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Safehaven

LONG GOLD XAUUSD: RISK-OFF ASSETS TRADING CHEAP ON US STOCK DIPGold Positioning - Buy @ Market; 1350TP1 1370TP2 - 1 lot (small) and add double every daily close lower - 1lot, 2lots tomorrow, 4lots the next day: 1. Risk sentiment looks to be turning south, particularly in US equities which have seen monthly lows which is consistent with the broad equity valuation correction lower that i have been expecting for the past few weeks. - However the highly correlated safe haven assets look to be showing some divergence/ value by also trading lower. Given im a risk-sentiment bear, I back this view with short SPX and long Gold/ YEN. 2. Also Fed unlikely to hike means USD demand is likely to be parred which puts less pressure on gold, but either way, a hike increases risk-off and will drive gold/ haven demand so it is a win win situation. 3. Statistically gold is also a long after trading lower 5 days in a row which for the past 16yrs of data is a 1/100 chance of having a bullish day for the next day (today). Also on the weekly we are 1.3 deviations lower, with the monthly and quaterly at 0.9sd and 0.7sd lower. 4. Risk here looks to be to the 1300 pivot with topside at 1350, 1370 and 1400 - i personally feel we can see gold bid to 1370 on a SPX to 2000 backdrop, a fed hike would have my bets moving SPX well through 2000.
FX:XAUUSDLong
by QuantumLogicTrading
3
USDJPY RTRS FORECAST: BOJ/ MOF - COMMENTS ABE, KURODA, ASAKAWAInterestingly the RTRS poll for Aug has a bullish near-term bias for $yen vs in July - my opinion is contrary to their poll as the BOJ and JPY MOF failed to deliver the hype expected/ promised this past week - i think 101/2 is much more likely for the next 3 months vs their 103.8. Comments from PM Abe, MOF and BOJ minutes that we observed in the Asia session were much of the same but once again markets digest the information as "actionless" as we have heard one too many times about the JPY govt/ BOJ's willingness to intervene in FX markets "if need be" yet their policy fails to back up such claims. Further in all honesty the BOJ has only ever intervened in the $yen price in recent times (post 2008) when it has been less than 90, and closer to 80 - so in reality imo we have until atleast 94 before we have to worry about any potential intervention spikes. My view on $Yen remains bearish, with broad USD strength today helping $yen rise into the 101.5 pivot level which it has failed to break so far - i expect $yen to test this level several more times today - failure to break and i will short OR i am happy to short at the 102 level which is likely to be very restrictive anyway. Targets to the downside are 100.5 and 100, then 99. Through 99 we look towards the 94 level. a Push here will require the risk-off tone of 2016 to continue to dominate this half of the year too, whihc seems somewhat likely as gold continues to rally close to yearly highs yesterday and US presidential elections, FOMC hike projections and brexit uncertainty still linger. A close below 98.5 and the clear selling target is 94 - this is my terminal forecast for $yne before any bull trend can emerge - with failiure from BOJ to diverge their policy more in the highly pressured july meeting, im struggling to see what drivers there are to move $yen higher and through the 104 key level going forward - imo a 20-30bps depo rate and LSP cut, combined with a 10-20trn JGB extension is what is require to see $Yen maintain the 110 level and be able to fight the risk-off pressures. Until BOJ policy is adapted in such a way, selling remains the bias. REUTERS POLL - 1. YEN TO WEAKEN TO 103.8 TO THE DOLLAR IN THREE MONTHS, 105.0 IN SIX MONTHS, AND 107.7 IN A YEAR (VS 103.0, 105.0, 108.0 IN JULY) JPY PM Abe highlights: -JAPAN PM ABE: EXTRA BUDGET TO BE SUBMITTED TO DIET IN AUTUMN -JAPAN PM ABE: ECONOMY IS TOP POLICY PRIORITY FOR NEW CABINET -ABE: TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH NEIGHBOURS LIKE CHINA, S KOREA -ABE: NOT THINKING ABOUT SEEKING TO EXTEND TERM AS LDP PRESIDENT Economy -ABE: I TRUST KURODA'S ABILITY AS BOJ GOVERNOR -ABE: SPECIFIC MONETARY POLICY STEPS UP TO BOJ TO DECIDE -ABE: KURODA HAS SAID THERE'S NO LIMIT TO BOJ'S MONETARY POLICY JPY MOF's Asakawa Highlights -JAPAN MOF'S ASAKAWA: IF NEEDED, READY TO ACT ON JPY IN LINE WITH G-7 AGREEMENT -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: INTEREST RATES, CURRENCY MARKET ARE VOLATILE -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: CLOSELY WATCHING FOREX MARKET MOVES -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: CLOSELY WATCHING FX MARKET TO PREVENT SPECULATIVE MOVES FROM BECOMING ACTIVE -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: FOREX MARKET SHOWING ONE-SIDED AND SPECULATIVE MOVES -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: WILL RESPOND TO CURRENCY MOVES IF NEEDED IN LINE WITH G7, G20 AGREEMENT -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: Recent Rise In JPY Is 'Quite Biased, One-Sided, Speculator-Driven' -JAPAN MOF ASAKAWA: JGB Yield Volatility, JPY FX Rate Is 'Very High'
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
GBPJPY: BOJ MISS; BOE HIT? MORE SELLING ON THE HORIZONBOJ Miss: 1. BOJ deliver one of the biggest misses in history (vs expectations/ pressure) - only increasing ETF purchases and dollar funding by apprx $60bn annual in total vs 10-20bps of Depo and LSP cuts + 5-20trn in QE increase + ETF increase. *See attached post for in-depth detail on the BOJ situation and price action history/ Yen strength/ Safe havens* BOJ Miss Compounded with a BOE Hit: 1. BOE are expected to ease by 25bps and possibly add 50bn to their QE programme on Thursday - a BOJ miss combined with a BOJ hit should cause compounded losses for GBPJPY as there are two drivers - Yen should continue this week to get stronger (as BOJ easing expectations surpass and Yen strength increases) whilst GBP gets weaker as the BOE on Thursday likely takes action, reducing the value of Sterling - with both providing the optimal environment for downside. - Historically, when BOJ has delivered new policy/ missed GBPJPY has sold off aggressively between 2-8days and 700-1200pips. Now whilst I dont expect the same level of aggression in the near-term as the relative value is much lower now (135 vs 175) so moves lower should be smaller - I do expect that 400pips lower on the day is not the end of the selling rally for GBPJPY. - Initially at the start of the week i expect GBPJPY to move lower at least another day (satisfying historical moves), perhaps into the 133.5 level which would be 550pips, lower than the smallest sell-off but fair given the relative value changes - not that i would be surprised to see more. - Later into the week is when I expect the bulk of GBPJPY losses to come (e.g. Thurs/ Fri) - the reason for this is as 1) any Yen downside risk from the MOF releasing upside in the details of their stimulus package would have surpassed e.g. increased stimulus from 28trn-40trn (unlikely) or increased govt spending section - both of which devaluing yen moving gbpjpy potentially higher. Though I think the risks are more skewed to MOF delivering a package that strengthens JPY as it undershoots expectations as several MOF members have mentioned the package being over several years - the more years the less punch the package has (given some expected it (5% of gdp) to be spent in 1yr), equally the less direct govt spending portion of the package will also lessen the depreciative impact on yen (rumoured to be 13trn, if less then Yen could get considerably stronger). As mentioned I see the MOF release to be asymmetrically skewed to expectation downside for these reasons. 2) BOE GBP selling pressure would happen when they cut the rate and adjust their QE programme - this is a highly likely scenario as BOE MPC Minutes in July said "Most members expect to loosen policy in August" and recently the BOE's biggest hawk M. Weale switched stance in light of UK Business PMI/ Optimism prints at 10yr lows saying the BOE needs to act fast/ delaying policy further doesn't make sense. Trading strategy: Sell GBPJPY @mrkt 133.5TP1 130.5TP2 128.5TP3 - risk averse traders could wait for the 50-60% MOF/ general Vol bounce into 136-38 level before shorting - I would reshort here anyway.
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
11
USDJPY - BOJ MISS; FISCAL STIM PACKAGE & TRADING YEN FROM HEREBOJ - 3trn increase in annual ETF Purchases + $24bn increase in USD funding for banks 1. The BOJ on Friday delivered a shockingly poor package, imo they changed the snallest part of their current QQE programme. 2. What was interesting though was the markets reaction - immediately after the decision $Yen spiked higher then lower to 103 level but from then and into and through the London Open $Yen was being brought/ held up around the 103 level - it wasnt until NY came in at 1430GMT that $Yen broke lower. - But even then it was surprisingly a laboured move lower, taking almost the full NY session to find its lowes. - Some of the UJ weakness was down to a big GDP miss of 1.2% vs 2.6%exp, which sold the rates market off now implying only a 12% chance of a hike in September vs 18% the previous day and 25% earlier in the week, so i t would have been interesting to see what would of happened with out this dollar downside impetus. USDJPY from here: 1. Personally from 102.00 i see $Yen lower in the near term e.g. we could easily open 50pips lower on sunday into the key level at 101.5 as the asia session adds to shorts that they missed during their own session post-BOJ. - There is the possibility that we see some upside in $Yen as the MOF releases their fiscal package - the more actual govt spending the package includes and the shorter the timeframe, the greater the impact of the fiscal package on giving UJ some relief - but still i advise shorting rallies as i beliveve we move into the 100s from here. - That said in reality the impact of the fiscal package is likely to be limited if not completely muted as 1) the market already knows the extent and some of the details of the package and has done for the past week+ e.g. 28trn of which the market baring piece, the govt spending, is rumoured to be around 13trn - so this information is likely already baked into the price and imo was the driver of the support we saw on friday at the 103 level (asia/ ldn sellers wary of shorting in anticipation of the fiscal package). Thus any topside is only likely to come if MOF changes this dramatically to say 20trn govt spending (anything less is already pre-priced imo) OR even increases the package (but this is also unlikely as Japan has the highest govt debt:gdp ratio as it is) - but imo it is unlikely they would do either anyway. - In-fact, i actually believe the MOF stimulus package has asymmetrical risks to the downside/ disappointing markets - as several MOF officials have commented that the 28trn package is such a large package that it is likely to be over several years - thus the longer the MOF stretch the package over more disappointment the market will price and this could actually end up being a driver for more Yen appreciation given some expected the whole 28trn in one year - which isnt impossible given the size of the Japanese economy (20x bigger than the package + not all of it is in fresh govt spending). UJ View/ Trading strategy - Sell USDJPY asap @mrkt 102 - 100TP1 99TP2 - or wait for the 30/40% chance of a bounce and sell from 103/4 on Tuesday: 1. So I see UJ moving lower from here to the 100's, until Tuesday where i see there being a risk of the market gaining some topside MOF stimulus surprise (which nonetheless is capped at 103.5-104 tops - in which i would sell) but more likely MOF disappointment (e.g. 5y package, less than expected actual spending) which will give UJ seller more ammo and could push us through the 100 level, assuming UJ has traded on the offer since Sunday open (which is likely imo)..
Short
by QuantumLogicTrading
14
EOW SUMMARY: RISK THE OVERALL WINNER - US30 & SPX @ 2% NEW HIGHSEnd of Week Summary: 1. On the week we saw risk outperform safe havens for the first time since the brexit vote and the SPX and DJ30 set new all time highs by 2% and 1.2% respectively - somewhat encouraging given this was the longest period post-crisis that equity indexes have had since new highs, with a total time of apprx 1 year. 2. Given the articles attached, this week was also the first week where risk-on/ risk-off positive correlations broke down and went back to some degree of normalcy, with Gold, Yen and bonds ending the week down some 5 - although the TRY Military Coup did cause some risk anxiety late on friday and caused safe havens to par some of their losses by 1% to close down apprx 4%. 3. Drivers of the risk-on rally i must say did come as a surprise, given the relatively subdued economic climate post brexit, with little planned risk-on drivers in sight. However, it was JPY's surprise talk from PM Abe/ BOJ Kuroda easing/ stimulus speculations at the start of the week (speculations around y10-20trn) that gave risk markets some legs - despite the reliability of the claims being denied by much of the JPY Govt though there certainly is no smoke without fire. 4. The other winner of the week was USD , much of which was safe haven demand on Friday (TRY Coup) but $ strength had built through the week on the back of hawkish FOMC speak sentiment (see attached) and risk markets rallying, causing rates to also rally (UST 10y averaging +4-5%) where all have contributed to increased market confidence which has translated into higher projected rate hike probabilities for their Sept/ Nov/ Dec meetings - currently at 12.9%/14.4%/38%, which is pretty much a 100% increase in expectations on the week. - Once risk got going, given the severe depression, it was unsurprising that it did manage to run away higher - as safe havens needed a correction higher, if only in the short term. Next week Projections: 1. Given last week, and most of friday, the obvious expectation would be to expect risk to continue on the offer and making new highs - however, late on friday afternoon we saw risk-on/risk-off balance tip in favour of safe havens as the TRY Coup uncertainty increased risk-off demand. - Friday traditionally is a weak day for risk anyway as 1) end of week sellers/ weekend flat risk books cause a natural selling of risk, and a natural buying of safe havens as portfolios look to hedge weekend event risk over the two days that the markets are closed (especially as the session ended i the middle of the TRY coup). - That in mind, i was surprised to see risk even trading better than safe havens on mid afternoon Friday at all (until TRY) - with Yen falling to 106.3 and goldd down 0.9%, i was confident that we would enter Monday with a risk-on tone.
TVC:DXYShort
by QuantumLogicTrading
2
Gold about to regain its lusterThis monthly chart of gold reveals something very interesting. Gold has had a bit of revival this year but the momentum seems to have stalled a bit. The beautiful reversal pattern in the chart though seems very bullish for gold. Sure, it may see a bit of down move to 1200 - 1150. But that would be a massive buying opportunity to ride till 1500 levels. This also is an ominous sign for all risk assets. See my related post in the link below. Tread very carefully.
FX:XAUUSDLong
by Kaustubh