EUR slides as summit hopes fade

July 9, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

Any boost to confidence following the recent EU Summit is fading fast. Policy easing from the European Central Bank, Bank of England, and PBoC in China, have done little to turn things around. Moreover, the weaker than expected US June jobs report has added to the calls for the Federal Reserve to inject more monetary stimulus via another round of quantitative easing but this is unlikely anytime soon.

Admittedly the jobs data which reported an 80k increase in payrolls and unemployment rate remaining at 8.2%, was disappointing but it was not weak enough to trigger imminent Fed action. Congressional testimony by Fed Chairman Bernanke on July 17 and 18 will provide the next key clues to whether the Fed is moving closer to more QE.

This leaves markets in a miserable state of being. It was hoped that the recent EU Summit would provide much needed breathing space and relief to Eurozone peripheral bond markets. However, renewed policy implementation doubts, concerns that the Summit did not go far enough and opposition from Finland and the Netherlands who appear to have taken an even tougher stance than Germany, have resulted in Spanish and Italian bonds facing significant pressure once again with yields higher than pre summit levels.

A delay in the ESM permanent bailout fund, timing of the setting up of a banking supervisory authority and doubts about the size of the bailout fund given that the ECB appears to have ruled out a banking license as a means of leveraging up the ESM, are just a few of the concerns afflicting markets. Meanwhile, added to this list is the fact that Greece’s next bailout tranche has been delayed to mid September. Many of these issues as well as the bailout of Spanish banks will be discussed at today’s Ecofin meeting but the chances of much progress remain limited.

The EUR which is of course not uncrorrelated with peripheral bond yields has itself fallen sharply. Thin trading conditions have helped to exacerbate the drop in the EUR while the realisation that the EU summit has been no game changer is increasingly weighing on the currency. I had thought that the Summit may have helped to at least provide a floor under the EUR but this now looks like a case of misplaced optimism.

The only supportive factor for the currency is that it looks heavily oversold, with market positioning extremely short. However, if a break below the 2012 EUR/USD low around 1.2288 can be sustained markets will quickly latch onto 1.20 as the next target. Given the lack of major events or data releases over coming days there looks like little to offer the EUR any support.

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Central banks fail to impress

July 6, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

Three central banks acted within a short time of each other to provide yet more monetary stimulus. However, the European Central Bank’s (ECB) 25 bps cut in its refi rate and deposit rate, China’s central bank, PBoC’s cut in interest rates and an additional GBP 50 billion of asset purchases by the Bank of England have failed to stimulate markets. This is a worrying development for policy makers especially as the drug of monetary stimulus has been a major factor spurring equity markets and risk assets since the global financial crisis began in 2008.

The lack of positive momentum emanating from the policy easing by central banks yesterday reflects the reality that the efficacy of further easing has now become very limited. Will a quarter percent rate cut from the ECB or yet another round of asset purchases from the BoE really make a difference at a time when core bond yields are already at extremely low levels and the demand for credit globally is very weak? Moreover, are policy makers really addressing the underlying problems in the Eurozone or elsewhere? I think the answers are obvious.

The same argument applies to the Fed if it was to embark on a third round of quantitative easing. Admittedly more Fed QE could weaken the USD and boost equities but would it really have a lasting impact? In any case I don’t think the Fed is on the verge of more QE following the recent extension of ‘Operation Twist’ which itself will do little more than have a psychological impact on markets. Today’s release of the June jobs report could give some further impetus to QE expectations if it comes in weak but I doubt this will occur.

One casualty of the cut in ECB rates was the EUR which dropped sharply, having not only given up its post EU Summit gains over recent days but extending its losses even further. This is perhaps an odd reaction considering that a rate cut was widely expected. ECB President Draghi’s warnings about the path ahead will have played negatively on the currency as well expectations of more stronger easing in the months ahead perhaps involving ECB QE.

I still stick to the view that European policy makers have at least put a short term floor under the EUR in the wake of the decisions at the EU Summit suggesting that further downside will be limited, with the 2012 low around 1.2288 likely to act as a short term floor for EUR/USD. Nonetheless, with many details of the plans announced in the Summit yet to be ironed out and implementation risks running very high a degree of market caution should be expected.

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Risk and carry attraction increasing

July 4, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

The outcome of the EU Summit together with hopes of monetary stimulus has definitely helped to put a floor under risk appetite. Indeed, such monetary stimulus expectations are reflected in the price of gold which continued to rise overnight. Risk assets in general have maintained a positive tone recently and even forward looking indicators of global activity such as the Baltic Dry Index have been trending higher.

Although it is difficult to become too positive given the still very significant downdraft to global growth officials in Europe have bought some time to get their collective house back in order. Whether they will use it wisely is another question entirely. It is difficult to see much of a market move ahead of the ECB Council meeting and US June jobs report this week. Moreover, the US Independence Day holiday will keep trading subdued today.

My Risk Barometer has moved back into ‘risk neutral’ territory following several weeks of remaining in ‘risk hating’ territory. Consequently the backdrop for risk currencies has turned positive. Although FX trading has become more subdued amid summer conditions and a US holiday today as reflected in the drop in implied volatilities, there is a clear sense that investors are increasingly moving into carry trades.

My Yield Appetite Index {YAI) has surged over recent weeks, now at its highest in several months. I remain concerned that markets are addicted to stimulus while underlying economic conditions remain weak as likely revealed in today’s releases of June service sector purchasing managers’ indices in Europe.

Nonetheless, it seems likely according to my risk measures that the current tone of risk / carry attraction will persist for some weeks to come. The currencies that will benefit in an environment of improving risk appetite / yield attraction are the ZAR, MXN, PLN, CAD & NOK by order of magnitude of correlation with our risk barometer.

However, the beneficiaries are by no means limited to these currencies. Almost every currency except the ARS and PHP has a statistically significant correlation with the risk barometer. The only currencies that come under pressure as risk appetite improves are the USD and JPY given their negative correlations.

Currencies with healthy carry such as the AUD, which broke above its 200 day moving average versus USD overnight, will be even bigger beneficiaries as investors pile into carry trades over coming weeks as indicated by the jump in our YAI.

Notably there is plenty of scope to build carry positions as our speculative measure of yield attraction (based on CFTC IMM data) remains relatively low, suggesting that leveraged investors have still not jumped on the carry bandwagon.

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Plenty of event risk

July 3, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

In the wake of the EU Summit at the end of last week sentiment has stabilised, with risk indicators such as the VIX ‘fear gauge’ reflecting a firmer tone to risk appetite. Although a few stumbling blocks have arisen such as the objections by both Finland and Holland to bond purchases by the ESM bailout fund they may not be sufficient to derail the project. The euphoria is likely to fade in the days ahead but the US Independence day holiday tomorrow may keep trading somewhat subdued.

There are plenty of events this week including central bank decisions by the RBA (Australia), Riksbank (Sweden), ECB (Eurozone) and BoE (UK), to provoke some excitement. A likely rate cut from the ECB and an extension of asset purchases by the BoE will give markets plenty to chew on. Finally, at the end of the week the US June jobs report will also be closely watched. We forecast a 100k increase in payrolls but will look for clues from tomorrow’s ADP jobs report.

The disappointing US June ISM manufacturing survey released yesterday highlighted that growth risks will remain a key weight on the market dampening any improvement in risk appetite over coming weeks. Moreover, weaker growth in Europe will make it more difficult to achieve budget targets, while adding to pressure to ease bailout terms. Undoubtedly the European summit was a step in the right direction but with plenty of details still needing to be thrashed out and growth concerns intensifying it would be highly optimistic to expect a fully fledged ‘risk on’ to ensue.

Notably the EUR has given back some of its gains after failing to break above 1.2700 against the USD. Further downside is likely but the EU Summit outcome has meant that the risk of a sharp drop lower has receded. Although there is likely to have been some short covering following the summit outcome EUR short positions remain significant, a factor that may also limit downside in the currency. EUR/USD will find some short term support around 1.2553 but will likely edge down to around 1.2500 over coming sessions.

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Progress at last in Europe

June 30, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

As last week progressed markets had been increasingly poised for disappointment at the EU Summit at the end of the week. Given such low expectations it was probably not so difficult to exceed them. In the event there was progress towards breaking the vicious cycle between banks and sovereigns. The immediate reaction to the announcements from the EU President was clearly positive, with risk assets rallying sharply. EUR/USD had rallied by over 2 big figures from a low just above 1.24 as a massive short squeeze helped propel it higher.

With their backs against the wall EU leaders finally agreed upon short term stabilisation measures as well as long term measures towards closer European integration. Under pressure from other leaders including French President Hollande, German leader Merkel obviously softened her stance to agree on some of these measures. The deal goes to show that leaders in Europe can act when needed or at least when desperate which is how they were after 13 hours of talks and the reality that bond yields in Spain and Portugal were at unsustainable levels.

Short term measures in particular utilising the EFSF / ESM bailout fund to recapitalize banks directly and the creation of a European banking supervisory body was a shot in the arm for Italian and Spanish bonds and the EUR. The dropping of the condition that EU governments be given preferred creditor status for loans to Spanish banks bodes well for peripheral Eurozone sovereign debt markets as it means that private investors will not be put at the back of the que in any debt restructuring.

While the measures mark an important step in the direction of providing clear resolutions to the Eurozone crisis there is a very long way to go. Admitedly the use of the bailout funds is positive but at some point markets will ponder the fact that while they could handle a bailout of Spain the funds are clearly insufficient to cope with a bailout of Italy should it be needed. If the steps announced at the EU summit lead to a sustained drop in peripheral country bond yields then the prospects of more bailouts will be limited but this is by no means guaranteed.

Whether the risk rally is sustained into next week depends in part on whether the European Central Bank responds with actions of its own by cutting interest rates or by indicating the use of other measures such as restarting its securities markets purchases program. The risk remains that the rally will likely fade as skepticism sets in again once again and more details are sought.

Posted in Bond markets, ECB, eurozone, Italy, Spain. Tags: , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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