USD in a lose-lose situation, AUD caution

February 14, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

News that Moody’s Investor service cut the debt ratings on six European countries while revising its outlook on the UK’s and France’s AAA rating to “negative” dampened sentiment for the EUR. Markets will likely trade cautiously ahead of tomorrow’s meeting of European Union Finance Ministers especially as it appears that at least Germany and Netherlands remain sceptical of Greece’s austerity plans, which could frustrate the approval of a second EUR 130 billion bailout package.

The USD is firmer overnight but still struggling to make headway in an environment of improving risk appetite. The fact that USD speculative positioning has dropped sharply to its lowest level since September last year highlights a major shift in USD sentiment. The USD is currently in a lose-lose situation helped neither by economic data or risk appetite. For example a healthy gain in January retail sales expected today, will help to boost risk appetite which in turn will help maintain pressure on the USD.

Encouragingly for the USD, 2 year bond yields have been rising since the start of February in line with firmer economic data. However, rather than giving the USD a boost (except vs. JPY) it has been outweighed by the fact that bond yields elsewhere have risen even more aggressively. The net result is that the prospects for the USD to strengthen further look somewhat restrained over the short term.

AUD has benefited from a firmer tone to risk appetite at the start of the week but for a currency in which speculative positioning is fast approaching all time highs I would be cautious of adding to long positions at current levels. Remaining one of the most sensitive currencies to gyrations in risk appetite the AUD will continue to be mainly driven by global events especially the Greek saga.

Nonetheless, there a few data releases at home that will capture market attention, in particular the January jobs report on Thursday. After a surprisingly large 29.3k fall in December a bounce is expected in January, with around a 15k increase likely. The report will provide clues to just how long the RBA will pause in its rate cutting cycle. I suspect that even a positive outcome will have a briefly positive impact on AUD, with the currency set to struggle to break above resistance around its 2012 high at 1.0845 versus USD.

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Dollar, euro and yen view

February 13, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

Pressure on the US dollar was maintained last week but there were definite signs that selling momentum is slowing. The lack of major US data releases meant that the key focus for the USD was events in Europe. This week there will be some return of attention back to the domestic front, with heavyweight releases such January retail sales, manufacturing surveys, industrial production and inflation data.

On balance the data will provide more evidence of US recovery but as we have noted previously this is not necessarily positive for the USD. Firmer US data helps to boost risk appetite, which in turn plays negatively for the USD. This could be counterbalanced if US interest rate expectations turn more hawkish but the Fed has effectively ruled out such a prospect, with its commitment to maintain easy policy.

Europe has some important data releases over coming days including the German February ZEW survey and GDP data across the Eurozone. The data will be less encouraging, especially the Eurozone GDP data, compared to the US and is unlikely to give any support to the EUR. Instead events surrounding Greece will be crucial for EUR sentiment. EUR/USD appeared to lose some traction at the end of the week but the EUR remained firm against other currencies.

Greece’s approval of austerity measures overnight will bode well for markets but the tough stance of EU officials towards Greek austerity implementation means that focus will turn to yet another extraordinary meeting of European officials on Wednesday. Even assuming that some form debt deal and second bailout package is ironed out it is questionable how much the EUR will rally as so much good news is already in the price.

The JPY for a change managed to register relatively big moves, with USD/JPY pushing higher over the past week. The revelation that ‘stealth’ FX intervention was carried out by the authorities in Japan taken together with verbal warnings threatening more intervention helped to exacerbate JPY moves.

Speculation that the Bank of Japan is pondering further easing steps at its policy meeting on Tuesday may also be contributing to the softer tone in the JPY. Such hopes may be disappointed however, as we expect the BoJ to retain its current policy settings. The biggest factor explaining the move in USD/JPY is the fact that US bond yields moved higher relative to Japan, with the yield differential ending the week at its highest so far this year.

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Agreement at last!

February 10, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

Greek politicians finally agreed on further austerity cuts totalling EUR 3.3 billion in order to secure a second bailout package. European official discussions now centre on the details of the bail out package, targeting a cut in Greece’s debt to GDP ratio to 120%.

However, the fact European Finance Ministers have withheld more funds for Greece until the austerity measures begin to be implemented suggests further uncertainty on the horizon. A Greek parliamentary vote set to begin this weekend may see some progress but markets will trade cautiously ahead of the vote.

EUR/USD rallied to a high of around 1.3322 but failed to break above its 100 day moving average at 1.3332 following the agreement. As expected the ECB offered no help to the EUR, with market attention continuing to centre on the second 3-year LTRO on 29 February.

The fact that there are still various issues to be resolved means that upside for EUR will be limited in the short term. In any case the currency was already pricing in a lot of good news. EUR/USD will face major resistance around 1.3388.

Notably risk measures are edging higher once again, implying some pressure on risk assets in the near term. Markets today will digest the status Quo from the European Central Bank and an additional but expected injection of GBP 50 billion in quantitative easing from the Bank of England. December US trade data and February Michigan confidence are the only data of note suggesting limited price action ahead of the Greek parliamentary vote.

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Euro pricing in a lot of good news

February 9, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

Markets remain in limbo ahead of a potential Greek debt deal although US equities managed to eek out small gains overnight. Stocks in the US have entered a bull market helped by the dovish stance of major central banks.

The Federal Reserve’s commitment to maintain accommodative policy until the end of 2014 and the European Central Bank’s (ECB)3 year LTRO have been drivers of the rally in risk assets. The BoE will contribute to the easy stance of central banks, with an increase in UK quantitative easing set to be announced today. The ECB in contrast is set to remain in status quo.

Will it be a buy on rumour, sell on fact reaction for the EUR to a Greek debt deal? Over recent days anticipation has grown that a deal on debt writedowns and in turn a second bailout package will emerge soon. This has helped to propel EUR/USD higher, with the currency hitting a high of 1.3289 overnight.

So far a deal has been lacking but leaders are expected to approve a draft agreement on fresh austerity measures between the main Greek political parties today. This should pave the way a deal on debt restructuring and a new loan package for the country due to be discussed today between Eurozone finance officials.

However, the EUR has already priced in a lot of good news on this front and even agreements on the issues above may not see the currency push much higher, with strong resistance around EUR/USD 1.3388. Separately today’s ECB meeting is unlikely to provide much direction for the EUR, with the Bank set to maintain current policy settings.

USD/JPY has managed a recovery of sorts but still remains in the middle of multi month 75.5-78.5 range. Nonetheless, the momentum over the short term will continue to be for USD/JPY upside, with resistance around 77.49 targeted. News that the Japanese authorities conducted ‘stealth intervention’ to weaken the JPY in late October/early November will have emboldened JPY bears.

However, at the same time they should also be worried as it is clear that even after all the intervention the JPY remains overly strong. Reflecting this is the fact that speculative and margin trading JPY positioning is at a very high level.

Moreover, while much has been made of the deterioration in Japan’s current account balance over recent months and the potentially negative impact on the JPY it should be noted that Japan’s basic balance (sum of direct investment + current account + portfolio flows) position remains healthy (for now) and is acting as an obstacle to JPY weakness.

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Still waiting for Greece

February 8, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

The USD has taken a steady path of recent days, with little move in either direction, reflecting the general malaise in currency markets waiting for an outcome to the Greek debt talks. However, hopes that an agreement will be announced shortly saw the USD lurch lower overnight. The conflicting forces of firming US economic data on the one hand and uncertainties in Greece on the other have left market participants in a bind.

The USD has at least purchased some solace from reduced expectations of quantitative easing but as we noted earlier in the week the Fed may still carry out QE despite of better data. The USD could also suffer from the fact that US bond yields remain relatively low compared to some other major countries.

Indeed, the Fed’s commitment to maintain accommodative monetary policy until the end of 2014 suggests that the USD’s use as a funding currency could continue for a while longer. We look for the USD index to consolidate around the 78.50-79.00 level over the short term.

GBP’s recovery from its lows around 1.5233 on 13 January has been impressive. GBP’s gains are not as strong as that of commodity and Scandinavian currencies but it has outperformed the EUR. We expect this to continue.

Like other currencies GBP has benefited from a widening yield gap between the UK and the US. This has little to do with UK policy expectations given that the Bank of England is expected to initiate more quantitative easing this week. The move in relative US–UK yield differentials has more to do with the rally in US interest rate futures since the start of the year, supported by the recent dovish FOMC statement, which has put the USD under a degree of pressure.

GBP gains will be limited ahead of the BoE meeting tomorrow, with technical resistance seen around 1.5931 vs USD. Against the EUR much will depend on Greek debt talks but eventually we look for a retest of the EUR/GBP January lows around 0.82213.

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