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AUD CAD - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSAUD FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL 1. Monetary Policy At their Feb meeting the RBA delivered on expectations by announcing an end to QE purchases, and also upgrading inflation and employment forecasts. These were seen as hawkish developments, but the bank tried as hard as possible to still keep up a dovish impression by saying the ceasing of QE does not imply near-term rate increases and stating that it’s still too early to conclude that inflation is sustainably within the target band despite recent CPI prints. The bank maintained their view that the cash rate will not increase until inflation is sustainably within the 2%-3% target band. Now, call me crazy, but on that front, the bank’s projections forecast inflation to reach close to 3.25% this year and then see it returning to 2.75% during 2023, which surely implied ‘sustainable’ inflation. Comments from Gov Lowe the following day were slightly less dovish though by acknowledging that achievement of their inflation and employment goals are within reach. He also noted that even though it remains to be seen if rates will increase this year, there are clearly scenarios where the bank would be hiking this year (which was a step away from the tone and language used in the statement) but added that it’s still plausible that a first-rate hike is a year or more away. The February decision and tone could be summed up as an incremental step away from ultra-easy policy and means we have changed our Dovish stance for the bank to neutral. 2. Idiosyncratic Drivers & Intermarket Analysis Apart from the RBA, there are 4 drivers we’re watching for the med-term outlook: Covid - so far, the RBA has been optimistic about the recovery, but incoming employment and inflation data will be crucial to see if that optimism is justified. China – Even with PBoC stepping up stimulus & fiscal support expected in 1H22, the Covid-Zero policy poses a risk to China’s expected 2022 recovery and incoming data will be important. Politically, the AUKUS defence pact could see retaliation against Australian goods and is worth keeping on the radar. Commodities – Iron Ore (24% of exports) and Coal (18% of exports) are important for terms of trade, and with both pushing higher on PBoC easing, it’s a positive for the AUD if they remain supported. Global growth – as a risk proxy, the health of the global economy is important, which means expected slowdown in growth and inflation globally needs monitoring, but if China’s recovery is solid the fall out could be limited for the AUD. 3. Global Risk Outlook As a high-beta currency, the AUD usually benefits from overall positive risk sentiment as well as environments that benefit pro-cyclical assets. Thus, both short-term (immediate) and med-term (underlying) risk sentiment will always be a key consideration for the AUD. 4. CFTC Analysis Stretched positioning are usually a contrarian indicator and warning of potential squeezes. Thus, right now the AUD might be more sensitive to positive data or developments compared to negative ones as a lot of bad news has been priced in. With the RBA out of the way risk sentiment should be a more prominent driver. 5. The Week Ahead With no major economic data points due for Australia next week the main focus will fall on RBA speak as well as risk sentiment. On the former, it will be interesting to see whether Gov Lowe is willing to share more details regarding their most recent decision as he seemed to be more optimistic during his speech compared to the overall tone of the policy statement. With the RBA finally starting to move away from dovish policy, it should open up more room for net-shorts to unwind, especially if Gov Lowe can sound more hawkish this week. However, the other factor to watch in the week ahead is risk sentiment. With US CPI in the mix, as well as bond markets crashing hard, credit spreads starting to widen and real yields pushing higher across major economies, the uncertainty is starting to pile on for risk assets which means caution on that front will be important for the AUD and the other high-betas in the week ahead. CAD FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL 1. Monetary Policy Despite STIR markets pricing in close to an 80% chance of a 25bsp hike, the BoC chose to leave rates unchanged at their Jan meeting. However, the bank removed its extraordinary forward guidance and said they now think the economic slack has been absorbed (previously expected to occur somewhere in the middle quarters of 2022). The bank also explained that they expect rates will need to rise based on the progress of inflation , and Gov Macklem explained their only reason for not hiking was uncertainty surrounding Omicron. The statement gave a clear signal that a March hike is on the table. Furthermore, on the balance sheet the bank delivered on expectations by noting they will likely exit the reinvestment phase as rates begin to rise. Even though 2022 inflation projections were upgraded, the bank also downgraded growth forecasts (which in our view remains a key reason why current STIR market expectations are not realistic). Thus, the meeting had both dovish and hawkish elements to it, and thus means we are still happy to hold to a neutral bias for the CAD. 2. Intermarket Analysis Considerations Oil’s massive post-covid recovery has been impressive, driven by various factors such as supply & demand (OPEC’s production cuts), strong global demand recovery, and of course ‘higher for longer’ than expected inflation . Even though Oil has traded to new 7-year highs, we think the current Russia/Ukraine tensions and recent tight capacity concerns are the biggest contributors to the upside as our cautious view going into Q1 & Q2 remain intact. The drivers keeping us cautious are A hawkish Fed targeting demand, slowing growth and inflation , lower inflation expectations (due to the Fed), a possible supply surplus in 1Q22, and a consensus that is very long oil (growing calls for $100 WTI). If our concerns do materialize into downside for oil prices it should put pressure on the CAD and other Petro-currencies like the NOK . 3. Global Risk Outlook As a high-beta currency, the CAD usually benefits from overall positive risk sentiment as well as environments that benefit pro-cyclical assets. Thus, both short-term (immediate) and med-term (underlying) risk sentiment will always be a key consideration for the CAD. 4. CFTC Analysis We think the recent price action and positioning data has seen the CAD take a very similar path compared to April and Oct 2021 where markets were way too aggressive and optimistic to price in upside for the CAD only to see majority of it unwind. We think the CAD is setting up for a similar disappointment with money markets too aggressive on rate expectations for 2022, but oil prices remain a big supporting driver to keep in mind. 5. The Week Ahead A very quiet week for the CAD from an economic data point of view. We do have a speech coming up from Gov Macklem, but he is unlikely to offer anything new that we have not already heard. Thus, the biggest focus or drivers for the BoC in the week ahead will likely be Oil prices and overall risk sentiment. In terms of risk sentiment, with US CPI in the mix, as well as bond markets crashing hard, credit spreads starting to widen and real yields pushing higher across major economies, the uncertainty is starting to pile on for risk assets which means caution on that front will be important for the CAD and the other high betas in the week ahead. In terms of oil prices, the concerns of tighter capacity for major suppliers as well as bad weather and geopolitical stress has kept oil prices well buoyed in the short-term which should be a positive input for the Petro-currencies like the CAD and NOK . However, we remain neutral on the CAD and med-term concerned about oil from here which means we maintain our upside bias for the AUDCAD for now.
by thunderpips
3
$AUDUSD - Inverted head and shouldersHi guys! 👋🏻 🔔 I believe the impulse is very high and the Australian Dollar will continue upwards. The track for the #DXY will be set by important economic data today and tomorrow, especially the #NFP - non-farm payrolls. 🔔 Russian Ministry of Finance this week declared the start of Gold purchases starting February 7, might effect the Gold price. The current economic and political sitiation is very tense, so Gold could hike this year, dragging AUD upwards with it. 🔔 Wedge pattern is about to complete and I am waiting for a breakout here, though the best would be a retest of 0.71, though might not happen. ✊🏻 Good luck with your trades! ✊🏻 If you like the idea hit the 👍🏻 button, follow me for more ideas.
Long
by azizelliott
2
Today’s Notable Sentiment ShiftsUSD – The dollar fell for a second straight session on Tuesday, after hitting a 18-month peak at the end of last week, on weak PMI data and after Fed members pushed back against aggressive rate hikes this year. ISM Manufacturing PMI fell to a 14-month low in January, dropping to a reading of 57.6 from 58.8 in December. Amongst the chorus of Fed speakers on Tuesday was Fed’s Daly, who stated that the Fed is poised for a March rate hike, but after that, she wants to “see what the data brings” and “get through omicron”. A similar tone was echoed by Fed’s Bostic, who said that “we are going to need to be thinking very carefully about how things are going, how the economy responds to our first moves… We are not set on any particular trajectory. The data will tell us what is happening.” AUD – The Australian dollar initially sold off on Tuesday after the RBA fell short of hawkish expectations at their February policy meeting. However, its weakness was eventually pared, with market participants seemingly undeterred by Governor Lowe’s comments. Summarising the meeting and Australia’s monetary policy outlook, Westpac stated that “it was a clearly dovish message. The Governor has certainly gone out of his way to dissuade pricing for a hike in the first half of the year.” But continues to believe that their “August meeting expectation appears well placed… So while yields at the front end and out to 3-years will be lower, they will only be marginally so and we remain better sellers into strength, despite the RBA message.”
TVC:DXY
by thunderpips
2
AUD USD - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSAUD FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL 1. Monetary Policy In Dec the RBA kept rates at 0.10% and weekly bond purchases at A$4bln until mid-Feb, as expected. They reiterated their commitment to maintain highly supportive monetary conditions and won’t raise rates until actual inflation is sustainably within their 2%-3% target range. They noted that the economy is recovering from the Delta slowdown and is expected to return to pre-Delta path in 1H22. The positive take from the meeting was that the RBA did not think Omicron will derail the expected recovery and sounded more optimistic than markets anticipated. They also said they will consider the future of their QE program at the Feb meeting and outlined their criteria for that which includes actions of other central banks, bond market functioning and actual and expected progress towards the goals of full employment and inflation consistent with their target. All in all, the bank still had a dovish stance but was more optimistic about the economy than expected. Furthermore, out of the 3 criteria set by the bank, it seems like all three have now been met following the past week’s CPI print. 2. Idiosyncratic Drivers & Intermarket Analysis There are 4 key drivers we’re watching for Australia’s med-term outlook: The virus situation – so far, the RBA has been positive about a post-Delta recovery, but incoming employment and inflation data will be crucial to see whether that optimism is justified. China – Even though the PBoC has finally stepped up with new stimulus & some fiscal support is expected in 1H22, the Covid-Zero policy in China does pose a risk to their expected 2022 recovery so the recent rapid rise in cases is one to watch. Politically, the AUKUS defence pact could see possible retaliation from China against Australian goods and is always something to keep on the radar. Commodities – Iron Ore, (24% of exports) and Coal prices (18% of exports) are important for terms of trade, and with both pushing higher on PBoC easing, that is a positive for the AUD as long as they maintain their recent push higher. Global growth – as a risk proxy, the global economy is an important consideration for AUD, which means the expected slowdown in growth and inflation globally is an important point to consider, but if China can put in a solid year that should limit the fall out of a faster slowdown in the global economy. 3. Global Risk Outlook As a high-beta currency, the AUD usually benefits from overall positive risk sentiment as well as environments that benefit pro-cyclical assets. Thus, both short-term (immediate) and med-term (underlying) risk sentiment will always be a key consideration for the AUD. 4. CFTC Analysis Latest CFTC data showed positioning change of +5181 with a net non-commercial position of -83273. As outsized net-shorts are usually seen as a contrarian indicator we want to be mindful of potential short squeezes, which also means the AUD can be more sensitive to positive data or developments compared to negative ones as a lot of the bad news has been priced. The recent wobble in equities have kept the AUD pressured, but it was encouraging to see that despite the equity downside the AUD managed to see some minor short unwinding. 5. The Week Ahead Biggest focus in the week ahead is on Tuesday’s RBA meeting. Consensus believes that the three criteria the bank insisted on at their Dec meeting has been met, and thus believes the bank to announce an end of their QE program. However, it’s interesting to note this view isn’t shared by all, and some investment bank research suggests that the bank could simply opt to taper current purchases down to A$4 billion to A$2 billion, which would be seen as a dovish tilt from the bank and would disappoint current expectations. With inflation printing well above the bank’s 2-3% target band on the headline and Unemployment reaching 4.2% it seems that the bank is running out of excuses to keep up the overly dovish stance. However, as wage growth is always a major focus point for the bank, there is some credence to those who take a more sober approach to this upcoming meeting as we will only see 4Q21 wage data on the 23rd of Feb, which could give the bank an ‘excuse’ to simply taper purchases by half and explain they will review again in May. A decision to taper instead of end QE could certainly add additional weakness to the AUD, but we would think such weakness to be more limited given positioning, while an end to QE could see some further unwind of stretched net-shorts. USD FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: BULLISH 1. Monetary Policy The Jan FOMC decision was hawkish on multiple fronts. The statement signalled a March hike as expected, but the press conference from Chair Powell portrayed a very hawkish message. Even though Powell said they can’t predict the rate path with certainty, he stressed the economy is in much better shape compared to the 2015 cycle and that will have implications for the pace of hikes. Furthermore, the Chair explained that there is ‘quite a bit of room’ to raise rates without dampening employment, which suggests upside risks to the rate path, especially coming from Powell. A big question markets wanted an answer for was whether the Fed was concerned about recent equity market volatility . However, the Chair explained that markets and financial conditions are reflecting policy in advance and stressed that in aggregate their measures they look at is not showing red lights. This was a clear message to markets that any ‘Fed Put’ is much further away and that inflation is the biggest focus point for the Fed right now. The Chair also didn’t rule out the possibility of hiking 50bsp in March or possibly hiking at every meeting this year, which was seen as hawkish as it means the Fed is looking for optionality to move more aggressive if they need to. On the balance sheet , we didn’t really get new info and the Chair reiterated that they are contemplating a start of QT after the hiking cycle has begun but also reiterated that they will discuss this in coming meetings. Overall, the tone and language used by the Chair were a lot more hawkish than the Dec meeting and more hawkish than some were hoping for. 2. Global & Domestic Economy As the reserve currency, the USD’s usage around the world means it usually has an inverse correlation to the health of the global economy and global trade. The USD usually gains strength when growth & inflation both slow (disinflation) and loses ground when growth & inflation accelerates (reflation). Thus, with expectations that both growth and inflation will decelerate this year, both in the US and the globe, that should be a positive input for the USD in the med-term . However, incoming data will also be important in relation to the ‘Fed Put’. There are many similarities between now and 4Q18, where the Fed were also tightening aggressively going into an economic slowdown. So, incoming data will be crucial to watch. As long as growth data slows and the Fed stays aggressive that would be a positive environment for the USD, but if it causes the Fed to pivot more dovish and causes a rate repricing in money markets it would be seen as a negative input for the USD. 3. CFTC Analysis Latest CFTC data showed a positioning change of +427 with a net non-commercial position of +36861. The shortterm unwinding of stretched USD longs played out as expected at the start of the year but was also short-lived in the midst of the recent strong risk off sentiment in certain parts of the market and of course the continued hawkish stance from the Fed. 4. The Week Ahead In the week ahead the party starts all over again with a new month which means we’ll get new ISM PMI releases as well as the Jan NFP report. It’s important to keep the current economic climate in mind when looking at possible reaction functions for the USD. Usually, positive data should be USD positive and negative data USD negative when the Fed is busy with a hiking cycle, but right now there are growing fears that economic data has been slowing much faster than expected and means the Fed could be on its way to make the same mistake it did back in the end of 2018. As long as those fears persist, we might see the USD having two different reaction functions to growth and inflation data. Reacting inverse to growth data but acting correlated to inflation data. That makes this week’s incoming ISM data very interesting as the Dec data decelerated much faster than expected on the growth side, and a further miss might spark more fears about a faster slowdown. The tricky part for the USD in the week ahead is that both the ISM prints as well as the NFP report has inflation components with the ISM priced paid components and the Average Hourly Earnings on the NFP side. If growth data slows very fast that could be USD positive, but if inflation data starts decelerating much faster that could also be USD negative as it means less need for aggressive Fed policy. A tricky one for the week ahead.
by thunderpips
2