What Stress?

July 22, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

Fed Chairman Bernanke has inadvertently fuelled an increase in risk aversion in the wake of his testimony to the Senate. Although Bernanke noted that he did not see the prospects of a double-dip as a high probability event he stated that the economic outlook is “unusually uncertain”. Nonetheless, although such measures would be implemented if the situation deteriorated further, the Fed was not planning on extending its non-traditional policy options in the near term.
USD benefits as Bernanke does not indicate more quantitative easing.

A combination of caution about growth prospects and disappointment that Bernanke stopped short of indicating that the Fed would embark on further non-conventional policy measures left equities weaker, but the USD was stronger, both due to higher risk aversion as well as less risk of the Fed turning the USD printing press back on again. Bernanke is back at Congress today, with a speech to the House Panel. Although this is effectively a repeat of yesterday’s testimony, the Q&A session may throw up additional clues to Fed thinking and potential for extending quantitative easing but I suspect the USD will retain its firmer tone.

In Europe, most attention remains on the upcoming release of EU bank stress test results. Leaks suggest most banks will likely pass the EU bank stress tests, with the notable exceptions of a few Spanish Cajas and German Landesbanks. Already governments in Germany, France, Greece and Belgium have said their banks are likely to pass. We should all be bracing ourselves for relief to flow through European financial markets, but somehow this does not feel like an environment that will welcome such a result. More likely questions will be asked about why did so few banks fail and why the tests were not rigorous enough?

For example, the test for “sovereign shock” is said to affect only the value of government bonds that banks mark to market, but what about the far larger proportion of government debt that is held in banking books? There are also question marks over the capital hurdle, with the most adverse scenario that banks need to reach a maximum Tier 1 capital ratio of at least 6% by end 2011. Moreover, there have also been reported divisions within European Union (EU) members about how much information to divulge. EUR has also ready lost ground over recent days but the currency could face much more selling pressure into next week if the tests are found to lack credibility.

Please note that econometer.org will take a break until the week of 16th August. Good Luck.

Posted in bank rescue, Currencies, Economics, Economy, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, Federal Reserve, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Germany, Greece, Spain, US, US administration. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Quantitative easing and the USD

July 21, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

US earnings are coming in ahead of expectations, with Q2 income at the 42 S&P 500 companies reporting so far beating estimates by 11% whilst revenues are 3.3% ahead of forecasts, according to Bloomberg. The overall tone to equities looks positive helped by expectations of an agreement by BP to sell some of its assets and strong earnings reported by Apple after the close of US trade.

Market sentiment was also boosted by speculation that the Fed will embark on fresh monetary stimulus measures. Although there has been no indication that Fed Chairman Bernanke will announce such measures at his semi-annual testimony to the Senate today and to the House tomorrow, speculation of Fed action is rife and there is likely to be some questioning of Bernanke on the issue in the Q&A. If in any way quantitative easing is hinted at by Bernanke, it will act to undermine the USD.

US economic data is helping to compound expectations of further quantitative easing, with yet another weaker than forecast release in the form of a 5.0% drop in June housing starts as hinted at by the bigger than expected drop in homebuilders confidence on the previous day. Separately ABC consumer confidence declined more than expected in the week to July 18, its third consecutive weekly decline, supporting the evidence that consumer confidence is deteriorating once again.

In the absence of major data releases Bernanke’s testimony will be the main driver for markets but earnings from Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley will also be of interest. Elsewhere the minutes of the Bank of England’s July MPC meeting will be under scrutiny. MPC member Sentance is expected to have voted for a rate hike at the meeting, but any sign that other members joined him, will give GBP a lift. Sentiment for European assets continues to improve, with Greece concluding a well received T-bill auction and Ireland auctioning EUR 1.5bn in 6 and 10-year bonds. Both were heavily oversubscribed although concerns over Hungary continue to linger.

There continue to be various leaks about the European bank stress tests. Banks are expected to detail three scenarios in the results including estimated Tier 1 capital ratios under a benchmark for 2011, an adverse scenario and finally, a “sovereign shock”, according to a document from the Committee of European banking Supervisors. Importantly and perhaps a factor that could hit the credibility of the tests, the sovereign shock scenario is said to not include a scenario of default on sovereign debt.

I continue to see downside risk for the EUR in the wake of the test results, with a “buy on rumour, sell on fact” reaction likely. EUR/USD is vulnerable to a short-term drop to technical support around 1.2763 but much depends on Bernanke’s speech today. Leaks, suggest that around 10-20 banks could fail the bank stress tests, with a total funding requirement in the region of EUR 70-90 billion. Confirmation will have to wait for the official release on Friday ahead of which most currencies are likely to remain range-bound.

Posted in bank rescue, central banks, Commodities, Currencies, Economics, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, Federal Reserve, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Greece, Hungary, IMF, Interest rates, Monetary Policy, US. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Euro Has That Sinking Feeling

June 7, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

The reaction to the US May jobs report shows that markets are particularly susceptible to negative US news at a time when growth fragilities in Europe are becoming increasingly apparent. Coupled with worries about Hungary, risk aversion has jumped.

Unsurprisingly the EUR took the brunt of pressure. Rhetoric over the weekend may help to assuage some fears but I suspect it is too late now that the cat is out of the bag. Hungary’s government maintained that it will meet this year’s budget deficit target of 3.8% of GDP. European Union officials also attempted to calm market concerns, downplaying any comparison of Hungary to Greece.

The overall EUR/USD downtrend remains intact. Renewed doubts about German participation in the EU/IMF rescue package, with the German constitutional court potentially blocking its contribution, will add to pressure as well as a UK press report titled EUR ‘will be dead in five years’ . The January 1999 EUR/USD introduction level around 1.1830 has now moved squarely into sight.

It is unlikely that data and events this week will do much to reverse the market’s bearish tone. Highlights include the ECB, BoE and RBNZ meetings in Europe, UK and New Zealand, respectively. The ECB (Thursday) is highly unlikely to shift its monetary policy stance. Given some opposition to bond purchases from within the ECB council the comments in the accompanying statement will be closely monitored. The BoE will also leave policy unchanged on the same day but the RBNZ is set to begin its hiking cycle with a 25bps move.

On the data front the US slate includes the Fed’s Beige Book, April trade data, May retail sales and June Michigan confidence. The Beige Book is likely to reveal some improvement in activity with little sign of inflation, whilst the trade deficit is set to widen further due to a higher oil import bill. Retail sales will reveal an autos led increase in the headline reading but more subdued core sales, whilst consumer confidence is set to rise for a second straight month.

There will be more attention on rhetoric from EU officials rather than eurozone data, with the Eurogroup of Finance Minister’s and Ecofin meetings garnering more interest. In Japan, politics will take centre stage, with the new cabinet line up in focus following the confirmation of Naoto Kan as Prime Minister. Comments by the new PM himself will be of interest, especially with regard to combating deflation and in particular any elaboration on his penchant for a weaker JPY.

All-in-all, the week is unlikely to see a let up in pressure on risk trades and will start much as the last week ended. Although the market’s attention is on the EUR, it should be noted that the AUD has lost even more ground so far this month although the EUR remains the biggest loser in terms of major currencies so far this year (vs USD). In the case of the AUD the move reflects a massive unwinding of long positioning (as reflected in the latest CFTC IMM data which shows that speculative AUD positioning has dropped to its lowest since March 2009).

In contrast in the case of the EUR where positioning is already very negative, the move simply reflects deteriorating fundamentals. The fact that European officials are showing little concern about the decline in the EUR (why should they given that the currency is now trading around fair value) and in some cases encouraging it, suggests that there is little to stop EUR/USD from dropping much further and parity is looming a lot closer.

Posted in Australia, central banks, Currencies, Economics, Economy, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, Federal Reserve, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Germany, Greece, Hungary, IMF, Interest rates, Japan, Monetary Policy, Politics, US. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

What A Disappointment!

June 5, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

Ok so after talking up US data releases over recent weeks the big one namely the May jobs report, came as a disappointment. To recap, payrolls rose 431k, which was less than market consensus. Hiring due to the census which by its nature will be transitory was however, in line with expectations, at 411k, leaving ex-census hiring at a measly +20k.

Believe it or not, the trend in payrolls is one of improvement but the May outcome came as a blow to a market with bullish expectations, especially following earlier comments from the US administration hinting at a robust outcome. The disappointment was compounded by talk of a +700k payrolls outcome, which proved widely off the mark. The unemployment rate did drop more than expected, by two ticks to 9.7%, but this was due to disaffected workers dropping out of the labor force rather than an inherent pick up in job conditions.

Combined with worries about a new target in the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, this time Hungary, markets quickly tanked and risk aversion jumped. So much for relative stability! The concerns were sparked by Hungarian officials themselves, with a spokesman for the Prime Minister warning about the fiscal mess inherited from the previous government. The real blow came when the spokesman compared Hungary to Greece and reportedly said that talk of a default was “not an exaggeration”.

Suffice to say, markets are set up for tense and nervous week in which risk trades are set to suffer further. EUR/USD once again proved to be the weak link dropping below the psychologically important level of 1.20 and the EUR introduction rate around 1.1830 has moved sharply into focus.

Posted in Currencies, Economics, Economy, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Greece, US, US administration. Tags: , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Switching risk on and off

May 26, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

There are several words that can be used to describe current highly risk averse market dynamics including panicked, nervous, fickle, tense, jittery, risky, volatile etc, all of which spark negative thoughts in the minds of investors. Aside from real worries such as renewed banking sector concerns, especially in Europe and in particular with regard to Spanish savings banks, there are also plenty of rumours afflicting market sentiment. In this environment deriving fact from fiction is not particularly easy whilst battling against the heavy weight of negative sentiment.

Although the pull back in risk appetite over recent weeks looks small compared to the peak in risk aversion during the financial crisis, the pace of the drop in markets has been dramatic and the withdrawal of risk seeking capital has been particularly aggressive. For example, in less than one month Asian equity markets have registered an outflow of around half of the total equity capital flows so far this year. Worryingly and despite the backstop in terms of central bank liquidity provision there are signs of renewed tensions in the money markets, with the libor-OIS spread and TED spread widening over recent days.

One of the most interesting observations in the current environment is that risk aversion has been increasing despite encouraging economic data. Not only has economic data been positive but in general has been coming in above consensus, showing that the market has underestimated the bounce in growth in the second quarter. Why is positive data not soliciting a more positive market reaction? Recent data is perhaps being seen as backward looking, and there is growing concern about the likely downdraft on economic activity in H2 2010, especially in Europe as deficit cutting measures bite.

News on the budget front in Europe has been relatively positive too, with Greece registering a sharp decline in its deficit, as well as announcing plans to tighten tax administration procedures. Meanwhile, the Italian cabinet reportedly approved a package of measures to reduce its deficit. On the flip side budget cuts across Europe are leading to growing public opposition, testing the resolve of eurozone governments to pass austerity measures. The public opposition means that the real test is in the implementation and execution of austerity measures. Signs of progress on this front will be key to turn confidence in the EUR around.

The USD remains king in the current environment and any pull back is likely to be bought into though Moody’s ratings agency’s warnings that the US AAA sovereign rating may come under pressure if there was no improvement in the US fiscal position, highlights the risks over the medium term to this currency. The EUR is set to remain under pressure though it is worth noting that the pace of its decline appears to be slowing, leaving open the potential for some consolidation. Near-term technical support for EUR/USD is seen at 1.2142 but a broader range of around 1.18.23-1.2520 is likely to develop over coming weeks.

Posted in bank rescue, Bond markets, central banks, Economics, Economy, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, Federal Reserve, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Germany, Greece, IMF. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment »
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