Calm ahead of US payrolls and ECB meeting

April 30, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

It’s non-farm payrolls week in the US, with currencies treading water until Friday when the report is released. Ahead of the data there are several other releases on tap which will give clues to the outcome of the April jobs report, including the ISM manufacturing survey and ADP jobs report. The USD has taken a softer tone as risk appetite improved and US bond yields dropped further.

Given the Fed kept open the door to more easing it will act as a restraint on the USD unless markets become convinced that there will no further Fed balance sheet expansion over coming months. In the meantime unless risk aversion spikes again the USD is set to find it difficult to sustain any gains.

It’s always the same story with the EUR, a tale of ongoing resistance to bad news. Weaker Eurozone confidence surveys as well as a downgrade to Spain’s credit ratings did little to weaken the EUR. The key event is the European Central Bank (ECB) meeting on Thursday but despite growing growth worries, a policy rate cut is unlikely as the ECB remains in wait-and-see mode.

Data releases will not be too damaging for the EUR, with monetary and credit aggregate set to rise and German retail sales set to rebound in March. The EUR looks poised to edge higher against this background in the short term, but will be constrained by uncertainty ahead of the US jobs report. Technical resistance to the upside will be found around the 1.3265 area.

The JPY barely flinched when the Bank of Japan announced an expansion of its asset purchase fund by JPY 10 trillion in its aim to reach a 1% inflation goal. Unfortunately for the BoJ the ongoing narrowing in the US Treasury yield premium over Japan JGB yields overwhelmed the negative impact of its action on the JPY.

Overall, my quantitative models continue to show USD/JPY lower over the short term, with a move below 80.00 on the cards. If as I expect, risk aversion also creeps higher, it will imply more short term upside JPY pressure. Trading will be relatively quiet, with no major data on the calendar due to Golden Week holidays in Japan.

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All Eyes on Greece

February 6, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

The USD is in a lose-lose situation courtesy of the Federal Reserve’s ultra easy stance. Positive economic data releases have been met with USD selling pressure as the data helps to fuel a rally in risk appetite. Although the USD benefited from the better than expected US January jobs report gains will prove fleeting as it is does not change expectations of more Fed quantitative easing (note the drop in the participation rate).

Following the jobs report, there is little on the data front over coming days (only December trade data for which a widening is likely and February Michigan confidence where a gain is expected) to shift USD direction. At best the USD will consolidate giving USD bulls some time to nurse their bruises.

A disaster in the Eurozone (e.g. Greek disorderly debt default) could help the USD but it appears that markets have become resilient to bad news giving officials in the region the benefit of the doubt. In particular, the ECB’s 3-year LTRO has calmed nerves somewhat.

The lack of a final deal on Greek debt restructuring has failed to dent the EUR although notably EUR/USD failed to extend gains above 1.32 and has drifted lower. EUR/USD will remain on tenterhooks ahead of a midday deadline today set by Greek PM Papademos for party leaders to accept strong terms to qualify for a second bail out.

In the absence of agreement prospects of a disorderly debt default will loom large especially given that there is a EUR 14.5 billion bond repayment on March 20. Such an outcome will undoubtedly derail the EUR. Moreover, a meeting of Eurozone Finance ministers this week will give some direction to the EUR while the ECB’s likely status quo on Thursday suggests that there will limited EUR reaction following the meeting.

The risk of JPY intervention has increased significantly as USD/JPY brushes the psychologically important 76.0 level. However, the feeling on the ground is that USD/JPY will need to broach 75.0 before intervention is actually seen. Jawboning by Japanese officials has intensified suggesting increased official concern.

However, in the short term the ability of the authorities to engineer a sustained drop in the JPY is limited given the compression in US – Japan bond yields. This appears to be outweighing even the drop in risk aversion, which in theory should be playing for a weaker JPY. USD/JPY will struggle to make any headway, with strong multi day resistance seen around 77.49.

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Risk currencies flying high

February 1, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

The first month of 2012 passed rather more positively than anticipated and clearly was a good month for risky assets. Even the beleaguered EUR strengthened despite calls for an extended decline. Assets that were most heavily sold over 2011 were the biggest winners over January. Further signs of improvement in US economic data, receding fears of a China growth crash and even signs of tentative progress in the Eurozone debt crisis mean that sentiment may have finally turned a corner. This has been reinforced by the Fed’s commitment to maintain accommodative monetary policy until the end of 2014 and the ECB’s long term LTRO. I’m not entirely convinced but it wouldn’t pay to buck market optimism just yet.

Interestingly currency markets aren’t necessarily behaving as one would expect. In particular the JPY and CHF, both safe haven currencies, have not weakened despite an improvement in risk appetite. In contrast they have actually strengthened. Other currencies are behaving much as would be expected, especially high beta (risk sensitive) currencies, including AUD, NZD and many emerging market currencies, which have rebounded. Even the EUR has jumped past the 1.30 mark against the USD. Even the slow progress in agreeing on the magnitude of Greek writedowns has failed to dent confidence, with Eurozone peripheral bond yields dropping. Risk / high beta currencies are set to remain well supported over the short term.

Looking ahead the outcome of the US January jobs report at the end of the week as well as a final agreement on Greek debt will help determine whether the positive sentiment for risk assets will be maintained into next week. Meanwhile the USD looks as though it will remain under pressure especially given the continued downward pressure on US bond yields, which only continues to reinforce its role as a funding currency. This explains why both the JPY and CHF have stubbornly refused to weaken as narrowing US versus Japanese and Swiss bond yield differentials have kept these currencies under upward pressure. However, risks of FX intervention by both the Japanese and Swiss authorities suggests that upside may be limited.

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EUR slips, Yen gains

January 31, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

There has been good and bad news in Europe, with leaders’ rubber stamping the permanent bailout mechanism (ESM) and 25 out of 27 EU countries agreeing on the fiscal discipline treaty. Finally, EU leaders agreed that it was not all about austerity, with growth orientated policies as yet undefined, also required.

The bad news is that there has still been no final agreement on Greek debt restructuring and in turn a second Greek aid package said to total around EUR 130 billion while Portugal is increasingly moving into focus as the next casualty. Unsurprisingly the EUR has lost steam so far this week but markets remain short and any downside looks limited at technical support around 1.3077.

A cautious tone will prevail today, with risk assets likely to remain under mild pressure. Developments in Greece and the Eurozone will continue to garner most attention although US data in the form of the January Chicago PMI manufacturing survey and consumer confidence data will also be in focus.

Both surveys will reveal further improvement in confidence as the US economy continues to show signs of gradual recovery. This was supported overnight by a relatively positive Federal Loan Officers survey which revealed an increase in demand for business loans at banks in Q4 2011. Although the USD has been somewhat restrained by a dovish Fed stance the risk off tone to markets will likely bode well for the currency over the short term.

JPY is benefiting from the risk off market tone despite comments by Japanese Finance Minister Azumi who warned about action being taken to combat JPY strength. The JPY has benefited from the Fed’s dovish tone last week which has weighed on US bond yields relative to Japan. While FX intervention risks have increased, officials will remain wary given the underlying upward pressure on the JPY. The near term risk is for USD/JPY to retest the 2011 low around 75.38.

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Fed weighs on the dollar

January 26, 2012 — Mitul Kotecha

The USD was already losing ground over the last couple of weeks against the background of firming risk appetite but the currency was dealt another blow from the Fed when it announced in the FOMC statement new guidance for monetary policy, stating that interest rates would remain “exceptionally low until at least late 2014” while keeping the door open to further quantitative easing. The statement helped to counter the pressure on the EUR from rising Portuguese bond yields, with EUR/USD breaking above 1.3100.

The prospect of prolonged low US interest rates means that the USD could remain a funding a currency for longer than anticipated. My forecasts of only a gradual appreciation of the USD over coming months take this into account to a large extent. I remain positive on the prospects for the USD against the EUR, JPY and CHF but predict further weakness against high beta commodity currencies and emerging market currencies over coming months. However, should US bond yields continue to remain suppressed even expectations of USD gains against the EUR, JPY and CHF may be dashed.

Although the Fed downgraded its growth expectations over coming quarters US data releases are looking more encouraging and in this respect the US is beginning to outperform other major economies. In contrast Europe’s growth outlook looks even gloomier while there is a long way to go before the problems in the region are resolved. Portugal has moved increasingly into the spotlight as markets increasingly anticipate some form of debt restructuring while in Greece debt talks have so far failed to reach any agreement on the extent of debt writedowns.

As the end of the week approaches risk is definitely on the front foot and the EUR has confounded many expectations by strengthening against all odds. I have highlighted the fact that the market was extremely short EUR over recent weeks as well as the EUR’s increasing resilience to bad news. I also noted that the Eurozone external position is still very healthy providing underling support for the currency. While I still look for the EUR to weaken over coming months expectations of a one way will not be fulfilled. EUR/USD will face strong resistance around 1.3201 (the 21 December high and 61.8% retracement from its 1.3553 high).

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