Tag Archives: #BOE

Quite Insane

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There once was a concept, inflation
That frightened the heads of each nation
As prices would rise
They could not disguise
The fact it was just like taxation

But now, though it seems quite insane
Most governments try to explain
No need for dismay
Inflation’s okay
There’s no reason you should complain

The latest example is from
The UK, where people’s income
Continues to lag
Each higher price tag
And prospects for growth are humdrum

It certainly is becoming more difficult to accept the idea that the current inflationary surge being felt around the world is going to end anytime soon.  I keep trying to imagine why any company would cut prices in the current macroeconomic environment given the amount of available funds to spend held by consumers everywhere.  So called ‘excess’ savings, the amount of savings that are available to consumers above their long-term trend, exceed $3 trillion worldwide, with more than $2 trillion of that in the US alone.  If you run a company and are being faced with higher input costs (energy, wages, raw materials, etc.) and there has been no reduction in demand for your product, the most natural response is to continue to raise prices until you find the clearing price where demand softens.  It is a pipe dream for any central bank to expect that the current situation is going to resolve itself in the near future.

And yet…the major central banks (Fed, ECB, BOE and BOJ) continue to be committed to maintaining ultra-easy monetary policy.  For instance, today’s inflation data from the UK is a perfect case in point.  CPI rose a more than expected 4.2% Y/Y, more than double the BOE’s price target.  Core CPI rose 3.4%, also more than expected and RPI (Retail Price Index, the price series that UK inflation linked bonds track), rose 6.0%, the highest level since 1991.  And yet, the BOE is seemingly no closer to raising rates.  You may recall that despite what appeared to be clear signaling by the BOE they would be raising interest rates at their meeting earlier this month, they decided against doing so, surprising the market and leading to significant volatility in UK interest rate markets.  In fact, BOE Governor Bailey fairly whined afterwards that it was not the BOE’s job to manage the economy.  (If not, what exactly is their job?)  At any rate, the growing concern in the UK is that growth is slowing more rapidly while prices continue to rise.  This has put the BOE in a tough spot and will likely force a decision as to which issue to address.  The problem is the policy prescriptions for each issue are opposite, thus the conundrum.

The bigger problem is that this conundrum exists in every major economy.  The growth statistics we have seen have clearly been supported by the massive fiscal and monetary policy expansion everywhere.  In the US, that number is greater than $10 trillion or 40% of the economy.  The fear is that organic growth, outside the stimulus led measures, is much weaker and if policy support is removed too early, economies will quickly fall back into recession.  In fact, that is the most common refrain we hear from policymakers around the world, premature tightening will be a bigger problem.  Ultimately, a decision is going to need to be made by every central bank as to which policy problem is more important to address immediately.  For the past four decades, the only policy issue considered was growth and how to support it.  But now that inflation has made a comeback, it is a much tougher choice.  We shall see which side the major central banks choose over the coming months, but in the meantime, the one thing which is abundantly clear is that prices are going to continue to rise.

A reasonable question would be, how have markets responded to the latest data and comments?  And the answer is…no change in attitude.  Risk appetite remains relatively robust as the money continues to flow from central banks, although certain risk havens, notably gold, are finding new supporters as fears of significantly faster inflation grow.

So, let’s survey today’s markets.  Equities have had a mixed session with Asia (Nikkei -0.4%, Hang Seng -0.25%, Shanghai +0.45%) and Europe (DAX +0.1%, CAC +0.1%, FTSE 100 -0.3%) all, save China, remaining near all-time highs (in the case of the Nikkei they are merely 31 year highs from after the bubble there), but certainly showing no signs of backing off.  US futures are showing similar price action with very modest movement either side of flat.

Bonds, as well, are little changed and mixed on the day with Treasuries (-0.5bps) catching a modest bid after having sold off sharply over the past week.  In Europe, the price action is similar with Bunds (-0.3bps), OATs (+0.2bps) and Gilts (-0.5bps) all within a few tics of yesterday’s closing levels.  I would have expected Gilts to suffer somewhat more given the UK inflation data, but these days, it appears that inflation doesn’t have any impact on interest rates.

Commodity prices are softer this morning led by oil (-1.3%) and NatGas (-1.75%), although European NatGas is higher by more than 7.3% this morning as Russia continues to restrict flows to the continent.  (I have a feeling that the politicians who made the decision to rely on Russia for a critical source of power are going to come under increasing pressure.)  In the metals markets, industrials are mostly under pressure (Cu -1.0%, Sn -0.1%, Zn -0.8%) but we are seeing a slight rebound in aluminum (+0.6%) and precious metals are doing fine (Au +0.6%, Ag +1.1%).  It seems that inflation remains a concern there.

As to the dollar, it has outperformed a few more currencies than not, with TRY (-1.25%) the biggest loser as the central bank there has clearly made the decision that growth outweighs inflation and is expected to cut interest rates further despite inflation running at nearly 20%.  Elsewhere in the EMG bloc, the losers are less dramatic with MYR (-0.3%) and CLP (-0.3%) the next worst performers.  On the plus side, RUB (+0.8%) is the clear leader, shaking off the decline in oil prices as inflows to purchase Russian bonds have been enough to support the ruble.  Otherwise, there are a handful of currencies that have edged higher, but nothing of note.

In the G10, the picture is also of a few more losers than gainers but no very large moves at all.  surprisingly, GBP (+0.1%) has done very little in the wake of the CPI data and actually SEK (+0.35%) is the best performer on the day.  However, given the krona’s recent performance, where it has fallen more than 4% in the past week, a modest rebound should not be much of a surprise.  Overall, the dollar has retained its bid as evidenced by the euro (-2.8%) and the yen (-2.0%) declining during the past week with virtually no rebound.  It appears that the market continues to believe the Fed is going to be the major central bank that tightens policy fastest and the dollar is benefitting accordingly.

This morning’s data brings Housing Starts (exp 1579K) and Building Permits (1630K), neither of which seem likely to move markets.  Yesterday’s Retail Sales and IP data were much stronger than expected, which clearly weighed on bond markets a bit, and supported the dollar, but had little impact elsewhere.  We hear from seven! Fed speakers today, as they continue to mostly double down on the message that they expect inflation to subside on its own and so it would be a mistake to act prematurely.  There is a growing divide between what the market believes the Fed is going to do and what the Fed says they are going to do.  When that resolves, it will have a large market impact, we just don’t know when that will be.

For now, you cannot fight the dollar rally, but I will say it is getting a bit long in the tooth and a modest correction seems in order during the next several sessions.  Payables hedgers should be picking spots and layering into hedges because the longer-term situation for the dollar remains far more tenuous.

Good luck and stay safe
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Their Latest Excuse

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While prices worldwide keep on rising
Most central banks are still devising
Their latest excuse
For why money, loose,
Is still the least unappetizing

On Wednesday Chair Powell explained
That QE would slowly be drained
Then Thursday the Bank
Of England helped sank
Gilt yields, leaving traders bloodstained

Now Friday’s arrived and we’re all
Concerned that a Payrolls curveball
Could quickly defuse
The new dovish views
With hawks back for their curtain call

If you sell stuff in the UK, or hold assets there, I sure hope you’ve hedged your currency exposure.  In what can only be described as shocking, the Bank of England left policy on hold yesterday after numerous hints from members, including several explicitly from Governor Andrew Bailey, that something needed to be done about rising inflation. The combination of rising inflation prints, rising inflation forecasts and comments from BOE members had the market highly convinced that a 0.15% base rate hike was coming yesterday, with the idea it would then allow the central bank to hike further in 25 basis point increments with futures pointing to the base rate at 1.00% come next December.  But it was not to be.  Instead, in a 7-2 vote, the BOE left policy rates unchanged and will continue its current QE program which has £20 billion left to buy to reach their target.

The result was a massive repricing of markets as interest rates tumbled across the entire curve and the pound tumbled along side them.  In what is perhaps the most brazen lie audacious statement from a major central banker lately, Bailey explained in a Bloomberg TV interview that it was “not our job to steer markets.”  Seriously?  That is all every central banker ever tries to do.  If financial stability is one of the goals enumerated for central banks, the BOE failed dismally yesterday.  Tallying up the impact shows that 10-year Gilt yields fell 13 basis points (and another 4.1 this morning), OIS markets saw the 1-year interest rate decline 20 basis points and the pound fell 1.4% yesterday and a further 0.5% this morning.  It was ugly.

Perhaps the lesson to learn here is that as central banks around the world try to adjust monetary policy going forward, there are going to be a lot more bumps along the way, with market expectations being left unfulfilled and severe market reactions accordingly.  Forward guidance, which has become a critical tool for central banks over the past decade plus is no longer going to be as effective.  When Ben Bernanke highlighted the idea in 2009, it was thought to be a great addition to the central bank toolkit, the ability to adjust markets without adjusting policy.  And while that may have been true when monetary policy was being eased for years, it turns out that forward guidance is a bit more difficult to handle in the other direction.  Market volatility, across all markets, is likely to increase over the next couple of years as the coordinated central bank activities we have become used to seeing disappear.  Consider that while the Fed, ECB, BOJ and BOE have all pushed back on raising rates soon, the Norgesbank, BOC, RBNZ, RBA and a host of emerging market central banks are starting the process or already well along the way.

Turning to this morning’s data, if you recall, the last two NFP numbers were quite disappointing, with both coming in well below expectations.  The only thing we know about the labor market is that we don’t really know what is going on there anymore.  Clearly, based simply on the JOLTS data we know there are more than 10 million job openings in the country.  (That is also made obvious whenever you leave your home and see all the help wanted signs in store windows.)  But despite clearly rising wages, it has thus far not been enough to entice many people back into the labor force.  So, the Unemployment Rate remains far higher than it was pre-pandemic, but there are plenty of jobs available.  In this situation I feel for the Fed, as there is no clarity available with conflicting data rampant.  At any rate, here are the forecasts heading into the release:

Nonfarm Payrolls 450K
Private Payrolls 420K
Manuacturing Payrolls 30K
Unemployment Rate 4.7%
Average Hourly Earnings 0.4% (4.9% Y/Y)
Average Weekly Hours 34.8
Participation Rate 61.7%

Source: Bloomberg

One interesting thing is that excluding the pandemic stimulus checks, the current Y/Y Earnings data is the highest since the series began in 2006.  And worse still, it is lagging CPI by at least a half-point.  My sense is that we are likely to see another weaker than expected number as the kinks in the labor market have not yet been worked out.

Ok, a quick look at markets shows that Asia had a rough go of it last night (Nikkei -0.6%, Hang Seng -1.4%, Shanghai -1.0%) as continued concerns over the Chinese property market weigh on the economy there while Japan looks more like position adjustment ahead of the weekend.  Europe, on the other hand, is doing much better (DAX +0.15%, CAC +0.6%, FTSE 100 +0.55%) despite much weaker than expected IP data from both Germany (-1.1%) and France (-1.3%) in September.  Too, Eurozone Retail Sales (-0.3%) badly missed expectations in September, but revisions helped ameliorate some of those losses.  Regardless, I would argue that the weak data has encouraged investors and traders to believe that all the talk of tightening to address inflation is ebbing.  Meanwhile, US futures, which had spent the bulk of the evening essentially unchanged are now higher by about 0.25%.

Bond yields are generally lower again this morning with most European sovereigns seeing declines of around 1 basis point except for Gilts, pushing 4bps.  Treasuries, which had seen softer yields earlier in the session have now turned around and edged lower (higher yields) but are still less than a basis point different from yesterday’s close.

Commodity prices also had a wild session yesterday with oil initially rallying $2/bbl before abruptly reversing and falling $5/bbl to close back below $80 for the first time in a month.  Given that backdrop, this morning’s 0.6% rise seems less interesting and it is still below $80.  NatGas (-0.5%) has slipped this morning, while the rest of the commodity complex is showing no trends whatsoever, with both gainers and losers.  Like every other market, traders are trying to come to grips with the new central bank situation.

The one consistency has been the dollar, which rallied yesterday and is continuing today.  In the G10, the pound (-0.5%) is the worst performer but we are seeing weakness in AUD (-0.4%), CHF (-0.4%) and NOK (-0.35%) as well with the entire bloc under pressure.  NOK is clearly still being impacted by yesterday’s oil moves while the others seem to be feeling the heat from suddenly more dovish thoughts regarding policy.  In the EMG space, PHP (+0.55%) is the outlier, rallying on comments from the central bank that it will continue to support the economy and news that the Covid infection rate has been falling.  Otherwise, the bulk of the bloc is in the red led by ZAR (-0.45%), PLN (-0.4%) and MXN (-0.35%).  Of these, the most noteworthy is PLN, where the central bank, which had just been touting its hawkish bona fides, has completely reversed and indicated that further rate hikes may not be necessary.  This seems odd given inflation is running at 6.8%, and forecast to top 8.0% next year, while the base rate was just raised to 1.25%.  It feels to me like PLN could fall further.

So, for now, we all await the payroll data and then get to reevaluate our views and expectations of Fed actions.  Nothing has changed my view that inflation will continue higher and nothing has changed my view that growth is going to slow.  So, while the Fed may begin to taper, I still believe they will stop before the end.  However, for now, the Fed is the most hawkish dove out there, so the dollar can continue to rally.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
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It’s Still Transitory

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Said Jay, I’m not worried ‘bout wages
Creating inflation in stages
I’ll stick to my story
It’s still transitory
And will be for many more ages

So now it’s the Old Lady’s turn
To help explain if her concern
‘Bout rising inflation
Will be the causation
Of rate hikes and trader heartburn

Like a child having a temper tantrum, the Fed continues to hold its breath and stamp its feet and tell us, “[i]nflation is elevated, largely reflecting factors that are expected to be transitory. Supply and demand imbalances related to the pandemic and the reopening of the economy have contributed to a sizable price increase in some sectors.” [my emphasis.]  In other words, it’s not the fault of their policies that inflation is elevated, it’s the darn pandemic and supply chain issues.  (This is remarkably similar to how the German Reichsbank president, Rudy Havenstein, behaved as that bank printed trillions of marks fanning the flames of the Weimar hyperinflation.  At every bank meeting the discussion centered on rising prices and not once did it occur to them that they were at fault by continuing to print money.)

Nonetheless, Chairman Powell must be extremely pleased this morning as he was able to announce the tapering of QE purchases, beginning this month, and equity and bond markets responded by rallying.  There was, however, another quieter announcement which may well have helped the cause, this one by the Treasury.  Given the rally in asset prices, collection of tax receipts by the government has grown dramatically and so the Treasury General Account (the government’s ‘checking’ account at the Fed) is now amply funded with over $210 billion available to spend.  This has allowed the Treasury to reduce their quarterly refunding amounts by…$15 billion, the exact amount by which the Fed is reducing its QE purchases.  Hmmmm.

So, to recap the Fed story, the tapering has begun, inflation is still transitory, although they continue to bastardize the meaning of that word, and they remain focused on the employment situation which, if things go well, could achieve maximum employment sometime next year.  Rate hikes will not be considered until they finish tapering QE to zero, and they will taper at the pace they deem correct based on conditions, so the $15 billion/month is subject to change.  One more thing; when asked at the press conference about inflation rising faster than anticipated, Powell responded, “We think we can be patient.  If a response is called for, we will not hesitate.”  Them’s pretty big words for a guy who can look at the economy’s behavior over the past twelve months and decide that inflation remains only a potential problem.

Enough about Jay, he’s not going to change, and in my view, he only has two meetings left anyway.  Consider this; President Biden needs to get the progressives onboard to have any chance of passing any part of the current spending bills and in order for them to compromise on that subject, they will want something in return.  They also hate Powell, as repeatedly vocalized by Senator Warren, so it is easy to foresee the President sacrificing Powell for the sake of his spending bill.  Especially given the results of the Virginia elections, which moved heavily against the Democrats, the administration will want to get this done before the mid-term elections next year.  I think Powell is toast.

On to the rest of the central bank world where this morning the BOE will announce their latest decision.  The market continues to be about 50/50 on a rate hike today, but have fully priced one in by December, so either today or next month.  Interestingly, the UK Gilt market is rallying this morning ahead of the announcement, with yields lower by 3.1 basis points.  What makes that so interesting is that the futures market is pricing in 100 basis points of rate hikes by the BOE within the next 12 months, which would take the base rate up to 1.0%.  Right now, 10-year Gilt yields are 1.03%.  If the futures market is right, then either Gilts are going to sell off sharply as the yield curve maintains its current shape or the market is beginning to price in much slower growth in the UK.  My money is on the latter as the UK has proven itself to be willing to fight inflation far more strenuously than the Fed in the past.  If slowing growth is a consequence, they will accept that more readily I believe.

Still on the central bank trail, it is worth highlighting that Poland’s central bank raised rates by 0.75% yesterday in a huge market surprise as they respond to quickly rising inflation.  Concerns are that CPI will reach 8.0% this year, so despite the rate hike, there is still much work to do as the current base rate there, after the hike, is 1.25%.  This morning the Norgesbank left rates on hold but essentially promised to raise them by 25bps next month to 0.50%. While they are the first G10 country to have raised interest rates, even at 0.50%, their deposit rate remains far, far below CPI of 4.1%.

So, to recap, central banks everywhere are finally starting to move in response to rapidly rising inflation.  While some countries are moving faster than others, the big picture is rates are set to go higher…for now.  However, when economic growth begins to slow more dramatically, and it is already started doing so, it remains to be seen how aggressive any central bank will be, especially the Fed.

Ok, let’s look at today’s markets.  As I said earlier, equities are rocking.  After yesterday’s US performance, where all 3 major indices reached new all-time highs, we saw strength in Asia (Nikkei +0.9%, Hang Seng +0.8%, Shanghai +0.8%) and Europe (DAX +0.5%, CAC +0.5%, FTSE 100 +0.2%).  US futures, on the other hand, are mixed with NASDAQ (+0.5%) firmer while the other two indices are little changed.

Bond prices have rallied everywhere in the world, which given the idea of tighter policy seems incongruent.  However, it has become abundantly clear that bond prices no longer reflect market expectations of inflation, but rather market expectations of QE.  At any rate, Treasuries (-3.5bps) are leading the way but Gilts (-3.1bps), Bunds (-1.7bps) and OATs (-1.8bps) are all seeing demand this morning.

After yesterday’s confusion, commodity prices are tending higher this morning with oil (+1.7%) leading the way, but gains, too, in NatGas (+0.75%), gold (+0.5%) and copper (+0.6%).  Agricultural products are mixed, as are the rest of the industrial metals, but generally, this space has seen strength today.

As to the dollar, it is king today, firmer vs. virtually every other currency in both the G10 and EMG blocs.  The euro (-0.6%) is the laggard in the G10 as the market is clearly voting the ECB will be even more dovish than the Fed going forward.  But the pound (-0.4%) is soft ahead of the BOE and surprisingly, NOK (-0.4%) is soft despite both rising oil prices and a relatively hawkish Norgesbank.  The best performer is the yen, which is essentially unchanged today.

In the EMG space, PLN (-1.0%) and HUF (-1.0%) are the laggards as both countries grapple with much faster inflation and lagging monetary policy.  But CZK (-0.7%) and TRY (-0.65%) are also under relative pressure as their monetary policies, too, are lagging the inflation situation.  Throughout Asia, most currencies slid as well, just not as much as we are seeing in EEMEA.

On the data front, Initial Claims (exp 275K) headlines this morning along with Continuing Claims (2150K), Nonfarm Productivity (-3.1%), Unit Labor Costs (7.0%) and the Trade Balance (-$80.2B).  It is hard to look at the productivity and ULC data and not be concerned about the future economic situation here.  Rapidly rising labor costs and shrinking productivity is not a pretty mix.  As to the Fed, mercifully there are no additional speakers today, so we need look only at data and market response.

Clearly market euphoria remains high at this time, and so further equity gains seem likely.  Alas, the underlying structure of things does not feel that stable to me.  I expect that we are getting much closer to a more substantial risk-off period which will result in a much stronger dollar (and yen), and likely weaker asset prices.  For hedgers, be careful.

Good luck and stay safe
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Extinct

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Down Under the RBA blinked
Regarding their policy linked
To Yield Curve Control
Which seemed, on the whole
To crumble and now is extinct

The question’s now how will the Fed
Address what’s become more widespread?
As prices keep rising
The market’s surmising
That rate hikes will soon go ahead

Here’s the thing, how is it that the Fed, and virtually every central bank in the developed world, have all been so incredibly wrong regarding inflation’s persistence while virtually every private economist (and markets) have been spot on regarding this issue?  Are the economists at the Fed and the other central banks really bad at their jobs?  Are the models they use that flawed?  Or, perhaps, have the central banks been knowingly trying to mislead both markets and citizens as they recognize they have no good options left regarding policy?

It is a sad situation that my fervent desire is they are simply incompetent.  Alas, I fear that central bank policy has evolved from trying to prevent excessive economic outcomes to trying to drive them.  After all, how else could one describe the goal of maximum employment other than as an extreme?  At any rate, as the saying goes, these chickens are finally coming home to roost.  The latest central bank to concede that their previous forecasts were misguided and their policy settings inappropriate was the RBA which last night ended its 20-month efforts at yield curve control while explaining,

“Given that other market interest rates have moved in response to the increased likelihood of higher inflation and lower unemployment, the effectiveness of the yield target in holding down the general structure of interest rates in Australia has diminished.”

And that is how a central bank cries ‘uncle!’

Recall, the RBA targeted the April 2024 AGB to keep it at a yield of, first 0.25%, and then after more lockdowns and concerns over the impact on the economy, they lowered that level to 0.10%.  Initially, it had success in that effort as after the announcement, the yield declined from 0.55% to 0.285% in the first days and hovered either side of 0.25% until they adjusted things lower.  In fact, just this past September, the yield was right near 0.0%.  But then, reality intervened and inflation data around the world started demonstrating its persistence.  On October 25, the yield was 0.125%, still behaving as the RBA desired.  By October 29, the end of last week, the yield had skyrocketed to 0.775%!  In truth, last night’s RBA decision was made by the market, not by the RBA.  This is key to remember, however much control you may believe central banks have, the market is still bigger and will force the central bank’s hand when necessary.

Which of course, brings us to the FOMC meeting that starts this morning and whose results will be announced tomorrow afternoon at 2:00pm.  Has the market done enough to force the Fed’s hand into adjusting (read tightening) policy even faster than they have expressed?  Will the Fed find themselves forced to raise rates immediately upon completing the taper or will they be able to wait an extended length of time before acting?  The latter has been their claim all along.  Thus far, bond traders and investors have driven yields in the front end higher by 25bps in the 2-year and 35bps in the 3-year over the past 6 weeks.  Clearly, the belief is the Fed will be raising rates much sooner than had previously been considered.

The problem for the Fed is that the economic data is not showing the robust growth that they so fervently desire in order to raise interest rates.  While inflation is burning, growth seems to be slowing.  Raising rates into that environment could easily lead to even slower growth while having only a minimal impact on prices, the worst of all worlds for the Fed.  If this is the outcome, it also seems likely that risk assets may suffer, especially given their extremely extended valuations.  One must be very careful in managing portfolio risk into this situation as things could easily get out of hand quickly.  As the RBA demonstrated last night, their control over interest rates was illusory and the Fed’s may well be the same.

With those cheery thoughts in our heads, a look at markets this morning shows that risk is generally being shed, which cannot be that surprising.  In Asia, equity markets were all in the red (Nikkei -0.4%, Hang Seng -0.2%, Shanghai -1.1%) as the euphoria over the LDP election in Japan was short-lived and the market took fright at the closure of 18 schools in China over the increased spread of Covid.  In Europe, equity markets are mixed with the DAX (+0.5%) and CAC (+0.4%) both firmer on confirmation of solid PMI Manufacturing data, but the FTSE 100 (-0.5%) is suffering a bit as investors grow concerned the BOE will actually raise the base rate tomorrow.

Speaking of interest rates, given the risk-off tendencies seen today, it should be no surprise that bond yields are lower.  While Treasury yields are unchanged as traders await the FOMC, in Europe, yields are tumbling.  Bunds (-3.5bps) and OATs (-5.6bps) may be the largest markets but Italian BTPs (-10.7bps) are the biggest mover as investors seem to believe that the ECB will remain as dovish as possible after last week’s ECB confab.  Only Gilts (-0.4bps) are not joining the party, but then the BOE seems set to crash it with a rate hike, so there is no surprise there.

Once again, commodity prices are mixed this morning, with strong gains in the agricultural space (wheat >$8.00/bushel for the first time since 2008) and NatGas also firmer (+3.0%), but oil (-0.35%). Gold (-0.1%), copper (-0.5%) and the rest of the base metals softer.  In other words, there is no theme here.

Finally, the dollar is having a pretty good day, at least in the G10 as risk-off is the attitude.  AUD (-0.85%) is the worst performing currency as positions get unwound after the RBA’s actions last night.  This has dragged kiwi (-0.7%) down with it.  But NOK (-0.6%) on lower oil prices and CAD (-0.3%) on the same are also under pressure.  In fact, only JPY (+0.35%) has managed to rally as a traditional haven asset.  In emerging markets, the outlier was THB (+0.6%) which has rallied on a sharp decline in Covid cases leading to equity inflows, while the other currency gainers have all seen only marginal strength.  On the downside, RUB (-0.5%) is feeling the oil heat while ZAR (-0.2%) and MXN (-0.2%) both suffer from the metals’ markets malaise.

There is absolutely no data today, nor Fed speakers as all eyes now turn toward ADP Employment tomorrow morning and the FOMC statement and following press conference tomorrow afternoon.  At this point, my sense remains that the market perception is the Fed will be the most hawkish of all central banks in the transition from QE infinity to the end of QE.  That should generally help support the dollar for now.  however, over time, the evolution of inflation and policy remains less clear, and if, as I suspect, the Fed decides that higher inflation is better than weakening growth, the dollar could well come under much greater pressure.  I just don’t think that is on the cards for at least another six months.

Good luck and stay safe
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Stop It

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There are several central banks which
Are starting to look at a switch
From policy ease
To tight, if you please
As QE they now want to ditch

The Old Lady and RBA
Are two that seem ready to say
Inflation’s too high
And so we must try
To stop it ere it runs away

The dollar is under pressure this morning as investors and traders start to look elsewhere in the world for the next example of policy tightening.  The story of tapering in the US is, quite frankly, getting long in the tooth as it has been a topic of discussion for the past six months and every inflation reading points to the fact that, despite their protestations, FOMC members realize they need to do something.  But in essence, that is already a given in the market, so short of Chairman Powell explaining in his Friday appearance that the FOMC is likely to end QE entirely next month, this is no longer market moving activity.  The dollar has already benefitted from the relatively higher yields that are extant in the Treasury market, and expectations for a further run up are limited.

However, the same is not true elsewhere in the world as central bank plans are only recently crystalizing alongside the universally higher inflation prints.  So, the BOE, which has been more vocal than most, seems to be working hard to prepare markets for a rate hike and the market has taken the ball and run with it.  Thus, UK yields in the short end of the curve have moved rapidly higher with 3-year gilt yields higher by 53 basis points in the past 6 weeks and 15 bps in the past three sessions.  On Sunday we heard from BOE Governor Bailey that they will “have to act” soon to address rapidly rising inflation, and traders continue to push UK yields higher and take the pound along with it.  This morning, pound Sterling is higher by 0.75% and amongst the leading FX gainers on this ongoing activity.

Perhaps more interesting is the market reaction to the RBA Minutes last night, where discussion regarding rising real estate prices and the need to do something about them has encouraged the investment community to push yields much higher, challenging the RBA’s YCC in the 3-year AGB.  In fact, despite the RBA explicitly reiterating that conditions for raising rates “will not be met before 2024”, yields continue to rise sharply as fears that inflation will outpace current RBA expectations grow widespread.  Given this price action, one cannot be surprised that the Aussie dollar (+0.85%) has also risen quite sharply this morning.

The thing is, there are a number of conundrums here as well.  For instance, the euro is performing well this morning, up 0.4%, and there has been absolutely zero indication that the ECB is considering tighter monetary policy.  It is widely known that the PEPP will expire in March, but it is also very clear that the previous QE program, the APP, is going to be expanded and extended in some manner to make up for the PEPP.  The only question here is exactly what form it will take.  Similarly, there is no indication that the BOJ is even considering the end of QE or NIRP or YCC, yet the yen has managed to gain 0.3% this morning as well.

In fact, today’s price action is looking much more like broad-based dollar weakness abetted by some other idiosyncratic features rather than other stories driving the market.  This becomes clearer when viewing the commodity markets where virtually every commodity price is higher this morning led by oil (+1.25%), gold (+0.75%), copper (+1.15%) and aluminum (+1.6%).  Today is very much a classic risk-on type session with the dollar under pressure and other assets performing well in sync.

For instance, equity markets are in the green everywhere (Nikkei +0.65%, Hang Seng +1.5%, Shanghai +0.7%, DAX +0.2%, FTSE 100 +0.1%) with US futures also pointing higher by roughly 0.4% across the board.  At the same time, bond yields are creeping higher (Bunds +1.8bps, OATs +2.1bps, Gilts +1.8bps) as investors jettison their haven assets in order to jump on the risk bandwagon.  Treasury yields, though, are unchanged on the day although still trending higher from the levels seen late last week.

Adding it up; rising equity prices, rising commodity prices, falling bond prices, and a weaker dollar (with EMG currencies also firmer across the board) results in a clear risk-on framework.  This will warm the cockles of every central bankers’ heart as they will all see it as a vote of confidence in the job they are doing.  Whether that is an accurate representation is another question entirely, but you can’t fight the tape.  Risk is clearly in vogue today.

It is, however, worth asking if this positive attitude is misplaced.  After all, the recent data has hardly been the stuff of dreams.  Yesterday’s US releases were uniformly awful (IP -1.3%, Capacity Utilization 75.2%) with both significantly worse than forecast.  The upshot is that the Atlanta Fed GDPNow number fell to 1.165%, another step lower and an indication that despite (because of?) high inflation, growth is slowing more rapidly.  Meanwhile, Eurozone Construction Output fell -1.3% in August, continuing the down trend that began in March of this year.

I recognize it is earnings season and the initial releases for Q2 have been quite positive.  But I ask, is slowing growth and rising inflation really a recipe for continued earnings growth?  History tells us the answer is no, and I see no reason to believe this time is different.  Today’s price action seems anomalous to the big picture ideas, so be cognizant of that fact.  While markets can remain irrational longer than we can remain solvent, that does not mean it is sensible to go ‘all-in’ on risk because there is one very positive market day.  Tread carefully.

This morning’s US data brings Housing Starts (exp 1613K) and Building Permits (1680K) and that is all.  Though these are unlikely to get the market excited, we also hear from four Fed speakers, Daly, Barkin, Bostic and Waller, where efforts at recapturing the narrative will be primary.  It is growing increasingly clear that the Fed is annoyed that the persistent inflation narrative is gaining traction as it may force their hand in tightening policy before they would like.  Just remember, as important as the Fed is (and every central bank in their own economy), the market is much bigger.  And if the market determines that the Fed is no longer leading the way, or will soon need to change tack, it will force the issue.  On this you can depend.

While today everything is coming up roses, the lesson is that the Fed’s control over markets is beginning to wane.  Eventually that will be quite a negative for the dollar, but for now, despite today’s decline, I think the trend remains for a higher dollar.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Hikes Are Impending

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In London on Threadneedle Street
The Old Lady’s not been discrete
Some hikes are impending
With rates soon ascending
Before they shrink their balance sheet

The BOE has made it quite clear that they are itching to raise interest rates pretty soon in order to address rising inflation.  Today’s employment data, which saw the Unemployment Rate fall to 4.5% while employment grew by 235K on a 3M/3M basis, has helped to cement the idea that the economy is continuing to rebound sharply and price pressures are likely to continue to grow.  With CPI at 3.2%, already well above the 2.0% target, and tipped to rise much further by the end of the year given the rapid rise in energy and commodity prices, the BOE has come to believe they need to do something to prevent inflation from getting out of control.  Unlike the Fed, the BOE has also indicated they are quite comfortable raising interest rates before shrinking their balance sheet back to pre-pandemic levels.

The risk they face, which has become the talk of the market today, is that by raising rates so soon, especially before the Fed acts, they will simultaneously destroy the nascent growth impulse while failing to address the cause of the inflation.  And in truth, that could well happen.  Alas, that is a result of trying to address a stagflationary environment with the limited tools available to a central bank.  For the time being, the biggest decision a central bank has is to determine which affliction is a bigger problem, rising prices or slowing economic activity.  Since this seems to be the situation in almost every developed nation, we are going to witness a lot of variations on this theme going forward.

The interesting thing about the pound is that its behavior amid pending rate hikes, as well as the market narrative about the pound, seems to be quite negative.  For some reason, there has been a connection made between an early rate hike in the UK and a falling pound.  This is opposite what we have seen in most other countries, where those rate hikes have been supportive of the currency as would normally be expected.  But there is now talk that the UK is going to make a policy error by tightening ahead of the Fed.  This argument seems specious, however, as economic growth has rarely been a short-term driver of exchange rates, while interest rate changes are critical.  The idea that suddenly traders and investors are critiquing the long-term ramifications of the BOE is preposterous.  Instead, I would offer that any pound weakness, although an early decline after the data release has already been reversed, is far more likely due to the dollar’s continuing broad strength.  So, as I type, the pound is essentially unchanged on the day.

Of course, this begs the question, is the Fed going to start to tighten policy with their potential tapering decision next month.  My answer is leaning towards no.  The reasoning here is that we will have already seen the first estimate of Q3 GDP by the time the Fed meets, and the early indications are that GDP growth has really declined sharply with the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow forecast declining to 1.306% after the payroll data on Friday.  Tightening policy into a clearly slowing economy seems highly improbable for this Fed regardless of the inflation situation.  It seems far more likely that a weak GDP print will result in the Fed walking back their tapering language by describing the slowing growth as an impediment from achieving that vaunted “substantial further progress” on their employment goals and thus tapering is not yet appropriate.  Remember, after nearly a decade of worrying about deflation, not inflation, concern over rising prices is not their normal response.  Despite talk of the tools they have available to fight inflation, there is no indication the Fed has the gumption to use them if the result would be a recession, or more frighteningly for them, a stock market decline.

Thus, the question that remains is, how will the market respond to a Fed that decides not to taper with inflation still rising?  Much of the current discussion regarding the Treasury market is around the idea that tapering is the driver of the steeper yield curve, although there is a strong case to be made it is simply consistently higher inflation readings doing the work.  For our purposes in the FX markets, it’s not clear the underlying driver matters that much.  The key is where do rates and yields go from here.  If they continue to rise, I expect the dollar has further room to rise as well.

Ok, with markets back to full strength today, a look around sees a pretty negative risk sentiment.  Equities in Asia (Nikkei -0.95%, Hang Seng -1.4%, Shanghai -1.25%) were all under pressure with the latter two dealing with yet another property company that is defaulting on a USD bond.  The China story appears to be getting a bit less comfortable as we watch what seems to be a slow motion implosion of the real estate bubble there.  As to Europe, its all red there as well (DAX -0.4%, CAC -0.5%, FTSE 100 -0.4%) as London is suffering despite the strong data and Germany seems to be feeling the weight of stagflation after PPI (+13.2% Y/Y in Sept) rose to its highest level since 1974 while the ZEW Surveys all fell even further than expected.  At this hour, US futures are either side of unchanged.

On this risk off day, bond markets are seeing a bit of a bid, but in truth, it is not that impressive, especially given how far they have fallen recently.  So, Treasury yields (-1.6bps) have edged just below 1.60% for now while European sovereigns (Bunds -0.6bps, OATs -0.8bps, Gilts -1.4bps) have also seen very modest demand.

Oil prices (+0.4%) continue to lead the way higher for most commodities, although today’s movement has been less consistent.  The trend, however, remains firmly upward in this space.  So, while NatGas (-1.6%) is lower on the session, we are seeing gains in gold (+0.5%) and aluminum (+0.7%) although copper (-0.25%) is consolidating today.  Many less visible commodity prices are rising though, things like lumber (+5.5%) and cotton (+2.3%) which are all part of the same trend.

Finally, the FX markets have seen a very slight amount of dollar weakness net, although there are quite a number of currencies that have fallen vs. the greenback as well.  In the G10, NOK (+0.7%) is the leader on oil price rises while AUD (+0.4%) and NZD (+0.4%) are following on the broader commodity price trend.  Interestingly, JPY (0.0%) is not seeing any bid despite a declining risk appetite.  This seems to be a situation where the spread between Treasuries and JGB’s has widened sufficiently to interest Japanese investors who are selling yen/buying dollars to buy bonds.  As long as Treasury yields continue to rise, look for USDJPY to follow.  After all, it has risen 1.7% in the past week alone.

In the emerging markets, THB (+1.3%) has been the big winner after the government eased restrictions for travelers entering the country thus opening the way for more tourism, a key part of the economy there.  ZAR (+0.85%) and MXN (+0.5%) are the next best performers on the strength of the commodity story.  On the downside, many APAC currencies (TWD (-0.35%, KRW -0.3%, INR -0.2%) saw declines on a combination of continued concerns over the potential implications of the Chinese real estate issue as well as rising commodity prices as all these nations are commodity importers.

Data-wise, NFIB Small Business Optimism was just released at a slightly weaker than expected 99.1, hardly a harbinger of strong future growth, while the JOLTS Jobs report (exp 10.954M) is due at 10:00 this morning.  There are three Fed speakers on the slate with vice-Chair Clarida at the World Bank/IMF meetings and Bostic and Barkin also due.  It will be interesting to see the evolution of the narrative as it becomes clearer that GDP growth is slowing rapidly.  But given that has not yet happened, I expect more taper talk for now.

There is no reason to think that the dollar’s recent strength has reached its peak.  If anything, my take is we are consolidating before the next leg higher so hedge accordingly.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Dire Straits

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The Vice-Chair explained he foresees
A time when the Fed, by degrees
Will taper their buying
Of bonds while they’re trying
To offset the spread of disease

Soon after they finish that deed
Most members already agreed
To raise interest rates
Unless dire straits
In markets don’t let them succeed

Fed Vice-Chair Richard Clarida certainly surprised markets yesterday with his speech as he laid out his reasoning that the tapering of the Fed’s current QE purchases will occur sooner than many had previously expected.  While he started out with the caveat that the Fed will not be responding to forecasts, but rather to actual economic outcomes, he then proceeded to forecast the exact sequence of events that will occur and create the proper environment for the Fed to first, taper bond purchases and second, eventually raise interest rates.  The market response was immediate, with the bond market selling off sharply, the dollar rallying and equity markets ceding early gains alongside most commodity prices.  After all, a tighter Fed is not nearly as supportive of risk assets, but neither does it imply lower interest rates.  It is also worth noting that coincident with the release of the text of his speech was the release of the ISM Services number which printed at a much higher than expected, and record level, 64.1.  So, a positive data print and a hawkish Fed speaker were sufficient to change a lot of opinions.

But not this author’s, at least not yet.  My baseline view continues to be that the Fed remains in an extremely difficult position where inflation continues at much higher levels than which they expected or with which they are comfortable, but the employment market remains far away from their restated goal of maximum employment.  As well, as Clarida noted yesterday, and as has been repeated by numerous other Fed speakers, they promise they are not going to move on forecasts or survey data, but instead wait for actual numbers (read the NFP data and core PCE) to achieve their preferred levels before altering policy.  This means that tomorrow’s NFP data will be scrutinized even more closely than usual, as Clarida’s comments yesterday imply that even more FOMC members are ready to move.

One problem with the early taper thesis is that the data may not meet the FOMC’s requirements, at least not in the near term.  For instance, yesterday’s ADP Employment release printed at 330K, less than half the expected 690K and basically one-third of the forecasts for NFP tomorrow.  While the month to month correlation between the two data points is not perfect (0.784 over the past 5 years) it is certainly high enough to imply a strong relationship between the two.  The point is that if tomorrow’s NFP number disappoints, which cannot be ruled out, and assuming that the Fed is true to their word regarding waiting for actual data to reach their preferred levels, it would certainly suggest a delay to the tapering story.  Keep in mind, as well, that the Citi Economic Surprise Index, which measures actual releases vs. forecasts, remains in negative territory, implying that the economy is slowing further rather than extending gains seen earlier in the year.  In fact, after the much worse than expected GDP print last week, it appears that growth is already slipping back toward pre-Covid trends of 1.5% – 2.0%.  Oh yeah, none of this includes the impact of the delta variant, which has resulted in numerous lockdowns around the world and augers still slower growth.

On the flip side, though, is the fact that we have seen an increasing number of FOMC members start to accept the idea that tapering will soon be appropriate.  In addition to Clarida, yesterday we also heard from SF Fed President Daly, an avowed dove, who said, “Fed will do something on asset purchases end ’21 / early ’22.”  By my count, that makes at least six different FOMC members who have indicated tapering is coming soon.  Of this group, Clarida is by far the most important, but if even the doves like Daly are coming round to that view, tapering cannot be ruled out.

To taper or not remains the $64 trillion question for all markets, and while the recent trend of the narrative seems to be pushing in that direction, without support from ongoing improvements in employment data (after all, inflation is well through their target), it will still come to naught.

One last thing on inflation.  As the Fed tries to retake the narrative from the market, be prepared for a new description of inflation.  No longer will it be transitory, but rather, perhaps, tolerable.  In other words, they will accept that it is running hotter than their target and make the excuse that it is far more important to get the nation back to work first, at which point they can use those vaunted tools they frequently mention to address rapidly rising prices.

With all this in mind, the next question is, how will these changes impact the markets?  Yesterday’s price action is likely to be a very good case study if the data continues to support an early tapering of purchases.  Any interruption in the flow of money into the capital markets will be felt by both equities and bonds in the same way, they will fall in price, while the dollar is very likely to find a lot of support vs. both G10 and EMG counterparts.  As to commodities, my inclination is that the past year’s rally will pause, at the very least, but given they remain massively undervalued vs. other asset classes, they likely still have some upside.

On to today.  Overnight price action was mixed with the Nikkei (+0.5%) rising somewhat while Chinese shares (Hang Seng -0.8%, Shanghai -0.3%) were under pressure as stories about the next sectors to feel the wrath of regulators (sin stocks) were rampant with those falling and dragging the indices with them.  fortunately, they represent a much smaller portion of the market than the tech sector, so will have a smaller negative impact if that is, indeed, the situation.  Europe is mixed this morning (DAX +0.1%, CAC +0.35%, FTSE 100 -0.2%) as the morning data was inconclusive and investors there are far more concerned with the Fed than anything else.  As to US futures, they are all modestly higher this morning, about 0.2%.

Bond markets are showing the difference between central bank policy this morning with Treasuries consolidating yesterday’s declines and unchanged on the day, while European sovereigns (Bunds -1.0bps, OATs -1.2bps) continue to see support from an ECB that is nowhere near tightening policy.  Gilts (+2.0bps) on the other hand, are selling off a bit as the BOE meeting, just ending, revealed several things.  First, they are prepared to go to negative interest rates if they need to.  Second, they will continue their current QE pace of £3.4 billion per week, and third, that they expect inflation to reach 4.0% in Q4 of this year.  They did, however, explain that if things proceed as expected, some tightening, read higher interest rates, may be appropriate.  while the initial move in the GBP was a sharp jump higher, it has already retraced those steps and at +0.2% is only modestly up on the day.

Commodity prices are mixed with oil consolidating after yesterday’s rout and unchanged on the day.  In fact, the same is true of precious and most base metals, as traders are trying to figure out their next move, so likely waiting for tomorrow’s data.

And the dollar, interestingly, is modestly softer vs. the G10 this morning, but that is after a strong rally yesterday in the wake of the Clarida speech.  The commodity bloc is leading the way (AUD +0.35%, NOK +0.3%, NZD +0.25%) despite the lack of commodity price action.  And this also sems to ignore the 6th lockdown in Melbourne since the pandemic began last year, as the delta variant continues to wreak havoc around the world.  The rest of the G10 though, has seen much less movement.  In the emerging markets, PHP (-1.0%) was by far the worst performer overnight as the covid caseload soared to record numbers and concerns over growth expanded.  After that, TRY (-0.6%) is the next worst, as President Erdogan came out with calls for a rate cut despite rampant inflation.  However, away from those two currencies, movement has been on the order of +/- 0.2%, indicating nothing very special.  Essentially, these markets have ignored Clarida.  One last thing to note here is yesterday, the central bank of Brazil raised its SELIC rate by 1.0% to 5.25%, as inflation is exploding there.  However while BRL has been modestly stronger over the past several sessions, this was widely priced in so there was no big movement.

Data-wise, today brings Initial Claims (exp 383K), Continuing Claims (3255K) and the Trade Balance (-$74.2B), none of which seem likely to change any opinions.  Rather, at this point, all eyes are on tomorrow’s NFP data.  We also hear from two Fed speakers, Governor Waller and Minneapolis President KashKari, who is arguably the most dovish of all.  certainly if he starts talking taper, then the die is cast.  We shall see.

As I said, if tapering is on the cards, the dollar will likely test its highs from March/April, so be prepared.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Progress, Substantial

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To everyone who thought the Fed
Was ready to taper, Jay said
‘Til progress, substantial,
Is made, no financial
Adjustments are reckoned ahead

If, prior to yesterday, you were worried that the Fed was getting prepared to taper its asset purchases, stop worrying.  It doesn’t matter what Dallas Fed President Kaplan, or even SF Fed President Daly says about the timing of tapering.  The only ones who matter are Powell, Clarida, Williams and Brainerd, and as the Chairman made clear once again yesterday, they ain’t going to taper anytime soon.

In testimony to the House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jay sent a clear message; nothing is changing until the Fed (read the above-mentioned four) sees “substantial further progress” on their twin goals of maximum employment and an average inflation rate of 2.0%.  Obviously, they have moved a lot closer on the inflation front, with many pundits (present company included) saying that they have clearly exceeded their goal and need to address that issue.  But for as much vitriol as is reserved for our previous president, both the Fed and Congress are clearly all-in on the idea that the 3.5% Unemployment Rate achieved during his term just before the pandemic emerged, which was the lowest in 50 years, is actually the appropriate level of NAIRU.

NAIRU stands for the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment and is the economic acronym for the unemployment rate deemed to be the lowest possible without causing increased wage pressures leading to rising inflation.  For the longest time, this rate was thought to be somewhere in the 4.5%-5.5% area, but in the decade following the GFC, as policymakers pushed to run the economy as hot as possible, the lack of measured consumerinflation, despite record low unemployment, forced economists to rethink their models.  Arguably, it is this change in view that has led to the fascination with MMT and the willingness of the current Fed to continue QE despite the evident froth in the asset markets.  Of course, now those asset markets are not just paper ones like stocks and bonds, but also housing and commodities.

But that is the situation today, despite what appears to be very clear evidence that inflationary pressures are not just high, but longer lasting as well, the Fed has their story and they are sticking to it.  They made this clear to everyone last year with the new policy framework that specifically explains they will remain behind the curve on inflation because they will not adjust policy until they see real data, not surveys, that demonstrate growth is overheating.  Yet, given the Fed’s history, where they have often tightened policy in anticipation of higher inflation and thereby reduced growth, or even caused recessions, the market has learned to expect that type of response.  While I personally believe prudent policy would be to tighten at this time, I take Mr Powell at his word, they are not going to change anytime soon.  I assure you that of the dots in the last dot plot, Jay Powell’s was not one of the ones expecting interest rates to be 0.50% by the end of 2023.

One of the things that makes this so interesting is the difference of this policy with that of an increasing number of other central banks, where recognition of rising inflation is forcing them to rethink their commitment to ZIRP.  Earlier this week, the RBNZ abruptly ended QE and explained rates may rise before the summer is over.  Yesterday, the Bank of Canada reduced its QE purchases by another C$1 billion/week, furthering the progress they started in June, and Governor Macklem made clear that if inflation did persist, they would react appropriately.  Last night it was the Bank of Korea’s turn to explain that economic activity was picking up quickly and inflationary pressures alongside that which would make them consider raising the base rate at their next meeting.  Finally, all eyes are turning toward the BOE as this morning’s employment report showed that the recovery is still picking up pace and that wage growth, at a 7.3% Q/Q rise, is really starting to take off.  Market talk is now focused on whether the Old Lady will be the next to start to tighten.

In truth, the only three central banks that have made clear they are not ready to do so are the big 3, the Fed, ECB and BOJ.  The BOJ meets tonight with no changes to policy expected as they seem to be focused on what they can do to address climate change (my sense is they can have the same success on climate change as they have had on raising inflation, i.e. none).  Next week the ECB will unveil their new framework which seems likely to include the successor to the PEPP as well as their already telegraphed new symmetrical inflation target of 2.0%.  And then the Fed meets the following week, at which point they will work very hard to play down inflation in the statement but will not alter policy regardless.

As you consider the policy changes afoot, as well as the trajectory of inflation, and combine that with your finance 101 models that show inflation undermines the value of a currency in the FX markets, it would lead you to believe that the dollar has real downside opportunity vs. many currencies, just not the euro or the yen.  But markets are fickle, so don’t put all your eggs in that basket.

Turning to today’s activities, while Chinese equity markets performed well (Hang Seng +0.75%, Shanghai +1.0%) after Chinese GDP data was released at 7.9% for Q2, just a tick lower than forecast, and the rest of the data, Retail Sales and Fixed Asset Investment all beat expectations, the rest of the world has been much less exuberant.  For instance, the Nikkei (-1.15%) stumbled along with Australian and New Zealand indices, although the rest of SE Asia actually followed China higher.  Europe has been under pressure from the start this morning led by the DAX (-0.9
%) although the CAC (-0.75%) and FTSE 100 (-0.7%) are nothing to write home about.  US futures are also under pressure (Dow -0.5%, SPX -0.3%) although the NASDAQ continues to power ahead (+0.2%).

In this broadly risk-off session, it is no surprise that bond markets are rallying.  Treasuries, after seeing yields decline 7bps after Powell’s testimony, are down another 2bps this morning.  Similarly, we are seeing strength in Bunds (-1.4bps) and OATs (-1.1bps) although Gilts (+1.4bps) seem to be concerned about potential BOE policy changes.

On the commodity front, oil fell sharply after the Powell testimony and has continued its downward move, falling 1.8% this morning.  Gold, which had been higher earlier in the session is now down 0.15%, although copper (+0.6%) remains in positive territory.  At this point, risk has come under pressure across markets although there is no obvious catalyst.

It should not be surprising that as risk is jettisoned, the dollar is rebounding.  From what had been a mixed session earlier in the day, the dollar is now firmer against 9 of the G10 with NOK (-0.5%) the laggard although the entire commodity bloc is suffering.  The only gainer is the pound (+0.1%) which seems to be on the back of the idea the BOE may begin to tighten sooner than previously expected.

EMG currencies that are currently trading are all falling, led by ZAR (-0.7%), PLN (-0.5%) and HUF (-0.5%).  The rand is very obviously suffering alongside the commodity story, while HUF and PLN are under pressure as a story about both nations losing access to some EU funds because of their stance on issues of judicial and immigration policies is seen as a negative for their fiscal balances.  Overnight we did see strength in KRW (+0.6%) and TWD (+0.4%) with the former benefitting from the BOK’s comments on tightening policy while the latter saw substantial equity market inflows driving the currency higher.

Data today includes Initial (exp 350K) and Continuing (3.3M) Claims as well as Empire Mfg (18.0), Philly Fed (28.0), IP (0.6%) and Capacity Utilization (75.6%).  Yesterday’s PPI was also much higher than forecast, but that can be no surprise given the CPI data on Tuesday.  In addition, Chairman Powell testifies before the Senate Banking Panel today, with the same prepared testimony but a whole new set of questions.  (I did reach out to my Senator, Menendez, to ask why Chairman Powell thinks forcing prices higher is helping his constituents, but I’m guessing it won’t make the cut!)

And that’s the day.  Right now, with risk under pressure, the dollar has a firm tone.  But the background of numerous other central banks starting to tighten as they recognize rising inflation and the Fed ignoring it all does not bode well for the dollar in the medium term.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Nirvana Awaits

Posted on by

While Powell and friends fail to see

Inflation rise dangerously

Down south of the border

They fear its disorder

And burden on society






So, Mexico shocked and raised rates





While Fedspeak back here in the States





Continues the story





It’s all transitory





And claiming Nirvana awaits





Mexico became the latest emerging market nation to raise interest rates when they surprised the analyst’s community as well as markets by raising their base rate by 0.25% yesterday afternoon to 4.25%.  The FX market response was swift and certain with the peso gaining more than 1.0% in the first minutes after the announcement although that has since slightly abated.  “Although the shocks that have affected inflation are expected to be of a transitory nature, given their variety, magnitude and the extended time frame in which they have been affecting inflation, they may pose a risk to the price formation process,” the Banxico board explained in their accompanying statement.  In other words, although they are paying lip service to the transitory concept, when CPI rose to a higher than expected 6.02% yesterday, it was apparently a step too far.  Expectations for further rate hikes have already been built into the markets while views on the peso are improving as well.





The juxtaposition yesterday of Mexico with the UK, where the BOE left policy rates on hold at 0.10% and maintained the QE program intact despite raising its inflation forecast to 3.0% for next year, is quite interesting.  Historically, it was the emerging market central banks who would seek growth at any cost and allow inflation to run hot while trying to support the economy and the developed market central banks who managed a more disciplined monetary policy, working to prevent inflation from rising while allowing their economy’s to grow without explicit monetary policy support.  But it seems that another symptom of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it has reversed the ‘polarity’ of central bank thinking.  Mexico is the 4th major EMG nation (Russia, Brazil and Poland are the others) to have raised rates and are anticipated to continue doing so to combat rising prices.  Meanwhile, when the Bank of Canada reduced the amount of its QE purchases, it was not only the first G10 bank to actually remove some amount of monetary largess, it was seen as extraordinary.  





In the States, yesterday we heard from six more Fed speakers and it has become evident that there are two distinct views on the FOMC as to the proper course of action, although to a (wo)man, every speaker exclaimed that inflation was transitory.  Several regional Fed presidents (Bullard, Bostic and Kaplan) are clearly in the camp of tapering QE and potentially raising rates by the end of next year, but the Fed leadership (Powell, Clarida, Williams) are adamantly opposed to the idea of tightening policy anytime soon.  And the thing is, the hawks don’t even have a vote this year, although they do get to participate in the conversation.  The upshot is that it seems highly unlikely that the Fed is going to tighten policy anytime at all this year regardless of inflation readings going forward.  While ‘transitory’ has always been a fuzzy term, my take has always been a 2-3 quarter view, but yesterday we started to hear it could mean 2 years or more.  If that is the case, then prepare for a much worse ultimate outcome along with a much weaker dollar.





As markets and investors digest the latest central bank dogma, let us peruse the latest price action.  Yesterday’s equity market price action led to yet another set of new all-time highs in US indices and even Mexico’s Bolsa rose 0.75% after the rate hike!  Overnight saw a continuation of that view with the Nikkei (+0.65%), Hang Seng (+1.4%) and Shanghai (+1.15%) all rallying nicely.  Perhaps a bit more surprisingly this morning has seen a weaker performance in Europe (DAX -0.15%, CAC -0.1%, FTSE 100 +0.1%) despite slightly better than expected Confidence data out of Germany and Italy.  As vaccinations proceed apace on the continent, expectations for a renewed burst of growth are rising, yet today’s stock markets seem unimpressed.





At the same time, despite all the Fedspeak and concern over inflation, the 10-year Treasury yield has basically been unchanged all week and seems to have found a new home at 1.50%, right where it is now.  Since it had been a harbinger for markets up until the FOMC meeting last week, this is a bit surprising.  As to Europe, bonds there are actually under some pressure this morning (Bunds +1.7bps, OATs +2.9bps, Gilts +1.2bps) although given equity market performance, one is hard-pressed to call this a risk-on move.  Perhaps these markets are responding to the better tone of data, but they are not in sync with the equity space.





In commodity markets, prices are mixed this morning.  While oil (-0.25%) is softer, gold (+0.5%) and silver (+1.0%) are looking awfully good.  Base metals, too, are having a better session with Cu (+0.4%), Al (+1.5%) and Sn (+0.2%) all performing well.  Crop prices are also rising, between 0.25% and 0.5%.  Fear not for oil, however, as it remains firmly ensconced in its uptrend.





And lastly, in FX markets, the dollar is under modest pressure across most of the G10, with the bulk of the bloc firmer by between 0.1% and 0.2%, and only GBP (-0.2%) softer.  While we did see a slightly weaker than expected GfK Consumer Confidence number for the UK last night (-9 vs. expected -7) we also just saw CBI Retail Sales print at a much better than expected level.  In the end, it is hard to ascribe the pound’s movement, or any of the G10 really, to data.  It is far more likely positions being adjusted into the weekend.





In the emerging markets, the dollar is having a much tougher time with ZAR (+1.0%) and KRW (+0.6%) the leading gainers, but a number of currencies showing strength beyond ordinary market fluctuations.  While the rand’s move seems outsized, the strength in commodity prices is likely behind the trend in ZAR lately.  As to KRW, it seems that as well as the general risk on attitude, the market is pricing in the first policy tightening in Seoul and given the won’s recent mild weakness, traders were seen taking advantage to establish long positions.





We have some important data today led by Personal Income (exp -2.5%), Personal Spending (0.4%) and Core PCE (0.6% M/M, 3.4% Y/Y).  Then at 10:00 we see Michigan Confidence (86.5).  I want to believe the PCE data is important, but I fear that regardless of where it prints, it will be ignored as a product of base effects and so not a true reflection of the price situation.  Yesterday, Claims data was a bit worse than expected as was Durable Goods.  This is not to say things are collapsing, but it is growing more and more apparent, at least based on the data, that the peak in the economy has already been seen.  In fact, the Atlanta Fed GDPNow model has fallen back below 10.0% and appears to be trending lower.  The worst possible outcome for the economy would be slowing growth and rising inflation, and I fear that is where we may be heading given the current fiscal and monetary policy settings.  





That combination will be abysmal for the dollar but is unlikely to be clear before many more months have passed.  For now, I expect the dollar will revert to its risk profile, where risk-on days will see weakness and risk-off days see strength.  Today feels far more risk-on like and so a little further dollar weakness into the weekend seems a reasonable assumption.





Good luck, good weekend and stay safe





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			Feeling Upbeat
		


				

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The last central bank set to meet





This month is on Threadneedle Street





No change is expected





Though some have projected





The hawks there are feeling upbeat





Market focus this morning will be on the Bank of England’s policy meeting as it is the last of the major central banks to meet this month.  We have already had a tumultuous time between the ECB’s uber dovishness and the Fed’s seeming turn toward the hawkish side of the spectrum.  Of course, the Fed has largely tried to walk that idea back, but it remains firmly implanted in the market dialog.  As to the UK, growth there, despite more draconian lockdown measures still being imposed in the face of the delta variant of Covid, has been expanding rapidly according to the GDP readings while PMI data points to a continuation of that trend.  Not surprisingly, given the supply side constraints that are evident elsewhere in the world, the UK is also dealing with that issue and so prices have been rising apace.  In fact, the CPI data released last week showed the highest print in more than two years.  Of course, that print was 2.1%, hardly a number to instill fear in anyone’s heart.





And yet, the amount of talk about the need to tighten monetary policy in the UK is remarkable.  At least in the US, we are looking at exceptionally high CPI data, with numbers not seen in decades.  In contrast, CPI in the UK averaged nearly 3.0% for all of 2017, well above the most recent reading.  Not only that, but it was only at the last meeting that the BOE reaffirmed that QE was necessary to support the economy.  The idea that in 6 weeks things have changed that much seems fanciful.  That’s not to say that the committee won’t be discussing potential tightening down the road, especially if recent economic trends continue, but I find it hard to believe that given the ongoing disruptions that are still extant, there can be any serious considerations of change.  As it stands, the market is currently pricing a 15 basis point hike by next June, which would take the base rate back up to 0.25%.  





Arguably, the fact that the market is this focused on what should be a non-event is a good indication of the lack of interesting stories at the moment.  With the ECB and Fed behind us, and with both central banks furiously trying to drive the narrative to their preferred story of transitory inflation and no reason to worry, traders are looking for any opportunity to make a buck.  Some of the previous ideas, whether Bitcoin or meme stocks, have largely lost their luster.  The inflation trade, too, is having a harder time as so many commodity prices have retreated from their early Spring highs.  In this situation, it is not unusual for traders to focus on any potential catalyst far in excess of its importance.  I would contend, that is exactly what we are seeing here and that when the BOE announcement comes, it will have nothing to add to the story.





It can be no surprise, then, that market activity overnight has been extremely quiet overall.  As traders and investors look for the next big thing, volumes tend to decrease, and volatility can abate for a short period of time.  For instance, equity markets in Asia showed almost no pulse with both the Nikkei and Shanghai indices unchanged on the day while the Hang Seng managed to eke out a 0.25% gain.  Europe, on the other hand, is having a go of it, with gains in the DAX (+0.8%) and CAC (+1.0%) after much stronger than forecast confidence data was released.  The FTSE 100 (+0.3% ahead of the BOE) seems to want to join the party but is awaiting the BOE release before really moving.  And, after several desultory sessions with very limited movement in the US, futures this morning are higher by 0.5% across the board.





Bond markets are similarly quiet with modest price declines in Treasuries (+0.8bps), Bunds (+0.9bps) and OATs (+0.9bps) seen at this hour.  Gilts are essentially unchanged, clearly awaiting the BOE meeting before traders are willing to get too involved.





Commodity prices started the session with a mix of gainers and losers, but at this hour, most have turned lower.  Oil (-0.2%) is just backing off slightly but remains in a strong uptrend.  While precious metals (Au +0.2%, Ag +0/6%) stick out for being a bit higher on the day, we are seeing weakness in Copper (-0.2%), Aluminum (-0.4%) and most of the ancillary metals as well as the agricultural space with the three main crops all lower by at least 1.0%.





As to the dollar, it is a bit softer this morning with NOK (+0.4%) the leading gainer despite oil’s reversal from early morning gains.  But there is strength in SEK (+0.3%), NZD (+0.25%) and essentially the entire G10 bloc, albeit only modest in size.  It is difficult to point to specific catalysts for this movement, although Sweden’s PPI data did print much higher than forecast leading to some speculation, they too would soon be tightening policy.





***BOE leave policy unchanged, rates on hold***





The first reaction to the BOE news is a modest decline in the pound (-0.2%) although I expect it will remain choppy for now.





Quickly turning to the EMG bloc, the dollar is softer here almost universally with RUB (+0.45%) the leading gainer and PLN (+0.4%) right behind it.  The latter is benefitting from talk that rising inflationary pressures will lead to tighter monetary policy, while the ruble, along with the krone, seems to be maintaining its early gains despite oil’s pullback.  





On the data front, this morning brings the usual weekly Initial Claims (exp 380K) and Continuing Claims (3.46M) as well as Durable Goods (2.8%, 0.7% ex transport).  We also get the final look at Q1 GDP (6.4%) which is forecast to be unchanged from the previous reading.  Tomorrow we will see Core PCE, which is the Fed’s preferred inflation measure, but we can discuss that then.





Overall, it is shaping up to be a dull day.  Further comments from the BOE are highlighting the transitory nature of inflation there, with a statement indicating that while 3.0% inflation will be coming, it will not last very long.  As I continue to type, the pound continues to slide, now down 0.3%, and interest rate markets are adjusting as well, with the rate hike scenario being pushed further into the future.  





The one area where we could get some movement is from the Fed speakers, with six on today’s calendar.  Yesterday, Atlanta Fed president Bostic was the first since the FOMC meeting last week, to reiterate that tapering would be appropriate soon as well as higher rates.  But the preponderance of evidence remains that the Fed is uninterested in doing anything for a long while yet.  I think things will get more interesting for them later in the year if inflation figures continue to run hot, but for now, they remain confident they are in control.





As to the dollar, unless we start hearing a lot more hawkish rhetoric from the Fed speakers, my sense is that it will continue to drift slightly lower in its current trading range.





Good luck and stay safe





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