FOMC results, what to expect from the Bank of England & ADPThe announcement of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) Fed meeting results was the main event. As we expected parameters of monetary policy were left unchanged. As for the comments, the Fed has been extremely positive about what is happening in the US economy recently. At the same time, the Central Bank noted weak inflation indicators, which were perceived by the markets as a “pigeon” position. Recall that the Fed simply does not have any reason to raise the rate with weak inflation. And that means that the pause in the rate increase will be delayed or the rate might be lowered, to intensify the inflation processes in the country. Nevertheless, the lack of any mention of the fall on the part of the Fed possibility perceived the markets as a signal for buying the dollar, which, by the end of the day, somehow compensated previous losses. Our position is still unchanged - we continue to look for the dollar selling points today.
About the dollar news. Publication of statistics on US employment from ADP was another important news. The data came out surprisingly good: + 275K jobs (forecast was + 180K). Recall that this Friday we are waiting for official statistics on the US labor market. If the figures for the NFP are somewhere in this area, it can greatly help the dollar, which is experiencing serious problems this week. But in more details, we will talk about this tomorrow.
The meeting of the Bank of England is on focus today. To begin with, as in the case of the Fed, we do not expect any changes in the Great Britain monetary policy parameters. In addition to the factors that put pressure on both the Fed and the Bank of England (the threat of a slowdown in global economic growth and a possible transition to the recession stage), the Central Bank of England has one more even greater problem - Brexit. While there is no clarity on this issue, the risks of the chaotic exit of Britain from the EU are great, and this promises a very serious level of uncertainty and potential damage to the economy. To loosen the boat in such conditions, the Central Bank simply has no right. So today we do not expect surprises from the Bank of England. As for buying the pound, after the strong growth in the last couple of days, the results of the Bank of England meeting may well be perceived as a reason for the local correction. So today we are more likely to sell pounds than to buy it.
According to the Ministry of Energy report, oil production in the United States increased by 100 thousand to 12.3 million barrels per day, which is a new absolute record. At the same time, oil reserves in the US unexpectedly rose sharply (by +9.93 million, with a forecast +1.47 million). These are pretty strong bearish signals. So today we will look for points for oil sales.
Our positions for today are as follows: we will continue to look for points for selling the dollar against the euro, as well as the Australian and Canadian dollars. In addition, we will buy gold, as well as sell oil and the Russian ruble on the intraday basis.
Centralbank
EURAUD - extreme CFTC positioning signals correctionFundamentals:
CFTC positioning: -72.1K - speculators extremely short on AUD -> often signals change in direction
RBA - rate hold expected, personally I believe there will be a hawkish tone -> AUD supportive
Core inflation, wages picking up steadily, GDP in Sept above consensus
Little carry advantage for Aussie against EUR
Technicals
+Divergence (7%) from 200DMA
+Daily double top forming
AUDCAD Weekly Poised for Breakout in Coming WeeksAUDCAD Weekly – AUDCAD has been trading within a triangle since the beginning of the year and as we approach the end of summer, traders will be hoping that an increase in volatility will see a break of this triangle.
The Aussie Dollar has been one of the strongest currencies this year but the levels it has reached in recent weeks are considered to be overvalued. Despite this, option pricing is showing that the Australian Dollar could extend its rally during this weekend’s Jackson Hole symposium. The Reserve Bank of Australia have also mentioned that a strong currency will hurt the economy and that they are watching the AUDUSD rate closely but traders seem to have shrugged this off. A report on Bloomberg also suggested that the only way the RBA can control AUD strength is through a rate cut, meaning that their warnings will have little to no impact. The US Dollar has also helped to strengthen the Aussie Dollar, with the chances of a December rate hike by the Fed being lowered to around 40%. This will play a major part in how the Australian Dollar moves against other major currencies until the end of the year as the RBA cash rate is currently only 25 basis points higher than the Federal Reserve’s cash rate. A move by either central bank to equalise these rates will have quite an impact on the macro fundamental picture for the Australian Dollar.
Meanwhile, there are also positives for the Canadian Dollar bulls. The Bank of Canada hiked rates for the first time in 7 years last month and a 70% chance of a rate hike has been priced in by the market for October. Along with this, the commodity correlated currency can be pleased with the recent stability in the oil market. However, traders should not get carried away until we see stronger fundamental indications for another rate hike from the BoC and through data points.
Based on the current lack of fundamental stimulus in the summer markets, we are neutral on this pair. However, we will be patiently awaiting the release of both central bank’s statements in just over one week for indications of changes in their respective monetary policies. On the technical side, we would only look to buy if there was a break of the 1.0400 level, with a target of 1.0800. On the other hand, a bearish break of the triangle, would allow us to consider a sell position with a target of 0.9200.
4) Repeat: The European Central Bank created artificial pricesAugust 14, 2016
This is the text from my comments on the charts:
January 2015: These levels above 4530-4600 are totally artificial .It was an aberration created by the European Central Bank (Quantitative Easing),
which helped the CAC40 hits its long term diagonal resistance before it would collapse.
Greece and China were merely excuses.
Greek CDS (Credit Default Swaps) clearly showed that Greece had a bond default probability of about 85% in January 2015. Well done !
Can you see that by the end of 2015, the price of the CAC40 went back to its last value of about 4550?
It was a lost year. And yes you are not seeing it wrong: that is the infamous Head & Shoulder pattern, as I mentioned many times here and elsewhere.
European + US indices will certainly start plummeting in a month or two in my high opinion.
The blue lines being shown merely depict one possible path and cannot be taken for granted. You guys can perform an Elliott Waves analysis and see.
I do not currently possess enough knowledge/information nor the right skills to tell whether this would work or not. We shall see how it plays out !
SHORT GBPUSD & FTSE RALLIES: GOV M.C SPEECH & BOE FSR HIGHLIGHTS1. *Id say a 6/10 dovish reaction by markets, GBP falling across the board & FTSE gaining. Carney seems contempt with a lower GBP and is happy to continue talking the currency lower in an attempt to use the exchange rate mechanism as a leading instrument to buoy UK economic stability (GDP, CPI, Unemp) against the potential Brexit backdrop; thus I continue my view of shorting GBP on pullbacks (my near term <1.30 is imminent, with August end 1.25xx in sight) and FTSE on rallies near 6600.
2. I continue to be surprised by the lack of coverage/ rhetoric from media in general and the BOE/ Govs regarding the UK Political situation regarding Brexit e.g. failure to sign the Article 50, PM Cameron Resignation in Oct, 70% chance Brexit happens in 2017 vs 2016.
Govenor Mark Carney Speech Highlights:
- BOE Carney: Have A Clear Plan, Putting It In Place, And It's Working
- BOE Carney: Will Take Whatever Action Needed to Support Stability
- BOE Carney: GBP Fall Was "Necessary" To Support Needed Economic Adjustments
- BOE Carney: Continues to See "A Material Slowing" in Economy Despite GBP Fall
- BOE Carney: Evidence Since Brexit Vote Consistent With Expectation of Slowdown
- BOE Carney: Want to Ensure No Question About Availability of Credit
- BOE Carney: UK Banks Have More Capital Than They Need
- BOE Carney: UK Banks Can Be "Part of the Solution, Not Part of the Problem"
- BOE Carney: "Extremely Important" That Policy Decisions Well Targeted
- BOE Carney: Negative Rates Have Potentially Counterproductive Consequences
- BOE Carney: Commercial Property Not A Big Issue for UK Banks
- BOE Carney: General Sense of Heightened Risk Aversion in Global Markets
- BOE Carney: Have Wide Range of Tools If Monetary Policy Easing Required
Financial Stability Report highlights:
- BOE Lowers Countercyclical Capital Buffer for UK Exposures to Zero from 0.5%
- BOE: Expects to Maintain CCB at Zero Until "At Least" June 2017
- BOE Move is First Easing of Policy Following Brexit Vote
- BOE: Decision Will Raise Banks' Lending Capacity by GBP150 Billion
- BOE: Decision Will Lower Regulatory Capital Buffers by GBP5.7 Billion
- BOE "Strongly Expects" Banks Will Continue to Support Real Economy
- BOE "Strongly Expects" Banks Will Continue to Support Real Economy
- BOE: Ready to Take "Any Further Actions" Needed to Support Financial Stability
- BOE: Stability of Funding Costs Should Reduce Pressure to Tighten Lending
- BOE Sees Risk of Decline in Capital Inflows Following Brexit Vote
- BOE: Persistent Fall in Inflows Would Put "Further Downward Pressure" on GBP
- BOE: Prolonged Period of Brexit Uncertainty Could Weaken Eurozone, Global Economies