US Dollar Finding Support

June 13, 2011 — Mitul Kotecha

The US dollar is finding growing relief from the fact that the Fed is putting up a high hurdle before more quantitative easing (QE3) is even considered. As highlighted by Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke last week he is not considering QE3 despite a spate of weak US data. Of course until US bond yields move higher the USD will fail to make much of a recovery and in turn this will need some improvement in US economic data.


The May retail sales release is unlikely to provide this with headline sales likely to undergo an autos related drop while core CPI released on Wednesday is set to remain benign in May. There will be better news on the US manufacturing front, with surveys and hard data likely to bounce back.

There is still plenty of scope for USD short covering as reflected in the fact that IMM USD positions fell further as of the 7th June, with the market still heavily short USDs. The USD index has likely found a short term bottom, with a break above the 50-day moving average level around 74.6874 in focus.

EUR has lost momentum , with the European Central Bank’s (ECB) confirmation of a July policy rate hike prompting a major sell off in the currency, even with interest rate markets barely flinching. The EUR is susceptible to developments regarding Greece and the news on this front is not good. Divisions between policy makers including the ECB about the extent of private sector involvement in a second bailout package threaten to prolong the pain.

Similarly divisions within the Greek parliament about further austerity measures needed to secure a second bail could also derail the process. Further negotiations this week will be closely scrutinised, likely taking more importance than data releases, with only the final reading of May inflation and industrial production of note this week.

As revealed by the CFTC IMM data, EUR long positions jumped early last week leaving plenty of scope for unwinding, something that is likely to take place this week. Nonetheless, support around the 30 May low of EUR/USD 1.4256 is likely to prove difficult to break on the downside this week.

GBP took a hit in the wake of yet more weak activity data in the form of May industrial and manufacturing production data. The economic news will be no better this week, with retail sales set to drop in May and CPI inflation set to rise further in April. The data will only add further to the confusion about UK monetary policy as the dichotomy between weak data and persistently high inflation continues.

Admittedly the weak data releases can at least partially be explained away by the Royal wedding and Easter holidays but this will provide little solace to GBP bulls. GBP will likely struggle against a firmer USD this week although its worth noting that GBP speculative position has been negative for 3-straight weeks, suggesting that at least there is less room for GBP position unwinding. GBP/USD is likely to hold above support around 1.6055 this week.

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EUR Supported, AUD dives, NZD jumps

June 9, 2011 — Mitul Kotecha

Today is probably not the best day to sell EUR given that the ECB policy decision looms on the horizon. Whilst there is a risk of a ‘buy on rumour, sell on fact’ impact on the EUR following the European Central Bank (ECB) decision later today the relatively high probability that the ECB flags a rate hike in July will likely give further support to the EUR especially as it is not fully priced in by the market.

Of course should ECB President Trichet fail to mention “strong vigilance” in his press conference the EUR could suffer but this is likely to be a lower probability event. Some justification for higher rates will come from an upward revision in the ECB’s inflation forecasts. Consequently EUR/USD looks well supported around 1.4450.

The Bank of England is unlikely to deliver any surprises today, with an unchanged policy rate outcome and asset purchases target likely. The outcome will keep GBP restrained versus USD but given the likely contrast with the ECB, EUR/GBP could head higher as the currency pair continues to set its sights on the 0.90 level.

Even against the USD, GBP is unlikely to extend its gains, with 1.6474 likely providing a near term technical cap. The dichotomy of weaker activity and higher inflation is clearly causing a problem for policy makers but we still believe a rate hike is likely later in the year. In the meantime GBP remains vulnerable to further data disappointments over coming weeks.

There was more bad news for the AUD today in the form of a weak than forecast May employment report. The data will reinforce expectations that the RBA will not hike interest rates over coming months, with July and August effectively ruled out, though a hike in September remains probable.

The data had major impact on AUD which dropped sharply below the 1.0600 handle versus USD. Clearly the combination of the RBA statement and weak jobs data has resulted in a major headwind against further near term AUD appreciation. AUD will remain under downward pressure in the short-term, with technical support seen at 1.0440.

Unlike the RBA the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) opened the door for higher interest rates following its unchanged policy decision today, with the Bank stating that “a gradual increase in the overnight cash rate over the next two years will be required”. Despite noting some caution about the strength of the NZD and its impact on the economy the Kiwi strengthened versus the USD

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US Dollar Ugly But Not Hideous

May 24, 2011 — Mitul Kotecha

The USD has strengthened by around 5% since the beginning of the month. The move has been particularly sharp this week as higher risk aversion and intensifying fears about the eurozone periphery have given the currency a boost, albeit with the USD remaining one of the least ugly currencies amongst a fairly hideous bunch.

Eurozone country and overall ‘flash’ May purchasing managers indices (PMI) managed to further sour an already fragile mood yesterday, with the data revealing bigger than expected declines, albeit still at levels that are high in absolute terms. Data today is unlikely to result in any improvement in sentiment for eurozone assets, with the Germany IFO Business Climate index likely to slip, albeit from a relatively high level.

The EUR doesn’t need much of an excuse to sell off at present, with a softer IFO likely to provide further reason for investors to offload long positions in the currency. Against this background EUR/USD is likely to sustain a drop below the 1.4000 level, with the 100 day moving average level of 1.3972 likely to be breached shortly.

More importantly in terms of sentiment drivers the malaise in the eurozone periphery especially Greece remains the biggest risk for the EUR. As much as officials in Europe and Greece deny speculation of debt restructuring the market is far from convinced as reflected in the widening in peripheral debt spreads.

Greece’s Prime Minister Papandreou’s attempt to push through austerity measures in the Greek parliament yesterday by announcing accelerated asset sale plan and EUR 6 billion in budget cuts have done little to turn market sentiment despite the fact that at the least it shows a willingness to stick to the plan in the face of growing domestic resistance.

The USD has also edged higher against the JPY over recent days despite a rise in risk aversion. As revealed in the latest IMM data markets have been net long JPY over the past couple of weeks, with positioning well above the 3-month average, suggesting some scope for a liquidation of long positions. Nonetheless, the rise in USD/JPY has occurred despite 2-year US / Japan yield differentials remaining at a relatively low level suggesting that the USD may lose momentum, with USD/JPY resistance around 82.74 likely to cap gains.

GBP has also slid suffering in the wake of a resurgent USD and unconfirmed reports that Moody’s ratings agency is expected to announce that is placing 14 out of 18 UK banks on review for a downgrade. GBP is likely to trade nervously ahead of UK data releases today including public finances and CBI data, with further downside risks opening up. A drop below GBP/USD 1.6000 could see the currency pair test support around 1.5972.

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US Dollar On The Rise

May 16, 2011 — Mitul Kotecha

There are plenty of US releases on tap this week but perhaps the most important for the USD will be the minutes of the April 26-27 Fed FOMC meeting. Taken together with speeches by Fed officials including Bernanke, FX markets will attempt to gauge clues to Fed policy post the end of QE2. The Fed’s stance at this point will be the major determinant of whether the USD can sustain its rally over the medium term. The lack of back up in US bond yields suggests that USD momentum could slow, with markets likely to move into wide ranges over coming weeks.

It is worth considering which currencies will suffer more in the event that the USD extends its gains. The correlation between the USD index and EUR/USD is extremely strong (even accounting for the fact that the EUR is a large part of the USD index) suggesting that the USDs gains are largely a result of the EUR’s woes. Aside from the EUR, GBP, AUD and CAD are the most sensitive major currencies to USD strength whilst many emerging market currencies including ZAR, TRY, SGD, KRW, THB, IDR, BRL and MXN, are all highly susceptible to the impact of a stronger USD.

Robust Q1 GDP growth readings in both Germany and France helped to spur gains in the EUR but this proved short-lived. Sentiment for the currency has soured and as reflected in the CFTC IMM data long positions are being scaled back. Nonetheless, there is still plenty of scope for more EUR selling given ongoing worries about the eurozone periphery, which are finally taking their toll on the EUR. A break below EUR/USD 1.4021 would open the door for a test of 1.3980.

The eurogroup and ecofin meetings will be of interest to markets this week but any additional support for Greece is unlikely to be announced at this time. However, likely approval of Portugal’s bailout may alleviate some pressure on the EUR but any positive impetus will be limited. Even on the data front, markets will not be impressed with the German ZEW index of investor confidence likely to register a further decline in May.

Japanese officials have been shying away from further FX intervention by blaming the drop in USD/JPY over recent weeks on general USD weakness despite the move towards 80. However, this view is not really backed up by correlation analysis which shows that there is only a very low sensitivity of USD/JPY to general USD moves over recent months. One explanation for the strength of the JPY is strong flows of portfolio capital into Japan, with both bond and equity markets registering net inflows over the past four straight weeks.

This is not the only explanation, however. One of the main JPY drivers has been a narrowing in yield differentials. This is unlikely to persist with yield differentials set to widen sharply over coming months resulting in a sharply higher USD/JPY. As usual data releases are unlikely to have a big impact on the JPY this week but if anything, a further decline in consumer confidence, and a negative reading for Q1 GDP, will maintain the pressure for a weaker JPY and more aggressive Bank of Japan (BoJ) action although the BoJ is unlikely to shift policy this week.

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Australian dollar hit by weak jobs data

May 12, 2011 — Mitul Kotecha

The USD’s bounce since the beginning of the month appears to be gaining more traction, with the USD index up over 3% from its recent lows. I’m still cautious about whether this move can extend much further in the absence of a back up in US bond yields especially given ongoing asset purchases / global USD liquidity injections by the US Federal Reserve at least until the end of June.

Nonetheless, given the magnitude of USD short positioning, which had moved ever close to revisiting record levels, the potential for short-covering was significant. US data today could provide some influence, with attention on April retail sales data, PPI inflation and jobless claims. A relatively positive outcome for retail sales could give the USD further support.

The day has started badly for the AUD, with the currency hit by an awful jobs report, with employment dropping by 22.1k in April compared to consensus expectations of +17k. The details were even more negative than the headline reading, with full time employment dropping by 49.1k and only partially mitigated by a 26.9k rise in part time employment.

The Reserve Bank of Australia will likely pay close attention to the data and it will likely result in any residual expectation of a rate hike by the RBA next month being taken off the table. Already today there has been a sharp rally in bank bill futures as markets pare back interest rate expectations and markets are not even pricing in a further full 25bps rate hike by year end.

The data weighed heavily on the AUD, with AUD/USD hitting a low below 1.06. AUD is likely to trade with a heavy tone over coming sessions, with the currency already under pressure from a generally firmer USD. Moreover, the rally in Australian bank bill futures will add further pressure to the currency as Australia’s favourable rate differential narrows further with the US.

Taken together with the fact that AUD positioning is close to its all time highs and that even compared to interest rate differentials its gains look overdone, it suggests more downside risks over the short-term, with AUD/USD 1.0537 seen as a near term technical support level.

In contrast GBP benefitted from a back up in UK bond yields in reaction to the Bank of England’s Quarterly Inflation Report. Inflation forecasts were revised higher but growth forecasts were revised lower as expected. The In truth, the reaction looked overdone but GBP has gained some momentum versus EUR and looks set to extend its gains, with focus on the 200 day moving average level of 0.8558.

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