Tag Archives: #riskon

Revert to the Mean

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For more than two weeks we have seen
Risk assets all polish their sheen
But now has the bar
Been raised much too far?
And will we revert to the mean?

I read today that recent price action (+42% since March 23) has been the largest 50-day rally in the S&P 500’s long history. Think about that for a moment, the economy has cratered (the Atlanta Fed GDPNow forecast is currently at -52.8% for Q2), unemployment has hit levels not seen since the Great Depression with more than 40 million Americans losing their job in the past three months and the stock market is flying. Well, at least the S&P 500 index is flying as the value of its five largest constituents continues to rise, seemingly inexorably, thus dragging the index along with them. The disconnect between the performance of risk assets and the data representing the economy is truly stunning. And while I understand that equity markets are discounting ‘instruments’ looking ahead to the future, it still beggars belief that most of the companies in the index are going to see earnings recover in anywhere near the time anticipated by the market. Remember, the CBO just published an analysis describing the most likely outcome being a 10-year timeframe before the US economy gets back to the levels seen in 2019.

Part and parcel of this movement in risk assets has been the dollar’s decline, with the Dollar Index (DXY) down more than 5% during the same period. While that is not historic in nature, it is still a very large move for such a short period of time.

And so I must ask, is this movement in risk assets sustainable? Clearly the driving force here has been central bank, (mainly the Fed) largesse as they have pumped trillions of dollars of liquidity into the economy, much of which seems to have found its way into stocks. But remember, the Fed started its unlimited QE by buying $75 billion A DAY of securities. That number is now down to less than $5 billion each day and declining on a weekly basis. In fairness, the Fed got ahead of the curve, recognizing just how devastating the situation was going to be. But the Treasury has caught up and has been issuing debt as quickly as they can. Now the Fed’s liquidity is being funneled directly to the Treasury, rather than finding a home elsewhere, and unless Powell reverses course and starts to increase daily purchases again, there is every chance for equity markets to begin to suffer instead.

One other thing that is missing from this market, and which has been a key driver of the long bull market, is share repurchases by companies. Stock buybacks represented nearly all of the net stock buying seen during the rally. And I assure you, that ship has sailed and is not likely to return to port for many years to come. In fact, it would not be surprising if new laws are enacted that limit or prohibit repurchases going forward. The point I am trying to make is that there are numerous reasons to believe that this remarkable rebound in the stock market, and risk assets in general, is overdone and due for its own correction.

Is today that correction? Well, for a start, it is not an extension of the rally as equity markets in Asia were little changed (Nikkei +0.35%, Hang Seng +0.2%, Shanghai -0.15%) and those in Europe are all in the red (DAX -0.7%, CAC -0.6%, FTSE 100 -0.3%). The DAX performance is quite interesting given the announcement by the German government that they have agreed on a €130 billion stimulus package, 30% larger than anticipated. Meanwhile, US futures are all pointing lower as well, down between 0.2% and 0.5%.

Bond markets continue to lack any informational value as they have become entirely controlled by the central bank community. While yield curve control is only explicit in Japan (for the 10-year) and Australia (for the 2-year) the reality is that every central bank is actively preventing government interest rates from rising out of necessity. After all, given how much borrowing is ongoing, governments cannot afford for interest rates to rise, they would not be able to pay the bills. Perhaps the only exception to this rule is the very long end, 30 years and beyond, where yields continue to rise as curves continue to steepen. (Remember when an inverted yield curve was seen as the death knell of the economy? The reality is the problem comes when it steepens like this! Steepening curves are not so much about future economic growth as much as about higher future inflation.)

And then there is the dollar, which is broadly higher this morning, albeit not in any dramatic fashion. As the market awaits word from Madame Lagarde and her 24 colleagues, we have seen the dollar rise modestly vs. both G10 and EMG counterparts. The biggest retreats have been seen by PLN (-1.25%), where the government just announced an expected 8.5% budget deficit, and MXN (-0.9%), which is suffering as oil sells off a bit. However, both those currencies have seen significant rallies in the past two weeks, so a little reversal is not surprising. As to the rest of the bloc, EEMEA currencies are underperforming APAC currencies, but generally they are all lower.

In the G10, the movement have been much more muted, with GBP, AUD and SEK all lower by 0.4% or so and the rest of the bloc, save the Swiss franc’s 0.1% rally, lower by smaller amounts. Again, it is difficult to point to any one thing as the cause for this movement, arguably it is simply position reductions after a long run.

At this point, all eyes are on the ECB, where expectations have built for an increase in the PEPP of as much as €500 billion. While they have not come close to using the original amount, it seems clear they will need more before the end of the year, and so the market has latched onto the idea it will be announced today. One potential problem with this action is it could reduce pressure on the EU to actually go ahead with their mooted €750 billion fiscal support program that includes joint borrowing, a key feature for the euro’s future. It is clear that as much as the frugal four don’t want to see the ECB distort markets further, they are even more disinclined to give their money to the Italians and Spanish directly. However, in the end, I believe Madame Lagarde will give the market what it wants and raise the PEPP limit.

Today’s data picture brings Initial Claims (exp 1.843M), Continuing Claims (20.0M), the April Trade Balance (-$49.2B), Nonfarm Productivity (-2.7%) and Unit Labor Costs (5.0%). With the monthly NFP report tomorrow, it seems unlikely the market will respond to today’s data in any meaningful way. Earlier we saw Eurozone Retail Sales decline 11.7%, not as bad as feared but still the worst outcome in the history of the series dating back to January 1998. And yet, as we have seen lately, the data is not the driver right now, it is the central banks and sentiment. While we have paused today, sentiment still seems to be for a further rally, but my take is that sentiment is getting old and tired. Beware the reversion to the mean!

Good luck and stay safe
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Depression’s Price In

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As cities continue to burn
The stock market bears never learn
Depression’s priced in
And to bears’ chagrin
Investors have shown no concern

Once again risk is on fire this morning as every piece of bad news is seen as ancient history, riots across the US are seen as irrelevant and the future is deemed fantastic based on ongoing (permanent?) government economic support and the continued belief that Covid-19 has had its day in the sun and will soon retreat to the back pages. And while the optimistic views on government largesse and the virus’s retreat may be well founded, the evidence still appears to point to an extremely long and slow recovery to the global economy. Just yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office, released a report indicating it will take nearly ten years before GDP in the US will return to its previous trend growth levels. That hardly sounds like they type of economy that warrants ever increasing multiples in the stock market. But hey, I’m just an FX guy.

A look around the world allows us to highlight what seem to be the driving forces in different regions. There are two key assumptions underpinning European asset performance these days; the fact that the EU has finally agreed to joint financing of a budget and mutualized debt issuance and the virtual certainty that the ECB is going to increase the PEPP in their step tomorrow. The flaws in these theories are manifest, although, in fairness, despite themselves the Europeans have generally found a way to get to the goal. However, the EU financing program requires unanimous approval of all 27 members, something that will require a great deal of negotiation given the expressed adamancy of the frugal four (Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark) who are not yet convinced that they should be paying for the spendthrift habits of their southern neighbors. And the problem with this is the amount of time it will take to finally agree. Given the urgent need for funding now, a delay may be nearly as bad as no support at all.

At the same time, the ECB, despite having spent only €250 billion of the original €750 billion PEPP monies are now assumed to be ready to announce a significant increase to the size of the program. Not surprisingly, members of the governing council who hail from the frugal four have expressed reluctance on this matter as well. However, after Madame Lagarde’s gaffe in March, when she declared it wasn’t the ECB’s job to protect peripheral nation bond markets (that’s their only job!) I expect that she will steamroll any objections and look for a €500 billion increase.

Clearly, traders and investors are on the same page here as the euro continues to rally, trading higher by 0.3% this morning (+4.2% since mid-May) and back above 1.12 for the first time since March. European equity markets are rocking as well, with the DAX once again leading the way, up 2.4%, despite a breakdown in talks between Chancellor Merkel’s CDU and its coalition partner SPD over the nature of the mooted €100 billion German support program. But the rest of Europe is flying as well, with the CAC up 2.0% and both Italy’s and Spain’s main indices higher by about 2.0%. European government bonds are sliding as haven assets are simply no longer required, at least so it seems.

Meanwhile, in Asia, we have seen substantial gains across most markets with China actually the laggard, essentially flat on the day. But, for example, Indonesia’s rupiah has rallied another 2.2% this morning after a record amount of bidding for a government bond auction showed that investors are clearly comfortable heading back to the EMG bloc again. The stock market there jumped 2.0% as well, and a quick look shows the rupiah has regained almost the entirety of the 22% it lost during the crisis and is now down just 1.6% on the year. What a reversal. But it is not just Indonesia that is seeing gains. KRW (+0.7%, -5.0% YTD), PHP (+0.5%, +1.1% YTD) and MYR (+0.35%, -4.0% YTD) are all gaining today as are their stock markets. And while both KRW and MYR remain lower on the year, each has recouped more than half of the losses seen at the height of the crisis.

So, the story seems great here as well, but can these nations continue to support their economies to help offset the destruction of the shutdowns? That seems to vary depending on the nation. South Korea is well prepared as they announced yet another extra budget to add stimulus, and given the country’s underlying finances, they can afford to do so. But the Philippines is a different story, with far less resources to support themselves, although they have availed themselves of IMF support. And Indonesia? Well, clearly, they have no problem selling bonds to investors, so for the short term, things are great. The risk to all this is that the timeline to recovery is extended far longer than currently perceived, and all of that support needs to be repaid before economic activity is back.

The point of all this is that while there is clearly a bullish story to be made for these markets, there are also numerous risks that the bullish case will not come to fruition, even with the best of intentions.

And what about the US? Looking at the stock market one would think that the economy is going gangbusters and things are great. But reading the news, with every headline focused on the ongoing riots across the nation and the destruction of property and businesses, it is hard to see how the latter will help the economy return to a strong pace of growth in the short run. If anything, it promises to delay the reopening of many small businesses and restaurants, which will only exacerbate the current economic malaise.

The other thing that seems out of step with the politics is the underlying belief that there will be another stimulus bill passed by Congress soon. While the House passed a bill several weeks ago, there has been no action in the Senate, nor does there seem to be appetite in the White House for such a bill at this time with both seeming to believe that enough has been done and ending the lockdowns and reopening businesses will be sufficient. But if there are riots in the streets, will ordinary folks really be willing to resume normal activities like shopping and eating out? That seems a hard case to make. While the cause of the riots was a tragedy, the riots themselves have created their own type of tragedy as well, the delay and destruction of an economic rebound. And that will not help anybody.

So, on a day where the dollar is under pressure across the board, along with all haven assets, we have a bit of data to absorb starting with the ADP Employment number (exp -9.0M) and then ISM Non-Manufacturing (44.4) and Factory Orders (-13.4%). The Services and Composite PMI data from Europe that was released earlier showed still awful levels but marginally better results than the preliminary reports. However, it is hard to look at Eurozone PMI at 31.9 and feel like the economy there is set to rebound sharply. Those levels still imply a deep, deep recession.

However, today is clearly all about adding risk to the portfolio, and that means that equities seem likely to continue their rally while the dollar is set to continue to decline. For receivables hedgers, I think we are getting to pretty interesting levels. If nothing else, leave some orders a bit above the market to take advantage.

Good luck
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Negative Views Have Been Banned!

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It’s not clear why anyone thought
That Covid, much havoc had wrought
At least based on stocks
Who’s heterodox
Response ignores data quite fraught

Thus, once more with bulls in command
The stock market’s flames have been fanned
So, risk is appealing,
The dollar is reeling
And negative views have been banned!

Acquiring risk continues to be at the top of investor to-do lists as, once again, despite ongoing calamities worldwide, stock markets continue on their mission to recoup all the losses seen in March. It remains difficult for me to understand the idea that company valuations today should be the same as they were in February, before the global economy came to a screeching halt. Aside from the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who have been thrown out of work, millions of companies will disappear forever, whether it is JC Penney (long overdue) or your favorite local bistro (a calamity if there ever was one.) The commonality between the two is that both employed people who were also consumers, and sans an income, they will be consuming much less.

Given that consumption represented more than 60% of the global economy (>68% in the US), all those companies that cater to consumers are going to find it extremely difficult to generate profits if there are no consumers. It is why the hospitality/leisure sectors of the economy have been devastated world-wide, and all the industries that service those companies, like aircraft manufacturing or construction, have also been hit so hard. If you remove the rose-tinted lenses, it appears that the ongoing risk acquisition remains painfully ignorant of the reality on the ground, and that a revaluation seems more likely than not.

One other thing to consider is this, tax rates. US equity markets have been a huge beneficiary of the tax cuts from 2018 with corporate earnings broadly exploding higher. However, even if one looks past the abyss of the next several quarters of economic destruction, it seems quite likely that we are going to see some big picture changes around the world with regard to distribution of income, i.e. higher corporate (and personal) tax rates and lower EPS. Again, my point is that even if, by 2021, economic activity returns to the level seen in 2019, the share of that value that will be attributed to the corporate sector is destined to be much lower, and with after-tax earnings declines ordained it will be extremely difficult to justify high valuations. So, yes, risk is in the ascendancy today, but it continues to feel as though its time is coming to an end.

And with that sobering thought, let us look at just how risk is performing today. Equity markets around the world followed yesterday’s modest US rally higher with both the Nikkei and Hang Seng rallying a bit more than 1.1%, although Shanghai managed only a 0.2% gain. Meanwhile, Europe is feeling quite perky this morning as funds from around the world are flowing into the single currency as well as equity markets throughout the region. The DAX is leading the way higher, up 4.0%, as plans for a mooted €100 billion government support program are all over the tape. And this is in addition to the EU plan for a €750 billion support package. Thus, talk of a cash for clunkers program is supporting the auto manufacturers, while increases in childcare subsidies and employment support are destined to help the rest of the economy.

But the rest of Europe is also rocking, with the CAC +2.2% and both Italy and Spain seeing 2.5% gains in their major indices. Surprisingly, the FTSE 100 is the laggard, up only 1.1%, as concerns over a hard Brexit start to reappear. The current thinking seems to be that even if a hard Brexit causes a poor economic outcome, Boris will be able to blame everything on Covid-19 thus hiding the costs, at least to the bulk of the population. After all, it will not be easy to disentangle the problems caused by Covid from those caused by a hard Brexit for the average bloke.

As I type, US futures are also reversing earlier losses and are now higher by roughly 0.5% across the board. Bond markets, once again, remain extremely uninteresting, at least in the 10-year sector, as yields continue to trade in narrow ranges. In fact, since mid-April, the 10-year Treasury has had a range of just 15bps top to bottom, again, despite extraordinary economic disruption. This same pattern holds true for all the haven bonds as central banks around the world control the activity there and prevent any substantial volatility. In fact, it is becoming increasingly clear that the signaling effect of government bond yields is diminishing rapidly. After all, what information is available regarding investor preferences if yields are pegged by the central bank?

Finally, turning to the dollar we see another day of virtually universal weakness. AUD is the top G10 performer today after the RBA appeared a tad more hawkish last night, leaving policy unchanged but also describing a wait and see approach before making any further decisions. So, while some are calling for further ease Down Under, that does not appear to be on the cards for now. NOK is next on the list, rallying 0.65% as oil prices continue their strong performance of the past 6 weeks. Then comes the pound, up 0.6% this morning after a more than 1% rally yesterday. This is far more perplexing given the growing concerns over a hard Brexit, which will almost certainly result in the pound declining sharply. Remember, as it currently stands, if there is no agreement between the UK and EU by the end of June to extend the current trade negotiations, then a deal must be done by December 31, 2020 or it’s a hard Brexit. Discussions with traders leads me to believe that we have seen a massive short squeeze in the pound vs. both the euro and the dollar. If this is the case, then we are likely looking at some pretty good levels for hedgers to take advantage.

In the EMG space, the board is almost entirely green as well, with IDR (+1.35%) atop the list with MYR (+1.0%) and MXN (+0.9%) following close behind. The rupiah has gained as Indonesia is preparing plans to reopen the economy as soon as they can, deciding that the economic devastation is worse than the disease. Meanwhile, both MYR and MXN are beneficiaries of the oil rally with the ruble (+0.65%) not far behind. In fact, the entire space save the TWD (-0.15%) is firmer this morning. As an aside, TWD seems to be feeling a little pressure from the ongoing US-China trade spat, but despite its modest decline, it has been extremely stable overall.

There is no US data on the schedule for today, so FX markets will continue to take their cues from equities. At this point, that still points in the direction of a weaker dollar as risk continues to be acquired. Despite the currency rallies we have seen in the past weeks, most currencies are still lower vs. the greenback YTD. If you are convinced that the worst is behind us, then the dollar has further to fall. But any reversion to a risk-off sentiment is likely to see the dollar reassert itself, and potentially quite quickly.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Yesterday’s Mess

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As riots engulf the US
The stock market’s feeling no stress
The bond market’s flat
The dollar’s gone splat
And Covid is yesterday’s mess

Risk is on this morning, and it appears that neither riots across most major cities in the US nor increased tensions between the US and China will do anything to dissuade investors from that mantra. I guess TINA is alive and well and living in every major financial center around the world. Of course, she does have a sugar daddy, the central bank community, who continue to spend on her by pumping massive amounts of liquidity into markets while cutting interest rates ever lower. Since April 1st, when lockdowns were beginning to spread rapidly around the world and social distancing became the watchword for personal interactions, every major equity market worldwide is higher, most by double digit percentages. Even Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index is higher by 0.5% in that time, despite the fact that China has changed the law regarding the island’s quasi-independent status and certainly undermined a great deal of trust in the sanctity of private property there.

So why should today be any different than what we have seen for the past two months? One thought was all the rioting in the US. While there is absolutely no justification for the behavior of the Minneapolis policeman whose actions triggered this situation, there is also no justification for the looting and destruction of private property across the country. And, consider the timing; just as many businesses were starting to prepare to reopen, along comes a mob with the result being massive destruction of private property. This will certainly slow down the reopening of the economy to everyone’s detriment. I guess using the ‘broken windows’ theory of economics, the repair of all that damage and destruction will increase economic activity and be a net positive. (Alas, in 1850, Frederic Bastiat showed the fallacy in that theory by simply asking what those resources could have been used for had they not been needed to repair something that was perfectly fine beforehand.) The point is, the riots are a clear net negative to the economy.

And yet, after nearly two months of an incapacitated economy, which brought with it record unemployment levels along with record low readings across almost every economic statistic, the idea that equity markets around the world have recouped nearly two-thirds of the losses seen when the impact of Covid-19 was just beginning to be recognized is remarkable. Add to that equation the increasing tensions between the US and China, not merely the Hong Kong situation but also word that China is now halting purchases of US agricultural products and the potential death knell of the phase one trade agreement, and one is left scratching their head as to exactly what basis investors are using to make decisions. Since economic activity is clearly not the current driver, the only other choice is an unshakeable belief that the central banks, notably the Fed, will never allow the stock markets to decline substantially.

But that is where we are this morning, with equity markets in Asia having rallied after Friday’s presidential press conference made only vague threats about US retaliation for China’s actions regarding Hong Kong. In fact, the Hang Seng was the leading gainer, up 3.35%, but Shanghai (+2.2%) and the Nikkei (+0.85%) also enjoyed gains. Europe has generally followed along with both the CAC and FTSE 100 higher by 1.1% this morning. However, the DAX is having a more difficult session, falling 1.6% after final May PMI data showed Germany is lagging the Eurozone’s overall growth response. Meanwhile, US futures are basically flat on the day although they have rallied back from earlier losses in the overnight session.

Bond markets are behaving as one would expect in a risk-on session, with yields generally higher (Treasury +1bp, Bunds +3bps) but risk bonds, like Italian BTP’s seeing buying interest and declining yields (-3bps). In fact, another possible explanation for the DAX’s difficulties is the growing realization that Germany is going to be supporting all of the rest of Europe financially, which likely means that German companies may see less government support.

Finally, FX markets are really showing the diminished concerns regarding risk across all markets. Remember, during the peak of the concerns in March, foreign companies and countries were desperate to get access to dollars to continue servicing the trillions of dollars of USD denominated debt they had outstanding. As the basis moved further against them, they ultimately simply bought dollars in the FX market to satisfy those claims. Naturally, the dollar rallied strongly on all that demand. But to the rescue rode Jay Powell and his $4 trillion of liquidity and, voilá, the need to hoard dollars disappeared. So, with that in mind, one cannot be surprised that the dollar is softer across the board this morning.

Starting with the G10, Aussie is leading the way higher, up 0.95%, after its PMI data printed slightly better than expected and the market turns its attention to the RBA’s meeting this evening, where expectations are for no further policy ease for the time being. But we are also seeing strength in CAD (+0.5%), NZD (+0.4%) and GBP (+0.3%), as a combination of firming commodity prices and modest upward revisions to PMI data have helped underpin sentiment. The rest of the bloc is actually higher, but by 0.1% or less, and hardly worth mentioning.

In the EMG bloc, KRW (+1.1%) leads the way after announcing a $62 billion economic support package to help further mitigate the impact of Covid on the economy. That news was seen as far more important than the fact that their export data continues to crater amid ongoing slowdowns in global trade. But we are also seeing strength in RUB (+0.9%) and MXN (+0.75%) with the ruble benefitting from government encouragement for citizens to vacation in Russia rather than traveling abroad (thus reducing supply of RUB on the market) while the peso seems to simply be following its recent strengthening trend (+11.5% in May) amid an overall sense of dollar weakness. But here, too, the entire bloc is in the green, with the dollar simply under pressure universally.

Turning to the data front, this will be a big week as Friday brings the latest employment picture. But leading up to that, we have plenty to see as follows:

Today ISM Manufacturing 43.7
  ISM Prices Paid 42.0
Wednesday ADP Employment -9.0M
  Factory Orders -14.2%
  ISM Non- Manufacturing 44.5
Thursday Initial Claims 1.8M
  Continuing Claims 19.04M
  Trade Balance -$49.1B
Friday Nonfarm Payrolls -8.0M
  Private Payrolls -7.65M
  Manufacturing Payrolls -400K
  Unemployment Rate 19.6%
  Average Hourly Earnings 0.9% (8.5% Y/Y)
  Average Weekly Hours 34.3

Source: Bloomberg

In addition to this data, tonight we hear from the RBA and Thursday brings the ECB, where expectations are for a €500 billion increase in the PEPP program to go along with the EU’s €750 billion spending program. Meanwhile, the Fed is in their quiet period ahead of the June 10th meeting, so, mercifully, we will not hear from any Fed speakers all week. Obviously, all eyes will be focused on Friday’s employment report in the US, but I sense that the ECB is really this week’s biggest event. Until then, the momentum certainly seems to be in favor of more risk, and accordingly, a softer dollar this week.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

A Line in the Sand

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The news out of Europe is grand
A virus response is now planned
Except for the fact
It’s not widely backed
It might draw a line in the sand

As well, what the data has shown
Is hope for the future has grown
Most surveys explain
The worst of the pain
Is past, though there’s much to bemoan

Equity markets continue to power ahead in most nations as the ongoing belief remains the worst of the damage from the global shutdowns is past, and that activity will quickly return to pre-virus levels given the extraordinary support promulgated by governments and central banks around the world. For example, Italian Consumer Confidence fell only to 94.3, a far better result than the 90.0 expected. Similarly, Eurozone Economic Confidence edged higher, to 67.5 from April’s revised 64.9 reading, also offering the chance that the worst is behind us. In fact, we have seen this pattern repeatedly over the past several weeks, where May readings (Empire Mfg, Philly Fed, Michigan Sentiment) rebounded from the extraordinary levels seen in March and April, although they remain at levels associated with extremely deep recessions. And maybe, hopefully, that is exactly what this data means. The bottom is in and it is straight up from here. Of course, the slope of this recovery line remains highly uncertain.

This morning we have also learned a bit more detail about the last major economy to announce a support package, as the EU’s mooted €750 billion package will be combined with €1.1 trillion of additional spending by the EU from its own budget…over the next seven years. That’s right, the EU has determined that the best way to support its member nations in the midst of a crisis is to promise to spend some additional money for nearly the next decade. And when you do the math, this stimulus adds up to less than 1% of the EU’s annual GDP, by far the smallest effort made by any major government. Adding injury to this insulting package is the fact that it remains highly uncertain as to whether even this can get enacted.

Remember, the underlying problem in Europe remains that the frugal north has been unwilling to support the profligate south. In fact, the telling comment was from a Dutch diplomat where he said, “Negotiations will take time. It’s difficult to imagine this proposal will be the end-state of those negotiations.” So, the headline spin is Europe is finally getting around to putting up some economic aid directly to those nations in greatest need. But the reality remains far from that outcome. Markets, of course, are happy to believe the words until they are proven wrong, but history suggests that the promised €1.85 trillion in total aid will actually be far less than that in the end.

Will it matter if the money never comes? Perhaps not. Perhaps, the natural course of events will see growth start to pick up again and demands for government support will fade into the background. Of course, it seems equally likely that EU support will be delivered by flying pigs. But hey, you never know!

Turning to markets now, risk remains the place to be for investors as equity rallies continue unabated. After another standout performance in the US yesterday, Asia did well (Nikkei +2.3%, Australia +1.3%), except for Hong Kong, where the Hang Seng fell 0.7% after the Chinese National People’s Congress approved (by 2,878-1) the measure allowing China to crack down directly on Hong Kong’s citizens regarding subversion, secession and terrorism, if deemed to be necessary by Beijing. This has opened yet another front of disagreement between the US and China and simply served to elevate tensions further. As yet, the situation remains a war of words and financial actions (like tariffs), but the situation appears to be edging closer to a point where a more kinetic outcome is possible. If that were the case, you can be sure that Covid headlines would become page 6 news and markets would need to reevaluate their current bullish stance.

Meanwhile, European markets have responded positively to the promise of EU support with all markets there higher by between 0.5% (DAX) and 1.7% (Italy’s FTSE MIB). This makes perfect sense as Italy will certainly be the largest beneficiary of the EU program while Germany will simply be picking up the tab. And finally, as I type, US futures are mixed with the Dow higher by 0.5% while NASDAQ futures are lower by -.4%.

Interestingly, bond markets around the world have rallied alongside stocks with yields edging lower in the US, 10-year Treasury is down 1 basis point, but seeing much greater price gains (yield declines) throughout Europe where France (-5bps), Spain (-4bps) and Greece (-3.5bps) are leading the way. Even bunds have seen yields decline, down 2.5bps, on the back of ongoing weakness in German regional CPI readings.

And what of the dollar, you may ask. In truth, today is the very definition of a mixed session. In the G10, four currencies have edged lower by about 0.1% (CHF, NOK, CAD, AUD) while two have edged higher, SEK +0.2%, NZD +0.1%, and the rest are essentially unchanged. With movement this small, there is no specific story driving things.

The EMG bloc has seen a similar split with gainers and losers, but here there has been a bit more substance to the moves. The worst performer is Turkey, with the lira down 0.6% after data showed Central bank borrowing continued to increase as the country tries to stockpile hard-currency reserves. But we also saw KRW decline 0.45% after the BOK cut rates to 0.50%, a new record low, and promised to do even more if necessary, implying that QE is on the table next. On the plus side, CZK has been the biggest gainer, up 0.4% after their government financing auction drew a bid-to-cover ratio of 10.72, demonstrating real demand for the currency.

On the data front, we see a great deal here at home as follows: Initial Claims (exp 2.1M), Continuing Claims (25.7M), Durable Goods (-19.0%, -15.0% ex transport) and Q1 GDP (-4.8%) all at 8:30. With the market clearly looking forward, not back, despite what will certainly be horrific data, it seems unlikely that there will be much reaction unless there is a real outlier from these expectations. Remember, the working assumption is already that Q2 GDP is going to be record-breaking in its depths, so will any of these really change opinions? My guess is no.

Overall, the dollar has been under pressure for the past two weeks and as long as risk appetite remains robust, I think that situation will apply.

Good luck and stay safe
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More Than a Molehill

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The House passed a stimulus bill
With price tag of more than three trill
Japan’s latest play
Three billion a day
Adds up to more than a molehill

But turning to Europe we find
Their efforts are quite ill-designed
Despite desperate needs
The trouble exceeds
The laws that their treaties enshrined

Apparently, it’s Stimulus Day today, a little-known holiday designed by politicians to announce new fiscal stimulus measures to great fanfare. At least, that’s what it seems like anyway. Last night, Japanese PM Abe announced Japan’s second extra stimulus package in just over a month, this one with a price tag of ¥117 trillion, or roughly $1.1 trillion at today’s exchange rate (which, if you do the math works out to just over $3 billion/day over the course of a year). For an economy with a total GDP of ~$4.9 trillion, that is a huge amount of extra money.

The BOJ has explained that they will not allow JGB yields to rise, which means that they are going to mop up all the issuance and the market (or what’s left of it) clearly believes them as 10-year JGB yields actually fell 1bp last night and are currently trading at -0.006%. It is certainly no imposition for the Japanese government to borrow money from the BOJ as it is essentially a free loan. The impact on the Nikkei was mildly positive, with the index rallying 0.7%, while the yen has edged lower by a mere 0.15% and remains firmly ensconced in its 106-108 range.

And one last thing, Japan lifted its state of emergency, as well, meaning lockdowns continue to dissipate around the world. Of course, the thing about stimulus during the Days of Covid is that it is not designed to boost growth so much as designed to replace activity that was prevented by government lockdowns. Unfortunately, none of the measures announced anywhere in the world will be able to fully offset the impact of all those closures, and so despite governments’ best efforts, the global economy is set to shrink in 2020.

But on this Stimulus Day, we cannot ignore what is likely a far more important piece of news emanating from Europe, the creation of a €750 billion (~$825 billion) fiscal stimulus package consisting of €500 billion of grants and the rest of loans. While the size of this package is dwarfed by the Japanese efforts, despite the fact that the EU represents an economy with GDP of more than €14.3 trillion, the importance stems from the fact that part of the funding will come from joint debt issuance. This, of course, has been the holy grail for the entirety of southern Europe as well as the French. Because this means that the Germans (and Dutch and Austrians) are going to pay for the rest of the continent’s problems. And since those three nations are the only ones that can afford to do so, it is certainly a big deal.

The timing of this cannot be ignored either as ECB President Lagarde, just this morning, informed the world that of the ECB’s GDP forecasts last month, the mild downturn scenario is now “out of date”, with a much greater likelihood that GDP will decline between 8% and 12% in 2020. The market response has been clear with the euro rallying 0.8% on the news and now higher by 0.3% on the day, and back above 1.10. Yields on the debt of the PIGS have also fallen nicely since the news hit the tape, with all four nations seeing a 5-6bp decline. And European equity markets, which seem to have anticipated the news, have climbed a bit further, and are now all higher by more than 1.25% with Spain’s IBEX leading the way, up 2.25%.

I guess the question is will the US Senate join in the festivities (you recall the House already passed a $3 trillion package last week) and agree to at least discuss the idea, although they have made clear the House bill is a non-starter. The thing is, as has been evidenced by the recent stock market performance in the US, there are many that believe no further government stimulus is needed in the US. Optimism in the stock market has been driven by optimism that the gradual reopening of the economy in certain states will start to accelerate and that before too long, the lockdown period will end. Along those lines, Los Angeles mayor, Eric Garcetti, last night decided that small retail stores would be allowed to open today. Similarly, New York mayor Bill DiBlasio has now said that the first steps toward reopening could take place in the second week of June. The point is, if economic activity is going to start to rekindle on its own, why is further stimulus needed.

With this as background, we have seen a pretty substantial reversal in the FX market this morning, mostly since the EU stimulus announcement. While the yen has not moved, the G10 has seen currencies reverse course from a 0.3%-0.5% decline to similar sized gains. In other words, the market has seen this as further evidence that risk is to be acquired at all costs. Certainly, if the EU can figure out how to effectively fund its weakest members without causing a political uproar in the Teutonic trio, then one of the key negative fundamentals for the single currency will have been corrected. This works hand in hand with my view of increasingly negative real interest rates in the US as a driver of medium-term dollar weakness. While I don’t expect the euro to run away higher, this is certainly very positive news.

Meanwhile, those EMG currencies whose markets are open have all reversed course as well, with the CE4 higher by an average of 0.45%, having been lower by a similar amount before the announcement. APAC currencies, which had suffered a bit overnight, have not had a chance to react to the news as their local markets had closed before the report. I expect that, ceteris paribus, they will perform better tonight. The one currency, though, that is not performing well today is the Chinese renminbi, and more specifically CNH, the offshore version. It is lower by -.35%, having fallen early in last night’s session as tensions continue to increase between the US and China. As I have maintained for a very long period, the currency is an important outlet for Chinese economic imbalances and further weakness is a far more likely outcome than a reversal anytime soon.

Yesterday’s housing data in the US was surprisingly robust, with New Home Sales falling far less than expected. Today, the only real release will be the Fed’s Beige Book at 2:00, which might be interesting, but can be expected to paint a very dire picture of the regional economies. But none of that matters anymore. The future is clearly much brighter this morning as the combination of Japanese and EU stimulus along with additional easing of US restrictions has investors primed to use all that stimulus money and pump up asset prices even further. What could possibly go wrong?

Good luck and stay safe
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‘Twas Nothing At All

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Does anyone here still recall
When Covid had cast a great pall
On markets and life
While causing much strife?
Me neither, ‘twas nothing at all!

One can only marvel at the way the financial markets have been able to rally on the same story time and again during the past two years. First it was the trade talks. After an initial bout of concern that growing trade tensions between the US and China would derail the global economy led to a decline in global equity market indices, about every other day we heard from President Trump that talks were going very well, that a Phase One deal was imminent and that everything would be great. And despite virtually no movement on the subject for months, those comments were sufficient to drive stock prices higher every time they were made. Of course, we all know that a phase one deal was, in fact, reached and signed, but it occurred a scant week before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.

What has been truly remarkable is that the market’s reaction to the virus has followed almost the exact same pattern. Once it became clear that Covid-19 was going to be a big deal, causing significant disruption throughout the world, stock prices tumbled in a series of extraordinary sessions in March and early April. But since then, we have seen a powerful rally back to within a few percent of the all-time highs set in February. And these days, every rally is based on the exact same story; to wit, some company [insert name here] is on the cusp of creating a successful Covid vaccine and things will be back to normal soon.

So, as almost all of us continue to work from home, shelter in place and maintain our social distance, investors (gamblers?) have discerned that everything is just fine, and that economic recovery is on the way. And maybe they are right. Maybe history is going to look back on this time and show it was an extremely large disruption, but an extremely short-term one that had almost no long-term impact. But, boy, that seems like a hard picture to paint if you simply look at the data and understand how economies work.

Every day we see data that describes how extraordinary the impact of government lockdown policies has been, with rampant unemployment, virtual halts in manufacturing, complete halts in group entertainment and bankruptcies of erstwhile venerable companies. And every day the global equity markets rally on the prospect of a new vaccine being discovered. I get that markets are forward looking, but they certainly seem blind to the extent of damage already inflicted and what that means for the future. Even if activities went back to exactly the way they were before the outbreak, the fact remains that many businesses are no longer in existence. They could not withstand the complete absence of revenues for an extended period of time, and so have been permanently shuttered. And while new businesses will rise to take their place, that is not an overnight process. It seems thin gruel to rally on the fact that Germany’s IFO Expectations Index rallied from its historically worst print (69.4) to its second worst print (80.1), but slightly higher than expected. Or that the GfK Consumer Confidence managed the same feat (-23.4 to -18.9). Both of these data points are correlated with extremely deep recessions.

And yet, that is the situation in which we find ourselves. The dichotomy between extremely weak economic activity and a strong belief that not only is the worst behind us, but that the damage inflicted has been modest, at best. Today is a perfect example of that situation with risk firmly in the ascendancy after the long holiday weekend.

Equity markets are on fire, rallying sharply in Asia (Nikkei +2.5%, Hang Seng +1.9%, Shanghai +1.0%) despite the fact that there is evidence that a second wave of infections is growing in China and may once again force the government there to shut down large swathes of the economy. Europe, too, is rocking with the FTSE 100 (+1.2%) leading the way although gains seen across the board (DAX +0.6%, CAC +1.1%). And US futures would not dare to be left out of this rally, with all three indices up around 2.0%. Meanwhile, Treasury yields are higher by 3.5 basis points with German bund yields higher by 6bps. Of course, Italy, Portugal and Greece have all seen their yields slide as those bond markets behave far more like risk assets than havens.

I would be remiss to ignore the commodity markets which have seen oil rally a further 2.25% this morning, back to $34/bbl and the highest point since the gap down at the beginning of this process back in early March. Gold, on the other hand, is a bit softer, down 0.3%, but remains firmly above $1700/oz as many investors continue to look at central bank activity and register concern over the future value of any fiat currency.

And then there is the dollar, which has fallen almost across the board overnight, and is substantially lower than where we left it Friday afternoon. In the G10 space, AUD (+1.3%) and NZD (+1.5%) are the leaders on the back of broadly positive risk sentiment helped by a better than expected Trade Surplus in New Zealand along with a larger than expected rebound in the ANZ Consumer Confidence Index, to its second lowest reading in history. But the pound is higher by 1.1% on prospects of an end to the nationwide lockdown in the UK. And in fact, other than the yen, which is unchanged, the rest of the bloc is firmer by 0.5% or more, largely on the positive risk sentiment.

In the emerging markets, the runaway winner is the Mexican peso, up 2.7% since Friday’s close as a combination of higher oil prices, a more hawkish Banxico than expected and growing belief that the US, its major export partner, is reopening has led to a huge short-squeeze in the FX markets. In the past week, the peso has recouped nearly 7% of its losses this year and is now down a mere 14.5% year-to-date. Helping the story is the just released GDP number for Q1, which showed a decline of only -1.2%, better than the initially reported -1.6%. But we are also seeing strength throughout the EMG bloc, with PLN (+1.8%), BRL (+1.6%) and ZAR (+1.2%) all putting in strong performances. Risk sentiment is clearly strong today.

Into this voracious risk appetite, we will see a great deal of data this holiday-shortened week as follows:

Today Case Shiller Home Prices 3.40%
  New Home Sales 480K
  Consumer Confidence 87.0
Wednesday Fed’s Beige Book  
Thursday Initial Claims 2.1M
  Continuing Claims 25.75M
  Q1 GDP -4.8%
  Q1 Personal Consumption -7.5%
  Durable Goods -19.8%
  -ex transport -15.0%
Friday Personal Income -6.5%
  Personal Spending -12.8%
  Core PCE Deflator -0.3% (1.1% Y/Y)
  Chicago PMI 40.0
  Michigan Sentiment 74.0

Source: Bloomberg

In addition to the plethora of data, we hear from six different Fed speakers, including Chairman Powell on Friday morning. On this front, however, the entire FOMC has been consistent, explaining that they will continue to do what they deem necessary, that they have plenty of ammunition left, and that the immediate future of the economy will be awful, but things will improve over time.

In the end, risk is being snapped up like it is going out of style this morning, as both investors and traders continue to look across the abyss. I hope they are right…I fear they are not. But as long as they continue to behave in this manner, the dollar will remain under pressure. It rallied a lot this year, so there is ample room for it to decline further.

Good luck and stay safe
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Won’t Be Repaid

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Said Merkel and French Prez Macron
This calls for a grant, not a loan
When speaking of aid
That won’t be repaid
By nations where Covid’s full-blown

The euro is firmer this morning, up a further 0.35% after yesterday’s 0.9% rally, as the market responds to the news that German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emanuel Macron have agreed on a plan for EU-wide assistance to all members. This is the first time that there has been German support for a plan that includes grants to nations, not loans to be repaid, and that these grants are to be distributed to the membership, not based on the capital key, but rather based on where the money is needed most. The funding will come from debt issued by the European Commission and paid out of that entity’s budget. In sum, while this is not actually Eurozone bond issuance, it is a clear step in that direction.

Of course, nothing in the EU is easy, and this is no different. Immediately upon the announcement, Austrian Chancellor Kurz explained that there is no path forward for grants, and that Austria is happy to lend money to those countries in need. Too, the Dutch, Danes and Finns are none too happy about this outcome, but with Germany on board, it will be very difficult to fight. Even so, French FinMin LeMaire made it clear that it will take time to complete the procedure (and he is 100% behind the idea) with the first funds not likely available before early 2021.

However, the importance of this step cannot be underestimated. The tension within the Eurozone has always revolved around how much Germany and its frugal northern neighbors would be willing to pay to the more profligate south in order to maintain the euro as a functioning currency. When looking at which nations benefit most from the single currency, Germany tops the list as the euro is certainly weaker than the Deutschemark would have been in its stead, and thus Germany’s export industries, and by extension its economic performance, have benefitted significantly. It appears that Chancellor Merkel and her administration have now done the math and decided that spending some money to maintain that export advantage is a smart investment. While in the past I have been suspect of the euro’s longevity, this appears to be the first step toward a joint fiscal policy resulting in a far stronger basis for the euro. While there will no doubt be rough seas for this process ahead, if Germany and France are on board, they will ultimately drag everyone else along. This is arguably the most bullish long-term euro story since its creation two decades ago.

The other bullish news for markets yesterday was the announcement that a tiny biotech company in Massachusetts, Moderna Inc, with just 25 employees (although a $29 billion market cap) has seen extremely positive results from a Covid vaccine trial. Apparently, it not only does the job, but does so with limited side effects to boot. While it has yet to undergo larger phase 2 and phase 3 trials, it is certainly extremely bullish news.

The combination of these stories was extremely beneficial for risk assets yesterday, which explains the 3+% rallies in US equity indices, the sell-off in Treasuries (10-year yields rose 7bps) and the dollar’s overall weakness. That bullishness followed through overnight with Asian equity markets gaining nicely (Nikkei +1.5%, Hang Seng +1.9%, Shanghai +0.8%) and Europe starting in the green as well. However, those early gains in Europe have turned red now, with what appears to be profit taking after yesterday’s substantial gains. Clearly, European equity markets were the main beneficiaries of the Franco-German announcement on debt although Italian debt has not done too badly either, with yields on 10-year BTP’s falling 22bps since Friday’s close.

Put it all together and we have a very positive backdrop for the near-term. While data continues to be dreadful, with today’s poster child being the 856K jump in Jobless Claims in the UK last month, we already know the market is looking through the bad news toward the recovery. Of much more importance to market sentiment is the prospect for the reopening of economies around the world. This is where the vaccine story supports everything, because undoubtedly, if there was a widely available vaccine, the stories of devastation would diminish and confidence would quickly return. And while there will certainly be changes in the way people behave going forward, they are not likely to be as dramatic as once imagined. After all, if people are confident they are immune to Covid-19 after a vaccination, they will likely return to their previous lifestyle as quickly as they can.

So, with that overall bullish framework, we cannot be surprised that the other key haven assets, the dollar and the yen, are under pressure this morning. Yesterday’s dollar weakness has extended this morning virtually across the board. In the G10 space, it is the high beta currencies, NZD (+0.85%) and SEK (+0.6%) leading the way, but even the pound, after that terrible employment data, is higher by 0.5%. Only the yen (-0.2%) has ceded ground to the dollar this morning in what is clearly a straight risk-on session.

The EMG bloc is much the same, with every currency on the board firmer vs. the dollar this morning led by HUF (+1.4%) and CZK (+1.2%) as clear beneficiaries of the mooted EU financing program. Remember, this €500 billion can be spent anywhere desired by the Commission. But we are also seeing commodity currencies benefit as MXN (+1.0%) and ZAR (+0.8%) continue to perform well. In fact, over the past two sessions, one is hard-pressed to find a currency that has not appreciated vs. the dollar.

On the data front, beyond the awful UK data, we did see a much better than expected German ZEW Expectations outcome, printing at 51.0, although the current conditions index remains horrendous at -93.5. But the future is much brighter this morning, adding to the euro’s strength. At home, we see Housing Starts (exp 900K) and Building Permits (1000K), neither of which is likely to have a big impact, although stronger than expected data would surely add to the overall positive risk feeling this morning.

As well, Chairman Powell will be testifying to the Senate Banking Committee, but after Sunday night’s performance it is not clear what they will ask that he has not already answered. The Fed is all-in to do everything possible to support the economy. Arguably, the bigger question is will they be able to stop once things have evidently turned better. History shows that once government programs get going, they are virtually indestructible. In this instance, that implies ongoing Fed largesse far past when it is needed, thus much lower interest rates than are appropriate. Combine negative real rates in the US with a bullish structural story in the EU and we have the recipe for a much weaker dollar over time. This week could well be the beginning of a new trend.

Good luck and stay safe
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Our Fears

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Said Powell, it may take two years
Ere Covid’s impact finally clears
All central banks pleaded
More spending is needed
But really, it’s down to our fears

Fed Chairman Powell continues to be the face of the global response to the Covid-19 economic disruption. Last night, in a 60 Minutes interview broadcast nationwide, he said, “Assuming there’s not a second wave of the coronavirus, I think you’ll see the economy recover steadily through the second half of this year. For the economy to fully recover, people will have to be fully confident, and that may have to await the arrival of a vaccine.” He also explained that the Fed still has plenty of ammunition to continue supporting the economy, although he was clear that fiscal policy had a hugely important role to play and would welcome further efforts by the government on that score. Tomorrow, he will be testifying before the Senate Banking Committee where the Republican leadership has indicated they would prefer to wait and watch to see how the CARES act has fared before opting to double down.

In the meantime, it does appear that the spread of the virus has slowed more substantially. In addition, we continue to see more state governors reopening parts of their local economies on an ad hoc basis. And globally, restrictions are being lifted throughout Europe and parts of Asia as the infection curve truly seems to be in decline. It is this latter aspect that seems to be the current theory as to why there will be a V-shaped recovery which is supporting equity markets globally.

But when considering the prospects of a V, it is critical to remember this important feature of the math behind investing. A 10% decline requires an 11.1% recovery just to return to the previous level. And as the decline grows in size, the size of the recovery needs to be that much larger. For instance, the Atlanta Fed’s latest GDPNow forecast is calling for a, very precise, 42.81% contraction in Q2. If that were to come to pass, it means that a recovery to the previous level will require a 74.8% rebound! While the down leg of this economic contraction is clearly shaped like the left-hand side of a V, it seems highly unlikely that the speed of the recovery will approach the same pace. The final math lesson is that if Q3 were to rebound 42.81%, it would still leave the economy at just under 82% of its previous level. In other words, still in depression.

However, math is clearly not the strong suit of the investment community these days, as once again this morning, we continue to see a strong equity market performance. In fact, we have seen a strong performance in equities, bonds, gold, oil, and virtually everything else that can be bought. One explanation for this behavior would be that investors are concerned that the current QE Infinity programs across nations are going to debase currencies everywhere and so the best solution is to own assets with a chance for appreciation. While historically, the flaw in that theory would be the bond market, which should be selling off dramatically on this sentiment, it seems that the knowledge that central banks are going to continue to mop up all the excess issuance is seen as reason enough to continue to hold fixed income. With that in mind, I would have to characterize today’s session is a risk grab-a-thon.

The Brits and the EU have met
With no progress really made yet
The British are striving
To just keep trade thriving
The EU’s a different mindset

Meanwhile, remember Brexit? With all the focus on Covid, it is not surprising that this issue had moved to the back of the market’s collective consciousness. It has not, however, disappeared. If you recall, the terms of the UK exit were that a deal needs to be reached by the end of this year and that if there is to be another extension, that must be agreed by the end of June. Well, it seems that Boris is sticking to his guns that he will not countenance an extension and has instructed his negotiators to focus on a trade deal only. The EU, however, apparently still doesn’t accept that Brexit occurred and is seeking a deal that essentially requires the UK to remain beholden to the European Court of Justice as well as to adhere to all EU conditions on issues like the environment and diversity. The result is that the negotiations have become a game of chicken with a very real, and growing, probability that we will still have the feared hard Brexit come December. In a funny way, Covid could be a blessing for PM Johnson’s Brexit strategy, because given the negative impact already in play, at the margin, Brexit is not likely to make a significant difference. Arguably, it is the growing realization that a hard Brexit is back on the table that has undermined the pound’s performance lately. Despite a marginal 0.1% gain this morning, the pound is the worst performing G10 currency this month, down about 4.0%. At this time, I see no reason for the pound to reverse these losses barring a change in the tone of the negotiations.

As to this morning’s session, the overall bullish tone to most markets has left the dollar on the sidelines. It is firmer against some currencies, weaker vs. others with no clear patterns, and in truth, most movement has been limited. The biggest gainer today has been RUB, which has rallied 1.0% on the strength of oil’s 8% rally. In fact, oil is back over $30/bbl for the first time in two months. Not surprisingly we are seeing strength in MXN (+0.75%) and ZAR (+0.65%) as well on the same commodity rally story. On the flipside, APAC currencies were the main losers with MYR (-0.5%) and INR (-0.45%) the worst of the bunch as Covid infections are making a comeback in the area. In the G10 bloc, NOK (+0.75%) and AUD (+0.7%) are the leaders as they, too, benefit most from commodity strength.

On the data front, last night saw Japanese GDP print at -3.4% annualized, confirming the technical recession that has begun there. (Remember, Q4 was a disaster, -7.3%, because of the imposition of the national sales tax increase.) Otherwise, there were no hard data points from Europe at all. Looking ahead to this week, it is a muted schedule focused on housing.

Tuesday Housing Starts 923K
  Building Permits 1000K
Wednesday FOMC Minutes  
Thursday Initial Claims 2.425M
  Continuing Claims 23.5M
  Philly Fed -40.0
  Leading Indicators -5.7%
  Existing Home Sales 4.30M

Source: Bloomberg

In truth, with the market still reacting to Powell’s recent comments, and his testimony on Tuesday, as well as comments from another six Fed members, I would argue that this week is all about them. For now, the V-shaped rebound narrative continues to be the driver. If the Fed speakers start to sound a bit less optimistic, that could bode ill for the bulls, but likely bode well for the dollar. If not, I imagine the dollar will remain under a bit of pressure for now.

Good luck and stay safe
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Trade is the Word

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Remember last year when Phase One
Was all that was needed to run
The stock market higher,
Light bears’ hair on fire
And help all the bulls to have fun?

Well, once again trade is the word
Investors are claiming has spurred
Their risk appetite
Both morning and night
While earnings and growth are deferred

Another day, another rally in equity markets as the bulls now point to revamped conversations between the US and China regarding trade as the critical feature to return the economy to a growth stance. Covid-19 was extremely effective at disrupting the phase one trade deal on two fronts. First, given a key part of the deal was the promise of substantial agricultural purchases by China, the closure of their economy in February and corresponding inability to import virtually anything, put paid to that part of the deal. Then there was the entire issue about the origin of Covid-19, and President Trump’s insistence on ascribing blame to the Chinese for its spread. Certainly, that did not help relations.

But yesterday, the White House described renewed discussions between senior officials to help ensure that the trade deal remains on track. Apparently, there was a phone conversation including Chinese Premier, Liu He, and both Treasury Secretary Mnuchin and Trade Rep Lighthizer last night. And this is the story on the lips of every buyer in the market. The thesis here is quite simple, US economic output will be goosed by a ramp up by the Chinese in buying products. Recall, they allegedly promised to purchase in excess of $50 billion worth of agricultural goods, as well as focus on the prevention of IP theft and open their economy further. Covid slowed their purchases significantly, so now, in order to meet their obligations, they need to dramatically increase their buying pace, thus supporting US growth. It’s almost as though last year’s news is driving this year’s market.

Nonetheless, that is the situation and yesterday’s US performance has carried over through Asia (Nikkei +2.6%, Hang Seng +1.0%, Shanghai + 0.8%) and on into Europe (DAX +0.9%, CAC + 0.8%). Not to worry, US futures are right in line, with all three indices currently higher by just over 1.0%.

Bond markets are rallying today as well, which after yesterday’s rally and the broader risk sentiment seems a bit out of place. But 10-year Treasury yields are down 10bps in the past two sessions, with this morning’s price action worth 3bps. Bunds have seen a similar, albeit not quite as large, move, with yields falling 5bps since Wednesday and down 1.5bps today. In the European market, though, today’s big story is Italy, where Moody’s is due to release its latest credit ratings update this afternoon. Moody’s currently has Italy rated Baa3, the lowest investment grade rating, and there is a risk that they cut Italy to junk status. However, we are seeing broad optimism in markets this morning. In fact, Italian BTP yields have fallen (bonds rallied) 8bps this morning and 14bps in the past two sessions. In other words, it doesn’t appear that there is great concern of a downgrade, at least not right now. Of course, that means any surprise by Moody’s will have that much larger of a negative impact.

Put it all together and you have the makings of yet another positive risk day. Not surprisingly, the dollar is under pressure during this move, with most G10 and EMG currencies in the black ahead of the payroll data this morning. And pretty much, the story for all the gainers is the positive vibe delivered by the trade news. That has helped oil prices to continue their recent rally and correspondingly supported CAD, RUB, MXN and NOK. And the story has helped renew hopes for a return to a pickup in international trade, which has fallen sharply during the past several months.

The data this morning is sure
To set records that will endure
For decades to come
As depths it will plumb
And question if hope’s premature

Here are the most recent median expectations according to Bloomberg:

Nonfarm Payrolls -22.0M
Private Payrolls -21.855M
Manufacturing Payrolls -2.5M
Unemployment Rate 16.0%
Average Hourly Earnings 0.5% (3.3% Y/Y)
Average Weekly Hours 33.5
Participation Rate 61.0%
Canadian Change in Employment -4.0M
Canadian Unemployment Rate 18.1%

Obviously, these are staggeringly large numbers in both the US and Canada. In fact, given the US economy is more than 12x the size of Canada, the situation north of the border looks more dire than here at home. Of course, the market has likely become somewhat inured to these numbers as we have seen Initial Claims numbers grow 30M in the past six weeks. But that does not detract from the absolute carnage that Covid-19 has caused to the economy. The question at hand, though, is whether the confirmation of economic destruction is enough to derail the idea that a V-shaped recovery is in the cards.

Once again, I look at the dichotomy of price action between the equity markets and the Treasury market in an effort to find an answer. The anticipated data this morning is unequivocal evidence of destruction of huge swathes of the US economy. We are looking at a decade’s worth of job growth disappearing in one month. In addition, it does appear likely that a significant proportion of these jobs will simply not return as they were. Instead, we are likely to see major transformations in the way business is carried out in the future. How long will it be before people are comfortable in large crowds? How long before they want to jostle each other in a bar to watch a football game? Or just go out on a Thursday night? The point is, equity markets don’t see the glass half full, they see it overflowing. However, 10-year Treasury yields at 0.60% are hardly an indication of strong economic demand. In fact, they are the opposite, an indication that future growth is going to be extremely subdued when it returns, and the fact that the entire term structure of rates is so low tells me that return is likely to take a long time. Much longer than a few quarters. To complete the analogy, the bond market sees that same glass as virtually emplty. So, stocks continue to point to a V and bonds to an L. Alas, history has shown the bond market tends to get these things right more often than the stock market.

The point is that the current robust risk appetite seems unlikely to have staying power, and that means that the current dollar weakness is likely to be fleeting. The bigger picture remains that the dollar, for the time being, will remain the ultimate haven currency. Look for its bid to return.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
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