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Dollar poised to benefit as China economic growth takes virus hit – Citi

  
  Analysis
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The firm says that the dollar is well placed to benefit from the situation compared to other G-10 currencies in the market

Dollar

Citi’s currency strategist, Adam Pickett, says that “consensus expectations have not yet fully adjusted to the reality of weaker Chinese growth that will result from efforts to contain COVID-19”.

Adding that the market is underpricing the possibility of China’s economy being dealt a blow and overvaluing the prospects of recent stimulus measures. As such, Pickett argues that the dollar stands to benefit and outperform in this scenario.
Noting that the greenback should outperform against open manufacturing economies such as the NOK, NZD and EUR. Although safe havens may perform better, the US economy and key trading partners are “likely to be insulated”, he argues.
Additionally, he points out that market hopes for meaningful Chinese stimulus to ensure a V-shaped recovery are overblown – saying that the current Chinese administration “still prefers slower, sustainable growth than previous cycles”.
This adds to the NAB dollar call earlier in the day here but again, I would say it is conditional upon which currencies you’re looking at and on what scenario.
A highly risk-off landscape would still favour the yen more so than the greenback but against the likes of the kiwi and euro, the dollar definitely will shine if the situation plays out as what is described by Pickett above.

Charlie Munger warns ‘lots of troubles coming’ – ‘too much wretched excess’

  
  Analysis
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Charlie Munger is Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner and vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway

CNBC have this report up on his comments at a shareholders meeting.
  • “In China, … they love to gamble in stocks. This is really stupid,” Munger said. “It’s hard to imagine anything dumber than the way the Chinese hold stocks.”
  • To make his point about excess, Munger cited the proliferation of EBITDA as a fake profit metric. “I don’t like when investment bankers talk about EBITDA, which I call bulls— earnings,” 
Here is the link for more.

Coronavirus FX implications: The good, the static, & the bad

  
Analysis, Forex
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What to watch for in the outbreak

 3 scenarios for Coronavirus and its FX implications.

“Coronavirus was unknown to asset markets two months ago, may disappear as a factor within a few months, but may also evolve into a major global supply shock if it spreads and intensifies. We lay out the alternative scenarios on how the disease could evolve and what the short-medium term FX responses might be. Our subjective assessment is that current asset market pricing probably lies somewhat closer to the static than good scenarios,” SC notes.

“FX winners (W) and losers (L) under our good scenario where the disease abates:

•   W: CAD, CNY, MXN, KRW, IDR, RUB

•   L: USD, CHF, JPY

FX winners (W) and losers (L) under our static scenario of neither major intensification nor elimination:

•   W: USD, JPY, CHF, MXN

•   L: KRW, TWD, THB, SGD, MYR, AUD, NZD, EUR, CNY, CAD

FX winners (W) and losers (L) under our bad scenario where the disease intensifies and spreads:

•   W: JPY, USD

•   L: KRW, TWD, THB, SGD, MYR, IDR, INR, AUD, NZD, EUR, CNY, CAD,”

Treasury yields turn flat across the curve, risk currencies pare gains

  
  Analysis
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10-year Treasury yields are now flat on the session

USGG10YR

The early trading in the bond market is hinting at some indecision about the risk mood. Treasury yields turned flatter about two hours ago before recovering some poise and is now back to flat levels again on the session.
As a result, USD/JPY has pared gains to 109.81 currently and we are seeing a similar story for the aussie as AUD/USD falls to a session low of 0.6743 after having traded around 0.67455-65 earlier in the day – just take note AUD/JPY is at key resistance levels as well.
European equities have pared back some of its earlier gains too but are still keeping higher in trading so far. This may yet lead to some mixed tones between stocks and bonds again but just be mindful of the market saying that “the bond market is always right”.

Ahead of markets in China opening for Wednesday – support measures so far and here is what is still to come

  
  Analysis
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Nomura provide a summary of the market-supporting actions out of China (these have been discussed on ForexLive in prior days this week but this a nice summary)

PBOC:
  • cut the OMO rate by 10bps for both 7 and 14 day RRs
  • Monday PBoC injected CNY 2.1tln of short-term interbank liquidity (maturing loans offset some of this)
  • Tuesday the PBoC injected a further CNY net 00 bn yuan in RRs – largest single-day addition since January 2019
CSRC:
  • suspended securities lending from Monday until further notice
  • some funds were told to avoid actively selling stocks
    prop traders at brokerages told they were not permitted to be net sellers of equities this week
    would halt night sessions for futures trading
  • to allow some share pledge contracts to be extended by as long as six months
MoF:
  • an interest subsidy scheme for new loans ear-marked for medical supply companies fighting coronavirus
  • policies to extend loans to entrepreneurs and SMEs which have been hit by the coronavirus
They go on with what is still expected to come:
PBOC expected to cut RRR by 50 to 100bp
  • more MLF operations and OMOs coming (to inject long & short-term liquidity into the banking system)
  • MLF rate cut (by 10bps) – to be relfected in the February Loan Prime Rate (on the 20th)
Other:
  • tax/fee cuts, waivers
  • boost to u/e and insurance benefits to people who have lost income or been infected with the virus
  • higher fiscal deficits
  • local governments to get more flexibility in easing restrictions on the property sectors

Markets and the Pathogen in the Week Ahead

  
Analysis, Forex
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The infectious and mortality rates of the new coronavirus have become the main force driving the pendulum of investor sentiment toward fear. The move is all the more dramatic as the investors had been positioned for a continuation of the historic bull market in equities and eager to take on new risks.

The coronavirus has surpassed the earlier precedents of SARS (2003) and the Swine Flu (2009). The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency, which will free up resources and boost efforts to contain the pathogen. It took roughly 20 months to devise a vaccine for SARS, and it is estimated that a vaccine is possible within a month or so now to begin the testing process. Although China is expected to return from the extended Lunar New Year on February 2, more than a dozen provinces and cities will be closed several days longer, which ballpark estimates suggest are responsible for a little more than 2/3 of GDP and 3/4 of exports. Supply-chain and business disruptions will likely last longer still.

Investors fear that the health crisis will turn into an economic crisis. Although President Xi is understood to be the strongest Chinese leader in a generation, the challenges that China faces are immense: US rivalry and trade conflict, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and a highly leveraged domestic economy underpinned by a deteriorating demographics. China recently reported its birthrate fell to a record last year. Still, some argue that the situation is even more dire as the official figures exaggerate both the population and the birth rate. More monetary and fiscal stimulus is expected to be delivered to cushion the impact. Some forecasts show the Chinese economy slowing to around 4.5% in Q1 20 from 6.0% in Q4 19.

Since the onshore yuan (CNY) stopped trading for the holiday, the dollar appreciated by a net of a little less than 1% against the offshore yuan (CNH). A catch-up move of roughly the same magnitude would bring the greenback toward CNY7.0. While the last time the dollar rose through that threshold, the US accused China of currency manipulation, this time is considerably different. Moreover, of all times, this is the time when China could likely get away with manipulation if it wanted. It is not just because of the macro shock, but also because the US has played the card once and relatively quickly reversed itself. (more…)

The ‘Big 4’ Cryptocurrencies to trade

  
Analysis, BITCOIN
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What you need to know when trading Cryptocurrencies

EagleFX 1
The popularity of Cryptocurrency is on the rise and more and more skeptics are investing in digital assets each day. With people losing trust in central banks, coupled with the allure of investing in a digital currency which could appreciate, these factors have contributed to an industry boom.

What is even more exciting is the options available surrounding Cryptocurrencies nowadays. In the past, investors would simply buy a coin and wait/hope for the value to increase whilst running the risk of having value wiped out of an investment in a volatile market. This is avoidable now thanks to Crypto trading. Much like traditional Forex trading, Crypto enthusiasts can now trade on the projected performance of a coin without necessarily purchasing that asset.

The option of trading Crypto can be far more appealing than investing which comes with constantly monitor price performance. Thanks to leveraged trading on broker platforms, traders can concentrate on: going long and short on a range of Cryptocurrencies opposed to just investing and HODL-ING.

In this article, we will explore some of the major Cryptocurrencies which will suit day traders, scalpers, and swing traders. First of all, let’s consider some factors which contribute to a good Cryptocurrency to trade

Trade over 30 Cryptocurrency pairs with access to leverage of up to 1:100 for digital currency at new broker EagleFX. (more…)

Full text of the January 22, 2020 Bank of Canada rate decision

  
  Analysis
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The latest Bank of Canada decision

  • Prior statement here

Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1 ¾ percent

The Bank of Canada today maintained its target for the overnight rate at 1 ¾ percent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 2 percent and the deposit rate is 1 ½ percent.The global economy is showing signs of stabilization, and some recent trade developments have been positive. However, there remains a high degree of uncertainty and geopolitical tensions have re-emerged, with tragic consequences. The Canadian economy has been resilient but indicators since the October Monetary Policy Report (MPR) have been mixed.

Data for Canada indicate that growth in the near term will be weaker, and the output gap wider, than the Bank projected in October. The Bank now estimates growth of 0.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019 and 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2020. Exports fell in late 2019, and business investment appears to have weakened after a strong third quarter. Job creation has slowed and indicators of consumer confidence and spending have been unexpectedly soft. In contrast, residential investment was robust through most of 2019, moderating to a still-solid pace in the fourth quarter.

Some of the slowdown in growth in late 2019 was related to special factors that include strikes, poor weather, and inventory adjustments. The weaker data could also signal that global economic conditions have been affecting Canada’s economy to a greater extent than was predicted. Moreover, during the past year Canadians have been saving a larger share of their incomes, which could signal increased consumer caution. This could dampen consumer spending but help to alleviate financial vulnerabilities at the same time.

Looking ahead, Canadian business investment and exports are expected to contribute modestly to growth, supported by stronger global activity and demand. The Bank is also projecting a pickup in household spending, supported by population and income growth, as well as by the recent federal income tax cut. In its January MPR, the Bank projects the global economy will grow by just over 3 percent in 2020 and 3 ¼ percent in 2021. For Canada, the Bank now forecasts real GDP will grow by 1.6 percent this year and 2 percent in 2021, following 1.6 percent growth in 2019.

While the output gap has widened in recent months, measures of inflation remain around 2 percent. This is consistent with an economy that, until recently, has been operating close to capacity. The Bank expects inflation will stay around the 2 percent target over the projection horizon, with some fluctuations in 2020 from volatility in energy prices. Meanwhile, labour markets in most regions have little slack and wages continue to firm.

In determining the future path for the Bank’s policy interest rate, Governing Council will be watching closely to see if the recent slowdown in growth is more persistent than forecast. In assessing incoming data, the Bank will be paying particular attention to developments in consumer spending, the housing market, and business investment.

BOJ announce no change to monetary policy settings, as expected

  
Analysis, Economy
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Bank of Japan monetary policy meeting for January 2020 has concluded

As expected, policy unchanged:
  • keeps monetary policy steady
  • maintains short-term interest rate target at -0.1%
  • maintains 10-year JGB yield target around 0%
  • maintains forward guidance on interest rates, says they will remain at current or lower levels for as long as needed to guard against risk momentum for hitting price goal may be lost
I’ll have more on this separately
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