Tag Archives: #secondwave

Hopes are now Dashed

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Psephologists took a great hit
Their forecasts turned out to be sh*t
The blue wave has crashed
And hopes are now dashed
For Congress, more cash to commit

An astrologer, and economist and a psephologist walk into a bar
“What’s it going to be?” asks the barkeep.
“We have no idea,” they reply

While the final results of the Presidential race are not yet in, nor seem likely to be known before Friday at the earliest, what has become clear is that the Republican party is very likely to retain control of the Senate, no matter what, and that the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives has shrunk.  In other words, the idea of the blue wave, where the Democrats would not merely win the presidency, but retake the Senate and expand their control of the House has been crushed.  And with that outcome, the reflation trade that had gained so many adherents of late, is being quickly unwound.

Thus, the election results have spawned both a bull flattening of the yield curve, with 10-year yields currently lower by 11.5 basis points, while 30-year yields are 13 basis points lower and a dollar rebound, especially against most emerging market currencies.  It had seemed odd yesterday to see such significant market movement ahead of the results of what many expected to be a close, and possibly contested, election.  But clearly, there was a significant amount of enthusiasm for that mythical blue wave.

Until the Presidential results are declared, it will be extremely difficult to focus on US economic issues, as in fairness, given the diametrically opposed platforms of the two candidates, we can only surmise a future path once we know who wins.  As such, I expect the two stories that will dominate for the rest of the week will be the election results and the ongoing covid inspired lockdowns throughout Europe.

As this is not a political discussion, let us turn to the other major storyline.  As of today, it appears that Germany, France, Italy and the UK are all imposing significant restrictions on most, if not all, of their citizens for the entire month of November.  Given the rapid spread of the virus in this wave, Europe reported another 239K new cases yesterday, it is understandable that governments feel the need to act.  However, the balance between trying to maintain economic activity and trying to avoid spending so much money on healthcare save citizens’ lives is a difficult one to maintain.  After all, the EU has very strict guidelines as to what type of budget deficits its members can run, and at this point, every member is over the limit.  It is this reason that Madame Lagarde has been so clear that the ECB can, and will, do more to support the economy.  If they don’t, things will get ugly very quickly.  It is also this reason that leads me to believe the euro has limited upside for the foreseeable future.  Whatever is happening in the US, the situation in Europe is not one that inspires confidence.

Thus, let’s look at how markets are responding to the incomplete election results and the increase in Covid infections.  Equities in Asia had a mixed session, with the Nikkei (+1.7%) performing well while the Hang Seng (-0.2%) suffered on the back of the Ant Financial story.  (This story revolves around the expected IPO of the Chinese company, which was forecast to be the largest of the year, but which the Chinese government squashed.)  Shanghai equities were little changed on the session, up just 0.2%.  Europe, however, has seen early gains evaporate and at this point could best be characterized as mixed.  The DAX (-0.1%) is the laggard, while the CAC and FTSE 100 (+0.2% each) are marginally higher.  However, Spain’s IBEX (-1.1%) is feeling the pain of the lockdowns, as is Italy’s MIB (-0.25%).  US futures are quite interesting at this point, with DOW futures actually lower by 0.1%, while NASDAQ futures are 2.0% higher.  And NASDAQ futures were as much as 4.5% higher earlier in the session.  It seems that the status quo in US politics is deemed a positive for the Tech mega caps, while the cyclical companies are expected to have a much tougher time.  As well, if President Trump wins, there will be no expectation of significant tax hikes, something that would have been a virtual certainty with a President Biden.

As discussed above, Treasuries are rallying fiercely.  But we are seeing rallies throughout Europe as well, with Gilt yields leading the way, having fallen by 4.3 bps, but most of the continent looking at 2bp declines.  This appears to be either position unwinding or a renewed enthusiasm that the ECB is going to step up in a massive way next month.  Recall, yesterday, bonds fell everywhere, so a rebound is not that surprising, especially for those who were selling based on the moves in the US.  However, I suspect that given the newest lockdown announcements, investors have become increasingly convinced that the ECB is going to get perilously close to the idea of direct funding of government deficits, something that is verboten within the rules, but something that is desperately needed by the likes of Italy, Spain and Greece.

As to the dollar, yesterday’s sharp decline was puzzling for the same reason the bond market sell-off was puzzling, and so, this morning’s rebound makes perfect sense.  While earlier in the session, the dollar had seen much sharper gains, at this hour (6:52am), those gains are fairly modest.  AUD (-0.4%) is the worst G10 performer, followed closely by GBP (-0.35%) and NZD (-0.35%).  Meanwhile, both haven currencies, CHF and JPY have climbed back to unchanged on the day from earlier session losses.  With the election news still roiling markets, it is nonsensical to try to attribute these moves to anything other than position moves.

EMG currencies are also under pressure virtually across the board, and like the G10, the early declines, which in some cases were quite substantial have abated.  For instance, MXN (-4.1% last night, -1.0% now) showed the most volatility, but CNY (-1.0% last night, unchanged now) also saw substantial movement.  Again, to attribute this, or any currency movement, to anything other than position adjustment in the wake of the US election results would be a mistake.

As to the data today, the Services PMI data was released throughout Europe and was pretty much as expected.  ISM Services (exp 57.5) is out at 10:00 and expected to continue to show surprising growth.  Before that, we see the Trade Balance (exp -$63.9B), but trade policy is just not of interest these days.

Rather, the market will remain enthralled with the election results, which as I type remain decidedly unclear.  Either candidate could win the key remaining states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, although all three are trending Trump right now.

In the end, the election result will matter because it will inform policy ideas.  If we remain status quo ante, the dollar likely has further to rise.  If Mr Biden emerges victorious, the dollar could certainly cede its recent gains, but no collapse is in sight.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

There is Trouble

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Giddy and Squiffed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

Naught Left to Wield

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
Adf

Deeper Downturn

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There once was a virus that spread
Worldwide, leaving too many dead
Its summer vacation
Has led to frustration
That governments, people, misled

Now lockdowns have made a return
From London to Paris to Bern
And ECB voices
All highlight the choices
More QE or deeper downturn

As another week draws to a close, market activity has been relatively muted.  It seems that participants are biding their time waiting for an outcome on at least one of the big current stories.  Will Brexit talks continue and be successful or will Boris decide there is no chance and simply prepare for a no-deal outcome?  Will the second wave of Covid infections running rampant in Europe slow down, or will this wave be even larger than the first with a bigger negative impact on the economy?  And finally, what is going to happen in the US presidential election?

And let’s face it, those are three really big questions with no clear answers at this time.  But let’s quickly try to address them in order and see if we can discern potential market responses.

Brexit – we have already passed the deadline Boris had originally issued for a deal, although he has since recanted and said if the EU demonstrates they are interested in “intensifying” the talks, the UK will work even harder to reach a deal.  Unfortunately, the indications from the EU are less promising as French President Macron remains adamant that French fishing vessels have unfettered access to UK waters in any deal.  While there are signs the rest of Europe are annoyed with Macron over this stance, his unwillingness to compromise, as of yet, means there has been no movement.  The other sticking point, the level of UK state aid to its companies, seems much more tractable to solve. However, right now, no deal is in sight.

Trying to game out the market impact of this binary outcome is dependent on an estimate of what is currently priced into the market.  Several indicators, including CFTC positioning and some proprietary bank positioning indicators, show that the market remains net long Sterling.  As the pound appears overvalued at current levels, it seems the likelihood of a large rally in the event of a positive outcome is quite limited.  Rather, the future for the pound is likely lower.  In the event of a no-deal Brexit, a move toward 1.20 is quite realistic by year end.  Whereas, a positive outcome is more likely to see just a moderate, ‘sell the news’ response, perhaps back toward 1.25-1.28.

The second wave of infections is clearly a growing problem.  More localized lockdowns are being imposed in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain with talk of more coming in Italy and throughout Eastern Europe.  This is in addition to the curfew in Paris which is equally problematic.  Not surprisingly, ECB members have been vocal about the need and ability of the central bank to do even more, implying that the PEPP is going to get quite a boost by December.  Once again, I will highlight that the Fed has made it quite clear they have limited ability to do anything else, although they will certainly try, which means that on a relative basis, other countries are going to ease their monetary policy further.  In this case, that bodes ill for the future direction of the euro, which I think has every possibility of drifting back to 1.15 in the short run and 1.10 over time, ceteris paribus.

But the big ceteris is the US presidential election.  The polls point to a Biden victory, although I’m sure nobody has forgotten that the same polls pointed to a Clinton victory four years ago.  Betting markets are also leaning that way, although with far less confidence.  As to the market, based on my readings, it appears that a large majority of market participants agree with the polls and have positioned accordingly.  Remember, too, that control of Congress is a crucial point in anticipating any potential market movement.  So here goes:

Blue wave – Biden wins and Democrats retake Senate:  given the platform of much higher capital gains and corporate taxes and massive spending, equity markets seem likely to fall sharply this year as investors take profits at current tax rates, and the dollar to fall alongside them.  I would want to own gold in this scenario.

Biden win with Republican Senate:  much less impact as divided government gets less done.  Arguably, we will fund the budget on continuing resolutions for four years, rather than any big new programs getting enacted.  The market response here is likely to be far more benign, with range trading rather than steep trends.

Trump win with Democratic House:  No change to current situation means further efforts at tax cuts and deregulation, but unlikely to see tax hikes.  The US has the chance to be the cleanest shirt in the dirty laundry basket and draw in more investment and prop up dollar strength.

Trump win and Republican House (admittedly low probability):  dollar strength as US continues to focus on as much economic growth as possible, with more stimulus and more tax cuts.

At this point, all these questions remain open, but by New Year’s Eve, we will have answered at least two of the three for sure.

As to markets today, there is really very little to tell.  Equities in Asia were mixed (Nikkei -0.4%, Hang Seng +0.9%) but are performing well in Europe (DAX +1.1%, CAC +1.8%) as the ECB comments seem to have investors believing more stimulus is on its way.  US futures have edged higher in the past hour, but are still only pointing to gains of 0.2% or so.

Interestingly, bond markets are rallying with yields continuing their recent downtrend.  Treasury yields are lower by 1bp after having backed up a few yesterday afternoon.  European markets are seeing roughly 2 basis point declines across the board.  In fact, bunds are back at their lowest level (-0.635%) since the panic of late March when Covid first struck Europe.  Bonds there are certainly pricing in a slowing economy in the Eurozone.

Finally, the dollar is mixed.  Against its G10 counterparts, it is +/-0.2% with the Brexit story by far the most impactful.  GBP (-0.2% as I write) was higher by 0.3% just minutes ago, as it wiggles on each headline.  But the bloc is generally uninteresting.  As to emerging markets, it is largely the same story, with a pretty even mix of gainers and losers.  Here, though, the movement has been a bit larger with ZAR (+0.5%) the best performer, perhaps on strength in the metals markets, followed by CNY (+0.4%) where everyone is looking for strong GDP numbers on Monday.  On the downside, KRW (-0.4%) is bottom of the barrel today after a higher than expected Unemployment rate was reported.

Data this morning brings Retail Sales (exp 0.8%, 0.4% ex autos), IP (0.5%), Capacity Utilization (71.8%) and Michigan Sentiment (80.5).  Yesterday’s Initial Claims data was quite disappointingly high and bodes ill for the growth story here.  But in the end, the ongoing uncertainty and confusion over the three issues raised above imply a lack of direction in the near term, although choppiness could well be on the menu.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
Adf

Poison Pens

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The headlines all weekend have shouted
The dollar is sure to be routed
If Covid-19
Remains on the scene
A rebound just cannot be touted

But ask yourself this my good friends
Have nations elsewhere changed their trends?
Infections are rising
Despite moralizing
By pundits who wield poison pens

Based on the weekend’s press, as well as the weekly analysis recaps, the future of the dollar is bleak. Not only is it about to collapse, but it will soon lose its status as the world’s reserve currency, although no one has yet figured out what will replace it in that role. This is evident in the sheer number of articles that claim the dollar is sure to decline (for those of you with a Twitter account, @pineconemacro had a great compilation of 28 recent headlines either describing the dollar’s decline or calling for a further fall), as well as the magnitude of the short dollar positions in the market, as measured by CFTC data. As of last week, there are record long EUR positions and near-record shorts in the DXY.

So, the question is, why does everybody hate the dollar so much? It seems there are two reasons mentioned most frequently; the impact of unbridled fiscal and monetary stimulus and the inability of the US to get Covid-19 under control. Let’s address them in order.

There is no question that the Fed and the Treasury, at the behest of Congress, have expended extraordinary amounts of money to respond to the Covid crisis. The Fed’s balance sheet has grown from $4.2 trillion to $7.0 trillion in the course of four months. And of course, the Fed has basically bought everything except your used Toyota in an effort to support market functionality. And it is important to recognize that what they continue to explain is that they are not supporting asset prices per se, rather they are simply insuring that financial markets work smoothly. (Of course, their definition of working smoothly is asset prices always go higher.) Nonetheless, the Fed has been, by far, the most active central bank in the world with respect to monetary support. At the same time, the US government has authorized about $3.5 trillion, so far, of fiscal support, although there is much anxiety now that the CARES act increase in unemployment benefits lapsed last Friday and there is still a wide divergence between the House and Senate with respect to what to do next.

But consider this; while the US is excoriated for borrowing too much and expanding both the budget deficit and the amount of debt issued, the EU was celebrated for coming to agreement on…borrowing €2 trillion to expand the budget deficit and support the economies of each nation in the bloc. Debt mutualization, we have been assured, is an unalloyed good and will help the EU’s overall economic prospects by allowing the transfer of wealth from the rich northern nations to the less well-off southern nations. And of course, given the collective strength of the EU, they will be able to borrow virtually infinite sums from the market. Perhaps it is just me, but the stories seem pretty similar despite the spin as to which is good, and which is bad.

The second issue for the dollar, and the one that is getting more press now, is the fact that the US has not been able to contain Covid infections and so we are seeing a second wave of economic shutdowns across numerous states. You know, states like; Victoria, Australia; Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; the United Kingdom and other large areas. This does not even address the ongoing spread of the disease through the emerging markets where India and Brazil have risen to the top of the worldwide caseload over the past two months. Again, my point is that despite reinstituted lockdowns in many places throughout the world, it is the US which the narrative points out as the problem.

It is fair to describe the dollar’s reaction function as follows: it tends to strengthen when either the US economy is outperforming other G10 economies (a situation that prevailed pretty much the entire time since the GFC) or when there is unbridled fear that the world is coming to an end and USD assets are the most desirable in the world given its history of laws and fair treatment of investors. In contrast, when the US economy is underperforming, it is no surprise that the dollar would tend to weaken. Well the data from Q2 is in and what we saw was that despite the worst ever quarterly decline in the US, it was dwarfed by the major European economies. At this time, the story being told seems to be that in Q3, the rest of the world will rapidly outpace the US, and perhaps it will. But that is a pretty difficult case to make when, first, Covid inspired lockdowns are popping up all around the world and second, the consumer of last resort (the US population) has lost their appetite to consume, or if not lost, at least reduced.

Once again, I will highlight that the dollar, while definitely in a short-term weakening trend, is far from a collapse, and rather is essentially right in the middle of its long-term range. This is not to say that the dollar cannot fall further, it certainly can, but do not think that the dollar is soon to become the Venezuelan bolivar.

And with that rather long-winded defense of the dollar behind us, let’s take a look at markets today. Equity markets continue to enjoy central bank support and have had an overall strong session. Asia saw gains in the Nikkei (+2.25%) and Shanghai (+1.75%) although the Hang Seng (-0.55%) couldn’t keep up with the big dogs. Europe’s board is no completely green, led by the DAX (+2.05%) although the CAC, which was lower earlier, is now higher by 1.0%. And US futures, which had spent the evening in the red are now higher as well.

Bond markets are embracing the risk-on attitude as Treasury yields back up 2bps, although are still below 0.55% in the 10-year. In Europe, the picture is mixed, and a bit confusing, as bund yields are actually 1bp lower, while Italian BTP’s are higher by 2bps. That is exactly the opposite of what you would expect for a risk-on session. But then, the bond market has not agreed with the stock market since Covid broke out.

And finally, the dollar, is having a pretty strong session today, perhaps seeing a bit of a short squeeze, as I’m sure the narrative has not yet changed. In the G10, all currencies are softer vs. the greenback, led by CHF (-0.6%) and AUD (-0.55%), although the pound (-0.5%) which has been soaring lately, is taking a rest as well. What is interesting about this move is that the only data released overnight was the monthly PMI data and it was broadly speaking, slightly better than expected and pointed to a continuing rebound.

EMG currencies are also largely under pressure, led by ZAR (-1.15%) and then the CE4 (on average -0.7%) with almost the entire bloc softer. In fact, the outlier is RUB (+0.8%), which seems to be the beneficiary of a reduction in demand for dollars to pay dividends to international investors, and despite the fact that oil prices have declined this morning on fears that the OPEC+ production cuts are starting to be flouted.

It is, of course, a huge data week, culminating in the payroll report on Friday, but today brings only ISM Manufacturing (exp 53.6) with the New Orders (55.2) and Prices Paid (52.0) components all expected to show continued growth in the economy.

With the FOMC meeting now behind us, we can look forward, as well, to a non-stop gabfest from Fed members, with three today, Bullard, Barkin and Evans, all set to espouse their views. The thing is, we already know that the Fed is not going to touch rates for at least two years, and is discussing how to try to push inflation higher. On the latter point, I don’t think they will have to worry, as it will get there soon enough, but their models haven’t told them that yet. At any rate, the dollar has been under serious pressure for the past several months. Not only that, most of the selling seems to come in the US session, which leads me to believe that while the dollar is having a pretty good day so far, I imagine it will soften before we log out this evening.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

 

Second Wave

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In Q2 we learned to behave
Like primitives stuck in a cave
In order to stem
The virus mayhem
And millions of lives, try to save

But Q3 has shown that we crave
More contact than lockdown, us, gave
Thus, it’s not surprising
Infections are rising
And now we’ve achieved second wave

If I were to describe market behavior of late, the word I would use is tentative. Investors and traders are caught between wanting to believe that the nonstop stimulus efforts on both fiscal, and especially, monetary fronts will be sufficient to help the economy through the current economic crisis (conveniently ignoring the extraordinary build up in debt), and concerns that there is too much permanent damage to too many businesses to allow for a swift recovery to a pre-Covid level of activity. Adding to the fear side of the equation is the resurgence in the number of infections worldwide, especially in places that had seemed to eradicate the virus. News from Hong Kong, Australia, China and India shows that the virus is making a resurgence, with several places recording more cases now than when things started five to six months ago. And of course, we have seen the same pattern in states that were first to reopen here at home.

Meanwhile, the medical community continues its extraordinary efforts to find a vaccine, with several promising candidates making their way through trials. Perhaps the best medical news is that it seems doctors on the front line have learned how to treat the disease more effectively, which has reduced the number of critical cases and helped drive down the fatality rate. Alas, an effective vaccine remains elusive. Ironically, the vaccine’s importance in many ways is symbolic. The idea that there is a way to avoid catching the bug is certainly appealing, but if the flu vaccine is any harbinger of the outcome, a minority of people will actually get vaccinated. So, the vaccine story is more about a chance for confidence to be restored than about people’s health. Perhaps this sums up the state of human affairs these days better than anything else.

And yet, while no politician anywhere will allow confirmation, it certainly appears that we are seeing a second wave of infections spread worldwide. From the market’s perspective, this has been a key concern for the past several months as a second wave of economy-wide shutdowns would end all hopes of that elusive V-shaped recovery. And the only way to justify the current levels of asset values is by assuming this crisis will pass quickly and things will return to a more normal framework. Hence the trader’s dilemma. Is the worst behind us? Or is a second wave going to expand and delay the recovery further? Perhaps the most telling feature of this market is the changed relationship between the S&P 500 and the VIX index. Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, an equity rally of the type seen since late March would have seen the VIX index collapse toward 15, the level at which it traded for virtually all of 2019. But this time, 30 has become the new normal for the VIX, a strong indication that investors are paying for protection, despite the cost, as there remains an underlying fear of another sharp decline beyond the horizon. Hence, my description of things as tentative.

Looking at markets this morning, tentative is an excellent descriptor. In the equity space, Asian markets were mixed, with the Nikkei (-0.3%) on the weak side with the Hang Seng (+0.5%) was the strong side. But given the type of movement we have seen lately, neither really displayed anything new at the end of the week. European markets are also mixed with the DAX (+0.5%) the best performer while Spain’s IBEX (-0.5%) is the worst. Again, a mix of performances with no evident trend. US futures are currently pointing higher although only the NASDAQ (+1.0%) is showing any real strength.

Meanwhile, Treasury yields have slipped again, with the 10-year down to 0.60%, its lowest level since mid-April and just 4bps from its historic low. That is hardly a sign of economic confidence. In Europe, the picture is mixed but yields are essentially within 1bp of where they closed yesterday as traders are unwilling to take a view.

Finally, the dollar, too, is having a mixed session, although if I had to characterize it, I would say it is slightly softer overall. The euro is higher by 0.3% this morning as there is hope that the EU Summit, which began a few hours ago, will come to an agreement on their mooted €750 billion pandemic plan that includes joint borrowing. Of course, the frugal four still need to be bought off in some manner but given the political determination to be seen to be doing something, I would look for a watered-down version of the bill to be agreed. However, the best performer today is CHF (+0.5%) in what appears to be some profit taking on EURCHF positions after the cross’s strong rally this week.

In the emerging markets, IDR is the big underperformer today, falling 0.5% overnight as traders position for future rate cuts by the central bank. While they cut 25bps yesterday, they also came across as more dovish than expected implying they are not yet done with the rate hatchet. On the plus side, ZAR (+0.6%) is top of the charts as investors have been flocking to the front end of their yield curve after a much lower than expected inflation print. The view is that the SARB has further to cut which will drive front end yields down, hence the buying. (The dichotomy between the two currencies is fascinating as both are moving on rate cut assumptions, but in opposite directions. Hey, nobody ever said FX was rational!) But we are seeing more gainers than losers as the CE4 track the euro higher and several APAC currencies also moved modestly higher overnight. Remember, one of the emerging narratives has been the dollar’s imminent decline on the back of the twin deficits and lost prestige in the world community. So, every time we see a day where the dollar declines, you can be sure you will see stories on that topic. And while the twin deficit story is certainly valid from a theoretical basis, it has never been a good short-term indicator of movement in the currency markets.

On the data front, yesterday saw US Retail Sales print at a better than expected 7.5%, but Initial Claims fall less than expected, with still 1.3 million first time claims. As I have mentioned, that number continues to be the timeliest indicator of what is happening, and it is certainly not declining very rapidly anymore. Today brings Housing Starts (exp 1189K) and Building Permits (1293K) at 8:30 and then Michigan Sentiment (79.0) at 10:00. Neither of these seem likely to have a major market impact. Rather, as earnings season progresses, I expect the ongoing reports there to drive equity markets and overall risk appetite. For now, nobody is very hungry for risk, but a few good numbers could certainly change that view, pushing stocks higher and the dollar lower.

Good luck, good weekend and stay safe
Adf

Prepare For Impact

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The second wave nears
A swell? Or a tsunami?
Prepare for impact

The cacophony of concern is rising as the infection count appears to be growing almost everywhere in the world lately. Certainly, here in the US, the breathless headlines about increased cases in Texas, Florida and Arizona have dominated the news cycle, although it turns out some other states are having issues as well. For instance:

In Cali the growth of new cases
Has forced them to rethink the basis
Of easing restrictions
Across jurisdictions
So now they have shut down more places

In fact, it appears that this was the story yesterday afternoon that turned markets around from yet another day of record gains, into losses in the S&P and a very sharp decline in the NASDAQ. And it was this price action that sailed across the Pacific last night as APAC markets all suffered losses of approximately 1.0%. These losses resulted even though Chinese trade data was better than expected for both imports (+2.7% Y/Y) and exports (+0.5% Y/Y) seemingly indicating that the recovery was growing apace there. And, given the euphoria we have seen in Chinese stock markets specifically, it was an even more surprising outcome. Perhaps it is a result of the increased tensions between the US and China across several fronts (Chinese territorial claims, defense sales to Taiwan, sanctions by each country on individuals in the other), but recent history has shown that investors are unconcerned with such things. A more likely explanation is that given the sharp gains that have been seen throughout equity markets in the region lately, a correction was due, and any of these issues could have been a viable catalyst to get it started. After all, a 1% decline is hardly fear inducing.

The problem is not just in the US, though, as we are seeing all of Europe extend border closures for another two weeks. The issue here is that even though infections seem to be trending lower across the Continent, the fact that they will not allow tourists from elsewhere to come continues to devastate those economies which can least afford the situation like Italy, Spain and Greece. The result is that we are likely to continue to see a lagging growth response and continued, and perhaps increased, ECB largesse. Remember all the hoopla regarding the announcement that the EU was going to borrow huge sums of money and issue grants to those countries most in need? Well, at this point, that still seems more aspirational than realistic and the idea that there would be mutualized debt issuance remains just that, an idea, rather than a reality. While the situation in the US remains dire, it is hard to point to Europe and describe the situation as fantastic. One of the biggest speculative positions around these days, aside from owning US tech stocks, is being short the dollar, with futures in both EUR and DXY approaching record levels. While the dollar has clearly underperformed for the past several weeks, it has shown no indication of a collapse, and quite frankly, a short squeeze feels like it is just one catalyst away. Be careful.

Meanwhile, ‘cross the pond, the UK
Saw GDP that did display
A slower rebound
And thus, they have found
Most people won’t come out and play

As we approach the final Brexit outcome at the end of this year, investors are beginning to truly separate the UK from the EU in terms of economic performance.  Alas, for the pound, the latest data from the UK was uninspiring, to say the least.  Monthly GDP in May, the anticipated beginning of the recovery, rose only 1.8%, with the 3M/3M result showing a -19.1% outcome.  IP, Construction and Services all registered worse than expected results, although the trade data showed a surplus as imports collapsed.  The UK is continuing to try to reopen most of the economy, but as we have seen elsewhere throughout the world, there are localized areas where the infection rate is climbing again, and a second lockdown has been put in place.  The market impact here has been exactly what one would have expected with the FTSE 100 (-0.4%) and the pound (-0.3%) both lagging.

To sum things up, the global economy appears to be reopening in fits and starts, and it appears that we are going to continue to see a mixed data picture until Covid-19 has very clearly retreated around the world.

A quick look at markets shows that the Asian equity flu has been passed to Europe with all the indices there lower, most by well over 1.0%, although US futures are currently pointing higher as investors optimistically await Q2 earnings data from the major US banks starting today.  I’m not sure what they are optimistic about, as loan impairments are substantial, but then, I don’t understand the idea that stocks can never go down either.

The dollar, overall, is mixed today, with almost an equal number of gainers and losers in both the G10 and EMG blocs.  The biggest winner in the G10 is SEK (+0.6%), where the krona has outperformed after CPI data showed a higher than expected rate of 0.7% Y/Y.  While this remains far below the Riksbank’s 2.0% target, it certainly alleviates some of the (misguided) fears about a deflationary outcome.  But aside from that, most of the block is +/- 0.2% or less with no real stories to discuss.

On the EMG side, we see a similar distribution of outcomes, although the gains and losses are a bit larger.  MXN (+0.65%) is the leader today, as it seems to be taking its cues from the positive Chinese data with traders looking for a more positive outcome there.  Truthfully, a quick look at the peso shows that it seems to have found a temporary home either side of 22.50, obviously much weaker than its pre-Covid levels, but no longer falling on a daily basis.  Rather, the technical situation implies that by the end of the month we should see a signal as to whether this has merely been a pause ahead of much further weakness, or if the worst is behind us, and a slow grind back to 20.00 or below is on the cards.

Elsewhere in the space we see the CE4 all performing well, as they follow the euro’s modest gains higher this morning, but most Asian currencies felt the sting of the risk-off sentiment overnight to show modest declines.

On the data front, this week brings the following information:

Today CPI 0.5% (0.6% Y/Y)
  -ex food & energy 0.1% (1.1% Y/Y)
Wednesday Empire Manufacturing 10.0
  IP 4.4%
  Capacity Utilization 67.8%
  Fed’s Beige Book  
Thursday Initial Claims 1.25M
  Continuing Claims 17.5M
  Retail Sales 5.0%
  -ex auto 5.0%
  Philly Fed 20.0
  Business Inventories -2.3%
Friday Housing Starts 1180K
  Building Permits 1290K
  Michigan Sentiment 79.0

Source: Bloomberg

So, plenty of data for the week, and arguably a real chance to see how the recovery started off.  It is still concerning that the Claims data is so high, as that implies jobs are not coming back nearly as quickly as a V-shaped recovery would imply.  Also, remember that at the end of the month, the $600/week of additional unemployment benefits is going to disappear, unless Congress acts.  Funnily enough, that could be the catalyst to get the employment data to start to improve significantly, if they let those benefits lapse.  But that is a question far above my pay grade.

The dollar feels stretched to the downside here, and any sense of an equity market correction could easily result in a rush to havens, including the greenback.

Good luck and stay safe

Adf

A Wake of Debris

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Investors are pining to see
A rebound that’s shaped like a “V”
But data of late
Could well extirpate
Those views midst a wake of debris

For everyone who remains convinced that a V-shaped recovery is the most likely outcome, recent data must be somewhat disconcerting. There is no question that June data will look better than May’s, which was substantially better than April’s, but if one takes a few steps back to gain perspective, the current situation remains dire. One of the features of most economic statistical series is that they tend to measure both monthly and annual changes. The idea is that the monthly data offer’s a picture of the latest activity while the annual data gives a view of the longer-term trend. The problem for the bulls to overcome right now is that while June’s monthly data is showing record-breaking monthly gains, the annual numbers remain horrific. This morning’s German IP data is a perfect example of the situation. While this was actually data from May, it is the latest reading. During the month, Industrial Production rose 7.8%, the largest monthly gain on record, and arguably good news. Alas, expectations were for an even greater 11.1% rebound, and more importantly, the annual data showed a still terrible 19.3% decline from 2019’s levels. So, while there is no question that May’s numbers were an improvement over April’s, it is hardly sounding an all-clear signal.

This has been the pattern we have seen consistently for the past two months and is likely to continue to be the case for quite a while. Ergo, it is fair to state that the economy is rebounding from its worst levels, but to imply that things are even approaching the pre-Covid economy is completely erroneous. This is especially so in the survey data, which, if you recall, simply asks if this month was better than last. We saw some incredible PMI data at the nadir, with readings in the low teens and even single digits in a few countries, indicating that more than 80% of respondents saw things decline from the previous month. As such, it is no surprise that things got better from there, but does a rebound to a reading above 50 on a monthly series, with no annual analog, actually mean the same thing today as it did in January? I contend it is not a reasonable comparison and to imply that the economy is doing anything but slowly climbing back from a historic decline is just plain wrong.

The European Commission clearly understands this issue as they reduced their outlook for the EU’s economic growth in 2020 by a full percentage point to -8.7%, with most member nations seeing a substantial downgrade. A key reason for this downgrade has been the recent uptick in infections and the sporadic second closures of areas within the economies. The second wave of infections is dreaded for exactly this reason, it is preventing economies around the world from gaining growth momentum, something that comes as confidence builds that things will get better. Every interruption just extends the timeline for a full recovery, a prospect that none of us welcome. Alas, it appears that the most likely outcome right now is a very slow, drawn out recovery with a continued high rate of unemployment and ongoing fiscal and monetary support abetting every economy on the planet while simultaneously preventing markets from clearing and thus insuring slower growth ahead when it finally returns.

With that as preamble, a look at today’s markets shows essentially a full reversal from yesterday’s price action. Yesterday was always a bit odd as there was no clear rationale for the risk rally, yet there it was, around the world. However, this morning, the data continues to demonstrate just how far things are from the pre-Covid world, and it seems the risk bulls are having a tougher time. Starting in Asia, we saw weakness in Japan (-0.45%) and Hong Kong (-1.4% and long overdue given what is happening there) although Shanghai (+0.4%) has managed to keep the positive momentum going for yet another day. While there were no articles exhorting share ownership in the papers there last night, it remains a key feature of the Chinese government’s strategy, encourage individuals to buy stocks to support both markets and confidence. We shall see how long it can continue. European bourses have reversed much of yesterday’s gains as well, down a bit more than 1.0% on average and US futures are trading at similar levels, -1.0%. Bond markets continue to prove to be irrelevant at this stage, no longer seen as haven assets given the fact that there is no yield available but unwilling to be sold by traders as central banks have promised to buy them all if they deem it necessary. So, for the time being, it is extremely difficult to gain any credible price signals from these markets.

Commodity markets are under a bit of pressure, with oil prices lower by 1.5% and gold falling 0.5%, while the dollar is today’s big winner. Yesterday it fell against all its G10 counterparts and most EMG ones as well. This morning, it is just the opposite, with only the pound, essentially unchanged on the day, not declining while AUD and NOK lead the way lower with 0.55% and 0.45% declines respectively. The data situation continues to show that the early signs of a rebound are leveling off, so investing based on a brighter outlook is not in the cards.

In the EMG space, MXN is today’s big loser, down 1.25%, but here, too, it is nearly universal as only IDR (+0.35%) has managed to eke out a gain, ostensibly on the back of views that the central bank’s debt monetization plan will draw inward investment. We shall see.

On the data front, yesterday’s ISM Non-Manufacturing number was a much better than expected 57.1, but as I discuss above, I don’t believe that is indicative of growth so much as a rebound from the worst conditions in the series history. This morning we only see the JOLTS Job Openings data, (exp 4.5M), but this is a delayed number as it represents May openings. Remember, too, this is down from more than 7.5M in early 2019 and 7.0M earlier this year.

Yesterday we heard from Atlanta Fed President Bostic who sounded a warning that the second wave, if it expands, would have a significantly detrimental impact on the US economy, and thus he was quite concerned with the future trajectory of growth. Remember, it is the Atlanta Fed that calculates the widely watched GDPNow number, which is currently reading an extremely precise -35.18% decline for Q2. It is no surprise he is worried.

Overall, risk is on the back foot today and appears set to continue this move. Barring some overly upbeat commentary from the White House, something that is always possible on a down day, I expect the dollar to drift slightly higher from here.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf

 

Overthrow

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Health data are starting to show
A second wave might overthrow
The rebound we’ve seen
From Covid-19
Which clearly will cause growth to slow

Risk is under pressure this morning as market participants continue to read the headlines regarding the rising rate of Covid infections in some of the largest US states, as well as throughout a number of emerging market nations. While this is concerning, in and of itself, it has been made more so by the fact that virtually every government official has warned that a second wave will undermine the progress that has been made with respect to the economic rebound worldwide. However, what seems to be clear is that more than three months into a series of government ordered shut downs that have resulted in $trillions of economic damage around the world, people in many places have decided that the risk from the virus is not as great as the risk to their personal economic well-being.

And that is the crux of the matter everywhere. Just how long can governments continue to impose restrictions on people without a wholesale rebellion? After all, there have been many missteps by governments everywhere, from initially downplaying the impact of the virus to moving to virtual marital law, with early prognostications vastly overstating the fatality rate of the virus and seemingly designed simply to sow panic and exert government control. It cannot be surprising that at some point, people around the world decided to take matters into their own hands, which means they are no longer willing to adhere to government rules.

The problem for markets, especially the equity markets, is that their recovery seems to be based on the idea that not only is a recovery right around the corner, but that economies are going to recoup all of their pandemic related losses and go right back to trend activity. Thus, a second wave interferes with that narrative. As evidence starts to grow that the caseload is no longer shrinking, but instead is growing rapidly, and that governments are back to shutting down economic activity again, those rosy forecasts for a sharp rebound are harder and harder to justify. And this is why we have seen the equity market rebound stumble for the past three weeks. In that time, we have seen twice as many down sessions as up sessions and the net result has been a 5.5% decline in the S&P500, with similar declines elsewhere.

So, what comes next? It is very hard to read the news about the growing list of bankruptcies as well as the significant write-downs of asset values and order cancelations without seeing the bear case. The ongoing dichotomy between the stock market rally and the economic distress remains very hard to justify in the long run. Of course, opposing the real economic news is the cabal of global central banks, who are doing everything they can think of collectively, to keep markets in functioning order and hoping that, if markets don’t panic, the economy can find its footing. This is what has brought us ZIRP, NIRP and QE with all its variations on which assets central banks can purchase. Alas, if central bankers really believe that markets are functioning ‘normally’ after $trillions of interference, that is a sad commentary on those central bankers’ understanding of how markets function, or at least have functioned historically. But the one thing on which we can count is that there is virtually no chance that any central bank will pull back from its current policy stance. And so, that dichotomy is going to have to resolve itself despite central bank actions. That, my friends, will be even more painful, I can assure you.

So, on a day with ordinary news flow, like today, we find ourselves in a risk-off frame of mind. Yesterday’s US equity rally was followed with modest strength in Asia. This was helped by Chinese PMI data which showed that the rebound there was continuing (Mfg PMI 50.9, Non-mfg PMI 54.4), although weakness in both Japanese ( higher Jobless Rate and weaker housing data) and South Korean (IP -9.6% Y/Y) data detracted from the recovery story. Of course, as we continue to see everywhere, weak data means ongoing central bank largesse, which at this point still leads to equity market support.

Europe, on the other hand, has not seen the same boost as equity markets there are mostly lower, although the DAX (+0.4%) and CAC (+0.2%) are the two exceptions to the rule. UK data has been the most prevalent with final Q1 GDP readings getting revised a bit lower (-2.2% Q/Q from -2.0%) while every other sub-metric was slightly worse as well. Meanwhile, PM Johnson is scrambling to present a coherent plan to support the nation fiscally until the Covid threat passes, although on that score, he is not doing all that well. And we cannot forget Brexit, where today’s passage without an extension deal means that December 31, 2020 is the ultimate line in the sand. It cannot be a surprise that the pound has been the worst performing G10 currency over the past week and month, having ceded 2.0% since last Tuesday. With the BOE seriously considering NIRP, the pound literally has nothing going for it in the short run. Awful economic activity, questionable government response to Covid and now NIRP on the horizon. If you are expecting to receive pounds in the near future, sell them now!

Away from the pound, which is down 0.3% today, NOK (-0.6%) is the worst performer in the G10, and that is really a result of, not only oil’s modest price decline (-1.3%), but more importantly the news that Royal Dutch Shell is writing down $22 billion of assets, a move similar to what we have seen from the other majors (BP and Exxon) and an indication that the future value (not just its price) of oil is likely to be greatly diminished. While we are still a long way from the end of the internal combustion engine, the value proposition is changing. And this speaks to just how hard it is to have an economic recovery if one of the largest industries that was adding significant value to the global economy is being downgraded. What is going to take its place?

The oil story is confirmed in the EMG space as RUB is the clear underperformer today, down 1.4% as Russia is far more reliant on oil than even Norway. However, elsewhere in the EMG bloc, virtually the entire space is under pressure to a much more limited extent. The thing is, if we start to see risk discarded and equity markets come under further pressure, these currencies are going to extend their declines.

This morning’s US data is second tier, with Case Shiller Home Prices (exp +3.8%), Chicago PMI (45.0) and Consumer Confidence (91.4). The latter two remain far below their pre-covid levels and likely have quite some time before they can return to those levels. Meantime, Fed speakers are out in force today, led by Chair Powell speaking before a Congressional panel alongside Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. His pre-released opening remarks harp on the risk of a second wave as well as the uncertainty over the future trajectory of growth because of that. As well, he continues to promise the Fed will do whatever is necessary to support the economy. And in truth, we have continued to hear that message from every single Fed speaker for the past two months’ at least. What we know for sure is that the Fed is not going to change its tune anytime soon.

For today, unless Powell describes yet another new program, if he remains in his mode of warning of disaster unless the government does more, it is hard to see how investors get excited. Risk is currently on the back foot and I see nothing to change that view today.

Good luck and stay safe
Adf