Archives of “Monetary hegemony” tag

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US to Iraq: Kick out our military and we will seize your central bank accounts

  
Analysis, Politics
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US puts the petrodollar at risk

US puts the petrodollar at risk
The US warned Iraq that if it kicks American forces out of the country, it would lock the country out of its central bank accounts held at the New York Fed.
Iraq uses the account to settle oil sales of oil and other international transfers.
Iraq’s elected legislature voted last week to expel US troops who were invited to the country to fight ISIS in 2014. The Prime Minister moved forward with those plans this week in a call with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The threat may spark a shift away from US dollar use and pricing in the international oil trade. It could also cause other countries to reconsider keeping money or other financial assets in the United States.
An adviser to the prime minister, Abd al-Hassanein al-Hanein, said that while the threat of sanctions was a concern, he did not expect the U.S. to go through with it. “If the U.S. does that, it will lose Iraq forever,” he said.
In its most-recent disclosures from end-2018, Iraq’s central bank said it held $3 billion in overnight deposits at the NY Fed.

Argentina to limit USD purchases for individuals to $200 a month (down from $10,000)

  
Analysis, Economy
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Argentina’s central bank has adjusted its currency controls to limit dollar purchases for individuals

  •  to $200 a month, down from $10,000
The President of the central bank to speak Monday
  • at 8:30 am local time
Headlines via Reuter.
This is one way to attempt to control capital flight. The controls come as Argentina elects Alberto Fernandez its new president. Voters tired of economic austeity.

‘Phase 1’ of US-China deal was easy, now comes the hard part

  
Analysis, Economy
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 Even as the “phase one” trade deal between the U.S. and China averted an escalation of the trade war, the agreement is widely seen as a small-bore pact that focused on relatively easy issues, such as agricultural and currency.

The deal was a product of compromise by two countries eager for a respite amid growing concerns about economic slowdowns. The two nations must tackle structural issues, such as China’s government subsidies, in the next phase of talks, and a real end to the trade war that would eliminate punitive tariffs imposed on each other still remains elusive. 

U.S. President Donald Trump was exuberant in announcing the agreement that would ease the pain of the Midwestern farmers that make up the core of his support base.

“The deal I just made with China is, by far, the greatest and biggest ever made for our Great Patriot Farmers in the history of our Country,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “In fact, there is a question as to whether or not this much product can be produced? Our farmers will figure it out. Thank you China!” 

In contrast, the Chinese side remained subdued. Beijing issued a statement reporting progress in agriculture but did not mention an “agreement.” State television reported the deal, although it downplayed the story. Trump’s about-face in May last year after an agreement to avoid tariffs was not lost on top Chinese officials.  (more…)

US dollar share of currency reserves falls to lowest since 2013

  
  Analysis
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Dollar still overwhelms the field

Dollar still overwhelms the field
The US dollar share of global currency reserves fell to 61.63% of the total in Q2, according to the IMF. That’s down from 61.86% in Q1 and is the lowest since 61.27% in Q4 of 2013.
In terms of the total value, there was no selling of US dollars. They totaled $6.79 trillion compared to $6.74 trillion in Q1. Instead, it was the growth in reserves of other currencies that tilted the balance.
In particular, yen reserves grew to 5.41% of the total, which is the most since 2001. Chinese yuan reserves also hit 1.97% from 1.95% while the euro rose to 20.35% from 20.23%.

Beijing pushes envelope with 7-yuan-to-dollar reference rate

  
  Analysis
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 China’s central bank set its daily yuan reference rate at 7.0039 to the dollar Thursday, crossing the 7 line for the first time in roughly 11 years and signaling resolve even as the U.S. cries foul over the weakening currency.

Market participants speculate that Beijing may keep pushing the rate to around 7.2 to 7.3 so as to alleviate the impact of the next round of American tariffs.

But while a weaker yuan will help exporters impacted by the drawn-out trade war, the People’s Bank of China still must carefully balance these gains against the risks of runaway devaluation and capital flight.

The yuan can move only 2% in either direction from the daily reference rate on the mainland. So the rate, announced before trading starts each session, reflects the monetary authorities’ wishes.

The authorities want a gradual weakening of the yuan, said Ken Cheung, senior Asian foreign exchange strategist at Mizuho Bank.

The Trump administration just labeled China a currency manipulator Monday, after the yuan weakened past the psychological threshold of 7 in Shanghai. Setting reference rates past that line could trigger further pushback from the U.S. (more…)

Week ahead: US jobs, China trade, Opec ,Wimbledon

  
  Analysis
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A high-stakes meeting between the presidents of the US and China will set the tone for markets heading into the new week, as the world’s two most important economies seek a resolution to a long-running trade dispute.

Also on tap in the US, investors await data on the labour market and manufacturing sector in a holiday-shortened week. Elsewhere, Opec members will meet to iron out oil production plans.

Here’s what to watch.

Economic data and the Fed

A fresh round of key US economic data due next week will probably factor into the Federal Reserve’s decision on interest rates in late July.

At the top of the list is the labour department’s monthly jobs report. Economists polled by Thomson Reuters anticipate an increase of 158,000 non-farm payrolls in June, which would reflect an uptick in hiring compared to the 75,000 jobs added in the prior month. The unemployment rate is expected to remain at a near 50-year low of 3.6 per cent.

Investors will also be able to parse the latest surveys from the Institute for Supply Management on the US manufacturing and services sectors, as well as reports on auto sales, factory orders and the nation’s trade balance.

The Fed’s policy-setting committee will reconvene on July 30-31, and investors expect the central bank to lower its target rate for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis amid soft inflation and uncertainty over global trade. The market has priced in a 100 per cent chance of a rate cut, with 30.2 per cent odds that officials will approve a cut of 50 basis points, according to CME Group’s FedWatch Tool which monitors Fed funds futures.

New York Fed president John Williams and Cleveland Fed president Loretta Mester — a non-voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee — are scheduled to speak at separate events on July 2. (more…)

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