Top 7 inflation-induced trading opportunities this weekThis week, the focus of many traders will be on US inflation data, which will provide valuable insights into the Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook.
The forecasts indicate a potential 0.2% increase in both headline inflation for December and the core rate. On an annual basis, the headline inflation rate is anticipated to rebound to 3.2% from November's five-month low of 3.1%. Meanwhile, the core rate is likely to ease to 3.9%, the lowest since May 2021. This crucial data will be released on Thursday.
In the midst of the US inflation focus, there are noteworthy inflation data releases from other countries, including Switzerland, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, China, India, and Russia. This diverse set of data presents many potential trading opportunities for USD pairs throughout the week:
Monday: Switzerland Inflation Rate
Tuesday: Australia Monthly CPI Indicator
Tuesday: Mexico Inflation Rate
Thursday: Brazil Inflation Rate (before US inflation data)
Thursday: China Inflation Rate (after US inflation data)
Friday: India Inflation Rate
Friday: Russia Inflation Rate
Inflationexpectations
Fed's Hope in 2024 - Their Projection & PlanDuring the December FOMC conference, the fed said the appropriate level for interest rate or the fed funds rate will be 4.6% at the end of 2024 from current 5.5%, 3.6% at the end of 2025, and 2.9% at the end of 2026.
Many reporters take that as Fed’s hint to cut rate in 2024, but the Fed added saying these projections are not the committee decision or plan.
So what is the difference between a projection and a plan? And how will the market performance in 2024?
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Macro Monday 25~The Feds Inflation Barometer – Core PCE Macro Monday 25
The Feds Favorite Inflation Barometer – Core PCE
The US Core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) are released this Friday 22nd December 2023. Currently Core PCE is the most important component to the Federal Reserve in making their interest rate decisions and thus it will provide a great insight into what lies ahead in terms of interest rate policy for Q1 2024.
Known as the Federal Reserve’s favorite gauge for inflation, Core PCE is a crucial economic indicator that provides insights into the general trend in consumer spending (it excludes the more volatile energy & food costs).
Jerome Powell
“I will focus on core PCE inflation, which omits the food and energy components.”
25th Aug 2023
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) compiles and publishes the Core PCE report which is considered a more comprehensive measure of general trends in consumer spending than some other indicators, such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
We will briefly cover the differences between CPI and PCE which will eventually lead us to why specifically the Core PCE is the preferred barometer for inflation (over headline and core CPI and over headline PCE).
Stick with me here and lets have a look at CPI vs PCE first…
CPI Vs PCE - Main differences?
Consumer Price Index: CPI is a metric that follows a fixed basket of goods. This fixed basket of items is measured month to month providing a consistent “basket of goods” cost for the common urban consumer. This allows for the basket of items to remain relatively unchanged thus providing an indication of how costs may be increasing or decreasing for the common consumer using the said basket (the basket is updated but not a frequently as the PCE basket).
Personal Consumption Expenditures: PCE includes a broader range of goods and services, and it is based on more frequent updates to the basket of goods and services that represent consumer spending, thus PCE captures more of the trend or trend changes in consumer spending. PCE includes expenditures on durable goods (e.g., cars and appliances), nondurable goods (e.g., food and clothing), and services (e.g., healthcare and education). This breakdown provides insights into which sectors of the economy are experiencing changes in consumer spending. We covered Durable Goods in a prior Macro Monday (I will link same under the published version on my TradingView). The bottom line on PCE is that it is more broader and more consumer led report thus arguably providing a more accurate indication of the wider spending habits of the consumer
Headline Vs Core (for both CPI and PCE)
In general Headline CPI and Headline PCE have an all-encompassing basket of goods and services included whilst Core CPI and Core PCE focus on a subset by excluding the volatile components of food and energy.
Analysts and policymakers often consider both Headline and Core to gain a comprehensive understanding of inflation trends, however Core PCE in particular provides the deepest and broadest insights into consumer led spending habits and provides the true underlying inflation by removing volatile commodities (Food & Energy). Lets look at CORE PCE a more closely
What is the benefit of excluding food and energy from inflation figures for Core PCE and why is this so beneficial?
1. Reduced Volatility: Energy and food prices are known to be more volatile and subject to temporary fluctuations due to factors such as weather conditions, geopolitical events, and supply chain disruptions. By excluding these components, Core PCE aims to provide a more stable measure of inflation.
2. General Inflation Trend Focus: As noted above, the short-term volatility in energy and food prices can mask the underlying aggregate trend in other goods and services, so the PCE eliminates some of this short term noise from food and energy inflation figures.
3. Captures Persistent Underlying Inflation Forces: Core PCE filters out the impact of temporary shocks to energy and food prices. This can be valuable for assessing whether inflationary pressures are becoming ingrained in the economy in the general sense.
4. Long Term Planning for the Consumer and the Fed: Understanding the underlying inflation trend is crucial to knowing the base level of the cost trend. Core PCE can provide a more reliable gauge for long-term economic planning by smoothing out short-term fluctuations.This provides investors, consumers and the Fed with a sort of long term general expenditure based moving average (the Core PCE) for the underlying inflation burden that is trending in an economy. All three participants can make the necessary adjustments to cater to this long term trajectory and thus the metric is a powerful tool for all involved.
Now that we know why the PCE is such a useful metric we can have a look at the long term PCE chart and see how things have been trending.
For the record CPI already came out for the month of November as CPI is typically released mid-month whilst PCE is released towards the end of the month.
Remember we will have an update this Friday from the BLS on the November readings for Core and Headline PCE, so we can see how we are looking then.
The Core and Headline CPI Chart
This CPI chart illustrates the following:
▫️ You can clearly see how Core CPI is less volatile than Headline CPI. As discussed above, Core CPI removes the volatile food and energy expenditures to provide a more general view of underlying inflation (based on a fixed basket of goods)
▫️ It is clear that we are not at the Federal Reserves target of 2% which is also outlined on the chart (purple line). It is critical to understand that we are still not at or below the target 2% level regardless of the FOMC’s determination of a likely hold on interest rates and reductions to interest rates in 2024. Lets see can the target be met first.
▫️ You can see that since 2002 Core CPI has fluctuated one standard deviation above and below the 2% inflation level between 1% and 3%. It is clear that we are not back into this standardized zone between 1 – 3%.
The Core and Headline PCE Chart (SUBJECT CHART AT TOP PROVIDED TODAY)
(will be updated this with newly released figures this Friday 22nd Dec)
This CPI chart illustrates many of the same findings from the CPI chart above:
▫️ Core PCE provides the deepest and broadest insights into consumer led spending habits versus a more fixed and stringent basket of goods for CPI, making Core PCE the Feds favorite inflation barometer to watch.
▫️ You can clearly see how Core PCE is less volatile than Headline PCE. As discussed above, Core PCE removes the volatile food and energy expenditures to provide a more general view of underlying inflation (based on a fixed basket of goods).
▫️ It is clear that we are not at the Federal Reserve’s target of 2% which is also outlined on the chart (purple line). The Federal Reserve have advised that Core PCE is expected to decline to 2.2% by 2025 & finally reach its 2% target in 2026. Anything that happens to interfere with this between now and then will need to be addressed by the fed.
▫️ You can see that since 1991 Core PCE has fluctuated one standard deviation above and below the 2% inflation level between 1% and 3%. It is clear that we are not back into this standardized zone between 1 – 3%.
Summary
You can visualize on the charts why the Core CPI and Core PCE is more important to Chair Powell, both Core metrics on the charts are almost like a slower moving average providing an indication of the longer term inflation trend. Right now Headline metrics are diving down past the Core metrics and the Federal Reserve cannot just take that volatile headline figure to make long term decisions. The Core PCE/CPI provides the long term trend trajectory whilst the Headline can offer early/lead signals of the direction of inflation, however core must be observed to determine the resilience of the long term trend. Furthermore, Core PCE is perceived by the FED as having more value as it has its finger on the pulse of the consumers spending habits by covering a broader range of expenditures whilst also accounting for consumer led spending trends. The CPI basket of goods in more fixed/restricted in terms of the goods it accounts for. This is why the FED values Core PCE so highly as a versatile and all encompassing gauge of inflation.
Hopefully you’ve come away today with a greater understanding of why the Core CPI and PCE data is preferred by the Fed ahead of headline inflation and also why the Core PCE comes out ahead as the chosen long term inflation gauge.
Any questions or observations, please throw them into the comments and I will be onto them as quickly as possible,
Thanks for reading,
PUKA
The Great Inflation AGAIN? US Inflation Rate YoY Comparison - ECONOMICS:USIRYY
Stark similarities to the beginning of the Great Inflationary Period (GIP) which ranged from 1965 - 1982.
The GIP fractal is not a prediction, it only offers us perspective and context. As an example, US Inflation YoY could potentially bounce around between 3 - 4% for another 32 months as it did between 1975 - 1978 before making any major move. This is a scenario I had not considered, an almost 3 year sideways boring consolidation.
We will continue to track this chart to see how it compares moving forward into the future.
PUKA
Gone are the days of passive investing, but...Gone are the days of passive investing, but mid-term trading could be the solution.
The term passive investing was first made famous by Warren Buffet, who once said, 'If I like a stock, I will hold it forever.' However, in recent years, he has been seen cutting losses on his wrong decisions and taking profits when he finds the time is right. The dynamic of the markets have changed, and he has adapted to them.
Technical Reasons -
From the chart, it's clear that the days of passive investing are behind us. We can refer to the Dow Jones or S&P Index; they provide similar readings as Nasdaq, although Nasdaq has a shorter history.
Since the beginning of 2022, the great volatility started with a year of bearishness. In my opinion, this could be a start of a long-term bear. What we are seeing in 2023 rally, possibly a bear retracement.
Let’s support my analysis with the fundamental factors.
3 Fundamental Reasons –
• Why did the decades of long-term growth, forming a linear bull market, come to an end at the beginning of 2022?
This is because it marks the beginning of long-term inflationary pressure that we all have to contend with. To counter inflation, one of the most effective measures is to raise interest rates. As we all know, higher interest rates bring challenges to businesses and stock markets.
Please take note of the timing. Inflation first exceeded 2% in April 2021, and since then, it has been on an upward trend, something unprecedented in the last 40 years. However, the Federal Reserve only began raising interest rates in March 2022, while the markets peaked at the beginning of 2022.
Consumer Price Index
Feb 21 1.68%
Mar 21 2.66%
Apr 21 4.15%
May 21 4.94%
Jun 21 5.34%
Jul 21 5.27%
Aug 21 5.21%
Sep 21 5.39%
Oct 21 6.24%
Nov 21 6.83%
Dec 21 7.10%
Jan 22 7.53%
Feb 22 7.91%
Mar 22 8.56%
Apr 22 8.22%
May 22 8.52%
Jun 22 9.00%
• Why did the market turn bullish in 2023.
Many attribute the rally to AI, but it goes beyond that. By the end of 2022, the market was still hovering around its lowest point. However, as seen in the inflation numbers below, there was a gradual decline from 9% in June 2022 to 6.5% in December 2022, creating a divergence between this positive news and the market's performance. At that point, I was preparing for a bear rebound or retracement. Of course, the inflation number continued its decline to 3.2% in October 2023, and the rally has continued until now.
Continue Price Index
Jun 22 9.00%
Jul 22 8.50%
Aug 22 8.30%
Sep 22 8.20%
Oct 22 7.70%
Nov 22 7.10%
Dec 22 6.50%
• Why have the days of passive investing come to an end?
Unless inflation can back down to 2% in a sustained manner, we should expect to see much more volatile markets in many years to come. Traders welcome volatility but not investors.
There are reasons why back down to 2% in a sustained manner is unlikely to happen. Please leave me a comment, I hope to exchanges ideas with you.
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Disclaimer:
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• Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises.
CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
NZD/USD slides on RBA decision, mixed Chinese dataThe New Zealand dollar is down sharply on Tuesday. In the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.5927, down 0.61%. It has been a roller-coaster ride for the New Zealand currency, which continues to swing wildly. Last week, NZD/USD surged 3.24%, its best weekly performance since October 2022. This week has been all red for the New Zealand dollar, which has fallen 1.19%.
Today's Reserve Bank of Australia decision sent the Australian dollar reeling and also dragged down the New Zealand dollar, as there is a strong correlation between the two trans-Tasman currencies.
The Australian dollar is down 1.16% against its US counterpart, despite the RBA raising rates by a quarter point to 4.35%. The language in the RBA statement was somewhat dovish, stating that the rate hike was meant to ensure that "inflation would return to target in a reasonable timeframe.” This signalled an easing of the RBA's tightening basis and raised expectations that the RBA may have completed its tightening cycle or is very close to that stage.
The RBA statement included the usual rhetoric that future rate decisions would be data-dependent and rate hikes were still on the table, but the markets jumped on the dovish language and ignored the rate increase, which follows four straight pauses. The strong market reaction suggests that the investors believe that the RBA is unlikely to raise rates even though inflation remains well above the 2%-3% target range and inflation expectations have been stubbornly high.
The New Zealand dollar also lost ground due to mixed Chinese data. Imports rebounded in October with a gain of 3.0% y/y following a 6.2% decline in September and beating the market consensus of -4.8%. However, exports fell 6.4% after a 6.2% decline in September and missed the market consensus of -3.3%. This marked a sixth successive decline, indicative of continuing weak global demand for Chinese goods.
New Zealand releases Inflation Expectations for the fourth quarter on Wednesday. The market consensus stands at 2.60%, after a 2.79% gain in Q3. An unexpected reading could have a sharp impact on the movement of the New Zealand dollar.
NZD/USD is testing support at 0.5929. The next support line is 0.5858
There is resistance at 0.5996 and 0.6069
New Zealand dollar rises despite soft Services PMIThe New Zealand dollar has started the week in positive territory. NZD/USD is trading at 0.5918 in the North American session, up 0.34%.
New Zealand's Services PMI eased to 47.1 in August, down from 47.8 in July. The reading marked a third straight decline in activity and was the lowest level since January 2022. This comes on the heels of Friday's Manufacturing PMI, which fell to 46.1 in August, down from 46.6 a month earlier. This was the sixth consecutive month of contraction (the 50.0 line separates contraction from expansion).
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been forecasting a recession and the weak PMIs support this view. New Zealand's economy has cooled down due to the central bank's steep tightening and global demand has weakened, most notably with China experiencing a slowdown and deflation. The RBNZ paused at the August meeting and interest rates may have peaked. If economic data remains weak, I would expect the RBNZ to prolong the pause at next month's meeting.
The US ended last week with mixed releases. The Empire State Manufacturing Index surprised and jumped to 1.9 in September, up from -19 in August and above the market consensus of -10. The UoM consumer sentiment index slowed to 67.7 in September, down from 69.5 in August and shy of the market consensus of 69.1 points. Inflation Expectations fell to 3.1% in August, down from 3.5% in July and the lowest level since March 2021. This is another sign that inflation is weakening and supports a pause at the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. The markets have priced in a pause at 99%, according to the CME FedWatch tool, up from 92% one week ago.
NZD/USD is testing resistance at 0.5908. The next resistance line is 0.5936
There is support at 0.5871 and 0.5843
Euro takes a tumble after ECB's hikeThe euro has steadied on Friday. In the European session, EUR/USD is trading at 1.0665, up 0.20%.
The European Central Bank's rate decision went right down to the wire on Wednesday. It was unclear whether the central bank would hike or hold, with strong reasons to support each position. In the end, the ECB opted to hike, choosing the fight against inflation over the threat of recession.
The ECB raised its key interest rate to a record high of 4.0%, but the euro responded with sharp losses. The reason? The ECB rate statement signalled that the rate-tightening cycle is likely over, which sent the euro and eurozone bond yields lower and European stocks higher. EUR/USD fell 0.80% on Wednesday and dropped as low as 1.0631, its lowest level since March.
ECB policy makers have been grappling with a dilemma, which made the rate decision so difficult to call. Inflation is running at a 5.3% clip, more than double the target rate of 2%, but high borrowing costs and the slowdown in China have weighed heavily on eurozone growth. In the eurozone, the services sector has been weakening and manufacturing continues to contract. Germany, the traditional locomotive of the eurozone, is likely in recession and is struggling with an inflation rate of 6.1%.
Against this background of high inflation and sluggish growth, the ECB opted for a 'dovish hike', with the rate statement noting that rates have likely reached the peak level. Lagarde didn't shed any light on the ECB's rate path, but the futures markets brought forward expectations of a rate cut to June 2024, compared to September 2024 before the rate decision.
Lagarde stated at a follow-up press conference that it's too early to say that rates have not peaked, but the markets beg to differ and are already looking ahead to rate cuts, which indicates some dissonance between the stances of the central bank and the markets.
In the US, the week wraps up with two tier-1 events. The Empire State Manufacturing Index, which plunged to -19 in August, is expected to improve to -10 points. UoM Consumer Sentiment is expected to dip to 69.1, down from 69.5 and inflation expectations are projected to remain unchanged at 3.5%.
EUR/USD is testing resistance at 1.0654. Next, there is resistance at 1.0732
There is support at 1.0609 and 1.0531
INFLATION BUBBLE AT CROSSROAD INFLATION VS DEFLATION Based on the last 120 year of DATA the inflation cycle had peaked . The mistake some will have that it is the beginning of ASSET DEFLATION CYCLE . SEE THE 1921 TIME TO WHICH I STATE we are in based on the 89 2010 4 and 2 year cycles and time spirals which called for a top in sp in sept and late dec 2021 which would see a major new BEAR market in all assets classes to which the panic cycle due oct 4th to th 20th focus on the 10th with targets of 3511/3490 . this is the FIRST leg of the deflationary CRASH cycle NOT the END .
AUD/USD remains red hot and is trading at 3-week highThe Australian dollar continues to sizzle and has climbed 1.04% on Thursday, after rising 1.56% a day earlier. In the European session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6857, close to a 3-week high.
Inflation remains the Reserve Bank of Australia's number one priority and Thursday's inflation expectations release vindicated the RBA's concern that inflation expectations are well anchored. The Melbourne Institute Inflation Expectations for July were unchanged at 5.2% and a notch higher than the consensus estimate of 5.1%. High inflation expectations can translate into inflation rising, which would force the RBA to continue raising interest rates.
RBA Governor Lowe spoke on Wednesday. The speech dealt with RBA policy but any investors looking for insights into rate policy walked away disappointed. Lowe said that the full effects of high rates were yet to be felt and it remained to be seen if more hikes would be required.
US inflation dropped lower than the estimate and that sent the US dollar broadly lower on Wednesday. Headline inflation fell from 4.0% y/y to 3.0%, and critically, the core rate dropped to 4.8%, down from 5.3%. Both readings were lower than the forecast and point to inflation continuing to move in the right direction.
The inflation numbers were good, but likely not good enough to convince the Fed to pause at the July 27th meeting. The Fed is widely expected to raise rates at the July meeting but the positive inflation data has also raised the likelihood of a pause at the September meeting. There is a possibility that the Fed's rate-tightening cycle is finally over, but that will depend on economic data, particularly employment and inflation reports in the coming months.
AUD/USD put pressure on resistance at 0.6878 earlier. This is followed by resistance at 0.6944
0.6772 and 0.6682 are providing support
TMV Treasuries Leveraged 3X Short Inverse LongTMV is an ETF Shorting the Treasuries. On the 2H chart, price is rising as the treasuries are
suffering value contraction while interest rates are steady or projected to rise. The chart shows
rising volumes, upwards volatility as well as a PV Trend demonstrating trend strength. I see
these all as confirmatory for bullish momentum. I will take a long trade into the next round
of federal news. The employment data showing strength in new jobs and low unemployment
will likely lead to another rate hike as the fed continues to try to beat down inflation and
will not relent in face of those data pieces. CPI and PPI may add fuel to the fire this week
and TMV may continue to rise.
AUD/USD drifting lower ahead of RBA minutesThe Australian dollar has started the week with losses. AUD/USD is trading at 0.6848, down 0.39%. The Australian dollar gained 1.95% last week and has soared 5.2% in the month of June.
The Reserve Bank of Australia releases the minutes of the June meeting on Tuesday. At the meeting, the Bank decided to raise rates by 0.25%, bringing the benchmark rate to 4.10%. This surprised the markets, which had expected the central bank to pause. Governor Lowe continued his hawkish stance after the decision, defending the interest rate as necessary since "upside risks to the inflation outlook have increased".
Lowe has his hands full with sticky inflation, which rose in April from 6.3% to 6.8% y/y, above the consensus of 6.4%. The core rate fell from 6.9% to 6.5%, but this is much too high for the RBA, which has a target of 2%. The RBA has projected that inflation will not fall to 2% until mid-2025, leaving little doubt that the current rate-hike cycle is not close to wrapping up. The minutes should provide insights about the rate hike and what the central bank has planned moving forward. The RBA meets next on July 4th.
The Fed is also very concerned with inflation but took a different approach, as it paused at last week's meeting after ten consecutive hikes. Fed policymakers got some good news on Friday, as UoM inflation expectations eased to 3.3% in June, down sharply from 4.2% in May and lower than the 4.1% consensus. Inflation expectations haven’t been this low since March 2021 and this is another indication that inflation is heading lower. The UoM Consumer Sentiment report climbed from 59.2 to 63.9, due to lower inflation expectations as well as the resolution of the banking crisis, according to the report.
AUD /USD tested support at 0.6836 earlier. Next, there is support at 0.6729
0.6940 and 0.7004 are the next resistance lines
Despite bank run, why is the market higher? • First, the bank run APPEARS to have stabilized
• Second, the inflation SEEMS to be taming
Do not be complacent, keep on keeping track of the coming market developments. Just like what Jerome Powell said on the 3rd May after the latest interest rate hike, in the meeting conference, he said “We will take a data-dependent approach, our future policy will depend how events unfold … meeting by meeting.”
I totally agree with him! As a retail investor, we can study into the price behavioural movement and I did quite a few videos on that (see below), market will usually give us early signal and we should be able to tell before the next crisis hits again.
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Disclaimer:
• What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker.
• Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises.
CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
AUD/USD - Australian dollar takes traders for a wild rideThe Australian dollar has steadied on Monday, trading just above the 0.67 level. We could see further movement from the Aussie early on Tuesday, as China releases GDP.
The markets received another clear sign on Friday that the US economy is slowing, after a disappointing March retail sales report. Headline retail sales fell by 1% and the core rate by 0.8%, worse than expected and marking a second straight decline for both.
A soft US retail sales report is usually a recipe for US dollar weakness, but that wasn't the case on Friday, as AUD/USD fell by 1%. The US dollar received a boost from strong earnings results, higher inflation expectations and some hawkish Fed speak.
Bank earnings impressed on Friday, with strong results from JP Morgan, Citigroup and Wells Fargo. This indicates that the bank crisis has been contained for now, although further contagion cannot be ruled out.
On the inflation front, UoM inflation expectations for 12 months jumped 4.6% in April, up sharply from 3.6% in March. Consumer confidence has been on the low side as inflation remains high, and the weak retail sales report was clear proof that consumers are spending less due to high inflation and rising rates.
Fed member Waller had a hawkish message on Friday, saying that the Fed would need to continue raising rates because inflation is "far above target" and the labor market remains "quite tight". Waller warned that the Fed would have to keep rates at a high level for an extended period and for longer than the markets expected. Fed member Bostic said he supported one or two more 25-bp hikes to end the current tightening cycle. The likelihood of a 25-bp increase in May has jumped to 80%, up from 68% prior to the retail sales release.
There is resistance at 0.6897 and 0.6791
AUD/USD tested support below 0.6700 earlier today. The next support level is 0.6608
US Inflation Alert: How Will Markets React?Investors are facing a busy week of economic data that includes the release of consumer price and producer price index data for March on Wednesday and Thursday (US time), respectively. The results of these reports will help determine whether or not the Fed will pause or end its rate-hiking campaign. While investors are leaning towards a continuation of the Fed's tightening campaign, the possibility of a pause should not be underestimated.
In February 2023, the annual inflation rate in the US decreased to 6%, the lowest since September 2021, compared to January's 6.4%. Market expectations for this March's data predict a significant drop to 5.2%. Importantly, if inflationary pressures do not weaken as anticipated, traders may increase their bets on additional rate hikes beyond the predicted 25-basis-points in May (or even revise their expectations for the May hike).
At the beginning of the week, investors responded to the March jobs report, which was released on Good Friday, with nonfarm payrolls growing by 236,000 for the month. This was roughly in line with the market estimate of 230,000, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5% compared to the previous month's 3.6%.
As a result, the US dollar lost ground in early Monday trading, with the EUR/USD double peaking before traders lost confidence, causing the euro to fall below Monday's opening and crash through 1.0885. This level has served as the pair's bottom several times this month, as well as acting as a barrier for a longer-term rising trendline. Traders might now focus on 1.0822 and 1.0800 as the next downside targets.
Following the release of CPI data, the Federal Reserve is expected to issue the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting minutes.
Grand City Properties: Oversold dusted jewel? Maybe not yet.Back in Oct 13, 2022 I made this analysis:
Compared to Vonovia, Grand City has a double better debt position than its big competitor. Earnings payout are 23% and cash payout 64%. Vonovia's respective figures are 67% and 61%. Debt quity ratio at 57% is highly different from Vonovia's at 117%. Grand City may experiment higher costs of debt refinancing in 2023 but not as much as Vonovia in relative numbers. Grand City is able to breath better within this whole interest rates hike environment than mostly any other REIT. Sometimes, it's better to aim at 1,5B valued companies than 15B valued ones.
But then, on March 16th, 2023 GYC presented its FY 2022 results. And my analysis changed to this one:
Unfortunately, Grand City decided not to pay 2022 dividend due to macroeconomic uncertainty. The results were somewhat weak even though positive. I see GYC going down to 4.42€ in the next months. Better to avoid
January and February 2013 lows were around 4.42€. Current PER is 9.51 and dividend yield has been cut to 0% in 2022. Interest rates keep rising at the moment and before the SVB, FRC, Credit Suisse fall; investors thought they would go up until 5.5-6%. Even though debt is lower than its bigger competitor Vonovia and according to GYC website the company’s debt have a 95% interest hedging ratio, which is expected to reduce to 91% as some interest rate hedging matures throughout 2023; in an environment of increasing interest rates, investors could switch from REITs to bonds. The fact that GYC cut its dividend to 0, may look very disciplined and responsible. But a REIT who does not pay dividend is no longer attractive in my opinion. Whether it will be at 10-15€ in the next 4-5 years, that depends on: inflation stabilisation, interest rates beginning to drop at comfortable levels (1-3%), reduced banking crisis uncertainty and reduced recession fears, among other factors. It's also important to track the FFO and AFFO and compare these two metrics with competitors in order to see if the stock has been oversold or overbought.
If Central Banks stop raising interest rates or inflation drops further, then REITs will be one of the first sectors to recover as they may be experiencing overselling. When I analysed GYC back in Oct, I saw good fundamental reasons to invest in it. Macroeconomic uncertainty is now overweighting those fundamental reasons.
But when every aspect in the macroeconomic environment seemed to doom the expectations of GYC stock, I analysed the fundamentals of the company:
Analysis FY 2022 results: Net Debt/EBITDA = 11.4x. AFFO diminished -1.26%. FFO/per share +3% at 1.14€. P/FFO (Today) = 7/1.14 = 6.14.
Guidance FY 2023 FFO/share to decrease -13.16% max to 0.99€/share. P/FFO (2023e) = 7/0.99 = 7.07.
Sector P/FFO for Residential REITs in US has been moving steadily between 17 and 25 in 2010-2018 period (S&P Global Market Intelligence, Nareit 2018). GYC is clearly undervalued already.
Technical aspect doesn’t show any signs of recovery yet. RSI(14) suggesting completely oversold but selling volume keeps increasing.
CONCLUSION
We may be set to turnaround very soon on GYC. However, the fact that a REIT does not pay dividends is something clearly penalising the stock value. Therefore, I would still wait and see how the market develops and if GYC reaches 4.40€ level, maybe it could act as a historic support level from January 2013 and bounce back upwards from there.
Australian dollar climbs on strong employment dataThe Australian dollar has taken investors on a roller-coaster ride this week, reflective of the gyrations we're seeing in the financial markets. In the North American session, AUD/USD is trading at 0.6656, up 0.56%.
Australia's employment report for February was stronger than expected. The economy produced 64,600 news jobs, after a decline of 10,900 in January. This beat the estimate of 48,500. What was especially encouraging was that full-time jobs rose by 74,900, with part-time positions declining by 10,300. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, its lowest level in almost 50 years, down from 3.7% and below the estimate of 3.6%.
The tightness in the labour market has allowed the RBA to aggressively tighten, with ten straight rate hikes since April 2022. Inflation slowed to 7.4% in January, down from 8.4% in December, so the rate hikes are having an effect on curbing inflation. Still, it will be a long road back to the inflation target of around 2%. The central bank is leaning to taking a pause at the April meeting and leaving the cash rate at 3.60%. Major central banks are moving away from continued tightening and the RBA will have to take that into account, as well as the Silicon Valley Bank crisis which has investors on edge about contagion spreading. Central banks have to be cautious with all the market turmoil, for fear that additional tightening would make a global recession more likely.
Market pricing of rate moves has been gyrating like a yo-yo, and currently there is a 10% chance that the RBA will cut rates by 25 basis points at the April meeting. Just a month ago, the markets expected rates to peak at 4.1% in August. The SVB crisis has completely shifted pricing and the markets are currently expecting rates to fall to 3.35% by August.On
There was more good news as Australian consumer inflation expectations for March ticked lower to 5.0%, down from 5.1% and below the forecast of 5.4%.
AUD/USD is testing support at 0.6639. Below, there is support at 0.6508
0.6713 and 0.6844 are the next resistance lines
Key Levels and US Market Review for the Asian session open 15/03A review of the price action from the European session and the US session.
European markets moved higher once US CPI was released and ended with gains to reverse some of the previous move down. The US was under pressure for a large part of the session only ending in green after a late rally into the close. US Data out showed inflation remains a problem and it is too early to think the Fed will pause rate rises.
I remain of the view that sticky inflation is the big issue and will weigh on share markets if the Fed, and other major central banks, can not get it under control....this all points to more 'risk off' into major share markets.
I look at some key levels to watch and the price action setups I expect to see play out on the major markets below.
Markets covered :-
DOW
Nasdaq
DAX
FTSE
ASX200
Hang Seng
USD Index
Gold
Oil
Copper
Gold leads inflation by 20 yearsBank run crisis causes the current Fed fund rate to trade higher than the rest of the bond yields, what is its implication?
As US CPI remain high, global equities will continue to be uncertain this year. Investors are now turning their attention to precious metals.
Gold has started to move up since year 2000, it has appreciated more than 700%. However, the inflation and interest rates was stagnated the last 20 years.
What's happening?
Because in those years, I classified it as "Borrowed Time"
A need for easy money policy by:
1) Increasing the money supply
2) Lowering interest rates
Good times may be over, but I am seeing opportunities in the other set of assets - commodities.
For traders -
3 types of gold for trading:
• COMEX Gold
0.10 per troy ounce = $10.00
• E-mini Gold
0.25 per troy ounce = $12.50
• Micro Gold
0.10 per troy ounce = $1.00
Disclaimer:
• What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker.
• Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises.
CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
3 Inflation Scenarios for 2023There are only 3 inflation scenarios that will happen till the end of 2023:
i. Improve CPI to 2%
ii. Range CPI to hover between the band of 5-8%
iii. Continue to trend higher breaking above 9%
Many investors believe scenario (i) & (iii) will be unlikely.
70% of the investors feel that CPI should settle unchanged from how the year started at between 5%-8%.
Therefore, what is moving up then? Both the long-term and short-term? I have explained in the above video.
Feeder Cattle Futures
Minimum price fluctuation:
0.00025 per pound = $12.50
TAS: Zero or +/- 4 ticks in the minimum tick increment of the outright
Disclaimer:
• What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker.
• Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises.
CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
UK Inflation drop to 5 month low at 10.10% - Still crazy high!The UK inflation rate has dropped to a 5-month low of 10.1%.
This tells us that the peak inflation may be behind us.
The decrease in transport costs, as well as restaurants and hotels, were the main drivers of the lower inflation rate.
However, if we compare it to other developed nations like the US, France, and Germany - the UK's inflation rate is still quite a bit higher.
Now we need to see the Bank of England (BoE) to keep taking action to drop the inflation and interest rates.
I mean an inflation rate of 10% or higher is still crazy!
NZ dollar surges, eyes inflation expectationsThe New Zealand dollar has started the week in positive territory. In the North American session, NZD/USD is trading at 0.6357, up 0.76%.
It has been a long break for the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, which last met in November. At the meeting, the central bank delivered a record 75-basis point hike, bringing the cash rate to 4.25%. The rate statement noted that the cash rate would have to rise higher and faster than previously expected in order to curb inflation. The RBNZ holds its next meeting on Feb. 22, with inflation now falling in most major economies. This makes Tuesday's Inflation Expectations release critical, as it is the final tier-1 release ahead of the rate meeting. Inflation Expectations rose to 3.6% in Q4, up from 3.0% in Q1 and the RBNZ will be watching closely, as the reading could signal in which direction inflation is headed. This could mean significant volatility for the New Zealand dollar after this release.
Inflation will also be the buzz-word on Tuesday in the US, with the release of the January inflation report. Inflation is projected to fall to 6.2%, down from 6.5%, but there is unease in the markets that inflation could be hotter than expected, as used car prices and energy prices climbed higher in January. If inflation is indeed higher than expected, the markets could fully price in two rate hikes of 25 basis points and remain uncertain about a third hike. This would be a huge shift from recent market thinking, which is that the Fed could hold rates after a 25-bp hike in March and cut rates late in the year. The US dollar has taken strong hits after recent inflation releases were softer than the forecast. If tomorrow's release is higher than expected, it could be payback time and the US dollar could post gains.
0.6375 is under pressure in resistance. Above, there is resistance at 0.6442
There is support at 0.6323 and 0.6256
How to Reduce Inflation in South Africa in 2023! - 5 WAYS!How to Reduce Inflation in South Africa in 2023! - 5 WAYS!
I got this excellent question today from someone Which I thought was an important question to answer considering the state of the Country of South Africa.
Hi everyone. In SA I always wonder how an ordinary person "employed or not" can contribute to bring positive change to our inflation?
A. Here is my answer...
As an economist, I can say in theory it is possible to bring positive change to the inflation rates but in reality – with corruption – I’m not sure it’s that easy.
Also, it’s the butterfly effect where we need to come together as a community (country) to work towards lowering inflation.
So on the one hand, there needs to be less spending unfortunately. Here are a few measures I can think of…
#1. Lower non-essential spending.
People need to stop spending unnecessarily on products and services and instead start saving more for their future. This will hamper and reduce the impact of inflation.
#2: Support your local places!
This world is becoming highly globalised not only where the rich get richer but the TOP stores and shops get richer too.
As a community, we need to start supporting the local businesses that have great quality products and services to.
We need to be more friendly to each other and help spread awareness to the small but great man.
This will help stimulate the local economy and bring on more job creation and economic growth.
#3: More investments in education
Education is key to help bring personal development and skills training. We need to educate our fellow people on business skills, high income skills, programming, AI, machine learning, savings, risk averse investments and encourage more businesses to help grow.
#4: Save more to invest more
When inflation is high it means people were spending uncontrollably which pushed up demand and lowered supply. Instead, we should encourage more savings in stocks, property, trading, funds, and personal finances to reduce the effects of inflation.
Instead of drinking sorrows away, spending on games to bide time – focus on less spending and more saving for the future – reducing the debt levels.
#5: Invest in renewable energy
Load Shedding is here to stay. And so we need to try to support more renewable energy initiatives that come about. Solar, wind and gas. This will definitely help reduce the cost of energy and curb inflation.
As I said, we can only do our part and hope for the best. We are a nation with hope, optimism and trust. But instead of just trusting the government we should also learn to support and trust our local businesses and methods to living a better life.
Hope that helps.