What To Watch This Week

May 24, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

The end of last week proved to be a calmer affair than the preceding few days. There was some encouraging news on the Greek front, with Germany finally approving its share of the European Union (EU) aid package whilst Greece appeared to be on track with its budget deficit reduction as the country recorded a cash deficit of EUR 6.3billion in the first four months of the year, a 42% reduction compared to a year earlier. EU officials also agreed on tougher sanctions for countries breaching austerity rules.

There were plenty of negatives to offset the good news however, as European business surveys including the German IFO index and flash eurozone purchasing managers indices (PMIs) revealed some loss of momentum in growth as well as increased divergence. European banking sector concerns intensified as the Bank of Spain was forced to take control of CajaSur, a small savings bank holding 0.6% of total Spanish banking assets, which faced difficulties due to distressed real estate exposure. Its woes highlighted the problems faced by many Spanish savings banks due to property market exposure.

US data releases this week will confirm that economic recovery gathered steam in Q2. May consumer confidence data is likely to record a small gain, due in large part to improving job market conditions, whilst the Chicago PMI is set to retrace slightly in May, albeit from a healthy level. Both new and existing home sales are set to record gains in April, the former following a sizeable gain in March although the drop in house prices likely to be revealed by the Case-Shiller index will continue to fuel doubts about the veracity of the turnaround in the US housing market.

In Europe there is not much in terms of first tier releases and highlights include sentiment data such as German Gfk and French consumer confidence indices, and the May French business confidence indicator. The data are likely to be mixed, and as indicated by last week’s surveys will reflect a relatively healthy Q2 2010, but a worsening outlook for the second half of the year.

In the absence of UK data today there will be plenty of attention on the details of plans by Chancellor Osborne to cut GBP 6 billion from the budget deficit. The measures will be small change ahead of the emergency budget package on June 22nd when much bigger cuts are expected. Nonetheless, the first step today will be a crucial test of the new government’s ability to convince ratings agencies and markets that it is serious about reducing the burgeoning fiscal deficit.

Following the massive positioning adjustments of the last week markets will look somewhat calmer over coming days but risk aversion is likely to remain elevated, suggesting little respite for most currencies against the USD. The recent moves have left net aggregate USD positioning registering an all time high according to the CFTC Commitment of Traders data, in the latest week, but after the slight retracement lower in the USD index, it is set to make further gains over coming days.

It was notable that EUR and GBP looked more composed at the tail end of the week whilst attention turned to the liquidation of long positions in CHF, AUD, NOK and SEK. These risk currencies are set to remain under pressure but there will be little respite for EUR which is set to drift lower, albeit a less aggressive pace than over recent weeks and a re-test of EUR/USD technical support around 1.2296 is likely. GBP/USD has showed some resilience over recent days but remains vulnerable to further downside pressure, with 1.4310 immediate support.

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Capital Flowing Out of Europe

May 18, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

When investors’ concerns shift from how low will the EUR go to whether the currency will even exist in its current form, it is blatantly evident that there is a very long way to go to solve the eurozone’s many and varied problems. As many analysts scramble to revise forecasts to catch up with the declining EUR, the question of the long term future of the single currency has become the bigger issue. Although the EUR 750 billion support package was hailed by EU leaders as the means to prevent further damage to the credibility of the EUR, it has failed to prevent a further decline, but instead revealed even deeper splits amongst eurozone countries.

Although the European Central Bank (ECB) confirmed that it bought EUR 16.5 billion in eurozone government bonds in just over a week, with the buying providing major prop to the market, private buyers remain reluctant to renter the market. As a result of the ECB’s sterilised interventions bond markets have stabilised but the EUR is now taking the brunt of the pressure, a reversal of the situation at the beginning of the Greek crisis, when the EUR proved to be far more resilient. Reports that some large institutional investors have exited from Greek and Portuguese debt markets whilst others are positioning for a eurozone without Greece, Portugal and Spain, suggest that the ECB may have taken on more than it has bargained for in its attempts to prop up peripheral eurozone bond markets.

As was evident in the US March Treasury TICS report it appears that a lot of the outflows from Europe are finding their way into US markets. The data revealed that net long-term TIC flows (net US securities purchases by foreign investors) surged to $140.5 billion in March. The bulk of this flow consisted of safe haven buying of US Treasuries ($108.5 billion), although it was notable that securities flows into other asset classes were also strong especially agencies and corporate bonds, which recorded their biggest capital inflow since May 2008. Asian central banks also reversed their net selling of US Treasuries, with China investing the most into Treasuries since September 2009. Anecdotal evidence corroborates this, with central banks in Asia diversifying far less than they were just a few months ago.

This reversal of flows is unlikely to stop anytime soon. It is clear that enhanced austerity measures in the eurozone will result in weaker growth and earnings potential. This will play negatively on the EUR especially given expectations of a superior growth and earnings profile in the US. Evidence of implementation, action and a measure of success on the fiscal front will be necessary to begin the likely long process of turning confidence in the EUR around. This will likely take a long time to be forthcoming. EUR/USD has managed to recover after hitting a low of around 1.2235 but remains vulnerable to further weakness. The big psychological barrier of 1.20 looms followed by the EUR launch rate of around 1.1830.

Posted in Asia, Bond markets, central banks, China, Currencies, Economics, Economy, eurozone, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Germany, Greece, IMF, US. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Criminals Favouring The Euro

May 14, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

It says a lot for a currency when banks stopped accepting it as a means of exchange. The EUR’s woes continue to pile up and the currency received more bad news unrelated to Europe’s fiscal woes when it was announced that banks and foreign exchange bureax in the UK have stopped exchanging EUR 500 banknotes. The rationale was not because the currency is dropping sharply in value though this is also a credible reason, but due to the fact that 90% of the notes were found to be linked to tax evasion, terrorism and other crimes.

EUR/USD came close to the technical support level around 1.2510. Options barriers will likely provide some strong support around this level, temporarily delaying an inevitable drop to the next support at 1.2457. It was not just the EUR that suffered, with GBP faring even worse, in part due to a wider than expected trade deficit, with GBP/USD heading for a test of 1.4500. Sovereign woes continue to depress the EUR in what is turning into a no-win situation. Fresh austerity measures in Greece, Spain and Portugal failed to assuage market fears, and instead the measures have only heightened concerns about social unrest and a weakening growth outlook.

Posted in Currencies, Economics, Economy, Europe, eurozone, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Greece, UK. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Pandemonium and Panic

May 7, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

Pandemonium and panic has spread through markets as Greek and related sovereign fears have intensified. The fears have turned a localized crisis in a small European country into a European and increasingly a global crisis.  This is reminiscent of past crises that started in one country or sector and spread to encompass a wide swathe of the global economy and financial markets such as the Asian crisis in 1997 and the recent financial crisis emanating from US sub-prime mortgages.  

The global financial crisis has morphed from a credit related catastrophe to a sovereign related crisis. The fact that many G20 countries will have to carry out substantial and unprecedented adjustments in their fiscal positions over the coming years means the risks are enormous as Greece is finding out. The IMF estimate that Japan, UK, Ireland, Spain, Greece, and the US have to adjust their primary balances from between 8.8 in the US to 13.4% in Japan. Such a dramatic adjustment never been achieved in modern history.

Equity markets went through some major gyrations on Thursday in the US, leading to a review of “unusual trading activity” by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in the wake of hundreds of billions of USDs of share value wiped off in the market decline at one point with the Dow Jones index recording its biggest ever points fall before recouping some of its losses. Safe haven assets including US Treasuries, USD and gold have jumped following the turmoil in markets whilst risk assets including high equities, high beta currencies including most emerging market currencies, have weakened. Playing safe is the way to go for now, which means long USDs, gold and Treasuries.

There is plenty of expectation that the G7 teleconference call will offer some solace to markets but this line of thought is destined for disappointment. Other than some words of comfort and support for Greece’s austerity measures approved by the Greek government yesterday, other forms of support are unlikely, including intervention to prop up the EUR. The ECB also disappointed and did not live up to market talk that the Bank could embark on buying of European debt and it is highly unlikely that the G7 will do so either. Into next week it looks like another case of sell on rallies for the EUR.   Remember the parity trade, well it’s coming back into play. 

Aside from the turmoil in the market there has been plenty of attention on UK elections. At the time of writing it looks as though the Conservatives will win most seats but fall short of a an overall majority. A hung parliament is not good news for GBP and the currency is likely to suffer after an already sharp fall over the last few days. GBP/USD may find itself back towards the 1.40 level over the short-term as concerns about the ability of the UK to cut its fiscal deficit grow. A warnings by Moody’s on Friday that the “UK can’t postpone fiscal adjustments any longer” highlights the risk to the UK’s credit ratings and to GBP.

Posted in Bond markets, central banks, Currencies, Economics, Economy, emerging markets, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, Financial crisis, Fiscal/Budget, FX, Greece, IMF, Interest rates, Monetary Policy, US. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Risk Aversion Back With A Vengeance

May 5, 2010 — Mitul Kotecha

Risk aversion is back with a vengeance as reflected in the rise in equity volatility (VIX), drop in equity markets and rally in US Treasuries.  European peripheral debt markets sold off despite the EU/IMF aid package for Greece, whilst EUR/USD slid below 1.3000.  Various rumours dealt a blow to markets including talk of a sovereign ratings downgrade and a EUR 280 billion bailout for Spain.   The message is clear.  This situation is becoming increasingly dire by the day.  Europe is in big trouble and the whole euro project is under threat of unravelling.  

Concerns about parliamentary approvals, implementation/execution risk, prospects for relatively weaker growth in Europe, as well as contagion to Spain and Portugal, has tempered any enthusiasm towards the EU/IMF bailout package.  In addition, despite the large size of the EUR 110 billion loan package there are growing worries that it will be insufficient to cover Greece’s funding requirements over the next three years.  All of this implies that the EUR will remain under pressure for some time yet.  I have previously spoken about a drop to around EUR/USD 1.25 but the risk is for a much sharper decline is growing.

The USD is the clear winner, spiking to its highest level since May 2009 and is looking well set to consolidate its gains over the short-term despite the fact that net aggregate USD speculative positioning has already reached its highest level since September 2008 (according to the CFTC Commitment of Traders IMM data) in contrast to EUR positioning, which is at a record low.  This is unlikely to stand in the way of further downside for EUR/USD, with the next technical support level seen at 1.2885, which would match the previous lows see in April 2009.

A combination of worries including contagion to Spain and Portugal, policy tightening in China, debt concerns in the UK and Japan, all threaten to undo the positive message from recent positive economic data including further strengthening in Purchasing Managers Indices globally.   The immediate attention remains on Greece and growing scepticism about the ability of Greece to carry out austerity measures in the face of rising domestic opposition, including a nationwide strike today. 

The rout in US and European markets will spill over to Asia, putting equity markets and Asian currencies under pressure.  Another risk currency to suffer is the AUD, which has dropped sharply following the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meeting, in which the Bank indicated that rates were close to peaking.  Speculative positioning has dropped for the past two weeks as longs are taken off but AUD/USD weakness is set to be temporary, with buyers likely to emerge around near term support seen around 0.9001.

Posted in Asia, Australia, Bond markets, central banks, China, Currencies, Economics, Economy, equity markets, Europe, eurozone, FX, Germany, Greece, IMF. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »
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