Eur-gbp
EURGBP Thoughts?My idea on EURGBP over the coming days. What are peoples thoughts?
I can see lots of liquidity areas that are ready to be taken, Highlighted a 1 min inefficient price action which is a target to be taken below the liquidity, also an area that will attract alot of buyers - more liquidity.
I would expect some sort of fake reaction to the 77 fib area then wicking down to the 88 area, taking out the previous lows before going up?
I have alerts set to monitor price action.
Fundamentally the Euro is expected to keep gaining as negative rates are expected to end by the third quarter? And the UK heading towards a recession?
www.bloomberg.com
Any feedback would be appreciated :)
EURGBP New Channel Up aiming at 0.87500The EURGBP pair has formed a Channel Up since the March 07 2022 bottom as on May 06 2022 it broke above both Lower Highs trend-lines of the 2021 correction, practically confirming the shift from the bearish trend to the bullish trend on the long-term.
The 1D MA50 (blue trend-line) and the 1D MA200 (orange trend-line) have successfully formed a Support zone as the former held on the latest Higher Low of the Channel Up on May 17. We should now see a Higher Higher at 0.86500 and after the profit-taking pull-back, a new HH around 0.87500.
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EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive and remain positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities.
3. Geopolitics
The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
4. CFTC Analysis
Another bullish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw net-long weekly changes. Price action has been constructive and seems like EURUSD is trying to carve out a base. Technically the momentum points lower but given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish ECB comments, we would prefer chasing longs on good news as opposed to chasing lower on bad news.
5. The Week Ahead
Geopolitics, Flash PMI’s and risk sentiment will be key focus points for the EUR in the week ahead. If risk can stage some overdue recovery this week, the Dollar flows will be an important factor for the EUR. Any pullbacks in the DXY as a result of better risk sentiment should be supportive for the EUR and other majors. For the flash PMI’s, the question is whether the outlook from purchasing managers have been worse or better than expected. Any surprise beats in PMIs could offer the EUR a possible lift against the USD, especially after the recent hawkish ECB rhetoric and the fact that risk sentiment has been looking stretched on the bearish side. Geopolitics will also be eyed, both on the Russian and Brexit fronts. On the Russia side, it seems that most of the negativity from a possible oil embargo might have been priced, but any negative developments or retaliation from Russia against Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO can cause an increase in EUR risk premium and weigh on the single currency. For now, the increased threats of terminating the Brexit deal have been rightly seen as posturing, but if any side actually goes through with their recent threats that could open up a decent EURGBP buy opportunity.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet. However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Mixed signals from positioning, but aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) is still below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Even though the outlook for Sterling shifted to weak bearish from neutral following the recent BoE meeting, we don’t want to chase the GBP lower from here.
5. The Week Ahead
After last week’s busy data schedule, the calendar is much lighter this week with flash PMIs the only real event of note for Sterling. Retail Sales was an interesting print for the UK. Even though there is very little to celebrate with a -4.9% YY print, all four measures printed much higher than expected. With Sterling still so tactically stretched to the downside, a surprising positive beat in PMIs could offer some tradable upside for Sterling in the short-term. Sterling’s med-term outlook remains weak bearish, but the currency has been stretched to the downside at the index level, and another positive surprise could offer attractive upside. That also means that we won’t be too interested in getting back on the long side of EURGBP just yet. Brexit will also be in focus, where recent threats of terminating the Brexit deal has been rightly seen as posturing, but if any side goes through with their recent threats that could open up a decent EURGBP buy opportunity regardless ofstretched positive for the Pound.
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive and remain positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities.
3. Geopolitics
The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
4. CFTC Analysis
Very bullish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-long weekly changes, especially for Large Specs and Asset Managers. But, looking at the price action it seems these participants increased long EUR exposure at the worst possible time with price dipping below key support at 1.05. Technically the momentum points lower but given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish ECB comments, we would prefer chasing long on good news as opposed to chasing lower on bad news.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet . However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Overall bearish signal as aggregate net-short positioning increased, pushing aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) further below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Even though the outlook for Sterling shifted to weak bearish from Neutral following the recent BoE meeting, we don’t want to chase the GBP lower from here. Not with both price action and positioning looking tactically stretched.
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive and remain positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities.
3. Geopolitics
The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
4. CFTC Analysis
Very bullish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-long weekly changes, especially for Large Specs and Asset Managers. But, looking at the price action it seems these participants increased long EUR exposure at the worst possible time with price dipping below key support at 1.05. Technically the momentum points lower but given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish ECB comments, we would prefer chasing long on good news as opposed to chasing lower on bad news.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet . However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Overall bearish signal as aggregate net-short positioning increased, pushing aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) further below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Even though the outlook for Sterling shifted to weak bearish from Neutral following the recent BoE meeting, we don’t want to chase the GBP lower from here. Not with both price action and positioning looking tactically stretched.
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive and remain positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities.
3. Geopolitics
The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
4. CFTC Analysis
Very bullish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-long weekly changes, especially for Large Specs and Asset Managers. But, looking at the price action it seems these participants increased long EUR exposure at the worst possible time with price dipping below key support at 1.05. Technically the momentum points lower but given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish ECB comments, we would prefer chasing long on good news as opposed to chasing lower on bad news.
5. The Week Ahead
Very light calendar with Flash GDP and Final CPI data the only main data events, and they are not expected to offer many fireworks in terms of volatility . That means overall risk sentiment and geopolitics will be in focus for the EUR. With it’s 57% weighting in the Dollar Index , the Dollar flows this incoming week will be an important factor for the EUR, where any overdue pullbacks in the Greenback as a result of better risk sentiment should be supportive for the EUR and other majors. Risk sentiment staged quite an impressive recovery on Friday, and given a very light economic calendar, any continuation of that could be negative for the USD and should support the EUR. It’s important to keep in mind that any recovery in risk sentiment is also expected to support other majors which means caution for EURGBP where a tactically stretched Sterling could still see minor downside for the pair despite overall support from USD weakness. Geopolitics will also be eyed, both on the Russian and Brexit fronts. On the Russia side, it seems that most of the negativity from a possible oil embargo might have been priced, but any negative developments or retaliation from Russia against Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO can cause an increase in EUR risk premium and weigh on the single currency. For now the increased threats of terminating the Brexit deal has been rightly seen as posturing, but if any side actually goes through with their recent threats that could open up a decent EURGBP buy opportunity.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet . However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Overall bearish signal as aggregate net-short positioning increased, pushing aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) further below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Even though the outlook for Sterling shifted to weak bearish from Neutral following the recent BoE meeting, we don’t want to chase the GBP lower from here. Not with both price action and positioning looking tactically stretched.
5. The Week Ahead
It’s a busy week for Sterling with the Monetary Policy hearings on Monday, Employment data on Tuesday, CPI on Wednesday and Retail Sales on Friday. The question markets want answered from all of these events are how bad the stagflation risks are getting. At the BoE meeting, the MPC forecasted a recession in the quarters ahead and also pushed back against STIR market expectations for the rate path, thus the tone for the hearings is expected to carry a similar dovish undertone. Between the data points, the CPI will be the most important with consensus expecting a more than 2% jump from prior on headline YY due to the 54% risk in household energy prices from the start of April. However, it’s important to realize that a lot of this has been priced in, and with the forecast distribution firmly skewed to the upside, it will arguably take something closer towards 9.5% on the headline or 7.0% on the core to really surprise and add even more stagflation angst. With inflation in mind, the main focus for the jobs print on Tuesday will be the wage components, to see whether further signs of second round effects are materializing. For Retail Sales, the question is how bad the cost-of-living squeeze has affected consumer spending. By the looks of it, consensus thinks quite a lot, with Core Retail Sales expected to contract by -8.4% from the prior of -0.6%. Just like inflation , it seems like the forecast distribution is firmly skewed lower, which means it would arguably take some seriously bad prints to surprise. Brexit will also be in focus, where recent threats of terminating the Brexit deal has been rightly seen as posturing, but if any side goes through with their recent threats that could open up a decent EURGBP buy opportunity.
EURGBP: A Sell Setup to Target the Recurring Price Movement-INTRODUCTION-
EURGBP has recently reached the resistance level of 0.8600. From that level, a big bearish engulfing candle was formed, sending the price 200 pips down two support levels. From the past price action, we can clearly see a recurring price movement. After a clear bearish engulfing pattern was formed on the daily chart, along with a high RSI, the price fell sharply down two support levels. Then retracements took place but eventually the price fell back to retest the previous support level one more time. Therefore, this recent bearish momentum indicates that the price could potentially retest the 0.8400 support level one more time after a retracement. Thus, we will look to enter sell positions after a retracement.
-TRADING PLAN-
EURGBP is a slow moving pair. Therefore, we need to have patience to find good entries. However, since this pair is not volatile, a good entry would have a higher probability of winning the trade. We are currently monitoring the price for a retracement. We hope the price could retrace back to 0.8550 ~ 0.8600 level so that we can have a great risk to reward ratio entry.
We will update with a new post when a potential entry is created.
Check out our recent trading ideas below :)
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive and remain positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities.
3. Geopolitics
The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
4. CFTC Analysis
Very bullish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-long weekly changes, especially for Large Specs and Asset Managers. But, looking at the price action it seems these participants increased long EUR exposure at the worst possible time with price dipping below key support at 1.05. Technically the momentum points lower but given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish ECB comments, we would prefer chasing long on good news as opposed to chasing lower on bad news.
5. The Week Ahead
Very light calendar with Flash GDP and Final CPI data the only main data events, and they are not expected to offer many fireworks in terms of volatility . That means overall risk sentiment and geopolitics will be in focus for the EUR. With it’s 57% weighting in the Dollar Index , the Dollar flows this incoming week will be an important factor for the EUR, where any overdue pullbacks in the Greenback as a result of better risk sentiment should be supportive for the EUR and other majors. Risk sentiment staged quite an impressive recovery on Friday, and given a very light economic calendar, any continuation of that could be negative for the USD and should support the EUR. It’s important to keep in mind that any recovery in risk sentiment is also expected to support other majors which means caution for EURGBP where a tactically stretched Sterling could still see minor downside for the pair despite overall support from USD weakness. Geopolitics will also be eyed, both on the Russian and Brexit fronts. On the Russia side, it seems that most of the negativity from a possible oil embargo might have been priced, but any negative developments or retaliation from Russia against Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO can cause an increase in EUR risk premium and weigh on the single currency. For now the increased threats of terminating the Brexit deal has been rightly seen as posturing, but if any side actually goes through with their recent threats that could open up a decent EURGBP buy opportunity.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet . However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Overall bearish signal as aggregate net-short positioning increased, pushing aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) further below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Even though the outlook for Sterling shifted to weak bearish from Neutral following the recent BoE meeting, we don’t want to chase the GBP lower from here. Not with both price action and positioning looking tactically stretched.
5. The Week Ahead
It’s a busy week for Sterling with the Monetary Policy hearings on Monday, Employment data on Tuesday, CPI on Wednesday and Retail Sales on Friday. The question markets want answered from all of these events are how bad the stagflation risks are getting. At the BoE meeting, the MPC forecasted a recession in the quarters ahead and also pushed back against STIR market expectations for the rate path, thus the tone for the hearings is expected to carry a similar dovish undertone. Between the data points, the CPI will be the most important with consensus expecting a more than 2% jump from prior on headline YY due to the 54% risk in household energy prices from the start of April. However, it’s important to realize that a lot of this has been priced in, and with the forecast distribution firmly skewed to the upside, it will arguably take something closer towards 9.5% on the headline or 7.0% on the core to really surprise and add even more stagflation angst. With inflation in mind, the main focus for the jobs print on Tuesday will be the wage components, to see whether further signs of second round effects are materializing. For Retail Sales, the question is how bad the cost-of-living squeeze has affected consumer spending. By the looks of it, consensus thinks quite a lot, with Core Retail Sales expected to contract by -8.4% from the prior of -0.6%. Just like inflation , it seems like the forecast distribution is firmly skewed lower, which means it would arguably take some seriously bad prints to surprise. Brexit will also be in focus, where recent threats of terminating the Brexit deal has been rightly seen as posturing, but if any side goes through with their recent threats that could open up a decent EURGBP buy opportunity.
EURGBP adding longs? 🦐EURGBP after our last call might provide some adding longs opportunity.
The price in fact reached the 0.84400 area and got rejected by a minor resistance but overall the 0.85 target remain possible.
How can i approach this scenario?
I will wait for the London market open and in case the market will break above the resistance area i will set another long order according to the Plancton's strategy rules.
–––––
Follow the Shrimp 🦐
Keep in mind.
🟣 Purple structure -> Monthly structure.
🔴 Red structure -> Weekly structure.
🔵 Blue structure -> Daily structure.
🟡 Yellow structure -> 4h structure.
⚫️ Black structure -> <4h structure.
Here is the Plancton0618 technical analysis , please comment below if you have any question.
The ENTRY in the market will be taken only if the condition of the Plancton0618 strategy will trigger.
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities. Geopolitics The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
3. CFTC Analysis
Very bearish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-short weekly changes yet again. The price action throughout the week has reflected this change in sentiment quite well. However, given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish comments, we could see some attractive opportunities on the long side of the EUR, but catalysts will be key.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet . However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Bearish signal from all 3 participant categories with aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) still below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Keep in mind that the CFTC data was updated until Tuesday 3 May which means the flush lower in Sterling following the BoE is not reflected in this data yet. With both price action and positioning looking stretched, we don’t want to chase GBP lower right now.
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities. Geopolitics The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
3. CFTC Analysis
Very bearish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-short weekly changes yet again. The price action throughout the week has reflected this change in sentiment quite well. However, given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish comments, we could see some attractive opportunities on the long side of the EUR, but catalysts will be key.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet . However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Bearish signal from all 3 participant categories with aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) still below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Keep in mind that the CFTC data was updated until Tuesday 3 May which means the flush lower in Sterling following the BoE is not reflected in this data yet. With both price action and positioning looking stretched, we don’t want to chase GBP lower right now.
EUR GBP - FUNDAMENTAL DRIVERSEUR
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The ECB used the April meeting as a place holder meeting for the most part by not announcing any additional policy tweaks. The plans to phase out the APP into Q3 remained intact by reducing purchases from 40bln to 30bln in May and then down to 20bln in June. Markets were leaning towards a slightly more hawkish take from the bank (given recent inflation pressures), but the lack of conviction to remove the conditionality regarding the APP removal was seen as dovish. President Lagarde added to this dovish tone by explaining that Q3 has three months and IF the bank stops the APP, it could happen July, August or September. This was an important statement as the difference between a July and September end could mean the difference between a Q3 or Q4 rate hike. The president also added to the dovish tone by stressing that risks for the economic outlook are tilted to the downside and have recently intensified with geopolitical and virus-related challenges. When asked about policy normalization, the president made a strange comment by saying it is premature to think about monpol normalisation. As the bank is currently embarking on normalization this comment seemed out of place and reaffirmed the overall dovish take from the meeting. There were the usual sources releases after the presser which said policymakers see a July hike as still possible after Thursday's meeting, which provided some reprieve. With inflation >7% and growth slowing, the June meeting which accompanies staff economic projections will be critical for markets to solidify whether expectations of 1 or 2 hikes this year is correct or not.
2. Economic & Health Developments
Growth differentials still favour the US over EU capital flows, but differentials have turned positive against the UK. Given growing stagflation fears the ECB is in a tough spot, being forced to normalize policy to try and combat inflation but could as a result damage growth. Ongoing EU fiscal discussions to possibly allow ‘green bonds’ NOT to count against budget deficits remains in focus, alongside debt issuance for energy purchases. If approved, it will offer a flood of fiscal support which would be positive for the EUR and EU equities. Geopolitics The EUR pushed lower aggressively after initial geopolitical scares but have been trying to carve out a base. Proximity to the war and the impact of sanctions remains a risk if the situation deteriorates. With lots of negatives already priced, chasing lows on bad news is not as attractive as chasing the EUR higher on good news.
3. CFTC Analysis
Very bearish signal from recent positioning update as all three major categories saw sizeable net-short weekly changes yet again. The price action throughout the week has reflected this change in sentiment quite well. However, given how much bad news has been priced and recent hawkish comments, we could see some attractive opportunities on the long side of the EUR, but catalysts will be key.
4. The Week Ahead
Very light calendar week for the EUR next week with German ZEW data and ECB speak the main highlights. This week closed out with some very hawkish comments from ECB’s Villeroy (neutral) who talked up the possibility of hiking rates into positive territory by year-end and also noting that inflation expectations are becoming less and less anchored. His comments were very significant and the most hawkish than any of the other neutral members for the Governing Council. His comments do open up some possible upside for the EUR next week, especially if comments from President Lagarde starts to shift more to the hawkish side as well. As always, whatever happens to the USD will be important for the EUR which means US CPI data will be a key data point to watch for EUR price action. Apart from that, geopolitics will also be in focus as the EU tries to get an oil embargo over the table. The proposals presented so far has been unable to dent EUR sentiment on the negative side, mainly because a lot of bad news has already been priced into the EUR in recent weeks and months. The other risk to watch is Finland and Sweden’s plans to try and join NATO, which could spark retaliation from Russia, and is a serious risk to keep on the horizon as well.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BEARISH
1. Monetary Policy
At their May meeting, the BoE delivered on expectations by raising the bank rate by 25bsp to 1.0%. There was an initial hawkish surprise as the vote split was 9-0 (no dissent from Cunliffe) and 3 of the 9 MPC members voted for a 50bsp move at the meeting. However, the hawkish reaction soon faded as it was also revealed that 2 of the 6 members who voted for a hike thought that this marked the end of the current hiking cycle. The dovishness didn’t stop there though as the BoE revised up their forecasts for peak inflation to >10% which added to the stagflation fears as the bank also saw possible GDP contraction in 2023. Furthermore, the bank took their first real stab at overly aggressive STIR pricing for the 2022 rate path by saying the current path would imply a big undershoot of their 2% inflation target in 2023 and was later backed up by Governor Bailey who said even though he thought rates should continue to rise he didn’t agree with those who think the MPC should be raising interest rates by a lot more. As the bank rate was raised to 1.0%, the markets expected some clarity from the bank on their plans to reduce the balance sheet. However, the bank decided to play for more time and said the bank will provide an update on their plans at the August meeting, pushing back expectations of active QT from Q2 to Q3. As a result of the overall dovish tone, Sterling fell to its lowest levels since 1Q21. The meeting confirmed market calls that the bank would look to hold rates steady after reaching 1.50%.
2. Economic & Health Developments
With inflation the main reason for the BoE’s recent rate hikes, there is a concern that the UK economy faces stagflation risk, as price pressures stay sticky while growth decelerates. That also means that current market expectations for rates continues to look too aggressive even after the BoE’s recent push back. This means downside risks for GBP if growth data push lower and/or the BoE continue to push their recent dovish tone.
3. Political Developments
Political uncertainty is usually GBP negative, so the PM’s future remains a risk. If distrust grows question remains on whether a no-confidence vote can happen (if so, short-term downside is likely), and whether he can survive the vote (a win should be GBP positive and a loss GBP negative). The Northern Ireland protocol remains a focus, with previous UK threats to trigger Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do. Markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
4. CFTC Analysis
Bearish signal from all 3 participant categories with aggregate positioning (large specs, leveraged funds & asset managers) still below 1 standard dev from the 15-year mean. Keep in mind that the CFTC data was updated until Tuesday 3 May which means the flush lower in Sterling following the BoE is not reflected in this data yet. With both price action and positioning looking stretched, we don’t want to chase GBP lower right now.
5. The Week Ahead
Very light calendar for the GBP apart from quarterly and monthly output data scheduled for Thursday. Based on the surprising jump in growth metrics in January the quarterly print is expected to print in positive territory, however the MM data for March are likely not going to be so lucky. Recall the recent dismal prints we saw for Retail Sales, Industrial Production and Consumer Confidence, which means MM growth is likely going to show a contraction in growth, or at the very least a number very close to 0%. Apart from growth data, the sensitivity to risk will also be in focus for the GBP, especially after the tumultuous past week for risk sentiment.