Tag Archive: Japan
Markets Calm after Dramatic Swings on Powell’s Comments
The US dollar is mostly trading with a downside bias today against the G10 and most emerging market currencies. It had begun the week extending the gains spurred by the dramatic jump in nonfarm payrolls and the strong ISM services survey. Market expectations for the trajectory of Fed policy in the first part of this year converged with the Fed's December dot plot. The market now leans toward two more quarter-point hikes this year.
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No Turn Around, but Consolidation Featured
Overview: After large moves yesterday, the capital
markets ae quieter today. Stocks are mostly firmer, and the 10-year US yield is
a little softer near 3.62%. Strong nominal wage increases in Japan and a
hawkish hike by the Reserve Bank of Australia helped their respectively
currencies recover, though remain within yesterday's ranges. The euro briefly
traded below $1.07, and sterling has been sold through $1.20. That said, a
consolidative tone is...
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Will What the Fed Says be More Important than What it Does?
Overview: The focus is squarely on the Federal Reserve today. There is nearly universal agreement that it will lift the target by 25 bp. The market is inclined to see the shift as a sign that the Fed is nearing the end of its tightening cycle, and sees, at most, one more quarter-point hike. Despite the Fed's warnings, including in the December FOMC minutes, about the premature easing of financial conditions, the market has done precisely that.
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Position Adjustments at Month-End and Ahead of FOMC Outcome Lifts the Greeenback
Overview: A combination of month-end adjustments and
positioning ahead of the outcome of tomorrow's FOMC meeting has taken the shine
off equities and has helped lift the dollar. On the heels of yesterday's sharp
decline on Wall Street, several large markets in the Asia Pacific region,
including China's CSI 300, the Hang Seng, and both South Korea's Kospi and
Taiwan's Taiex fell by more than 1%. Although the eurozone eked out a small
expansion in Q4...
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Subdued Ending to a Quiet Week, Ahead of Next Week’s Fireworks
Overview: Leaving aside the Australian dollar, which
is benefiting from the optimism over China's re-opening and a reassessment of
the trajectory of monetary policy after a stronger than expected inflation
report, the other G10 currencies traded quietly this week and are +/- less than
0.5%. The risk-on honeymoon to start the year remains intact. The MSCI Asia
Pacific Index has risen every day this week and index of mainland shares that
trade in...
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No Follow-Through Euro Buying while S&P Holds Yesterday’s Breakout
Overview: A quiet consolidative session has been recorded
so far today as North American leadership is awaited. The preliminary PMI
readings are mixed. Japan and the eurozone look somewhat better, but Australia
and the UK disappointed. The dollar is trading with a mostly firmer bias,
but largely confined to yesterday's ranges. The markets seem to be looked
ahead toward next week's Fed, ECB, and BOE meetings, and the return of China
from this...
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Weekly Market Pulse: A Fatal Conceit
Inflation* in the US is falling rapidly with the CPI rising just 0.9% in the second half of 2022 versus 5.4% in the first six months. Existing home sales are down 14.6% in the last 3 months and 34% over the last year. Housing starts are down 22% and permits are down 30% year-over-year. Orders for durable goods are down 1.2%, exports are down 3.8%, and imports are down 4.3% over the last 3 months.
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Dismal UK Retail Sales Weigh on Sterling, While the Yen Softens
Overview: The US dollar is mostly softer today against the G10
currencies, with the notable exception, yen, Swiss franc, and sterling. The
risk-on mood is seen in the foreign exchange market with the Antipodean and
Scandi currencies leading the move against the greenback. The yen has fallen by
about 1.3% this week, leading losers, while sterling's 1.1% gain puts it at the
top. Despite the poor showing of US equities yesterday, risk appetites...
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Poor US Data Cast Doubts on New Found Hopes of a Soft-Landing
Overview: Yesterday's string of dismal US economic
data delivered a material blow to those still thinking that a soft-landing was
possible. Retail sales by the most in the a year. Manufacturing output fell by nearly 2.5% in the last two months of 2022. Bad
economic news weighed on US stocks. The honeymoon of New Year may have ended
yesterday. The US 10-year yield fell below 3.40% for the first time since the
middle of last September. The Atlanta...
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The BOJ Surprises by Standing Pat
Overview: The BOJ defied speculation and stuck to its
current policy, which saw the yen sell-off sharply. The dollar rallied about
3.4 yen before falling back. The greenback is broadly lower against the other
G10 currencies. However, for the fifth consecutive session, the euro has
stalled around $1.0870. While UK headline inflation softened, mostly due to fuel,
core prices were unchanged, and this may have helped sterling extend its recent
gains to...
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With Trepidation, the Market Awaits the BOJ
With the market nearly ruling out a 50 bp hike by the Federal Reserve on February 1, the interest rate adjustment appears to have largely run its course. This may be helping to ease the selling pressure on the greenback.
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Dollar Index Gives Back Half of 21-Month Gains in 3 1/2 Months
Overview: The continued easing of US price pressures
has strengthened the market's conviction that the Federal Reserve will further
slow the pace of rate hikes and that the terminal rate will be near 5.0%. The
decline in US rates has removed a key support for the US dollar, which has
fallen against all the G10 currencies this week. The Dollar Index has now retraced half of what it gained since bottoming on January 6, 2021. Meanwhile, there are...
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Is it Too Easy to Think the Market Repeats its Reaction to a Soft US CPI?
The market expects a soft US CPI print today, which has recently been associated with risk-on moves. The US 10-year yield is holding slightly above 3.50%, the lowest end of the range since the middle of last month. The two-year yield is a little above 4.20%, also the lower end of its recent range. Most observers see the Federal Reserve slowing the pace of its hikes to a quarter point on February 1.
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Consolidative Tone in FX
Overview: After sharp losses yesterday, the US dollar has stabilized today arguably ahead of Fed Chair Powell's speech at the Riksbank symposium. Yesterday's Fed speakers stuck to the hawkish rhetoric, and this seemed to help reverse the equity market gains, though the greenback remained soft.
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USD Stretched Ahead of Employment Report, while Yuan Jumps on Hopes of New Property Initiatives
Overview: The US dollar extended yesterday's gains
as the market adjusts positions ahead of the jobs data. Yesterday and today's
price action looks to have strengthened the near-term technical outlook for the
greenback. However, the intraday momentum indicators are stretched. This warns
of the risk of a counter-intuitive move after the data, barring a significant
surprise. Meanwhile, one of the Fed's leading hawkish voices, St. Louis Fed
President...
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The Market Appears to Shrug Off the Fed’s Warning
Overview: The US dollar is consolidating in a mixed
fashion today. The FOMC minutes drew much attention but failed, at least
initially, to spur a significant shift in expectations. The pricing in the Fed
funds futures strip is still consistent with a cut later this year, which the
minutes were clear, no officials anticipate. Today's US ADP jobs estimate, and
November trade balance are being overshadowed by tomorrow's nonfarm payroll
figures. The...
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The Dollar Jumps
Overview: Market participants have returned from the New Year celebrations apparently with robust risk appetites. Equities and bonds are rallying, and the dollar has surged higher. The markets seem to be looking past the surge in China's Covid cases and anticipates a recovery, helping Chinese equities lead Asia Pacific bourses higher, where Japanese markets are still on holiday.
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European Rates Continue to Surge, Sending Stocks Spiraling Lower
Overview: Seven of the G10 central banks pumped the brakes between last week and this week as they purposely seek to push demand back into line with supply. And there are more signs that they are succeeding in weakening growth impulses. The dramatic surge in European bond yields continues today with 10-year rates mostly rising another 13-15 bp.
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The Greenback Recovers After the Initial Post-Fed Wobble
Overview: The US dollar has come back bid after losing ground against
most currencies as the markets reacted to the FOMC decision and press
conference. The Antipodeans and Scandis have been tagged the hardest, illustrating
the risk-off mood, and arguably the weakening growth prospects. Countries that
peg their currencies to the dollar have hiked rates, as has the Philippines and
Taiwan. The Swiss National Bank and Norway have also lifted policy...
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