Tag Archives: #dollar

Decidedly Slowed

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In China they’ve reached a crossroad
As growth has decidedly slowed
The knock-on effects
Are not too complex
Watch markets, emerging, erode

Once again, the overnight data has disappointed with signs of further slowing in the global economy rampant. The headline was in China, where their big three data points; Fixed Asset Investment (5.2%), Industrial Production (4.7%) and Retail Sales (7.2%) all missed expectations badly. In fact, all of these are at or near historic low levels. But it was not just the Chinese who exposed economic malaise. Japanese GDP printed at just 0.2% in Q3, well below the expected 0.9% outcome. And how about Unemployment in Australia, which ticked higher to 5.3%, adding to concern over the economy Down Under and driving an increase in bets that the RBA will cut rates again next month. In fact, throughout Asia, all the data was worse than expected and that has had a negative impact on equity markets as well as most commodity markets.

Of course, adding to the economic concern are the ongoing protests in Hong Kong, which seemed to take a giant step forward (backward?) with more injuries, more disruption and the resulting closure of schools and work districts. Rumors of a curfew, or even intervention by China’s armed forces are just adding to the worries. It should be no surprise that we have seen a risk off attitude in these markets as equity prices fell (Nikkei -0.75%, Hang Seng -0.95%) while bonds rallied (Treasuries -5bps, JGB’s -3bps, Australian Treasuries -10bps), and currencies performed as expected with AUD -0.75% and JPY +0.3%. Classic risk-off.

Turning to Europe, Germany managed to avoid a technical recession, surprising one and all by releasing Q3 GDP at +0.1% although they did revise Q2 lower to -0.2%. While that is arguably good news, 0.4% annual growth in Germany is not nearly enough to support the Eurozone economy overall. And the bigger concern is that the ongoing manufacturing slump, which shows, at best, slight signs of stabilizing, but no signs of rebounding, will start to ooze into the rest of the data picture, weakening domestic activity throughout Germany and by extension throughout the entire continent.

The UK did nothing to help the situation with Retail Sales falling 0.3%, well below the expected 0.2% rise. It seems that the ongoing Brexit saga and upcoming election continue to weigh on the UK economy at this point. While none of this has helped the pound much, it is lower by 0.1% as I type, it has not had much impact overall. At this point, the election outcome remains the dominant story there. Along those lines, Nigel Farage has disappointed Boris by saying his Brexit party candidates will stand in all constituencies that are currently held by Labour. The problem for Boris is that this could well split the Tory vote and allow Labour to retain those seats even if a majority of voters are looking for Brexit to be completed. We are still four weeks away from the election, and the polls still give Boris a solid lead, 40% to 29% over Labour, but a great deal can happen between now and then. In other words, while I still expect a Tory victory and Parliament to pass the renegotiated Brexit deal, it is not a slam dunk.

Finally, it would not be appropriate to ignore Chairman Powell, who yesterday testified to a joint committee of Congress about the economy and the current Fed stance. It cannot be a surprise that he repeated the recent Fed mantra of; the economy is in a good place, monetary policy is appropriate, and if things change the Fed will do everything in its power to support the ongoing expansion. He paid lip service to the worries over the trade talks and Brexit and global unrest, but basically, he spent a lot of time patting himself on the back. At this point, the market has completely removed any expectations for a rate cut in December, and, in fact, based on the Fed funds futures market, there isn’t even a 50% probability of a cut priced in before next June.

The interesting thing about the fact that the Fed is clearly on hold for the time being is the coincident fact that the equity markets in the US continue to trade at or near record highs. Given the fact that earnings data has been flattish at best, there seems to be a disconnect between pricing in equity markets and in interest rate markets. While I am not forecasting an equity correction imminently, at some point those two markets need to resolve their differences. Beware.

Yesterday’s CPI data was interesting as core was softer than expected at 2.3% on the back of reduced rent rises, while headline responded to higher oil prices last month and was higher than expected at 1.8%. As to this morning, PPI (exp 0.3%, 0.2% core) and Initial Claims (215K) is all we get, neither of which should move the needle. Meanwhile, Chairman Powell testifies to the House Budget Committee and seven more Fed speakers will be at a microphone as well. But given all we have heard, it beggar’s belief any of them will change from the current tune of everything is good and policy is in the right place.

As to the dollar, it is marginally higher overall this morning, and has been trading that way for the past several sessions but shows no signs of breaking out. Instead, I expect that we will continue to push toward the top end of its recent trading range, and stall lacking impetus for the next leg in its movement. For that, we will need either a breakthrough or breakdown in the trade situation, or a sudden change in the data story. As long as things continue to show decent US economic activity, the dollar seems likely to continue its slow grind higher.

Good luck
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Dying To See

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Said Trump, it’s not me it’s the Fed
Preventing us moving ahead
While China and Xi
Are dying to see
A deal where all tariffs are dead

It should be no surprise that President Trump was at the center of the action yesterday, that is the place he most covets. In a speech at the Economic Club of New York, he discussed pretty much what we all expected; the economy is doing great (low unemployment, low inflation and solid growth); the Fed is holding the economy back from doing even better (give us negative rates like Europe and Japan, we deserve it) and the Chinese are dying to do a deal but the US is not going to cave in and remove tariffs without ironclad assurances that the Chinese will stop their bad behavior. After all, this has been the essence of his economically focused comments for the past year. Why would they change now? But a funny thing happened yesterday, the market did not embrace all this is good news, and we started to see a little bit of risk aversion seeping into equity prices and filter down to the bond and currency markets.

For example, although the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed yesterday just 0.3% from the all-time high set last Thursday, there has been no follow-through in markets elsewhere in the world, and, in fact, US futures are pointing lower. Now arguably, this is not entirely a result of Trump’s comments, after all there are plenty of problems elsewhere in the world. But global markets have proven to be quite vulnerable to the perception of bad news on the US-China trade negotiations front, and the fact that there is no deal clearly set to be signed is weighing on investors’ collective minds. So last night, we saw Asian markets suffer (Nikkei -0.85%, Hang Seng -1.8%, KOSPI -0.85%, Shanghai -0.35%) and this morning European markets are also under pressure (DAX -0.75%, CAC -0.45%, FTSE -0.55%, Spain’s IBEX -1.65%, Italy’s MIB -1.3%). In other words, things look pretty bad worldwide, at least from a risk perspective.

Now some of this is idiosyncratic, like Hong Kong, where the protests are becoming more violent and more entrenched and have demonstrably had a negative impact on the local economy. Of even more concern is the growing possibility that China decides to intervene directly to quell the situation, something that would likely have significant negative consequences for global markets. Too, Germany is sliding into recession (we will get confirmation with tomorrow’s Q3 GDP release) and so the engine of Europe is slowing growth throughout the EU, and the Eurozone in particular. And we cannot forget Spain, where the fourth election in four years did nothing to bring people together, and where the Socialist Party is desperately trying to cobble together a coalition to get back in power, but cannot find enough partners, even though they have begun to climb down from initial comments about certain other parties, namely Podemos, and consider them. The point is, President Trump is not the only reason that investors have become a bit skeptical about the future.

In global bond markets, we are also seeing risk aversion manifest itself, notably this morning with 10-year Treasury yields falling more than 6bps, and other havens like Bunds (-4bps) and Gilts (-5bps) following suit. There has been a great deal of ink spilled over the recent bond market price action with two factions completely at odds. There continue to be a large number of pundits and investors who see the long-term trend of interest rates still heading lower and see the recent pullback in bond prices as a great opportunity to add to their long bond positions. Similarly, there is a growing contingent who believe that we have seen the lows in yields, that inflation is beginning to percolate higher and that 10-year yields above 3.00% are going to be the reality over the course of the next year. This tension is evident when one looks at the price action where since early September, we have seen a 40bp yield rally followed by a 35bp decline in the span of five weeks. Since then, we have recouped all the losses, and then some, although we continue to see weeks where there are 15bp movements, something that is historically quite unusual. Remember, bonds have historically been a dull trading vehicle, with very limited price activity and interest generated solely for their interest-bearing qualities. These days, they are more volatile than stocks! And today, there is significant demand, indicating risk aversion is high.

Finally, the dollar continues to benefit against most of its counterparts in both the G10 and EMG blocs, at least since I last wrote on Friday. In fact, there are four G10 currencies that have performed well since then, each with a very valid reason. First, given risk aversion, it should be no surprise that both the yen and Swiss franc have strengthened in this period. Looking further, the pound got a major fillip yesterday when Nigel Farage said that his Brexit party would not contest any of the 317 seats the Tories held going into the election, thus seeming to give a boost to Boris Johnson’s electoral plans, and therefore a boost toward the end of the Brexit saga with a deal in hand. Finally, last night the RBNZ surprised almost the entire market by leaving rates on hold at 1.0%, rather than cutting 25bps as had been widely expected. The reaction was immediate with kiwi jumping 1.0% and yields in New Zealand rallying between 10 and 15 bps across the curve.

Turning to the Emerging markets, the big mover has been, of course, the Chilean peso, the erstwhile star of LATAM which has fallen more than 5.0% since Friday in the wake of the government’s decision to change the constitution in an effort to address the ongoing social unrest. But this has dragged the rest of the currencies in the region down as well, with Colombia (-2%) and Mexico (-1.7%) also feeling the effects of this action. The removal of Peruvian president, Evo Morales, has further undermined the concept of democracy in the region, and investors are turning tail pretty quickly. Meanwhile, APAC currencies have also broadly suffered, with India’s rupee the worst performer in the bunch, down 1.1% since Friday, as concerns about slowing growth there are combining with higher than expected inflation to form a terrible mix. But most of the region is under pressure due to the ongoing growth and trade concerns, with KRW (-0.9%) and PHP (-0.7%) also feeling strains on the trade story. The story is no different in EEMEA, with the bulk of the bloc lower by between 0.5% and 0.85% during the timeframe in question.

Turning to this morning, we see our first important data of the week, CPI (exp 0.3%, 0.2% core) for the month and (1.7%, 2.4% core) on an annual basis. But perhaps more importantly Chairman Powell speaks to Congress today, and everybody is trying to figure out what it is he is going to say. Most pundits believe he is going to try to maintain the message from the FOMC meeting, and one that has been reinforced constantly by his minions on the committee, namely that the economy is in a good place, that rates are appropriately set and that they will respond if they deem it necessary. And really, what else can he say?

However, overall, risk remains on the back foot today, and unless Powell is suddenly very dovish, I expect that to remain the case. As such, look for the dollar to continue to edge higher in the short term, as well as the yen, the Swiss franc and Treasuries.

Good luck
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Decidedly On

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While risk is decidedly on
Investors have kept being drawn
To dollars, so they
Can still overpay
For stocks, and sometimes, a junk bond

With the trade story still titillating markets, or at least distracting them, a funny thing has happened to the broad picture; the dollar has continued to rally despite the market’s embrasure of risk. Touching on the trade story, we continue to get dueling headlines from both sides as to how things are progressing, but the key is that both sides say things are progressing. The latest is confirmation that any phase one deal will, in fact, include a rollback of some portion of the existing tariffs, and there has been absolutely no discussion regarding the mooted tariffs to be imposed on December 15th. In addition, this morning, EU President Jean-Claude Juncker announced that he was certain there would be no US tariffs on European automobiles going forward, at least no additional ones.

This has been more than sufficient to encourage the equity bulls to continue to drive indices to new highs, at least in the US, but to generally rally around the world. At the same time, this week has seen a massive selloff in haven assets, specifically in US Treasuries and German bunds. For instance, last Friday, the 10-year closed at a yield of 1.712%. This morning it is trading at 1.924%. We have seen a similar, albeit not quite as large, move in the bund market, where the yield has risen from -0.386% to -0.247%. Still a 14bp move, given the low absolute level of yields, is nothing to dismiss.

Other favorite havens are the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc, both having fallen -1.1% this week. Gold? It too is lower by 3.45%, with Silver (-7.3%) and Platinum (-5.8%) faring even worse. And yet, despite this strong risk-on market sentiment, the dollar continues to perform well against all comers. In fact it is firmer against every G10 currency (SEK and NZD have been the worst performers, each down 1.4% this week), and it is firmer vs. most of its EMG brethren, with the South African rand (+1.6%) the major outlier based on the news earlier this week that it would not lose its last investment grade rating and so bond investors would not be forced to liquidate their positions.

But it begs the question, why is the dollar remaining so strong? Typically when risk is acquired, investors are seeking the highest yielding assets they can find, which includes EMG government bonds, junk bonds and equities. Usually, the carry trade makes a big comeback, where those who view FX as an asset class simply sell dollars and earn the points. But this time around, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In fact, one might point to the fact that US yields are the highest G10 yields, and higher than many EMG yields (e.g. South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and the Czech Republic) and so on a risk adjusted basis, it appears that investors are far more willing to buy Treasuries and clip that coupon. At any rate, the dollar remains well bid across the board, and barring a sudden negative trade headline, I see no reason for this trend to change in the near term. This is especially true if US data continues to surprise to the high side, like we saw last week with the payroll numbers.

The upshot is hedgers need to beware of the current situation. While the dollar hasn’t had any days where it exploded higher, it continues to grind higher literally every day. Hedgers, at least receivables hedgers, need to be actively managing their risks.

One other thing supporting the dollar has been the change in market tone regarding the Fed’s future activities. It wasn’t that long ago, September, when the futures market was pricing in one more 25bp rate cut for December and one in March of next year. But now, looking out a full year shows there is not even one more rate full cut priced into the market. So the Fed’s dovishness has been effectively dissipated as made evident yesterday by Atlanta Fed President Rafael Bostic’s comments that if he were a voter, he would have dissented from cutting rates last week.

Looking ahead to this morning’s session, the only data we see is Michigan Sentiment (exp 95.5) at 10:00, although at 8:30 Canada releases their employment report. Yesterday’s Initial Claims data was mildly better than expected, just 211K, which indicates that the US jobs situation is not deteriorating in any real way. Perhaps a bit more surprising was the sharp decline in Consumer Credit yesterday, falling to just $9.5 billion, its lowest increase in more than a year, and a data point you can be sure will be highlighted by those pining for a recession. We also hear from three more Fed speakers, Daly, Williams and Governor Lael Brainerd, although both Daly and Brainerd are speaking at a climate change conference, which seems a less likely venue to discuss monetary policy.

Overall, the dollar remains bid and while it may stall as it runs into some profit-taking this afternoon, there is no reason to believe it is going to reverse course anytime soon.

Good luck and good weekend
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Removal of Tariffs

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According to some in Beijing
Removal of tariffs’ the thing
That ought to diminish
And fin’lly help finish
The problems the trade war did bring

Another day, another story about progress in the trade talks. Given the complete lack of movement actually seen, a cynic might conclude that both sides have realized just talking about progress is probably as effective as making progress, maybe more so. After all, making progress requires both sides to make actual decisions. Talking about progress just hints that those decisions are being made. And let’s face it; the one thing at which politicians have proven especially inept is making decisions. At any rate, the news early this morning was that part of the elusive phase one deal would be simultaneous rollbacks of the current tariff schedules. If true, that is a great leap forward from simply delaying the imposition of new tariffs. But the key is, if true. At this point, it has become difficult to recognize the difference between actual progress and trial balloons. The one thing going for this story is it was put out by the Chinese, not President Trump. Of course, that could simply be a negotiating tactic trying to force Trump’s hand.

It should be no surprise that the market reacted quite positively to the story, with equity markets in Asia turning around from early losses to close higher on the day. While the Nikkei just clawed back to +0.1%, the Hang Seng finished higher by 0.6% and Australia’s ASX 200 gained 1.0% on the day. Europe has followed the trend with the DAX leading the way, +0.75%, and the rest of the Continent showing gains of between 0.2% (CAC) and 0.6% (IBEX). And of course, US futures turned higher on the news, now showing gains of approximately 0.5% across all three.

So risk is in vogue once again. Treasuries and Bunds have both sold off sharply, with yields in the 10-year space higher by roughly 6bps in both markets. And the dollar, as would be expected, is under further pressure this morning.

A trade truce cannot come soon enough for Germany, which once again released worse than expected data. This morning’s miss was IP, which fell 0.6% in September, and is down 4.3% Y/Y. So while yesterday’s Factory Orders seemed positive, they also seem like the outlier, not the trend. However, given the dollar’s overall performance this morning, it should be no surprise that the euro has edged higher, rising 0.1% as I type. But a step back for some perspective shows that the euro has actually done essentially nothing for the past month, trading within a range barely exceeding 1.0%. It will take more than just the occasional positive or negative economic print to change this story.

And perhaps there is a story brewing that will do just that. Several weeks ago there was a Bloomberg article about inflation in the Eurozone, specifically in Spain, that highlighted the dichotomy between the low rate of measured inflation, which in Spain is running at 1.0%, and the fact that the cost of home ownership and rent is rising at a double digit pace. It turns out that the European CPI measurements have rent as just 6.5% of the index and don’t even include the costs of home ownership. In contrast, those represent more than 30% of the US CPI measurement! And housing costs throughout Europe are rising at a much faster rate, something on the order of 3.0%+ over the past five years. In other words, a CPI basket constructed to include what Europeans actually spend their money on, rather than on some theoretical construct, would almost certainly have resulted in higher CPI readings and potentially would have prevented the poisonous negative interest rate conundrum.

With this in mind, and considering Madame Lagarde’s review of ECB policy, there is a chance, albeit a small one, that the ECB will consider changing the metric, and with a change in the metric, the need for further QE and NIRP will diminish greatly. That would be hugely euro positive! This is something to watch for going forward.

The other big news that just hit the tape was from the Bank of England, where while rates were left unchanged, two members of the MPC voted to cut rates by 25bps in a complete surprise. Apparently, there is growing concern inside the Old Lady that the recent weakening data portends further problems regardless of the election outcome. Of course, regarding the election, the fact that both the Tories and Labour are promising huge new spending plans, the need for low rates is clear. After all, it is much easier to borrow if interest rates are 0.5% than 5.0%! The pound, which had been trading modestly higher before the news quickly fell 0.4% and is now back toward the lower end of its recent trading range. Sometimes I think central banks do things simply to prove that they matter to the markets, but in this case, given the ongoing economic malaise in the UK, it does seem likely that a rate cut is in the offing.

As to the rest of the market, some of the biggest gainers this morning are directly related to the US-China trade story, with the offshore renminbi trading higher by 0.6% and back to its strongest level in three months’ time. In addition we have seen NOK rally 0.85%, which seems to be on the back of stronger oil and the fact that easing trade tensions are likely to further support the price of crude. Combining this with the fact that the krone has been mysteriously weak given its fundamentals, relatively strong economic growth and positive interest rates, it looks like a lot of short positions are getting squeezed out.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Brazilian real, which yesterday tumbled 2.0% after a widely anticipated auction of off-shore oil drilling rights turned into a flop, raising just $17 billion, far less than the $26 billion expected. In fact, two of the three parcels had no bids, and no oil majors were involved. While they will certainly put them up for auction again, the market’s disappointment was clear. It should also be no surprise that the real is rebounding a bit on the open, currently higher by 0.5%.

On the data front this morning the only thing of note is Initial Claims (exp 215K) and there are two more Fed speakers on the agenda, Kaplan and Bostic. However, the plethora of speakers we have heard this week have all remained on message, things are good and policy is appropriate, but if needed we will do more.

And that’s really it. I expect we will continue to hear more about the trade talks and perhaps get a bit more clarity on the proposed tariff rollbacks. But it will take a lot to turn the risk story around, and as such, I expect the dollar will continue to be under pressure as the session progresses.

Good luck
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Not Been Sated

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As markets, a trade deal, awaited
Risk appetite has not been sated
The headlines insist
That barring a twist
Phase one will soon be activated

Hooray!! Phase One of the trade deal is almost complete and apparently President’s Trump and Xi are planning a meeting to sign this historic document. At least that’s today’s story to pump up global equity markets. Actually, I assume that will be tomorrow’s as well, just as it has been the story for the past two weeks. But whether or not this comes to pass, the current view is quite positive and risk assets are back in demand. Equity markets are generally higher worldwide, with Asia showing significant strength (Nikkei +1.75%, Shanghai +0.55%, KOSPI +0.6%), although Europe is having a more muted session (DAX 0.0%, CAC +0.15%, FTSE +0.25%). Meanwhile, US futures are currently pointing to a 0.25% rise at the open.

Other evidence of increased risk appetite has been the decline in both Treasury and Bund prices, with the former seeing yields rise a further 4bps this morning and the latter 2bps. A quick look at the recent price history of the 10-year shows that one week ago they were trading at 1.84% and in the interim they fell to 1.69% before rebounding to this morning’s 1.82% level. A slightly longer term view shows a picture of a market that looks like it bottomed in early September, when the 10-year traded to 1.457% amidst escalating fears of everything, and is now slowly trying to head a bit higher. If the Fed has truly stopped cutting rates, and if they maintain their current ‘not-QE’ version of QE, purchasing $60 billion/month of T-bills, I expect we are looking at a much steeper yield curve and the chance for the dollar to resume its rally. (Historically, the dollar performs better in a steepening yield curve environment.)

However, that dollar movement is much more of a long-term trend than a day to day prescription, and in fact, this morning’s risk-on movement has seen the dollar soften further, except against the other two haven currencies, the Swiss franc (-0.35%) and the Japanese yen (-0.25%). The most notable mover has arguably been the Chinese reniminbi, which has rallied 0.5% and is back below 7.00 for the first time since early August. You may recall that time as a severe escalation of the trade conflict and fears were rampant that the PBOC was going to allow the renminbi to weaken substantially to offset tariffs. Of course, that never happened, and ostensibly, part of the trade deal is a Chinese promise to prevent significant currency weakness. (You know, manipulation of a currency is fine when it works in your favor, just not when it works against you.) At any rate, CNY has been strengthening steadily for the past month and has recouped 2.3% in that time. Quite frankly, despite the fact that the slowdown in the Chinese economy would argue for a weaker currency, I expect that we will continue to see modest strength in the renminbi; at least until the trade deal is signed.

In the G10 space, today’s big winner is the Aussie dollar, which is higher by 0.45% this morning and has rallied 3.65% since its recent trough in the beginning of October. Given the country’s close ties to China, it should be no surprise that positive news regarding China helps the AUD. In addition, last night the RBA met and left rates on hold, which while widely expected was a bit of a relief given they cut rates in the past three meetings. While they maintained their easing bias, the market is gaining optimism that the global trade situation will improve shortly and that Aussie will benefit. While the move in Aussie did help drag kiwi higher (+0.25%), the rest of the space is entirely uninteresting.

In the EMG bloc, South Africa’s rand is the leader, gaining 0.65% as the market continues to absorb the fact that Moody’s left them with an investment grade rating. While things are still precarious there, perhaps a relaxation of trade tensions globally will allow the country to stabilize their finances and the currency to stabilize as well. On the flip side, Chile’s peso has opened under pressure, falling 0.65% after Retail Sales there were released at a much worse than expected -0.9% (expected +1.8%). Clearly the ongoing protests are having an impact and as in most places around the world, there doesn’t appear to be any end in sight.

On the calendar this morning we see the Trade balance (exp -$52.4B) as well as the JOLTS Jobs report (7.063M) and finally, at 10:00 ISM Non-Manufacturing (51.0). You may recall the ISM data on Friday was soft at 48.3, and this morning we saw UK Services PMI print at a better than expected 50.0. The best explanation I can give is that we are at an inflection point in the global economy, where what has clearly been a slowing trend may finally be responding to the massive stimulus efforts by the world’s central banks. (FYI, the PBOC reduced its 1-year lending rate by 5bps last night, the first cut since 2016). But inflection points are probably more accurately referred to as inflection curves, since things are not going to turn around quickly. I anticipate we are going to see mixed data for some time into the future. This will allow both bulls and bears to use data to make their respective cases.

In the end, unless today’s data is horrendous, I expect that the risk-on scenario will continue to drive markets and the dollar will likely soften a bit further before it is all over.

Good luck
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Employment Unstressed

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The jobs report Friday impressed
With growth in employment unstressed
As well, Friday’s quotes
From Fed speakers’ throats
Explained how their policy’s best

As is evidenced by the fact that the stock market in the US continues to trade to new all-time highs on a daily basis, the Fed is doing an incredible job…just ask them! Friday we learned that both the economy and monetary policy are “in a good place” according to vice-chairman Richard Clarida. Governor Randall Quarles used the same terms as did NY Fed President John Williams, who added, “…the economy is strong,” as well to the mix. At least they are all singing from the same hymnal. So, following a much better than expected payrolls report Friday morning, with the headline number not only beating expectations handily (128K vs. 85K), but the previous two months’ data were revised higher by a further 95K, the Fed is patting themselves on the back.

Adding to the overall joy in markets is the apparent thaw in the US-China trade talks, where it appears that a small, ‘phase one’ deal is pretty much agreed with both sides simply trying to find a place to sign it now that the APEC conference in Chile has been canceled due to local violent protests. And of course, the other big uncertainty, Brexit, has also, apparently, become less risky as the amended deal agreed by Boris and the EU has put to rest many fears of a hard Brexit. While the UK is currently engaged in a general election campaign cum second Brexit referendum, the smart money says that Boris will win the day, Parliament will sign the deal and the next steps toward Brexit will be taken with no mishaps.

Who knows, maybe all of these views are absolutely correct and global growth is set to rebound substantially driving stocks to ever more new highs and allowing central banks around the world to finally unwind some of their ‘emergency’ measures like ZIRP, NIRP and QE. Or…

It is outside the realm of this morning note to opine on many of these outcomes, but history tells us that everything working out smoothly is an unlikely outcome.

Turning to the market this morning shows us a dollar that is marginally firmer despite a pretty broad risk-on feeling. As mentioned above, equity markets are all strong, with Asia closing higher and almost every European market higher by more than 1.0% as I type. US futures are pointing in the same direction following on Friday’s strong performance. Treasury yields are also higher as there is little need for safety when stock prices are flying, and we are seeing gains in oil and industrial metals as well. All of which begs the question why the dollar is firm. But aside from the South African rand, which has jumped 1.5% this morning after Moody’s retained its investment grade rating on country bonds, although it did cut its outlook to negative, there are more currencies lower vs. the dollar than higher.

One possible explanation is the Fed’s claim that they have ended their mid-cycle adjustment and that US rates are destined to remain higher than those elsewhere in the world going forward. It is also possible that continued weak data elsewhere is simply undermining other currencies. For example, Eurozone final PMI’s were released this morning and continue to show just how weak the manufacturing sector in Europe remains. Given the fact that the ECB is basically out of bullets, and the fact that the Germans and Dutch remain intransigent with respect to the idea of fiscal stimulus, a weak currency is the only feature that is likely to help the ECB achieve its inflation target. However, as we have seen over the past many years, the pass-through of a weak currency to higher inflation is not a straightforward process. While I do think the dollar will continue its slow climb higher, I see no reason for the pace of the move to have any substantive impact on Eurozone CPI.

Meanwhile, the G10 currency under the most pressure today is the pound, which has fallen 0.2%, and while still above 1.29, seems to have lost all its momentum higher as the market tries to assess what will happen at the election six weeks hence. While I continue to believe that Boris will win and that the negotiated deal will be implemented, I have actually taken profits on my personal position given the lack of near-term momentum.

Looking ahead to this week, the data picture is far less exciting than last, although we do have the BOE meeting on Thursday to spice things up, as well as a raft of Fed speakers:

Today Durable Goods -1.1%
  -ex transport -0.3%
  Factory Orders -0.4%
Tuesday Trade Balance -$52.5B
  JOLTS Job Openings 7.088M
  ISM Non-Manufacturing 53.4
Wednesday Nonfarm Productivity 0.9%
  Unit Labor Costs 2.2%
Thursday Initial Claims 215K
  Consumer Credit $15.05B
Friday Michigan Sentiment 95.5

Source: Bloomberg

As all of this data is second tier, it is hard to get too excited over any of it, however, if it demonstrates a pattern, either of weakness or strength, by the end of the week we could see some impact. Meanwhile, there are nine Fed speakers slated this week, but given the consistency of message we heard last week, it seems hard to believe that the message will change at all, whether from the hawks or doves. At this point, I think both sides are happy.

Putting it all together, I would argue that the dollar is more likely to suffer slightly this week rather than strengthen as risk appetite gains. But it is hard to get too excited in either direction for now.

Good luck
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New Brexit Day

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In Britain and in the EU
They finally made a breakthrough
Three months from Thursday
Is New Brexit Day
Will England, at last, bid adieu?

So French President Macron finally agreed what we all knew he would agree, that the UK will get another three-month Brexit extension. The question now is whether or not the UK will be able to figure out how to end this saga. It is abundantly clear that Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, is terrified of a general election because he knows he and his party will be decimated, and he is likely to lose his role. However, it is also abundantly clear that Parliament, as currently constructed, is completely unable to finalize this process. Later today we will know if Boris will be able to convince two-thirds of the current Parliament to vote with him and prepare the ground for an election. Already, the Scottish National Party and Lib-Dems are on board, but that will not get the job done, Labour has to agree.

Throughout all these machinations, FX traders find themselves constantly searching for a clue as to the outcome but the big picture remains the same. A hard Brexit is still seen as resulting in a very sharp decline in the pound. Meanwhile, a smooth Brexit transition, where the negotiated deal is put in place, is likely to add a few cents more to the pound’s current value, at least in the short run. Finally, in the event that an election led to a Parliament that not only voted against the deal, but decided to withdraw Article 50, something not getting very much attention at all, then the pound would very likely head back north of 1.40. Of the three, my money is still on a negotiated withdrawal, but stranger things have happened. At any rate, we ought to no more before the end of the day when Parliament will have ostensibly voted on whether or not to hold the new election.

Moving on to the other stories in the market, there really aren’t very many at all! In fact, markets around the world seem to be biding their time for the next big catalyst. If pressed, I would point to Wednesday’s FOMC meeting as the next big thing.

On Wednesday the FOMC
Will issue their latest decree
While Fed Funds will fall
They don’t seem in thrall
To more cuts, lest growth soon falls free

As of this writing, the probability of the Fed cutting rates 25bps on Wednesday, at least according to futures market pricing, is 91%. This is a pretty good indication that the Fed is going to cut for a third time in a row, despite the fact that they keep exclaiming what a “good place” the economy is in. One of the interesting things about this is that both the Brexit situation and the trade situation seem to have improved substantially since the September meeting, which seemingly would have reduced the need for added stimulus. However, since the stock market continues to rely on the idea of ongoing stimulus for its performance, and since the performance of the stock market continues to be the real driver of Fed policy, I see no reason for them to hold back. However, inquiring minds want to know if Wednesday’s cut will be the last, or if they will continue down this slippery slope.

According to Fed funds Futures markets, expectations for another cut beyond this one have diminished significantly, such that there is only a 50% probability of the next cut coming by March 2020. And, after all, given the reduction in global tensions and uncertainty, as well as the recent hints from CPI that inflation may finally be starting to pick up, it seems that none of their conditions for cutting rates would be met. However, if Chairman Jay sounds hawkish in his press conference, and the result is that equity markets retreat, do not be surprised if those probabilities change in favor of another cut in December. So, we have much to look forward to this Wednesday.

Ahead of that, and after the UK parliament vote later today, though, I think we will rely on Wednesday morning’s data for the next opportunity for excitement. Here’s the full slate:

Tuesday Case Shiller Home Prices 2.10%
  Consumer Confidence 128.0
Wednesday ADP Employment 110K
  GDP 3Q 1.6%
  FOMC Decision 1.75% (-0.25%)
Thursday Initial Claims 215K
  Personal Income 0.3%
  Personal Spending 0.3%
  Core PCE 0.1% (1.7% Y/Y)
  Chicago PMI 48.0
Friday Nonfarm Payrolls 85K
  Private Payrolls 80K
  Manufacturing Payrolls -55K (GM Strike)
  Unemployment Rate 3.6%
  Average Hourly Earnings 0.3% (3.0% Y/Y)
  Average Weekly Hours 34.4
  Participation Rate 63.1%
  ISM Manufacturing 49.0
  ISM Prices paid 50.0

Source: Bloomberg

So, the back half of the week can certainly produce some excitement. Remember, the employment data will have been significantly impacted by the General Motors strike, which has since been settled. Expect to see a lot of analysis as to what the numbers would have been like absent the strike. But still, the Fed remains the dominant theme of the week. And then, since the press conference never seems to be enough, we will hear from four Fed speakers on Friday to try to explain what they really meant.

For now, though, quiet is the most likely outcome. Investors are not likely to get aggressive ahead of the Fed, and though short positions remain elevated in both euros and pounds, they have not been increasing of late. Overall, the dollar is little changed on the day, and I see little reason for it to move in either direction. Quiet markets are beneficial for hedgers, so don’t be afraid to take advantage.

Good luck
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Tempting the Fates

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Around the world most central banks
Have, monthly, been forced to give thanks
That tempting the fates
With negative rates
Has not destroyed euros or francs

And later today we will hear
From Draghi, the man who made clear
“Whatever it takes”
Would fix the mistakes
Investors had grown, most, to fear

With Brexit on the back burner for the day, as the UK awaits the EU’s decision on how long of a delay to grant, the market has turned its attention to the world’s central banks. Generally speaking, monetary ease remains the primary focus, although there are a few banks that are bucking the trend.

Starting with the largest for today, and world’s second most important central bank, the ECB meets today in what is Mario Draghi’s final policy meeting at the helm. Given their actions last month, where they cut the deposit rate a further 10bps to -0.50% and restarted QE to the tune of €20 billion per month, there is no expectation for any change at all. In fact, the only thing to expect is more exhortations from Draghi for increasing fiscal policy stimulus by Germany and other Northern European nations that are not overly indebted. But it will not change anything at this stage, and he has already tied Madame Lagarde’s hands going forward with their most recent guidance, so this will be the farewell tour as everybody regales him for saving the euro back in 2012.

But there have been a number of other moves, the most notable being the Swedish Riksbank, which left rates unchanged, but basically promised to raise them by 25bps in December to return them to 0.00%. Apparently they are tired of negative rates and don’t want them to become habit forming. While I admire that concept, the problem they have is growth there is slowing and inflation is falling well below their target of 2.0%. The most recent reading was 1.5%, but the average going back post the financial crisis is just 1.1%. SEK gained slightly after their comments, rallying 0.15% this morning, but the trend in the krone remains lower and I think they will need to raise a lot more than 25bps to change that.

Meanwhile, other central bank activity saw Norway leave rates unchanged at 1.50% as core inflation there remains above their 2.0% target. NOK’s response was essentially nil. Indonesia cut rates by 25bps, as widely expected, its fourth consecutive rate cut, and although the rupiah is ever so slightly softer this morning, -0.2%, its performance this year has been pretty solid, having gained 2.3% YTD. Finally, the Turkish central bank cut rates by a surprising 250bps this morning, much more than the 100bps expected. If you recall, President Erdogan has been adamant that higher interest rates beget higher inflation, and even fired the previous central bank head to replace him with someone more malleable. Interestingly, a look at Turkish inflation shows that it has been falling despite (because of?) recent rate cuts. And today, despite that huge cut, the initial currency impact was pretty modest, with the lira falling 0.5% immediately, but already recouping some of those losses. And in the broader picture, the lira’s recent trend has clearly been higher and remains so after the cut.

On the data front we saw PMI data from the Eurozone and it simply reinforced the idea that the Eurozone is heading into a recession. Germany’s numbers were worse than expected (Manufacturing 41.9, Composite 48.6) which was enough to drag the Eurozone data down as well (Manufacturing 45.7, Composite 50.2). It seems clear that when Germany reports their Q3 GDP next month it will be negative and Germany will ‘officially’ be in a recession. It is data of this nature that makes it so hard to turn bullish on the single currency. Given their economic travails, the Teutonic austerity mindset, which was enshrined in law, and the fact that the ECB is essentially out of bullets, it is very difficult to have a positive view of the euro in the medium term. This morning, ahead of the ECB policy statement, the euro is little changed, and I see no reason for it to move afterwards either.

So, there was lots of central bank activity, but not so much FX movement in response. My sense is that FX traders are now going to fully turn their attention to the FOMC meeting next week, as even though a rate cut seems assured, the real question is will the Fed call a halt to the mid-cycle adjustment, or will they leave the door open to further rate cuts. The risk with the former is that the equity market sells off sharply, thus tightening financial conditions, sowing fear in Washington and forcing a reversal. However, the risk with the latter is that the Fed loses further credibility, something they have already squandered, by being proven reactive to the markets, and less concerned with the economy writ large.

For today’s session, we have the only real data of the week, Durable Goods (exp -0.7%, -0.2% ex Transport), and Initial Claims (215K) at 8:30, then New Home Sales (702K) at 10:00. We also see the US PMI data (Manufacturing 50.9, Services 51.0) although the market generally doesn’t pay much attention to this. Instead it focuses on the ISM data which won’t be released until next week.

Without any Fed speakers on the docket, once again the FX market is likely to take its cues from equities, which are broadly higher this morning after a number of better than expected earnings announcements. In this risk-on environment, I think the dollar has room to edge lower, but unless we start to see the US data really deteriorate, I have a feeling the Fed is going to try to end the rate cuts and the dollar will benefit going forward. Just not today.

Good luck
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Pledges Bestowed

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In China, the pace of growth slowed
Which highlighted how hard the road
Is going to be
For President Xi
To live up to pledges bestowed

With the Brexit situation now up to Boris Johnson’s domestic political machinations, finding the required 326 votes to pass his agreed deal with the EU, the market’s attention has turned elsewhere. It should be no surprise that China is the topic, this time based on the data released last night. While the trajectory of growth in China has been slowing quite consistently for the past ten years, last night’s 6.0% GDP result was weaker than expected and indicates that perhaps, that slowdown is accelerating. Alongside the GDP data, the other three key monthly data points; IP (5.6% YTD), Fixed Asset Investment (5.4% YTD), and Retail Sales (8.2% YTD) showed a mixed bag versus expectations, although generally all point to continuing slower growth. The trend in China is downward. On the one hand, this should not be surprising. After all, the larger the base size of an economy, the harder it is to grow rapidly. On the other hand, despite significant government control over the entire economy, it is becoming clear that the combined fiscal and monetary stimulus measures China is using are, so far, not up to the job of upholding President Xi’s targets.

Regarding the trade talks, this simply adds to pressure on Xi to find a deal. Despite his title as President for Life, there are clearly still many domestic political issues with which he must deal, and failure to bring about promised growth will be quite problematic. As many pundits have already described, the reality is that both sides need a deal given the fact that the eighteen month long trade spat has started to drag down both the US and China in terms of GDP growth. Interestingly, the PBOC fixed the renminbi stronger last night, although both the onshore and offshore yuan are trading weaker by about 0.1% this morning. Overall, though, the trend for the renminbi has been for modest weakening over time. Regardless of promises to manage the currency, the reality remains that China needs their currency to weaken as a relief valve for internal pressures. An interesting aside is that there is some evidence based on the errors and omissions portion of the Chinese accounts, that capital continues to flow out of China pretty aggressively, despite the capital controls imposed in the summer of 2015. Eventually, if that is true, USDCNY is going to go higher. I continue to look for an eventual move toward 7.40, but it may take longer than the end of this year as I previously thought.

However, beyond the Chinese data story, FX has been a pretty uneventful place to be overnight. G10 currencies are generally slightly firmer vs. the dollar, but we are only looking at the biggest mover, SEK, having rallied 0.3% this morning after a more substantive 1.3% rally yesterday. It seems that despite higher than expected unemployment data, there is concern that data may be faulty and the Riksbank may still have room to raise interest rates at their next meeting, or by the end of the year at the very least. But away from that story, there is nothing of real note in the G10 space.

And in truth, that is pretty much the situation in the EMG space as well. TRY is the leading gainer, higher by 0.85% after the cease-fire on the Syrian border went into effect. Elsewhere, both ZAR and KRW are firmer by 0.5% with the won benefitting from comments by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin that he may request an auto tariff exemption for South Korea. Meanwhile, the rand is the beneficiary of profit-taking after recent weakness in the currency, as traders and investors await the latest information on the Eskom situation in a government briefing later today.

For the rest of the day, while we wait to hear any tidbits from the UK, there is only one data point, Leading Indicators (exp 0.0%), and then we hear from three more Fed speakers, the uber-hawk, Esther George, as well as Richard Clarida and Robert Kaplan. So far this week we have heard the consistent message that the FOMC is watching the data closely but has not yet made up their mind if another cut is necessary right away.

In truth, it is shaping up to be an uneventful day to finish the week. The dollar is a bit soft, equity futures are little changed, as are equity markets throughout Europe, and Treasury yields are within 1bp of yesterday’s levels. Unless there is a tape bomb, it is hard to see a reason for a big more from current levels.

Good luck and good weekend
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Can Boris Succeed?

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In Brussels they finally agreed
On how Brexit now will proceed
The DUP still
Insist that they will
Vote No, so can Boris succeed?

Methinks that the answer is yes
As many MP’s acquiesce
Their voters are tired
And Boris admired
For finding the key to success

Well, it’s done! Or at least almost done. The UK and the EU have agreed the legal text for the Brexit deal as well as the political declaration for their relationship going forward. It seems that despite all of Parliament’s efforts to undermine the prime minister’s negotiating tactics, the EU realized that a continuation of this process was detrimental to their own well-being. And so a deal has been reached with EU President Jean-Claude Juncker encouraging the other 27 members to ratify the document.

Of course, the UK Parliament still needs to do the same, and the last word was that Arlene Foster and her DUP were not yet willing to accept the terms. The surface calculation is that Boris needs them since he doesn’t have an outright majority in Parliament. However, I think that he will be able to find votes throughout the rest of Parliament. Remember, about half of Labour’s constituents voted to leave as well, so there will be a lot of pressure for Labour MP’s to break ranks and finish this process on Saturday. After that, a vote of no-confidence could bring down Boris’s government, but he will relish the new election. In fact, it is entirely possible that Labour will not seek that vote as a newly emboldened Johnson could easily regain a solid majority and send Jeremy Corbyn to the backbenches forever. At least now, Johnson is somewhat weakened by his coalition.

So what does this mean for markets going forward? It should be no surprise that risk appetite has quickly increased this morning with equity markets popping higher on the news, Treasury yields rising and the dollar falling. Right after the announcement, the pound jumped more than 1.3%, to 1.2990, but it has since given back some of those gains on a combination of profit taking and questions as to whether Parliament will ratify the deal. Still, as I type, the pound is higher by 0.4% since yesterday’s close.

Perhaps of more interest is the rally in the euro, which is also higher by 0.4% this morning. It also spiked on the news, albeit not quite as far, and has been rallying in lockstep with, although not quite at the same trajectory as, the pound for the past two weeks. Since the beginning of October, when negotiations really intensified, the euro is higher by 2.4% while the pound has rallied nearly 6.0%. This ratio seems reasonable to me, and when (if) Parliament ratifies the deal on Saturday, I expect it to continue for a while longer.

But risk appetite means that other currencies are also performing well with AUD today’s top performer after the Unemployment Rate fell surprisingly to 5.2% last night. While the RBA had expressed concern over its recent trajectory, it is up from 4.9% in February, if things are stabilizing Down Under, there is less call for further monetary ease, and so the Aussie responded accordingly. This helped drag kiwi higher (+0.6%), and we are seeing solid strength across the entire G10 front. EMG markets are responding in a similar manner, with the bulk of the space higher by between 0.3% and 0.6%. This includes a cross section of APAC, EEMEA and LATAM currencies, thus implying this is much more about the dollar than any particular currency story.

So what is happening to the dollar? Certainly yesterday’s Retail Sales data (-0.3%; -0.1% ex autos) did not help the greenback, as it showed the first potential cracks in the consumer portion of the economy. This has been the economic (and stock market) bears’ key concern; that a slowdown in the manufacturing sector, which has been evident, would bleed over to the consumer sector. The bulls, and the Fed, continue to point to the strength in the labor market as their rationale to dismiss the idea, but we all know that the Unemployment Rate is a severely lagging indicator, and that it will not start to suffer until other data have already pointed to a sharper slowdown. This morning’s Housing Starts (exp 1320K) and Building Permits (1350K) data will be closely scrutinized in the wake of the Retail Sales numbers, but remember, this is the sector most directly benefitting from the Fed’s recent largesse.

To go back to the question of what is happening to the dollar, I would suggest that the market had been pretty convinced that US growth would continue to exceed that elsewhere in the world, and that despite the Fed’s ‘mid-cycle adjustment’ that interest rates here would remain higher than elsewhere. But if there is now some concern over the US economy slowing more rapidly than previously thought, and that the Fed will need to be more aggressive, the dollar will very likely suffer in the near term. A key question in this scenario is; will market participants continue to add to their risk profiles if the US is sliding into a recession? At some point, one would expect, adding risk will seem the wrong decision, and a risk-off dollar rally is likely to ensue. But we are not yet at that point.

On top of the Housing data we also see Initial Claims (exp 215K); Philly Fed (7.6); IP (-0.2%); and Capacity Utilization (77.7%). Given the recent slowdown in the ISM data, this other data will be carefully watched as well. If it underperforms, look for the probability of a Fed cut in two weeks, currently 82%, to rise further, and the dollar to suffer as well. In addition to the data, we hear from three more Fed speakers, the dovish Charles Evans, and both Michelle Bowman and John Williams, who are much more middle of the road. This has been a very active week for Fed speakers and yet nothing new has come from any of them. The message continues to be that the revived purchases of Treasuries, at a rate of $60 billion per month, is definitely not QE, but merely a technical adjustment to the balance sheet. And beyond that, they are closely watching the data but feel the economy is in a “good place.” I know that makes me feel better!

For the rest of the session, I see no reason for the dollar to reverse course barring something outside this discussion, notably trade talk, popping up. Mercifully, there has been no trade conversation so equity markets are focused on earnings and FX markets are focused on the probability of the Brexit deal being ratified by Parliament. Success on Saturday should open the way for the pound to rally another 3-5 cents next week, especially if the dollar remains under pressure overall.

Good luck
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