USD losing steam, AUD, firm, INR bounces back

September 12, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

Risk appetite has sustained an improving trend since the end of August. A combination of an easing in tensions surrounding Syria and firmer data globally have helped to shore up sentiment. Notably the Baltic Dry Index has surged over recent days too, pointing to an improvement in global growth prospects in the months ahead.

US Treasury yields have lost some upside momentum as tapering worries have eased, providing relief to risk assets including emerging market currencies. Consequently the USD continues to lose ground and looks vulnerable to further slippage in the days ahead. Australian employment data and Eurozone industrial production will be the main data releases of note today.,

In Asia, central banks in Korea, Philippines and Indonesia will follow the RBNZ overnight with policy decisions. No change in policy is expected from any of the central banks. Indeed, the recent firming in the rupiah suggests that there will be less urgency for Indonesia’s central bank to hike rates to protect the currency. The Indian rupee has been the best performing currency since the start of the month as portfolio capital has returned. In the near however, the INR looks may struggle to breach the 63.00 level versus USD.

Despite all the doomsayers’ bearish predictions AUD has managed to sustain a solid recovery, helped by the election victory by Tony Abbot and his coalition, and positive data both locally and in China. Additionally a firmer tone to risk appetite has helped the currency provoking some short covering.

Australian jobs data this morning will provide the next test for the AUD but we don’t expect it to get in the way of further short term strength. However, AUD/USD will face some technical resistance around the 0.9440 level. Separately, AUD/NZD lost some ground following a relatively hawkish statement from the RBNZ in which they pointed to the prospects of higher policy rates next year but this is likely to prove to be a temporary set back for the currency pair.

Swiss officials continue to defend the CHF ceiling and show no sign of eliminating it any time soon. We concur as the CHF remains overvalued but the reality is that Swiss economic data has shown some improvement while foreign demand for CHF assets has eased in the wake of improving sentiment towards peripheral Europe as reflected in reduced Swiss banks’ foreign liabilities.

The SNB is also not intervening to hold back CHF gains, with reserves growth flattening out over recent months. Although any reversal of flows from Switzerland will prove sticky the bias for EUR/CHF will be higher. In the near term the currency pair may run into resistance around the top of its recent range around 1.2438.

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USD momentum fading, EUR and gold supported

September 10, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

Although Syria tensions continue to linger in the background risk assets performed well overnight helped in part by Chinese trade and inflation data released over the weekend. Meanwhile the weaker than forecast US jobs report has eased some of the markets fears about tapering, with the Fed looking less likely to pare back asset purchases too aggressively. Even the situation in Syria looks a little less tense as US President Obama opened the door to holding off any air strikes on Syria if the country handed over its stock of chemical weapons as proposed by Russia. A limited data slated today, with only second tier releases on tap suggests there will be some positive follow through to markets today.

The USD has lost momentum in the wake of last Friday’s US employment report and subsequent drop in US yields. The USD may be helped by a relatively firm US retail sales reading expected at the end of the week but tapering uncertainty will likely act to restrain any topside. Additionally, underperformance of US bonds and equities alongside foreign selling of US portfolio assets (especially by reserve managers) highlights the uphill struggle faced by the USD in the short term. Notably aggregate net USD positioning increased again last week, with net long USD positioning around its three month average, highlighting the lack of USD momentum at present. Further USD gains may need to wait for when the Fed finally begins to taper next week.

EUR has been the most resilient major currency against the USD this year. It has easily quashed expectations that it would face a difficult time in the wake of a weaker growth trajectory and ongoing peripheral worries. Admittedly the Eurozone economy remains weak and will contract this year, but there are already signs of improvement, with positive data surprises being revealed. Moreover, the Eurozone external position has strengthened due to strong portfolio inflows and a healthy current account surplus. Although there a number of risks ahead including Italian political tensions and German elections the near term outlook for the EUR looks constructive, with strong technical support seen around 1.3220.

Gold has moved into consolidation mode, with a range of 1360-1400 being observed over recent days. Lower US bond yields, and a weaker USD in the wake of the softer US August jobs report suggests will offer some support to gold prices while speculative positioning has shown a significant improvement over recent weeks, with positioning well above the three month average. Some resolution towards ending South African strikes and improving risk appetite may dampen the upside but we expect gold prices to be relatively resilient over the coming weeks as seasonal demand kicks in (our analysis shows that historically gold has a positive month in September) with a retest of the recent high around USD 1434 set be breached over the coming week.

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Watch to watch this week

September 9, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

While the world awaits US Congress’ vote on military action in Syria there is at least some distraction on the data front. Friday’s US August employment report contributed a further layer of uncertainty to the Fed tapering debate. Payrolls came in lower than forecast, with downward revisions to previous months. The unemployment rate dropped 7.3% but this was largely due to less people looking for jobs, something that the Fed will take into consideration.

It is doubtful that the jobs data will prevent tapering beginning at the September 17-18 FOMC meeting but it does support the view of a smaller (USD 10 billion) taper. In any case, data this week will if anything reinforce expectations that the Fed will commence tapering asset purchases this month, with a solid August retail sales reading forecast. Consequently the USD is set to maintain a firm tone into this week.

Eurozone markets may be dented by ongoing political issues, with Italian politics in particular legal action against former PM Berlusconi in focus. Meanwhile, worried that its forward guidance is having less impact than hoped for as core bond yields rise the Eurozone Central Bank sounded decidedly dovish at its policy meeting last week. The dovish cause will be supported by a contraction in Eurozone industrial production. As a result, the EUR will remain capped over the coming days.

Similarly the Bank of England has had little success in containing the rise in gilt yields with its forward guidance given the positive run of UK data releases over recent weeks and a likely firm UK September jobs report will make the job even more difficult. Outperformance of UK data continues to support relative GBP strength especially against EUR.

Elsewhere news that Japan has been awarded the rights to host the 2020 Olympics has boosted growth expectations and hit the JPY even as the debate over whether to increase the consumption tax grow. An upward revision to Japanese Q2 GDP releases this morning supports the view that the economy will be able to withstand the tax hike.

Meanwhile Australian markets will be buoyed by the election victory of Tony Abbott’s Liberal-National Coalition although notably it will have to deal with a host of minority parties to pass legislation through the Senate. AUD will likely see a post election boost in the short term.

Posted in Bank of England, ECB, Economics, Federal Reserve, Japan. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Central banks in focus

September 5, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

All the action will come from central banks today, with the Bank of Japan, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Riksbank and in Malaysia Bank Negara set to deliver policy decisions today. None are likely to alter policy settings but accompanying press statements will be under scrutiny. The policy decisions take place against the background of relatively calmer market conditions ahead of the August US jobs report at the end of the week and vote by the US Congress on limited military actions against Syria.

Among the several central banks deliberating on policy today the ECB will be among the most closely watched. Although no policy change is expected EUR direction will be determined the tone of the press conference. Modest upward revisions to staff growth forecasts will bode well for the EUR. Additionally in the wake of recent better data it is possible that the ECB shifts the balance of risks upwards to “broadly balanced” which could also help to stem the EUR’s recent decline. However, the ECB is unlikely to want to give markets the impression that it is turning more hawkish, with “forward guidance” set to be repeated.

While the BoE is highly unlikely to deliver any surprises today GBP is finding ongoing support from relatively positive data surprises including a series of purchasing managers’ indices released this week. Although the BoE will attempt to limit the rise in gilt yields via the use of forward guidance markets will find it difficult to ignore the better data. Given that positioning in GBP is generally short the currency is likely to remain supported both against the EUR and USD.

The BoJ is not likely to act on policy at its meeting today given that recent economic data both on the growth and inflation front are moving in line with expectations. However, there are still plenty of risks that higher inflation will not be sustained, implying potential fore more aggressive policy action in the months ahead. This, combined with relatively higher US bond yields relative to JGBs, will maintain upside pressure on USD/JPY over the coming weeks and months. In the near term USD/JPY may struggle around the 100 level but this is likely to prove to be a temporary barrier.

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AUD helpd by RBA, JPY slipping, GBP buoyed

September 3, 2013 — Mitul Kotecha

Firm August purchasing managers’ confidence indices from China to Europe have helped to maintain a positive bias to risk assets overnight although the Labor Day holiday limited trading activity. Attention centred on China’s service sector PMI, with a slight decline revealed to 53.9 in August. Elsewhere Australia’s central unsurprisingly kept monetary policy on hold. Later on the US ISM manufacturing survey is set to add to a run of negative US data surprises, with a decline expected in August, albeit with the index remaining in expansion territory. The employment component will be scrutinised for clues to Friday’s August non-farm payrolls report.

AUD faced today’s RBA policy meeting having bounced in the wake of an improvement in risk appetite, a jump in July building approvals and a rise in Chinese manufacturing confidence. Ahead of the RBA meeting July retail sales data disappointed versus expectations but weakness in AUD was reversed following the unchanged RBA decision and neutral statement. Indeed, the fact that the statement was not more dovish comes as a relief to AUD bulls. As a cut in the cash rate was not priced in nor expected by analysts the impact overall should be limited, however. While the door is kept open to further rate cuts the prospects of further easing are declining. AUD looks well supported, with the next resistance seen around 0.9070.

USD/JPY is finding some upside traction as risk appetite improves and prospects of the implementation of a sales tax in Japan gathers steam. “Abenomics” got a shot in the arm as consultative panels favoured moving ahead with the 5% sales tax in April. Additionally, the yield differential between the US and Japanese 10 year bonds remains above 200bps, sufficient in my view to spur capital outflows from Japan and a weaker JPY. The high level of speculative net JPY shorts may frustrate the move lower in the JPY although it’s worth noting that there is a long way to go before short positions hit their all time extreme levels. USD/JPY may find some near term resistance around the 2 August high at 99.95 but gains are likely to be sustained over coming weeks.

GBP is finding support on a number of fronts ahead of this week’s Bank of England policy meeting. Firstly on the data front, the trend has remained positive, with the August manufacturing PMI beating expectations (57.2 versus 55.0 consensus), with data in the form of PMI construction and Halifax house prices likely to be positive for GBP today too. News that the UK’s Vodafone is planning to sell its US mobile phone business to Verizon Communications will also act as a boost to GBP given the large cash element involved in the sale. I prefer to play long GBP versus EUR in the short term, especially given the outperformance of UK data and relative positioning in the currency pair.

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