brexit. And while, to date, the EU has been adamant that will not occur, one need only look at the continuing slide in the Eurozone economy to recognize that the EU cannot afford a major shock, like a no-deal Brexit, to occur without falling into a continent wide recession.

Which leads to the other key story of the day, the absolutely abysmal Eurozone PMI data that was released earlier this morning. While these are all flash numbers, they paint a very dark picture. For example, German manufacturing PMI fell to 43.1, well below last month’s 45.0 as well as consensus expectations of 45.1. In fact, this was the lowest point since seven years ago during the Eurozone crisis just before Signor Draghi’s famous “whatever it takes” comments. And while the Services number fell only slightly, to 55.4, the Composite result was much worse than expected at 51.4 and pointing toward a real possibility of a technical recession in Germany. French data was similarly downbeat, with Manufacturing falling to 50.0 and the composite weak, with the same being true for the Eurozone data overall.

Given the data, it is no surprise that the euro has edged even lower, down a further 0.1% this morning after a 0.5% decline in yesterday’s session. Interestingly, there are still a large number of pundits who believe that the ECB will stay on the sidelines tomorrow at their meeting, merely laying the groundwork for action in September. However, that continues to be a baffling stance to me, especially when considering that Mario Draghi is still in charge. This is a man who has proven willing, time and again (see: whatever it takes”), to respond quickly to perceived threats to economic stability in the Eurozone. There is no good reason for the ECB to wait in my view. Whether or not the Fed cuts 50 next week (they won’t) is hardly a reason to fiddle while Europe burns. Look for a 10bp cut tomorrow, and perhaps another 10 bps in September along with the announcement for more QE. And don’t be surprised if QE evolves into bank bonds or even equities. Frankly, I think they would be better off writing everyone in the Eurozone a check for €3000 and print €1 trillion that way. At least it would boost consumption to some extent! However, central bankers continue to work with their blinders on and can only see one way to do things, despite the fact that method has proven wholly insufficient.

As to the rest of the market, Aussie PMI data continued to decline, dragging the Aussie dollar down with it. This morning, AUD is lower by 0.35% and back below 0.70 again. With more rate cuts in the offing, I expect it will remain under pressure. Japan, on the other hand saw PMI data stabilize and actually tick higher on the Services front. This is quite a surprise given the ongoing trade ructions between the US and China, themselves and the US and themselves and South Korea. But despite all that, the data proved resilient and, not surprisingly, so did the yen, rallying 0.15% overnight. The thing about the yen is that since the beginning of June it has merely chopped back and forth between 107 and 109. The BOJ’s big concern is that given the relative lack of policy leeway they have as compared to the Fed, that the yen might restart a significant rally, further impairing the BOJ’s efforts at driving inflation in Japan higher. One other thing to remember is that despite the ongoing equity market rally, we have also seen a consistent bid in haven assets. While this dichotomy is highly unusual, it nonetheless implies that there is further room for the yen to appreciate. A move to 105 in the near-term is not out of the question.

But in truth, today’s general theme is lack of movement. The pound is by far the biggest mover, with most other currencies continuing to chop back and forth within 0.1% of yesterday’s closes. It appears that FX traders are awaiting the news from the ECB, the BOJ and the Fed in the next week before deciding what to do. The same is not as true in other markets, where equity bulls continue to rule the roost (corral?) as despite ongoing tepid earnings data, stocks remain bid overall. Bonds, too, are still in demand with Treasury yields hovering just above 2.0%, but more interestingly, Eurozone bonds really rallying. Bunds have fallen to -0.38%, which has helped drag France to -0.11%, but more amazingly, Italy to 1.53% and Greece to 1.97%! That’s right, Greek 10-year yields are lower than US 10-year yields, go figure.

Turning to the data story, yesterday saw the 16th consecutive decline in Existing Home Sales, another -1.7% with New Home Sales (exp 660K) the only data point on today’s docket. The Fed remains in quiet mode which means markets will be all about earnings again today. Some of the bellwether names due to report are AT&T, Boeing and Bank of America. But in the end, FX remains all about monetary policy, and so tomorrow is likely to be far more interesting than the rest of today.

Good luck
Adf

 

Sans Details

Posted on by

In England and Scotland and Wales
A new PM finally hails
With Boris the man
We know the game plan
Is Brexit, as yet sans details

As of 7:05 this morning, it was finally official that Boris Johnson was elected as the new leader of the UK’s Conservative and Unionist Party (aka the Tories) by a substantial margin. By all rights, as of tomorrow, he will be the new Prime Minister of the UK. Congratulations Boris!

And so, the Brexit story now takes a new turn as Boris was instrumental in campaigning for the vote three years ago, and has been a vocal supporter ever since, unlike his predecessor, Theresa May. He has been abundantly clear that if the EU does not reopen the negotiations, he will take the UK out of the EU without a deal. Yet to date, the EU has been adamant that the only deal available is the one they have already tabled. Since the beginning, I have maintained that while the UK will certainly be negatively impacted by a no-deal Brexit, the EU will also feel significant pain. This is especially true in northern Europe, with Germany, France and the Netherlands amongst the biggest exporters to the UK. Thus, we are now involved in the biggest game of chicken seen in the global economy in a very long time. (While the politicians describe this as brinksmanship, I think chicken is a better label.) At this point, it is anybody’s guess how things will turn out, but what we do know is that if there really is a no-deal Brexit, the pound will fall much further, the euro will decline, and global growth will slow further.

As it happens, we are already seeing the UK economy slip, with the latest evidence being this morning’s CBI report which printed at a much worse than expected -34, its lowest since the immediate wake of the Brexit vote in 2016. And not surprisingly, the pound remains under pressure, down 0.1% as I type, which makes 2.1% during the past month. In addition, we heard from BOE member Saunders, who confirmed that the BOE default assumption of a smooth Brexit may not be the outcome, and that monetary policy will need to adjust to the new realities in that case. While he continues to fear a stagflationary outcome, there remains little case for the BOE to raise rates anytime soon. The evidence is abundantly clear that in a global rates environment that is declining, there is virtually no chance the UK would tighten policy in any way. Despite the fact that the US has far more room to cut rates than the UK, the problems attendant to Brexit, at least initially, are going to continue to weigh on the pound going forward.

Away from the Brexit story, all eyes are turning toward the ECB meeting to be held in two days’ time in Frankfurt. While most analysts around the world are convinced that Signor Draghi is going to use this meeting to set the table for more action in September, the market is moving toward my view that a rate cut is coming Thursday. OIS markets are pricing in a 40% probability of a 10bp cut, and there are a few outlier analysts who are even calling for 20 bps right away. After all, if you consider what NY Fed president Williams said last week about how, when rates are low, acting aggressively right away is a better strategy than a slow decline in rates, that would argue for 20 bps on Thursday. The other question is whether they will introduce some sort of tiering into the program to allow the European banks, which have been getting killed by the negative rate charges, to exempt some portion of their excess reserves from the penalty rates. That is actually a huge deal, and one where there is very little clarity. In the meantime, despite the fact that the market is certain the Fed is going to cut rates by 25 bps next week, I think the euro has room to fall further in the interim. It is lower by 0.25% this morning, and I expect a move toward 1.10, especially as I believe they will cut Thursday.

As to the rest of the G10, the dollar is broadly stronger, but the magnitude of change remains very modest, on the order of 0.10%-0.20%. In the EMG space, the dollar has also seen broad strength, although here, too, the size of the movement remains muted, with the biggest losers falling just 0.3% (PLN, HUF, IDR). It should be no surprise that markets continue to bide their time as we await the official news from the ECB as well as Friday’s US GDP data, which will clearly play into the FOMC decision next week.

And that’s pretty much today’s story. Equity earnings continue to be released, and it seems that most are beating the lowered expectations that are out there. This has been enough to prevent further equity market damage but has not led to significant gains. On the rate front, Treasuries have been stagnant for the past few sessions with 10-year yields standing at 2.03%, well off the highs seen two weeks ago in a technical sell-off, but certainly with plenty of room to decline from here, especially in the event the Fed does cut 50. We get one piece of data, Existing Home Sales (exp 5.33M), but that seems unlikely to change many views regardless of the outcome. So, my view remains that the dollar’s slow drift higher is still the most likely outcome for now.

Good luck
Adf

 

The Doldrums

Posted on by

In summer, the doldrums at sea
Describe lack of activity
The same can be said
As markets stop dead
Awaiting some new policy

Markets remain generally dull this morning as despite what appear to be a number of catalysts to drive things, (tension in the Persian Gulf, increased tension in HK, debt ceiling concerns in the US, etc.) all eyes remain focused on the FOMC meeting next week, and to a somewhat lesser extent, the ECB meeting this Thursday. The Fed is now in their quiet period, meaning we won’t hear anything from any FOMC members until they release the statement on July 31. And remember, the last thing we heard was NY Fed President John Williams explaining that when rates are already low (like they are now) that history shows it is better if a central bank acts preemptively and aggressively when cutting rates. Yes, it’s true that the NY Fed issued a statement afterward explaining that was an academic speech and had nothing to do with current monetary policy discussion, but that doesn’t really matter. The market reaction last week was to ramp up expectations for a 50bp cut next week, and the disclaimer only had a marginal impact.

Meanwhile, virtually every analyst believes that the ECB is merely going to set the table for cutting rates in September, with a number looking for confirmation that they are going to restart QE next January. It seems to me that if they already know they are going to cut rates in September, and they know that the incoming ECB president, Madame Lagarde, is going to be in favor of the move, that there is a pretty good chance they cut rates this week. Markets are not priced for that outcome which means that it would likely have a pretty significant impact on the euro, pushing it lower right away. And consider the situation if the Fed only cuts 25bps, which I continue to believe is the most likely outcome, whereby you would have a more dovish than expected ECB and more hawkish than expected Fed. That will not help the euro, trust me. In addition, on Wednesday, we will see the Flash PMI data from Europe and Thursday, just before the ECB meeting ends, German Ifo data as well. Weakness there could easily be used as a justification for an earlier rate cut. All I’m saying is that the idea that the Fed is starting out on an easing path does not necessarily imply the dollar is going to tumble, despite the President’s wishes.

However, ahead of those meetings, traders are reluctant to maintain large positions, and we have seen trading activity ebb. At least in the FX markets. Looking at current levels, the euro, which is down a marginal 0.10% this morning, is back within pips of the lows seen just before Chairman Powell, in June, explained that the Fed would be cutting rates again soon. So, if the ECB does cut, that could easily help take the euro down to levels last seen in mid 2017. Meanwhile, the pound is today’s worst performing G10 currency, falling a further 1/3 of 1% as the market awaits tomorrow’s announcement as to the results of the Tory leadership contest, the winner of which will become the next UK PM. All signs still point to Boris Johnson, and the market interpretation of that is a greater likelihood of a hard Brexit. Remember, too, that despite all the machinations in Parliament there, Brexit remains the law of the land in the UK, so the efforts to prevent or mollify it actually have an uphill battle.

Away from those two currencies, the dollar is marginally stronger, but the performance is somewhat mixed. For instance, the yen is weaker by 0.2%, but Aussie is stronger by 0.1%, and perhaps that is the message. While there is no broad theme, movement has been limited overall. The same situation exists within the EMG bloc, where there are both gainers and decliners, but none of them have moved very far, certainly not enough to describe a trend.

Looking ahead to the data this week, we see the following:

Tuesday Existing Home Sales 5.33M
Wednesday New Home Sales 660K
Thursday ECB Meeting -0.40%
  Initial Claims 219K
  Durable Goods 0.7%
  -ex transport 0.2%
Friday Q2 GDP 1.8%

Arguably, after the ECB meeting, where a surprise cannot be ruled out, Friday’s first look at Q2 GDP is going to be the most interesting thing we see. There is a pretty wide range of expectations for this number, as there are more and more analysts falling into one of two camps, either recession is coming, or everything is full steam ahead. But more importantly, if the GDP data is weak, look for expectations of a 50bp rate cut next week to be cemented in, while a strong print is likely to see just the opposite; stocks decline, the dollar rise and expectations of a 25bp rate cut only. But until then, the housing data is likely not that interesting, after all that has been a consistently weak sector of the economy, and Durable Goods will be superseded by GDP. So with no speakers on the docket, it should be a pretty dull week until we get to Thursday.

One caveat is that if Jeremy Hunt surprises and wins the Tory contest in the UK, look for the pound to rally a few cents initially. However, there is still little to recommend a sharp rally unless Brexit is canceled, and he has promised to leave as well.

Good luck
Adf

A Half Point’s Preferred

Posted on by

Said Williams, the Fed must be swift
When acting if growth is adrift
The market inferred
A half point’s preferred
Which gave all stock markets a lift

If there was any doubt that markets are still entirely beholden to the Fed, they should have been removed after yesterday’s price action. First, recall that a number of emerging market central banks cut interest rates, some in a complete market surprise (South Korea), while others were anticipated (Indonesia, South Africa, Ukraine) and yet all of those currencies strengthened on the day. It is always curious to me when a situation like that occurs, as it forces a deeper investigation as to the market drivers. But this investigation was pretty short as all the evidence pointed in one direction; the Fed. Yesterday afternoon, NY Fed President John Williams gave an, ostensibly, academic speech about how central banks should respond to economic weakness and highlighted that they should act quickly and aggressively in such cases. Notably, he said, “take swift action when faced with adverse economic conditions” and “keep interest rates lower for longer.” The market interpretation of those comments was an increased expectation for a 50bp rate cut by the Fed at the end of the month. Stocks reversed early losses, bonds rallied, with yields falling 4bps and the dollar fell as much as 0.5%. While a spokesperson for the NY Fed made a statement later trying to explain that Williams’ speech was not about policy, just academic research, the market remained convinced that 50bps is coming to a screen near you on July 31! We shall see.

The problem with the 50bp theme is that the economic data of late has actually been generally, although not universally, better than expected. Consider that last week, both core CPI (2.1%) and PPI (2.3%) printed a tick higher than expectations; Retail Sales were substantially stronger at 0.4% vs. the 0.1% expected; and both the Empire State and Philly Fed indices printed stronger than expected at 4.3 and 21.8 respectively. Also, the jobs report at the beginning of the month was much stronger than expected. Of course, there have been negatives as well, with IP (0.0%), Housing Starts (-0.9%) and Building Permits (-6.1%) all underperforming. In addition, we cannot forget the situation elsewhere in the world, where China printed Q2 GDP at 6.2%, its lowest print in the 27 years they have been releasing quarterly data, while Eurozone data continues to suffer as well. The implication is that if you assume there is a case for a rate cut at all, the case for a 50bp rate cut relies on much thinner gruel.

At this point, even if we continue to see stronger than expected US data, I believe that Powell and company are locked into a rate cut. Given that futures markets have fully priced that in, as well as the fact that the equity markets are unquestionably counting on that cut, disappointment would serve to truly disrupt markets, potentially impinging on financial conditions and certainly draw the ire of the White House. None of these consequences seem worthwhile for the potential benefit of leaving 25bps of dry powder in the magazine. Add to this the fact that we have heard from several Fed members; Bostic, Kaplan and George, none of whom are enthused about a rate cut at all. Now, of those three, only Esther George is a current voter, but one dissenting vote will not be enough to sway a clearly dovish FOMC. Add it all up and I think we see 25bps when the dust settles. Of course, if that’s the case, it is entirely realistic to see equity prices ‘sell the news’ unless Powell is hyper dovish in the press conference.

And in truth, that is the entire story today. Virtually every story in the financial press focuses on rate cuts, whether the question about the Fed, or the discussion of all the other central banks that have already acted. There is an ongoing argument about whether the ECB actually cuts rates next week, or if they simply prepare the market for a cut in September and the reinstitution of QE in January. Most analysts are opting for the latter, believing that Signor Draghi will wait and see, but if they know they are going to cut, why wait? I think there is a much better chance of immediate action than is being priced into the market.

On the Brexit front, the voting by Tory members continues, and by all accounts, Boris is still in the lead and due to be the next PM. That will continue to pressure the pound, as unless there is further movement by the EU, the chances of a no-deal Brexit will continue to rise. In fact, next week will be quite momentous as we hear from the ECB and get the UK voting results on Thursday.

Away from these stories, most things fall into the background. For example, China Minsheng Group, a major Chinese conglomerate, is defaulting on a $500 million bond repayment due in August. Clearly, this is not a positive event, but more importantly speaks to two specific issues, the lack of US dollar liquidity available in emerging markets as well as the true nature of the slowdown in the Chinese economy. This will be used as further ammunition for the camp that believes the Chinese significantly overstate their economic data.

Turning to this morning’s activity, the only data point is the Michigan Sentiment data (exp 98.5) and we get one more Fed speech, from uber-dove James Bullard. The dollar is stronger today, after yesterday’s afternoon selloff, having risen 0.35% vs. the euro and with gains also against the yen (0.3%), Aussie (0.25%) and most emerging market currencies (MXN 0.3%, ZAR 0.6%, CNY 0.1%). My sense is that yesterday afternoon’s price action was a bit overdone on the dollar, and so we will see more of that unwound ahead of the weekend. Look for modest further USD strength.

Good luck and good weekend
Adf

 

Could Not Be Severer

Posted on by

For two years the EU played rough
On Brexit and called every bluff
They forced the UK
To see it their way
And every pushback they’d rebuff

But now that the date’s drawing nearer
And Johnson can’t be any clearer
He’ll walk with no deal
It’s now become real
That Brexit could not be severer

So Barnier finally blinked
Agreeing the Irish were linked
And in a surprise
He talked compromise
Though as yet, no new deal’s been inked

The pound is higher this morning as news that the EU is willing to discuss a compromise for the Irish border has clearly changed the discussion. If you recall, the EU has been adamant that the only deal available is the one that erstwhile PM May negotiated, which includes a section on the Irish border that could easily keep the UK beholden to the EU in perpetuity. Naturally, the Brexiteers were not happy with that outcome and it eventually led to May’s resignation.

The problem for the EU is that Boris Johnson, who is the most likely candidate to become the new PM when results are announced next week, has been abundantly clear that if the EU doesn’t fix the parts of the deal that are controversial, he will take the UK out on October 31 without a deal. And there is no indication he is bluffing. So suddenly the EU has figured out that a no-deal Brexit is a real possibility and that they may no longer have the upper hand. Consider that the UK has already suffered economically during the run-up to the actual exit, while the EU’s suffering has been self-inflicted and not related to Brexit at all. Given the EU’s economy is broadly slowing already, the last thing they need is something like Brexit, which would likely tip the EU into recession if there is no deal. And voila, the EU has finally figured out that they have much to lose in this negotiation.

It should be no surprise that the pound has rallied on the news, although the 0.5% rally is not that impressive. But it’s a start, and if the two sides can come to an agreement on the Irish situation, then there is a real opportunity for the pound to rebound sharply. After all, a smooth Brexit has always been likely to drive the pound back toward 1.40. While it is still way too early to assume that outcome, at least it is back on the table.

The other theme of the overnight session has been central bank rate cuts, with South Korea surprising analysts with a 25bp cut to 1.50% while they lowered forecasts for both growth and inflation for 2019 and 2020. The ongoing trade situation between the US and China is a major headache for the Koreans, and don’t forget they have their own direct trade issue with Japan regarding the Japanese export of key materials for Korean manufacturing. We also saw Indonesia cut rates 25bps, beginning the reversal of the 175bps of rate hikes they implemented in 2018. While growth there remains solid, with inflation falling and forecasts for slowing growth in its key export markets, this was not a great surprise. Analysts are looking for two more cuts this year as well. Interestingly, neither the won nor rupiah weakened on the news, with both currencies firmer by 0.15% when the market closed in Asia time.

And perhaps that is the theme for today, mild dollar weakness despite other nation’s activities. But the operative word is mild. In fact, the pound’s rally, which was also helped by surprisingly robust Retail Sales data, is by far the largest move of the session. Otherwise, in both G10 and EMG spaces, we are seeing some back and forth on the order of 0.10%-0.20%, hardly enough to get excited about.

Clearly, there is much more market discussion on the earnings season as it unfolds in the US. Yesterday’s big news was Netflix, which missed estimates on subscriber growth in Q2 and has seen its stock fall sharply in the aftermarket. But Eurozone equities are under pressure as well after weak results from SAP and Nordea Bank presage further struggles on the continent.

Now here’s something to consider. Right now, the market is fully priced for a Fed cut at the end of the month, and there is a strong expectation that the ECB meeting next week is going to outline its future policy ease. Those have been key drivers in the broad equity market rally we have seen since June, and if either Powell or Draghi disappoints, equity markets are certainly going to suffer. But what if earnings data comes in broadly worse than expected, a la Netflix last night, and equity prices fall regardless of the rate story. After all, by almost every measure, valuations in the US equity space are quite high so a decline may well be due on its own, rate cuts or not. The question is how those same central banks will respond. Will they ease more aggressively to prevent a further decline, or will they ignore the outcome? In the past, this wasn’t really a consideration as central banks were focused only on inflation and employment or growth. But these days I’m not so sure that is the case. Just beware if earnings data start to stumble.

Turning to this morning’s session, there are only two US data points, Initial Claims (exp 216K) and Leading Indicators (0.1%). We also hear from two Fed speakers, Bostic and Williams, although both have already explained their views earlier this week. On that subject, we heard from FOMC voter Esther George yesterday and she has been the first Fed speaker to be clear that there is no reason for a rate cut anytime soon. Now she has always been one of the more hawkish Fed members and it would not shock me if she dissented at the next vote assuming a rate cut is the outcome. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the first dissent under Powell’s tenure was looking for a cut and the second, in the following meeting, was looking to stay on hold? It certainly indicates there is a diversity of opinion at the Fed, at least with regard to the proper policy implementation if not with regard to Keynesianism.

And that’s all there is for today. Earnings data are likely to be the main drivers as neither data point is seen as a market mover. With the dollar on its back foot this morning, I see no reason for it to turn around at this time. Look for a further slow decline.

Good luck
Adf

 

Appetite’s Whet

Posted on by

Both Powell and Kaplan agreed
That lower rates are what we need
The table’s now set
And appetite’s whet
For more cuts to soon be decreed

If there was any uncertainty, prior to yesterday, about a rate cut by the Fed at the end of this month, it should be completely eliminated now. Not only did Chairman Jay reiterate that the Fed was “carefully monitoring” the situation (shouldn’t that always be the case?) and that the Fed would use all its available tools to maintain the expansion, but we heard from Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan that he was turning in favor of a ‘risk management’ cut in order to be sure that things don’t start to turn down soon. Given the integration in the global economy over the past years and given the fact that the US still represents 24% of global GDP, it should be no surprise that things occurring elsewhere in the world have an impact on the US and vice versa. As such, it is not unreasonable for the Fed to try to take the global economic situation into account when determining US monetary policy. And one thing that is clear is that global GDP growth is falling. So folks, we have seen the top in interest rates around the world and the only question is just how quickly they will fall in different jurisdictions.

In a nutshell, that is the FX story. Historically, relative monetary policy has been one of the prime drivers of FX rates, with currencies attached to tight policy appreciating vs. those attached to loose policy. This has been the basis of the carry trade, and arguably, nothing about this process has changed. It’s just that for the first time in memory, pretty much every nation is driving policy in the same direction, in this case looser. This leads to a probable outcome where currency values remain largely stable. After all, if everybody cuts by 25bps, aren’t we all still in the same place?

The irony is that, as discussed by RBA Governor Lowe several weeks ago, if every central bank is cutting rates at the same time, the effectiveness of those rate cuts will be severely diminished. Remember, one of the key transmission mechanisms of rate cuts is to reduce the currency’s value in order to help support trade, and eventually growth. But if everybody cuts, that mechanism will be severely impaired, and so the central banks will be forced to find new tools. And while they are actively looking for new ways to ease policy, in the end, monetary policy is simply some combination of interest rates and money supply. Until now, central banks have focused on managing interest rates. But this is why MMT, or something like it, is a growing possibility. When thoughts turn to money supply as the only other thing to adjust, and as ‘new’ thinking permeates the political class, MMT is going to become increasingly attractive. I’m not sure which nation will be the first to publicly embrace the idea of debt monetization (my money’s on Japan though), but you can be sure that whichever it is will see its currency depreciate sharply, at least until other nations follow their lead. Only time will tell, but that is not a positive future.

With that as a somewhat depressing backdrop, let’s look at market activity. Generally speaking, the dollar has done little this morning after yesterday’s rally. Or perhaps yesterday’s rally was more a function of other currency weakness. Remember, the pound’s decline was all about Brexit, not the US. The euro’s decline was all about weakening economic sentiment in the Eurozone and the idea that the ECB would be acting sooner rather than later. Yesterday also saw the Mexican peso fall sharply, more than 1%, after President Trump tweeted about reimposing tariffs on China. It seems that traders are still nervous over more tariffs, and with the ongoing border situation between the US and Mexico, see any tariff threats as potentially applying to Mexico as well.

But this morning, the biggest movers are RUB and TRY, both recouping about 0.4% of yesterday’s losses. The G10 currencies are within 0.10% of yesterday’s levels and show no sign of breaking out in the near term. Of course, that is subject to another Brexit announcement or comments from central bankers, however, nothing is scheduled on those fronts. Equity markets, too, have had little direction as investors await the next shoe to drop. Interest rate markets remain fully priced for a 25bp rate cut by the Fed in two weeks, while there remains some uncertainty as to just what Signor Draghi will announce next week. I will say that if he did announce a 10bp rate cut, it would have a pretty big impact on the single currency, and not in a positive manner.

As to bonds, both Treasuries and Bunds remain 10-15bps from their recent lows but show no signs of selling off further (higher yields). Rather, those markets are demonstrating all the behavior of a consolidation after a large unwinding move. Given the strong trend lower in central bank policy rates, it seems highly unlikely that yields in the government space, and by extension elsewhere, have anywhere to go but down.

Turning to today’s data, we see Housing Starts (exp 1.261M), Building Permits (1.3M) and then at 2:00 the Fed releases its Beige Book. But we have no more Fed speakers and it seems highly unlikely that any of that will be enough to change any views. One other thing happening this afternoon is the G7 FinMins are meeting in France, but those talks are highly focused on taxation of tech companies with monetary policy a sidelight. After all, everybody is already cutting rates, so what else can they say?

Alas, it appears to be another day with limited cause for FX movement, which for hedgers is great, but for traders, not so much.

Good luck
Adf

 

Be Prepare for Mayhem

Posted on by

Next week when the former PM
Steps down be prepared for mayhem
Both Johnson and Hunt
Are willing to punt
May’s deal, which they’re quick to condemn

Remember, back in the day, when I suggested that the probability of a hard Brexit was much higher than the market was assuming? In fact, I have been highlighting this fact pretty consistently since, at least, January heading up to the original deadline. Well, now, it appears that the market is figuring out that the probability of a hard Brexit is higher than they previously assumed. Last night, in a debate between the two candidates for PM, front-runner Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, both were clear that the Irish backstop was dead in the water, and both were clear that they would be willing to walk away with no deal. Ongoing negotiations have become more difficult as the UK is making more demands and the EU is now complaining that the UK is trying to “bully” them! This is the funniest statement that I have ever seen. For two years, the EU essentially bullied PM May into agreeing to things that were unpalatable, including the Irish backstop. Now all of a sudden, the EU’s tender feelings have been hurt by the UK pushing back!

Since the original vote, pundits around the world have assumed that the UK would bear the brunt of the fallout from Brexit. After all, the rest of the EU is the UK’s largest trading partner, and the UK only represents something like 10% of EU exports. But as the EU dips back into recession with monetary policy already stretched, it is becoming clearer that the EU will suffer greatly in a no-deal Brexit. Just ask Germany how its auto manufacturers will be impacted when suddenly there are tariffs on BMW’s in the UK. The point is that both sides are likely to feel pain, although it seems the UK has already absorbed part of it, while the rest of the EU has been laboring under the assumption that the UK would cave in eventually. My view is there is no chance of a deal at this point and there are only two possible outcomes; no-deal Brexit or no Brexit. However, there seems to be limited willingness to hold a second referendum to try to overturn the first one, with major splits within both main parties there. And that leads to a no-deal Brexit. Be prepared.

It should be no surprise that this has had a pretty big impact on the pound this morning, which has fallen by 0.75% to its lowest level since January 2017. And this is despite better than expected employment data where wages grew a stronger than expected 3.6% in May, while the Unemployment rate remained at 45-year lows of 3.8%. While the UK economy seems to be holding up reasonably well, I continue to look for the BOE to cut rates in November after the hard Brexit occurs, if only as a precaution for a quick slowdown. Meanwhile, the pound is likely to continue to decline between now and then, testing 1.20 before long. However, vs. the euro, where the pound has also been sliding, I expect that trend to stabilize and even reverse. This is due to the fact that the Eurozone is going to suffer far more than currently anticipated from a hard Brexit. Right now, the cross is trading at 0.9030. I would look for a move in the euro to 1.05-1.06 and the cross to head down to 0.88.

Away from the Brexit story, things are a bit less exciting on the currency front. Broadly the dollar is strong today, as weaker Eurozone data (German ZEW Sentiment fell more than expected to -24.5) has pundits discussing a recession in Germany and confirming a more aggressive policy ease from the ECB. As such, the euro is lower by 0.3% this morning, as all the dovishness from the Fed is being offset by all the dovishness from ECB members.

Down Under, the RBA Minutes continue to highlight the need to keep policy accommodative as they, too, recognize that their old models need tweaking and that lower rates will not lead directly to further inflation. Aussie, which has actually performed pretty well overall since Powell’s first testimony last week, is lower by 0.2%. While the RBA is likely to remain on hold for now, look for more cuts as soon as the Fed starts to cut.

And those have really been the key drivers in the market today. Looking at the CE4, all of them have fallen roughly the same 0.3% as the euro meaning there is no new information to be gleaned. LATAM currencies are barely budged and APAC has also seen very limited movement overnight. The same can be said of global equity markets, which have seen very limited movement, on the order of 0.2% as investors await the next big story. Arguably, that story will start to be told next week by the ECB, with the punchline added by the FOMC at the end of the month. In the meantime, earnings season is beginning, so individual equity prices are likely to see movement, but it is hard to get excited about a macro move in the near term. And bonds? Well, they have stopped falling as the overly aggressive long positions seem to have been unwound. I expect they will start to rally again, albeit at a slower pace than we saw at the beginning of the month.

This morning brings the most interesting data of the week, Retail Sales (exp 0.1%, 0.1% ex autos), as well as a spate of Fed speakers including Chairman Powell at 1:00 this afternoon. If Retail Sales disappoint already low expectations, look for bonds to rally along with stocks as the dollar falls. If they are quite strong, I think the market is far less prone to react as the July rate cut is still a done deal. It just will have a much smaller probability of being a 50bp cut.

Good luck
Adf

Akin to Caffeine

Posted on by

There once was a time in the past
Where weakness in growth, if forecast
Resulted in prices
That forewarned a crisis
And traders sold what they’d amassed

But nowadays weakness is seen
As something akin to caffeine
‘Cause central bank measures
Will add to their treasures
It’s like a brand new cash machine

Chinese growth data was weak last night, falling to its lowest quarterly rate in the twenty-seven years that China has measured growth on a quarterly basis. The outcome of 6.2%, while expected, confirms that the ongoing trade situation with the US is having an increasingly negative impact on GDP worldwide. Naturally, not unlike Pavlov’s dogs, the market response was to rally on the theory that the PBOC would be adding more stimulus soon. After all, every other central bank in the world (save Norway’s) is preparing to ease policy further as growth worldwide continues to slow down. And so far, the Pavlovian response of buying stocks on bad news continues to be working as evidenced by the fact that equity markets throughout Asia rose. However, the magnitude of that rise has been quite limited, with gains of between 0.2% and 0.4% the norm. in fact, that market response is actually a bad sign for the central banks, because it demonstrates that the effectiveness of their policies is expected to be much less than in the past. Diminishing returns is a normal outcome for the repeated use of anything, and monetary policy is no different. The implication of this outcome is that despite the growing certainty that the Fed, ECB, BOJ, PBOC, BOE and more are going to ease policy further, equity markets seem unlikely to benefit as much as they have in the past. And if when a recession finally arrives, look for a change of heart in the equity community. But in the meantime, party hearty!

Speaking of further policy ease, it seems the market is chomping at the bit for next week’s ECB meeting, where there are two schools of thought. The conservative view is that Signor Draghi will sound quite dovish and indicate a 10bp cut is coming in September. But that is not nearly as exciting a view as the more aggressive analysts are discussing, which is a 20bp cut next week and the introduction of QE2 in September. Interestingly, despite all this certitude about ECB rate cuts, the euro is actually slightly higher this morning (albeit just 0.1%). It appears that traders are betting on the fact that if Draghi is aggressive, the Fed will have the opportunity the following week to match and outperform the ECB. Remember, the Fed has 250bps of rate cuts before it reaches ZIRP while the ECB is already negative. Despite the recent academic work explaining that negative rates are just fine and helping the situation, it still seems unlikely that we are going to see -2.0% anywhere in the world anytime soon. Ergo, the relative policy stance implies the Fed will ease more and the dollar will suffer accordingly. Just not today. Rather, today, the dollar is little changed overall, with some gains and some losses, but few large moves.

And those have been the real stories of note over what was a very quiet weekend. This week we see a fair amount of data, including Retail Sales, but more importantly, we hear from five more Fed speakers, including Chairman Powell tomorrow, in a total of nine speeches.

 

Today Empire Manufacturing 2.0
Tuesday Retail Sales 0.2%
  -ex autos 0.2%
  IP 0.2%
  Capacity Utilization 78.2%
  Business Inventories 0.3%
Wednesday Housing Starts 1.262M
  Building Permits 1.30M
  Fed’s Beige Book  
Thursday Initial Claims 216K
  Philly Fed 5.0
  Leading Indicators 0.1%
Friday Michigan Sentiment 98.5

Given the importance of the consumer to the US economy, the Retail Sales data is probably the most important data point. Certainly, a weak outcome will result in rate cut euphoria, but it will be interesting to see what happens if there is a strong print. But otherwise, this seems more like a week where Fed speakers will dominate, as we hear from NY’s John Williams twice, as well as a mix of other governors and regional presidents. In the end, though, Powell’s comments are key, as I expect he will be looking to fine tune his message from last week’s congressional testimony.

It remains clear that the Fed has the most room to ease policy, and as long as that is the case, the dollar should remain under pressure. However, given the fact that the US economy continues to outperform the rest of the developed world, I don’t anticipate the dollar’s decline to be extreme, a few percent at most.

For today, there is precious little else to really drive things, so look for more of the recent choppiness that we have observed in markets, with no real directional bias.

Good luck
Adf