Tag Archives: Currency Movement

Overview: Some regional bank earnings were weighing on investor sentiment but reports that the FDIC is running out of patience with First Republic Bank to strike a private deal and could decide to downgrade its assessment. This could lead to limits on its ability to use the Fed's emergency facilities. Other reports said that the bank's advisers are securing commitments to buy a new stock as part of a broader restructuring. Still, while the KBW bank index of large...

Overview: The re-emergence of bank stress reverberated through the US markets yesterday, downgrading the perceived chances of a Fed hike next week and sending the US 2-year yield sharply lower. The yield settled 13 bp lower, the largest drop in three weeks. The risk-off sent the US dollar higher against most of the major and emerging market currencies. Follow-through US dollar gains today has been mostly limited to the Australian dollar, where after today's CPI...

Overview:  The dollar is mostly lower, led by the Swiss franc and euro. However, despite softer US rates and a victory for the LDP in local Japanese elections, the yen is trading with a softer bias. Japanese stocks recovered from the pre-weekend profit-taking seen after the Nikkei make new highs for the year. Most other large bourses in the region except Taiwan and India also moved lower. Note that China's CSI 300 fell for the fourth consecutive session and the...

Overview: Equities are mostly lower, while bonds have risen. The dollar is trading in narrow ranges and mixed against the G10 currencies and emerging markets. Most Asian bourses were lower. The Nikkei (though not the Topix) and Hong Kong were the chief exceptions. Europe's Stoxx 600 is off for the second consecutive day, in what looks like the first back-to-back loss since early this month. US equity futures are lower, with the NASDAQ, which eked out a small gain...

Overview: It has taken some time, but the dollar has found better traction. It traded above JPY135 for the first time since mid-March and yesterday's setback has been mostly recouped against the other G10 currencies. Sterling is the most resilient after higher-than-expected inflation. Equities are lower. Japan's Nikkei snapped an eight-day advance and most of the other large bourses in the region (except Australia and South Korea) fell. Europe's Stoxx 600 is off by...

Overview:  A rise in US yields, with the two-year Treasury closing yesterday at its best level in more than three weeks help fuel follow-through dollar buying yesterday after an upside reversal at the end of last week. Key levels were approached, like $1.09 in the euro, $1.2345 in sterling, and JPY135 held, and the dollar has consolidated in Asia and Europe. The euro and sterling recouped around half of the losses seen from the Friday's high to yesterday's lows....

Overview: The dollar fell most of last week but reversed higher before the weekend. It has seen some follow-through gains, albeit limited against most of the G10 currencies today. Despite some seemingly dovish comments by a few Fed officials last week, the Fed funds futures is pricing in the greatest chance for a hike at the early May meeting since the banking stress erupted last month. The greenback is also trading with a firmer bias against most emerging market...

Investors and businesses are wrestling with conflicting impulses. On the one hand, economic growth seems sufficiently strong to allow the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and the Bank of England to continue to counter elevated price pressures. They are set to hike rates next month. On the other hand, last month's banking stress is seen translating to a lower and sooner peak in policy rates. Before the bank stress emerged, the market had priced in a peak Fed...

Overview: The 0.5% decline in US March producer prices pushed on the door opened by the softer-than-expected CPI on Wednesday. The Fed funds futures market sees the year end rate to a 4.33%, while still pricing in a nearly 70% chance of a hike on May 3 to 5.25%. The dollar tumbled to new lows for the year against the euro, sterling, and Swiss franc. The Dollar Index made a new low for the year today, a few hundredths of an index point below the low set in early...

Overview:  The market took US short-term rates and the dollar lower after the CPI data, which was largely in line with expectations. On the one hand, the odds of a quarter-point hike next month increased slightly (73.6% vs. 71.6%) to 5.25%, but it reinforced that sense that it is last hike and that the Fed will unwind this hike and more before the end of the year. The year-end implied policy rate fell by about six basis points to 4.33%. The dollar was sold against...