AUD pauses after mini-rallyThe Australian dollar is showing little movement in the Wednesday session. Currently, the pair is trading at 0.7706, down 0.08% on the day.
Australia's economy has recovered from the Covid-induced downturn more quickly than expected. The country has contained Covid quite well, and global demand for Australian exports is growing. The impressive economic recovery has led to speculation that the RBA could raise interest rates next year or early 2023. The central bank has trimmed rates to a record low of 0.10% and has a QE program of A$200 billion currently in place.
RBA Governor Lowe sought to dampen speculation over a rate hike, saying that there would be no hikes before wage growth lifted inflation to the bank's target of 2-3%. Lowe said that this would require wage growth, currently at 1.4%, to climb above 3 per cent. In order for that to happen, unemployment would need to fall to 4%, down from the current 6.4%. Although the RBA could choose to raise rates even if these targets were not met, his comments served notice to the markets that higher rates remain a long, long way off. Lowe was clear in this message, saying in the bank's assessment, "the cash rate is very likely to remain at its current level until at least 2024.”
Sandwiched in between Lowe's comments were solid economic releases, reiterating that the economy is pointed in the right direction. The NAB Business Confidence index rose from 10 to 16 in February, its highest level since 2010. As well, Westpac Consumer Sentiment rose to 111.8 in March, up from 109.1 beforehand. The index is now just shy of the December read of 112.0, which was a 10 year high.
AUD/USD faces resistance at 0.7805, followed by resistance at 0.7930. On the downside, there is support at 0.7589. If this line fails, the pair could fall sharply, with the next support level at 0.7498
RBA
AUD steady as retail sales hit expectationsThe Australian dollar has recorded slight gains in the Thursday session. Currently, the pair is trading at 0.7790, up 0.23% on the day.
Retail sales climbed 0.5% in January, which followed the December gain of 0.6%. These are by no means earth-shattering numbers, but the two consecutive gains are welcome news after back-to-back declines of around 4 per cent. The small gains point to consumer spending stabilizing and with the recovery gaining steam, we can expect better numbers in the coming months.
It has been a busy week on the fundamental side, with a host of Australian indicators. The highlights have been the RBA policy meeting and a strong GDP report. The RBA left interest rates at the ultra-low level of 0.10%, but the rate statement was notable for its reference to the Australian dollar. The statement noted that the bank's current monetary policy had contributed "to a lower exchange rate than otherwise. The central bank has watched with apprehension as the Australian dollar has appreciated sharply against the US dollar, with the Aussie punching above the symbolic 80-line just last week. The RBA would like a lower exchange in order to maintain price stability and protect the critical export sector.
GDP showed a strong gain of 3.1% in Q4, down slightly from 3.3% beforehand but well above the estimate of 2.5%. Finance Minister Josh Frydenberg commented that the economy was recovering more quickly than the government had anticipated, noting that the first time in recorded history that Australia has seen two consecutive quarters of economic growth of more than 3%”.
Let's review the weekly support and resistance levels:
AUD/USD faces resistance at 0.7910, followed by resistance at 0.8116. There is weak support at 0.7752, followed closely by support at 0.7728. The pair is trading around the 0.78 line, which is slightly above its multi-month ascending wedge support at 0.7750.
AUDUSD - Long Despite Pullback AUDUSD has pulled back since hitting the 0.8 psychological level as US yields rose significantly last week leading the US dollar to strengthen. We still hold a long view whilst the currency pair is above support at 0.754 as we await the RBA rate decision and AUD GDP growth rate data next week.
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little to no debt... RBA is positioned very well in the coming years.
As always good health, wealth, and best wishes to all!
Inflation Rate Roundups Trade Safe - Trade Well
Regards,
Michael Harding 😎 Chief Technical Strategist @ LEFTURN Inc.
RISK DISCLAIMER
Information and opinions contained with this post are for educational purposes and do not constitute trading recommendations. Trading Forex on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Before deciding to invest in Forex you should consider your knowledge, investment objectives, and your risk appetite. Only trade/invest with funds you can afford to lose.
Monetary Policy Meeting: BoE & RBALast week, the Bank of England and the Reserve Bank of Australia held their first monetary policy meeting for this year. In this article, we will look at the takeaway from the meetings.
BoE put to rest speculation on adoption of negative interest rate.
The third national lockdown imposed on England early last month led to the speculation that the Bank of England (BoE) is likely going to take interest rate to the negative level to cushion the negative impact on the UK economy. However, the speculation has been put to rest by the central bank during its monetary policy meeting last week. In the monetary policy minutes, the BoE stated that it “did not wish to send any signal that it intended to set a negative Bank Rate at some point in the future”. Furthermore, the central bank highlighted that the implementation of negative interest rate will require preparatory work to be carried out six months before its implementation. In an effort to control the situation, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey advised the public not to speculate any future actions that the central bank may take.
On the economic recovery side of things, the BoE expects the UK economy to contract by 4% during the first quarter of 2021. However, the central bank is optimistic that the economy will recover fast this year with UK’s speedy vaccination programme, expecting the economy to return to the pre-pandemic level by the first quarter of 2022. As a result, the BoE revised down its economic growth forecast for 2021 from 7.25% to 5% but revised up its forecast for 2022 from 6.25% to 7.25%. Finally, the central bank kept its interest rate and monetary policy unchanged.
RBA carries out more monetary policy easing.
Unlike the Bank of England, its Australian counterpart took a more aggressive approach towards monetary easing. During the monetary policy meeting last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to purchase additional $100 billion of government bonds once the current bond purchase program ends in mid-April. The main reason for the central bank to carry out more easing was due to subdued wage and price pressures. The RBA highlighted that the latest annual inflation rate of 0.9% is still far from the central bank’s targeted level of 2-3% while wages are increasing at the slowest rate ever. The central bank expects both inflation and wages to pick up gradually but will still remain below 2 per cent over the next two years.
Despite the subdued wage and price pressures, the RBA also acknowledged that economic recovery in Australia has exceeded their expectation. The jobs market has been performing well, indicating strong employment growth and continued decline in unemployment rate. Consumer spending has also been strong while an increase in the number of deferred loan repayments have been made. Thus, the central bank is now expecting the country’s economic growth to return to the end-2019 level by mid-2021 as opposed to the previous expectation of end-2021. Lastly, the RBA also expect interest rate to remain at the current level of 0.10% until wages growth is higher than the current level and its inflation target range of 2-3% has been met, which the central bank foresees it to happen only in 2024 at the earliest.
ridethepig | NZD for FED📌 ridethepig | NZD Market Commentary 27.01.2021
What is in play here?
Buyers depriving shorts of their rewards and not allowing the breakdown ahead of Fed. Strategically speaking, this looks and smells a lot like a slingshot. The strong rejection points towards the Kiwi inflows after RBNZ let slip that rate cuts are unlikely. On the Fed side, dollar devaluation is still the name of the game and a dovish Powell is already widely expected. Not expecting much positivity on the recovery front, positioning is the main factor in play here and a sweep of the highs would be healthy as is the case for EURUSD.
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AUDUSD - Potential Bull FlagHello Traders,
The AUDUSD is currently trading on a key trendline support and a typical bull flag formation.
The recent rally in the USD looks corrective in nature, therefore we are expecting further selling pressure coming into play against the USD in the near future.
Any thoughts or comments are welcome below.
ridethepig | AUDNZD Market Commentary 20.01.2021📌 ridethepig | AUDNZD Market Commentary 20.01.2021
This chart illustrates the remaining crumbs in AUDNZD which is worth further study. The position from the previous diagrams continues and we are set for taking the next main target at 1.089x/1.090x.
Now, buyers have overcome their difficulties in development, the base is optimally protected from AUD inflows via the commodity side. Happy to continue holding AUD against the bird, and is a nice way to express a dovish view on NZD.
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AUDUSD is trending in a pennant flag pattern - more upside?AUDUSD is trending to the upside today ahead of US elections. A break above the resistance trendline could signal for buyers to drive price higher, likewise a rejection of the resistance line could signal further selling. We are bullish AUDUSD today as traders may look to reduce USD exposure approaching the elections. It is worth taking into account the RBA's rate cute today, from 0.25% to record lows of 0.1%. This would typically be bearish for the AUD.
ridethepig | Aussie for the Yearly Close📌 AUD for the Yearly Close
It seems a good choice of the moment to also progress with the Commodity Currencies next, the characteristic of the next macro themes are going to be coming from shortages on supply side and we can dissect how to configure that into currencies and in accordance with the previous diagrams.
AUD has freed some space above for the coming months and quarters, the 0.813x initial target is interesting to note how the opportunity for capitulation of sellers arises, the breach will unlock the 'inverse' of a waterfall concept that we are now discussing in USD;
With enormous complications for commodities coming, after a few more mistakes from politicians, AUD will be one of the main winners in the moves. In the next flows, 0.950x and 1.097x are clear extensions but until we can crack through the 0.813x soft resistance are only considered skeletons in the closet for now.
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ridethepig | AUDNZD Market Commentary 09.12.2020📌 Buyers attacking and maintaining the pressure!
Since the initial weakness we spotted at the lows, we have seen the birth of an impulsive leg higher:
Of course this is very promising, buyers have much rather played the breakup and we got our momentum gambit! Well, for those wondering what rendered the base as valid, I would point you in the direction of the NZ10Y chart which was calling for the end of NZD strength as soon as we approach the 1.00% target.
We must be clear that in AUDNZD 1.055x contains a lot of interest, the ambitious dream of forcing a straight leg towards 1.075x and forcing our opponent into complete capitulation is far from fiction. We can now attack the breakout and force the aggression. The continuation might be 1.055x -> 1.062x -> 1.075x which keeps NZD under pressure.
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ridethepig | AUDNZD Market Commentary 02.12.2020There was apparently no motivation for sellers to continue the advance lower and neither does it seem pragmatic. AUD buyers are showing up once more and this looks like the prelude to an exciting momentum gambit.
The trigger comes from a leap above the latent highs, it will move us forward full of energy as shorts start covering and the youthful arrogance of those reluctant to close get margin called. I choose to answer the lows with a gentle position, no more than one or two in the start, and the quietness of a worthwhile virtue.
The whole business of markets is about the advance for our momentum, because the traps have already been set, sellers still think they have won, but only when we zoom out on the macro charts can we truly demonstrate the underlying AUD strength.
So I would tend to describe the above floor as cheap and open. With clearing month end flows and markets trying to get their 2021 trades on early with commodity shortages entering into the picture already, we should emphasise exposure in AUD. Of course, Australian and China relationships are not working perfectly, although I expect this will be the story to track in 2021 rather than December 2020.
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ridethepig | AUD Market Commentary 2020.10.21🔸 AUDUSD - Market Commentary 2020.10.21
The following play is aiming for a test of 70c; after a very dovish RBA earlier in the week opening the window for negative rates, we have some more downside to play. Wellll done all those selling AUDCAD , AUDUSD and AUDCNH . Volatility is going to continue to expand as we enter into the elections which will weigh heavily on AUD and NZD to a lesser extent.
The play towards 70c can be opened by a fresh zig-zag from sellers. Such a move should never be played without being aware where we are wrong and measuring with certain effectiveness the bang for our buck. The downside is made possible via USD finding a temporary bid for ultimate safe-haven flows. We must recognise the dollar as the reserve currency and give it credit where credit is due. For the technical flows, looking for an eventual test of 0.700x/0.699x while invalidation above comes with a closing basis through 0.711x.
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'Giant Panda' surrender of the AUD bid📌 Surrendering of the AUD bid
The following play is an example of how easily a premature surrender of the ladder can lead to a correction.
In light of that, for the news flow we have a two course dinner:
1️⃣ A dovish RBA on deck notably showing signs of distress with Australian 10Y Yield and opening the door for more QE. This is going to keep the downward pressure on AUD in the immediate term while CB's and governments around the globe prepare to tap into the overdraft one more time.
2️⃣ Regular readers will know we have been tracking PBOC for some time. The "Giant Panda" has been spotted (more than once on the AUD bid and quite practicably so. The importance here comes from them effectively pressing the release valve via banning Australian coal.
3️⃣ Any last minute USD outflows ahead of election event risk will be positive CAD in the immediate term. A Trump victory would then likely unwind those, while a Biden sweep I suspect accelerates the flows from US to Canada.
📌 The following swing that we are tracking is a combinatory complication .
From a flows perspective, sellers can resign after testing the previous resistance turned support, with the threat of penetration towards the previous centre in the orderblock. The floor will depend on risk passing, for now let's keep working shorts and use CAD to park as a defensive move to ride the pig on any last minute U.S election outflows; 0.930x -> 0.900x looks within reach.
Thanks as usual for keeping the feedback coming 👍 or 👎
FX Update: Market hopeful on US stimulus and Brexit breakthrougSummary: The US dollar continues to meander back and forth on the rise and fall in stimulus hopes, with a new timeline early this week for the prospects of a deal after a House Speaker Pelosi ultimatum. Our focus this week elsewhere is on AUD after the sell-off last week on indications that the RBA is readying a proper QE programme, and on GBP as the market continues to lean in favour of a breakthrough in Brexit talks.
Trading focus:
US stimulus go/no-go deadline shaping up for tomorrow?
The US stimulus question may finally be nearing a near-term resolution as the weekend saw US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issuing a 48-hour deadline (apparently Tuesday night) for a stimulus deal if anyone expects something to pass before the election. With some Republicans apparently willing to burn bridges to Trump due to the Democrats’ commanding lead in the polls and at odds with the president on whether a large stimulus package is advisable. The headlines suggest that stimulus prospects are still strong, and even when they appeared less strong recently, the narrative seemed to be that the rising odds of a Democratic clean sweep of Congress and the presidency at the election will mean a far larger package will be coming by spring either way. The market feels somewhat complacent here and tactically there is room for a mishap on the stimulus front that sees another modest leg higher in the US dollar, but confidence in reading the market here is quite low.
The Aussie is still digesting the RBA’s dovish tilt last week
Feels like the Aussie being pulled in two directions simultaneously here. On the negative side is the dovish RBA Governor Lowe speech last week that appears to be a setup for a full QE programme announcement at the November 3rd meeting. On the more supportive side as this week gets underway is the solid bounce-back in risk sentiment and the strong Chinese data overnight, with the weak Q3 GDP numbers off-set by strong September Industrial Production and Retail Sales data. As well, the Chinese yuan is trading back toward the cycle highs despite the recent apparent attempt to slow its rise. A move lower in AUDUSD here below 0.7000 and AUDJPY below 74.00 may be more up to US stimulus prospects and risk sentiment supporting safe havens rather than any isolated AUD weakness.
Chart: AUDUSD
The next two weeks and a day will be pivotal for AUDUSD, as the RBA meets and may announce its first real QE programme at the November 3rd RBA meeting – in the Asian session on the day when the US goes to the polls for Election Day. Huge technical interest here in the pivotal 0.7000 level if the AUD suffers another bout of weakness, which could lead to a further slide to 0.6800. On the flipside, to dig itself out of range, the pair needs to pull back above the 0.7200-50 area. If yield spreads mean anything any longer, the pressure is to the downside.
Sterling – market continues to lean in favour of a breakthrough.
The market continues to look through UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s exhortations for the UK to prepare for a no deal Brexit, and has bid sterling up close to the range highs against the euro and GBPUSD is poking back above 1.3000 as of this writing. Boris Johnson is said to be likely to roll back some of the controversial portions of the Internal Market Bill that would have overridden portions of the Withdrawal Agreement in a bid to get a deal. That bill might not have cleared the House of Lords anyway. In any case to support the current sterling price, we need a headline touting a real breakthrough soon – more below on thoughts for how to trade either directional outcome for GBP.
The G-10 rundown
USD – the US dollar’s fate tactically linked to risk sentiment and stimulus prospects, with no stimulus deal a possible supporter, but still looking for USD weakness for the long term.
EUR – the new Covid-19 lockdowns and case counts across Europe making the bullish story for the Euro a tough sell – does the EU risk a double dip recession?
JPY – safe haven yields are creeping back higher again, eroding some of the support for the JPY here – but only a story if US yields from 10 years and longer pop to a new highs.
GBP – as noted above, the market continues to lean in favour of a breakthrough and we’re likely to see a considerable leap higher in sterling (2%?) on a clear agreement-in-principle headline as early as this week or next. GBP calls for expiry in less than four weeks one way to position for a breakthrough, with GBP puts beyond December 31 are more appropriate for a “No Deal” scenario
CHF – no real growth in sight deposits this and if safe haven yields rise further, fundamental support for CHF weakens, but having a hard time paying attention to CHF as long as we remain in 1.06.
AUD – the negative reaction to the RBA halted after a single day and needs to get on the move lower again soon if it is meant to sell off further as last week’s negative momentum is already fading. The latest RBA meeting minutes and an RBA speaker are up tonight.
CAD – USDCAD consolidated to the 1.3250 resistance area. CAD seems likely to coil passively with overall USD direction awaiting the US election outcome.
NZD – NZD firms after the strongest result ever for NZ’s Labour party in the election, giving it an outright majority. The AUDNZD is looking below last support levels ahead of the 200-day moving average near 1.0620. The pair is big-picture cheap at 1.0500.
SEK – EURSEK gapped higher overnight but is back where it came from and seems ready to work towards the range lows of the summer as long as risk sentiment stays stable despite growing concern of a double dip slow-down in the EU on the Covid-19 resurgence.
NOK – we like long-term EURNOK downside, but will have to steer clear of near term double-dip concerns in Europe and any new crude oil sell-off on the ongoing supply overhang. Local resistance in the 11.00 area here.
John Hardy
Head of FX Strategy
Disclaimer
The Saxo Bank Group entities each provide execution-only service and access to Analysis permitting a person to view and/or use content available on or via the website. This content is not intended to and does not change or expand on the execution-only service. Such access and use are at all times subject to (i) The Terms of Use; (ii) Full Disclaimer; (iii) The Risk Warning; (iv) the Rules of Engagement and (v) Notices applying to Saxo News & Research and/or its content in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of hyperlinks on the website of a member of the Saxo Bank Group by which access to Saxo News & Research is gained. Such content is therefore provided as no more than information. In particular no advice is intended to be provided or to be relied on as provided nor endorsed by any Saxo Bank Group entity; nor is it to be construed as solicitation or an incentive provided to subscribe for or sell or purchase any financial instrument. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. As such no Saxo Bank Group entity will have or be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information which is available on Saxo News & Research or as a result of the use of the Saxo News & Research. Orders given and trades effected are deemed intended to be given or effected for the account of the customer with the Saxo Bank Group entity operating in the jurisdiction in which the customer resides and/or with whom the customer opened and maintains his/her trading account. Saxo News & Research does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Bank Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication under relevant laws.
FX Update: GBP up as Brexit talks extend, RBA takes AUD downSummary: There will be no Brexit talk deadline today, a relief for sterling bulls, but a situation that merely extends the uncertainty. Elsewhere, the RBA November 3 meeting is likely shaping up for a new easing push from Lowe and company as their overnight musings on longer term QE took the AUD down a few notches. Elsewhere, we watch the relative strength race between the USD and JPY as 105.00 has come into view in USDJPY.
Trading focus:
JPY still in the cross-hairs
As I have noted recently, the yen is receiving a double whammy of support from the strength in safe haven bond yields (the most important driver) and weak risk sentiment of the last couple of sessions. I speculated in this morning’s Saxo Market Call podcast whether one of the factors keeping the EURJPY from lower levels is the EU sovereign bond market, where bond traders have had a field day since the spring in bidding up peripheral debt (piggy-backing ECB flows) as EU sovereign spreads tighten. This element is entirely missing in Japan’s moribund JGB market, but the JPY remains undervalued in real-interest rate terms. We focus on the 105.00 area in USDJPY for a wider realization of this level – every prior attempt below this level since 2018 has been gathered up within a few trading days.
Pause button pressed for sterling
Just ahead of yesterday’s update, the headline crossed my screen that Boris Johnson would not walk away from talks today, which the market took as a hopeful sign that the current status of the talks is sufficiently amicable to indicate that a deal is reachable. According to sources in the major news media, both sides suggest that late October or the first week of November are the more likely timeframe for an agreement. On balance, the fact that talks are ongoing are promising for sterling, but we still likely will need that critical breakthrough for sterling to post any larger directional move. Until then, a break below 0.9000 in EURGBP would represent a fuller reversal of the prior rally and could lead to the exploration of the bottom of the range just below 0.8900, which also happens to coincide with the 200-day moving average.
AUD hit on RBA consideration of longer term bond purchases
The Australian 10-year yield dropped a chunky 7 basis points overnight (from 0.84% to 0.77%) on RBA governor Lowe out indicating that the RBA is considering extending the maturities of its bond purchases and mulling whether lowering 5-10 year yields would help the Australia labour market. The Governor complained that Australian 10-year yields are still too high. This has the market placing bets that the RBA is set for a bigger move at the November 3rd meeting, which could include a rate cut and now more likely to see a proper QE programme that includes purchases to lower Australian yields all along the curve.
Chart: AUDUSD
The AUD is lower across the board on the RBA’s consideration of extending bond purchased out the yield curve and the local line of consolidation has fallen overnight in AUDUSD as the pair really only has the huge 0.7000 area to consider from here to the downside tactically. To get the pair significantly below that level, we would likely need to see further weakness in China’s currency, commodity prices like iron ore heading lower, and generally weak risk sentiment. The first area lower beyond 0.700 is the 200-day moving average just below 0.6800.
The G-10 rundown
USD – looking generally firm, but not the centre of attention at present. As long as US stimulus fears weigh on risk sentiment, likely to continue to see resilience.
EUR – considerable speculation around the ECB’s next measures, but the ECB is already doing plenty if we have a look at EU peripheral spreads, and the focus is likely to increasingly shift to the fiscal – watching for signals from the EU Summit today and tomorrow on that front.
JPY – very interested in the relative horse race of the USD and JPY as 105.00 and below approaches to see which achieves top status as a safe haven currency if yields continue lower and risk sentiment is rocky.
GBP – potential for further gains here, but still need the key breakthrough and wonder if the ceiling is a bit low for sterling even in the best of outcomes – more thoughts later now that talks likely to drag on for two more weeks or more.
CHF – a grinding bit here in CHF as EURCHF slowly moves lower – maybe more sensitive to global bond safe-haven seeking that risk sentiment swings per se?
AUD – Australia hit by the RBA and could trade on weak side until the November 3 RBA meeting, especially if global outlook remains further clouded by Covid-19 concerns and China’s yuan suffers a bout of consolidation after its recent run.
CAD – USDCAD has room to consolidated to 1.3250 without raising eyebrows, but seems low beta to the overall USD situation. CAD traders need keep an eye on oil prices as these traded near resistance yesterday.
NZD – the kiwi enjoying strength against the sudden downshift in the Aussie, but the RBNZ will be quick to take care of preventing pronounced NZD strength eventually. For relative strength in that pair, watching the 200-day moving average around 1.0620. Big level for NZDUSD is 0.6500.
SEK – the krona may be overachieve in short term, but still have a “fade the rallies” stance in EURSEK as long as we remain south of 10.500 for a move into sub-10.00 territory in 2021.
NOK – the EURNOK level of 10.75-80 is the one to crack tactically for NOK bulls – could be a short term walk in the desert here for those bulls if the Covid-19 partial shutdowns continue to weigh on the oil outlook over the winter.
John Hardy
Head of FX Strategy
Disclaimer
The Saxo Bank Group entities each provide execution-only service and access to Analysis permitting a person to view and/or use content available on or via the website. This content is not intended to and does not change or expand on the execution-only service. Such access and use are at all times subject to (i) The Terms of Use; (ii) Full Disclaimer; (iii) The Risk Warning; (iv) the Rules of Engagement and (v) Notices applying to Saxo News & Research and/or its content in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of hyperlinks on the website of a member of the Saxo Bank Group by which access to Saxo News & Research is gained. Such content is therefore provided as no more than information. In particular no advice is intended to be provided or to be relied on as provided nor endorsed by any Saxo Bank Group entity; nor is it to be construed as solicitation or an incentive provided to subscribe for or sell or purchase any financial instrument. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. As such no Saxo Bank Group entity will have or be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information which is available on Saxo News & Research or as a result of the use of the Saxo News & Research. Orders given and trades effected are deemed intended to be given or effected for the account of the customer with the Saxo Bank Group entity operating in the jurisdiction in which the customer resides and/or with whom the customer opened and maintains his/her trading account. Saxo News & Research does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Bank Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication under relevant laws.
Is the future for the Australian dollar downwards?AUD/USD has been a strong performer in the currency markets, returning just under 30% since its March lows. We talked about how the Australian dollar was poised for a rally on a market recovery earlier this year.
The market has recovered, and the Australian dollar has recovered with it. This was due to the Australian dollar being mainly a “commodity currency,” with manufacturing worldwide slowly starting to pick up, specifically in China. Erik Nelson from Wells Fargo stated that “If you consider some of the fundamentals in Australia, you can justify the valuation of the Australian dollar at current levels” and that Australia is “very well positioned right now” about its exports to China.
However, the AUD/USD has fallen over3% in the past couple of days. This has been on a multitude of factors. The US Dollar strengthening on Donald Trump’s recovery, recent weakness in the oil prices, and the tremulous Coronavirus situation in Australia have pushed the Aussie lower.
Is this a long term trend for the Australian dollar, or just Market Volatility?
Yesterday, the RBA left rates at 0.25%, which it has been since the initial rate cut in March. RBA’s Governor Philip Lowe stated that the decision was based on the uneven recovery of the global economy due to the Coronavirus – “The global economy is gradually recovering after a server contraction due to the pandemic. However, the recovery is uneven and its continuation is dependent on the containment of the virus”.
Analysts are predicting a rate cut in the next six months. However, there is little chance for rates to fall into the negative as Governor Lowe historically has been against negative rates, citing that they are “extraordinarily unlikely in Australia” due to the documented downsides on consumption sentiment.
Furthermore, Australia has been able to control its second outbreak in the state of Victoria, enabling them to focus on the path to recovery from the Coronavirus. The RBA also stated that “Labour market conditions have improved somewhat over the past few months and the unemployment rate is likely to peak at a lower rate than expected”
With elections coming up in the United States, the Trans-Tasman bubble between New Zealand and Australia coming to fruition, and Australia slowly recovering, market volatility may affect the AUD/USD pair, rather than a long term trend. I believe the Australian dollar’s tailwinds are a lot stronger the potential headwinds it may face.
FX Update: USD close to the brink of support as US yields spikeSummary: USD weakness has extended to pivotal levels that are the bull-bear dividing line between a return to a weak USD regime and the more neutral tactical outlook if USD support holds here. Volatility remains muted, but will have a hard time remaining that way if we continue to see anything resembling the pronounced weakness in US treasuries yesterday
Trading focus:
Getting a grip on the US yield spike and what it means for the US dollar
The most important development across markets yesterday was the steep sell-off in US treasuries all along the yield curve coming after a period in which US yields have been moribund. What are the drivers here? Is the market satisfied that US data is bouncing back strongly as evidenced in the latest strong September ISM Services yesterday (at 57.8) and that a stimulus deal looks more likely now that Trump is back in the White House and has argued in favour of striking a deal?
Or perhaps the signs that Biden is pulling away in the polls is the chief driver and the argument here is that the Democrats are set to take back the presidency and the Senate, therefore paving the way for a massive multi-trillion stimulus passed in the first one hundred days of a Biden administration, taking US inflation much higher while leaving the Fed policy rate pegged near zero. The US dollar has clearly been driven by the market’s pricing of future inflation. The Biden argument seems the more plausible driver here, and US rates spiked all along the curve, but most aggressively at the long-end yesterday, with the 10-year trading above 0.75% resistance and the 30-year above 1.50%, a notable chart level. Also, the stronger the apparent edge that the Democrats are achieving in the polls, the less likely that Trump’s claims of a fraudulent election will be able to drive “contested election” uncertainty for any appreciable length of time after Election Day.
In the meantime, however, if US rates continue spiking here the risk sentiment apple cart could be upset and keep the USD bears at bay – tough to tell where the balance of risks lies, but equities are stumbling in the European session today after the boost yesterday, supposedly from Trump’s quick return to the White House (at the margin, a healthy Trump through Election Day keeps the risk of election chaos at bay as well).
Chart: AUDUSD
The AUDUSD rally has found that 0.7200 is the sticking point here after an uninspiring RBA meeting overnight that provided no notable shift in forward expectations for policy. This has coincided with EURUSD testing the 1.1800 area. The narrative for the USD bears is that the US is set to unleash further torrents of liquidity, either right away in a last-ditch Trump administration-Democratic House deal to juice the economy and get checks in the mail ASAP, or at worst, after the election with a massive, multi-trillion new stimulus from an increasingly likely US Democrat “clean sweep” scenario. The downside trigger is rather far away at 0.7000 but is the more prominent chart point.
The G-10 rundown
USD – the US dollar taken to the last bits of support in a number of pairs – more USD liquidity from stimulus and rising expectations of a Biden win and the deeper negative real US rates that this might bring on a heavier dose of fiscal stimulus are theoretically USD negative, but if spiking US yields spike risk sentiment, the USD bears could be in for a rough ride tactically.
EUR – EURUSD has tickled the 1.1800 level, arguably the local bull-bear line for the pair and a key for the broader USD outlook. The services PMI revisions for Europe were positive for Germany, but even worse for Spain at a terrible 42.4 as piecemeal shutdowns are threatened there. The only argument for euros is that they will hold their value because more cautious fiscal in Europe together with demographics will keep the negative real rate threat lower than elsewhere.
JPY – hard to argue in favour of the yen if yields spike further, but as long as the spike is isolated to the US on fear of negative real rates, the stronger JPY story could re-emerge if risk sentiment wobbles here. So many JPY crosses resemble their USD counterparts (EURUSD and EURJPY, for example) and would expect that to continue.
GBP – sterling poised for good news, which the market seems to be leaning for as we await the key headline announcing some breakthrough in post-Brexit transition period negotiations. Still have long term doubts on the height of the ceiling for sterling due to the UK’s structural deficits, but a sterling surge on finally getting the Brexit issue in the rear view mirror is likely in the cards..
CHF – nothing to report here, but watching with interest on whether yield move continues higher and drives weakness at the margin. EURCHF 1.0600-1.0900 is the limbo zone for the franc and has been since June.
AUD – the RBA looking for ways to bring further easing if needed, but happy where it is at present and already hopeful that the unemployment rate peaks at a lower level than previously feared. AUDUSD has found resistance again at the pivotal 0.7200 area as noted above.
CAD – CAD failed to react much to the very strong surge in WTI crude yesterday as USDCAD sits at a local tactical pivot area of 1.3250 – the pair looks passive and low-beta to the USD direction.
NZD – in NZDUSD terms, we have been coiling and coiling since July – the clearest level at the moment there is the 0.6500 area, which could set up a run towards 0.6400 if the USD puts on a rally again. The AUDNZD cross is lost in the desert, but downside pressure risk towards 1.0600 perhaps weighs more as long at 1.0850 isn’t retaken.
S EK – EURSEK needs a positive news in Europe and another surge in risk sentiment to punch back down through the 10.40 pivot area and suggest an end to upside risk. Right now - in limbo between recent top and that 10.40 area.
NOK – a nice rebound in crude oil gives the NOK a shot in the arm and if positive risk sentiment continues here, we could see a full return to the 10.50 area in EURNOK. The CPI rise and implications for negative rates looks scary until we consider that it is mostly FX-driven as the trade-weighted NOK is some 8% below where it was a year ago even after the comeback from the spring-time lows.
John Hardy
Head of FX Strategy
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RidetheMacro| AUDUSD Crawls downwards 📉AUDUSD Key Points
The Focus will be on the Australian Dollar this week with the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) expected to make a major decision on its cash rate. Additionally, the government will release its Annual Budget.
As of Friday’s close, market consensus was evenly split on whether the RBA will adjust the cash rate in October or November. A 50/50 consensus usually means no rate cut.
Rather than another full 25 basis point cut, it seems most market participants are anticipating some version of “micro easing” such as lowering the official cash rate from 25 bps to 10 bps this month or next.
“Consequently, financial markets are now anticipating a roughly 50% chance the RBA will cut the official cash rate before the end of the year,” according to Brian Reid, Treasurer of Newcastle Permanent.
For weeks, investors had been pricing a rate cut to 0.10%, based on forecasting from Westpac. But that changed last week with Westpac economists now forecasting November instead, at the November 3 meeting.
until the Next time.
Ridethemacro