Tag Archives: #southafrica

Like Tides in the Sea

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Though Jay and the FOMC
Refuse to accept it can be
Most prices worldwide
Can be certified
As rising like tides in the sea

Back in 2011, wedged between the GFC and the European debt crisis, the world witnessed the Arab Spring.  This was a series of populist protests throughout the Middle East and North Africa that were triggered by a confluence of events including a desire for more freedom and democracy by a group of populations that had been oppressed by kleptocratic and authoritarian rulers.  But one of the key issues that was apparent in each of the nations involved was the fact that inflation, specifically food prices, were rising rapidly and the impoverished citizenry of many of these nations could no longer afford to feed themselves or their families.  Ultimately, while there was much angst at the time about changes in ruling regimes and much hope that the siren song of freedom would be heard in heretofore brutal dictatorships, very little changed except the name of the authoritarian and kleptocratic leader.

From our perspective in the markets, the importance of this lesson is the potential impact that sharply rising food prices can have on both financial markets and political outcomes.  This appears topical given the rioting that has begun in two very different countries, Cuba and South Africa.  In Cuba, the list of complaints could have been written in Tunisia in 2011, as the people there are growing tired of the conditions under which they are forced to live by Raul Castro and Miguel Diaz-Canel, the heirs to the Fidel Castro regime.  The economy is in tatters and food shortages are rampant with little hope of change as long as the government remains in place.  South Africa, meanwhile, has had a different catalyst, the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma, but the conditions on the ground, where inflation is rising sharply, and growth has been lagging are not dissimilar to what precedes this behavior anywhere.

While two countries don’t yet make a trend, it will be important to pay close attention to other EMG nations who are experiencing the same types of pressures.  Remember, just because the Fed, ECB and BOJ are not ready to raise rates as they studiously ignore rising inflation, the same has not been true in a number of emerging markets like Brazil, Hungary and Mexico, whose central banks are responding to the obvious rise in price pressures by raising their policy rates.  Inflation is insidious as it impacts all that we do and eventually weighs on how we approach our everyday tasks.  Yesterday, the NY Fed released its monthly survey of inflation expectations and it jumped to 4.8% in the one-year category, the highest level since the survey began.  While inflation is frequently described as a monetary phenomenon, it is also a psychological one.  When you expect prices to rise, you tend to err on the side of buying things sooner rather than waiting.  And that behavior drives prices as well.  As the evidence of more persistent price rises continues to increase, there will come a denouement between the Fed and reality.  It is at that point that we could see some cracks in the current narrative of “stonks to the moon!”  Remember, being hedged ahead of a significant policy change makes a great deal of sense, so don’t wait until it’s too late.

Meanwhile, the market story today is one of a modest continuation of recent trends with no substantial outliers.  It appears investors are waiting for more information from the ECB on their new policy framework next week, as well as this morning’s testimony by Chairman Powell at the House of Representatives.

After yesterday’s late day rally in the US, Asian equity markets were all in the green (Nikkei +0.5%, Hang Seng +1.6%, Shanghai +0.3%) with the big data release Chinese trade numbers showing their exports climbed more than forecasts, clearly a positive sign for both China and global growth.  Europe has been a bit more mixed with extremely modest movement either side of unchanged and no story or data to discuss while US futures show the NASDAQ (+0.35%) continuing to power ahead although the other two main indices have done nothing.

Bond markets are rallying ever so slightly with Treasury yields lower by 0.8bps and similar declines throughout Europe (Bunds -0.7bps, OATs -1.5bps, Gilts -1.1bps).  As to commodity markets, they are mixed this morning with oil (+0.1%) marginally higher along with gold (+0.1%), while copper (-1.1%) is lagging.  The long-term trend for most commodities remains higher, although we continue to see short-term consolidation.

In the FX market, the most notable mover has been ZAR (-1.35%) which is continuing to suffer on the back of the rioting in the country and the likely negative impact it will have on the economy.  Other laggards in the EMG bloc are HUF (-0.5%), PLN (-0.5%) and MXN (-0.4%), as traders respond to differing issues in each nation.  Poland’s central bank has hinted that they will extend QE at a moment’s notice in the event the delta variant of Covid becomes a bigger problem, while Hungary seems to be suffering for its unwillingness to agree to a global corporate tax rate.  As to Mexico, the nominee for central bank governor, Arturo Herrera, explained he would not expect Banxico to begin a tightening cycle, despite the fact they have already raised rates once.  On the plus side, RUB (+0.4%) leads the way as traders anticipate future gains in the oil price.

In the G10 space, while the dollar is broadly firmer, the biggest movers have been GBP (-0.3%) and NOK (-0.3%), hardly the stuff of excitement.  Arguably, what we continue to see is short USD covering as positions remain overly short, albeit somewhat reduced from where things stood at the beginning of the quarter.

This morning, in addition to the Powell testimony, we see CPI (exp 4.9%, 4.0% ex food & energy), which ought to be quite interesting.  If the forecast is correct, it would be the first time that the Y/Y data fell since last November.  As well, if this is the case, Chair Powell will almost certainly point to the outcome in his comments today as a strong sign the Fed’s transitory inflation story playing out exactly as they anticipate.  Of course, a higher than expected print will require a bit more tap dancing on Powell’s part.

The FX market continues to consolidate with no large trend driving things currently.  Now that the relationship between the dollar and Treasuries has seemingly broken, traders are looking for new short-term drivers and waiting for clarification as to how the next trend will derive.  In other words, we are likely to continue to see somewhat choppy and directionless trading for the next several weeks unless we get something of real note.  So, paraphrasing Samuel Beckett, it appears we are ‘Waiting for Powell.”

Good luck and stay safe
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Patience is Needed

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Mnuchin said patience is needed
While Powell said growth must be seeded
As both testified
And each justified
Their views, which both said must be heeded

Two months into the response to Covid-19, differences in policy views between the Fed and the Administration are starting to appear. In Senate testimony yesterday, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin indicated the belief that sufficient fiscal support has been authorized and its implementation is all that is needed, alongside the relaxation of lockdown rules around the country, for the economy to rebound sharply. The Administration’s base case remains a V-shaped recovery, with Q3 and Q4 showing substantial growth after what everyone agrees will be a devastatingly awful Q2 result.

Meanwhile, the Fed, via Chairman Powell, took the view that we remain in a critical period and that further stimulus may well be necessary to prevent permanent long-term damage to the economy. He continued to focus on the idea that until people feel safe with personal interactions, any rebound in the economy will be substandard. Of course, to date, of the $454 billion that Congress authorized for the Treasury to use as seed money underlying Fed lending schemes, less than $75 billion has been utilized. It seems that if Chairman Powell was truly that concerned, he would be ramping up the use of those funds more quickly. While part of the problem is the normal bureaucratic delays that come with implementing any new program, it is also true that the Fed is not well suited to support small businesses and individuals. Programs of that nature tend to require more fiscal than monetary support, at least as currently defined and implemented in today’s world. Remember, the Fed is not able to take losses according to its charter, which is why all the corporate bond buying and main street lending programs are already on shaky legal grounds.

The interesting thing about the dueling testimonies was just how little of an impact they had on market behavior yesterday. In fact, the late day equity market sell-off was almost certainly driven by the concern that yesterday’s media darling, the biotech firm Moderna, Inc., may not actually have a viable vaccine ready this year. Remember, it was the prospect that a vaccine was imminent and so lockdowns could be lifted that was critical in investor minds yesterday. If the vaccine story is no longer on track, it is much harder to justify paying over the top for equities. At any rate, that late day move set the tone for a much more subdued session in both Asia and Europe overnight.

Looking at markets, last night saw a mixed equity picture in Asia (Nikkei +0.8%, Shanghai -0.5%) and a very modest positive light in Europe (DAX +0.6%, CAC 0.0%, FTSE 100 +0.2%). More positively, US futures are pointing higher as I type, with all three indices looking at a 1% gain on the open if things hold. Bond markets are similarly uninspired this morning, with Treasury yields higher by less than 1bp while German bund yields are down by the same. In fact, looking across the European market, half are slightly higher, and half are slightly lower. Again, nothing of interest here.

Commodity markets show that oil continues to rebound sharply, up another 1% this morning and now above $32/bbl for WTI. Remember, it was less than a month ago that the May futures contract settled at -$37/bbl as storage was nowhere to be found. Certainly, any look at commodity markets would indicate that economic growth was making a return. But it sure doesn’t feel like that yet.

Finally, FX markets continue to see the dollar cede some recent gains as fears over USD funding by global counterparts continue to ebb on the back of Fed lending programs. In fact, this is exactly where the Fed can do the most good, helping to ensure that central banks around the world have the ability to access USD liquidity for their local markets.

A tour of the G10 shows that today’s biggest winner is NZD (+0.65%) followed by AUD and CHF, both higher by about 0.4%. The Kiwi dollar was supported by central bank comments about NIRP remaining a distant prospect, at best, with many hurdles to be jumped before it would make sense. Aussie seems to have benefitted from Japanese investment flows into their government bond markets, which are now relatively attractive vs. US Treasuries. Finally, after a short-lived decline yesterday afternoon, apparently driven by some options activity, the Swiss franc is simply returning to its previous levels. The other seven currencies are within a few bps of yesterday’s closing levels with only the background story of the Franco-German détente on EU economic support even getting press in the group.

In the EMG space, ZAR is today’s runaway leader, currently higher by 1.75% as a combination of continued strength in the price of gold and a major technical break have helped the rand. It must be remembered that the rand, even after today’s sharp rally, has been the third worst performing currency over the past three months having fallen more than 16%. This morning, the technicians are all agog as the spot rate traded back through its 50-day moving average, a strong technical signal to buy the currency. While economic prospects continue to be dim overall there and there is no evidence that the rate of infection is slowing, technical algorithms will continue to support the currency for the time being.

Otherwise, it is RUB (+1.1%) and MXN (+0.9%) that are trailing only the rand higher this morning, with both clearly benefitting from the ongoing rebound in oil and, more importantly, in the broad sentiment in the future for oil. Last month it appeared that oil was never going to matter again. That is not so much the case anymore. On the downside today, KRW (-0.4%) is the leading, and only, decliner in the space as the BOK creates a 10 trillion won (~$8 billion) SPV to inaugurate a QE program.

On the data front, yesterday’s housing data was pretty much as expected, with both Starts and Permits falling sharply. Today the only news of note comes at 2:00 when the FOMC Minutes are released. But given how much we have heard from Powell and the rest of the committee, will this really have that big an impact? I would be surprised.

The dollar continues under pressure for the time being and will stay that way as long as USD funding pressures overseas remain in check. While there are no obvious drivers in the near term, I continue to look at the pending change of heart in Europe regarding fiscal support and see an opportunity for a more structural case for dollar weakness over time.

Good luck and stay safe
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