Taking the wind out of the EUR, JPY watching the flow, AUD watching RBA

May 7, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

Market activity was limited yesterday due to holidays in the UK and Japan but will pick up today as both markets reopen. The positive reverberations from the US April jobs report continue to provide a fillip to markets but the impact is already fading.

Once again risk assets are relying on central banks to provide the steroids for further support. In this respect it was the turn of European Central Bank President Draghi to take up the baton yesterday as he noted that further interest rate cuts are possible. Today’s data slate is thin, with the Reserve Bank of Australia policy decision and German March factory orders the main highlights.

ECB President Draghi took the wind out of the EUR’s sails as he highlighted the possibility of further policy easing. Also helping to keep the EUR under pressure was the rise in US Treasury yields; the 10 year yield differential with bunds has widened to close to 52 bps, which due to the strong correlation with EUR/USD is likely to cap any gains in the currency pair.

As Draghi noted prospects for further easing will be highly data dependent which in turn means that the EUR will be more data sensitive in the weeks ahead. The prospects of negative deposit rates in particular will continue to send shivers down the spines of EUR bulls. Look for EUR/USD to be capped around 1.3168.

As Japan returns from holiday USD/JPY is verging once again on a test of psychologically important 100 level. The trigger for the renewed bounce in USD/JPY was a jump in US bond yields following the better than expected US jobs report. In the absence of major US data releases this week Fed speakers including Chairman Bernanke will give further direction to bonds and in turn USD/JPY.

A further widening in the US yield advantage over Japan will be required to push USD/JPY higher especially as recent flow data have shown both Japanese investor repatriation and net foreign buying of Japanese portfolio assets. Despite these inflows we expect a break of 100 to occur very soon, with appetite for foreign assets from Japanese lifers and government pension fund, providing much of the ammunition for a sustained move higher.

AUD has started the week badly having suffered in the wake of the weaker than expected Chinese service sector confidence data and the surprise drop in Australian retail sales in March. Reports that the Australian Treasury will lower growth forecasts for the next two years in part due to AUD strength does not bode well for the currency either.

The data has emboldened doves looking for a policy rate cut from the RBA today and while the decision is a very close call as reflected in market pricing and consensus expectations, the balance of risks suggests that the RBA will hold off this month. This may however, come as scant relief for AUD as markets will likely push back easing expectations to the next meeting on 4 June.

Nonetheless, downside for AUD is likely to be limited, with speculative positioning already at a relatively low level. Strong support for AUD/USD is likely around the 4 March low at 1.0115.

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US dollar helped by higher yields

May 6, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

The dichotomy between hard economic data and asset market performance continues but unlike over past weeks at least there was some justification for the rally in equity markets following the stronger than expected US April jobs report. US non farm payrolls rose by 165k while revisions added 114k to previous months and the unemployment rate dropped further to 7.5%.

The data will offer the Fed some comfort perhaps reducing the need to expand further asset purchases in the months ahead. Nonetheless, the jury is still out and following the shift in Fed language at the FOMC meeting last week, in which they opened the door to increasing quantitative easing, it may take more than one, albeit important data release to completely erase expectations of more QE.

Further Fed thoughts on the jobs data as well as the plethora of disappointing data releases over previous weeks could emerge from the Chicago Fed conference this week, with several Fed speakers including Chairman Bernanke scheduled to speak. Given that there is little else on the data front market direction will take it cue from Fed comments.

Aside from central bank meetings in the UK and Australia the data slate is similarly thin elsewhere. No change is expected from both the Band of England and Reserve Bank of Australia but the latter is a much closer call given weaker data both domestically and in China. If the RBA does not move AUD will find some further support after rallying on the back of the jump in copper prices last week although gains will be limited as markets may just push back Australian easing expectations to the next meeting.

In the Eurozone, the final services confidence indices and German industrial data will be on tap and will add more evidence of the weaker economic trajectory and likely restrain the EUR and keep Eurozone core bonds supported. EUR/USD will find little else to give it direction, with higher US yields also likely to help keep any gains in EUR/USD capped, with resistance seen around 1.3220.

Japan has little on the data front too with trade and current account data in focus. The jump in the USD/JPY following the US jobs report will mean that attention will be on whether the 100 level can finally be cracked, with the spike in US 10 year Treasury yields likely keeping the USD supported versus JPY. I suspect that this level will not be breached unless US yields rise further.

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Fed shift hits the dollar

May 2, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

The economic trajectory into Q2 continues to worsen, a factor which likely played into the statement from the Federal Reserve that it is “prepared to increase or reduce the pace of its purchases” of assets, a marked shift from the previous stance of assessing the timing of a reduction of Fed asset buying noted at the March FOMC meeting.

Reinforcing the view was the weaker than expected increase in private sector payrolls in the April ADP jobs report (119k versus 150k consensus), implying downside risks to the consensus for tomorrow’s April non-farm payrolls data. Indeed, we now look for a 120k increase in payrolls compared to 150k previously expected.

March US construction spending was also weaker than forecast while the ISM manufacturing index dropped, albeit remaining in expansion territory (above 50). The data led to a further drop in the USD, commodity prices, equities and lower US Treasury yields.

Little change in market direction is expected today, with caution ahead of tomorrow’s US jobs report. Ahead of this, a likely 25bps cut in policy rates by the European Central Bank will capture attention. Although by no means a done deal, the majority of the market has shifted towards such an expectation in the wake of weaker data.

The real surprise from the ECB could come from any further hint or announcement of non conventional measures. In turn any such hint could dent the EUR limiting its ability to capitalise on a weaker USD tone. In any case sellers are likely to emerge on any rally in EUR/USD to resistance around 1.3220.

Final readings of purchasing managers’ indices in Europe, US March trade data and Q1 non farm productivity will account for the remaining releases today although none of these are likely to be market movers, leaving the USD under pressure ahead of tomorrow’s jobs report.

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