Swiss Franc EUR CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 11 2016(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ). - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is bid against all the major and most emerging market curerncies. An important driver is the backing up of US rates. The two-year yield, which is particularly sensitive to Fed policy is at it highest levbel since early June (~86 bp). The US 10-year yield is five basis points hihger...
Read More »Great Graphic: Euro is Approaching Year-Long Uptrend
Summary: The year-long euro uptrend comes in near $1.1035, just below the August lows. The technical are fragile, but the euro is below its lower Bollinger Band. The fundamental driver seems to be the backing up of US rates, and widening premium over Germany. This Great Graphic, composed on Bloomberg shows the euro against the dollar since the start of the year. It shows the trendline drawn off the...
Read More »FX Daily, October 10: Dollar after the Second Debate
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 10 2016(see more posts on EUR/CHF, ) - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar has started the new week on a firm note. The light news stream and holidays in Japan, Canada and the United States make for a subdued session. Notable exceptions to the dollar’s gains are the Canadian dollar and Mexican peso. Both currencies appear to have been. underpinned by US...
Read More »FX Weekly Preview: The Week Ahead: It’s Not about the Data
High frequency economic reports will be not be among the key drivers of the capital markets in the week ahead. The light schedule, consisting mostly of industrial production in Europe, inflation for Scandinavia, and US retail sales, will have minimal impact on rate expectations. A November rate Fed move was never very likely. The September employment report needed to be amazingly strong to boost the chances, and it was...
Read More »Great Graphic: US-German 2-Yr Differential and the Euro
Summary: The US premium over Germany is at its widest since 2006. This is despite a small reduction in odds of a hike in December. There are many forces are work, but over time, the widening differential will likely give the dollar better traction. This Great Graphic from Bloomberg shows two time series. The white line is the spread between the German two-year interest rate and the US two-year yield. The...
Read More »FX Daily, October 07: Sterling Stabilizes After Harrowing Drop, Now Jobs
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 07 2016. - Click to enlarge FX Rates Sterling again steals the limelight. In early Asia, sterling inexplicably dropped nearly eight cents in minutes (to ~$1840), and on some platforms, may have traded below $1.1380. It almost immediately rebounded but has not resurfaced above $1.2480. Over the last couple of years,there have been a number of sudden dramatic moves...
Read More »US and Canada Jobs: Sill Strong Enough for a Rate Hike
United States The US grew 156k jobs in August, missing the median estimate by about 16k. U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls, September 7(see more posts on U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls, ). Unemployment Rate The July series was revised up by 16k. The unemployment and participate rate ticked up 0.1% to 5.0%… U.S. Unemployment Rate, September 2016(see more posts on U.S. unemployment rate, ). Source: Investing.com - Click to enlarge...
Read More »FX Daily, October 06: The Dollar is Firm in Quiet Market
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 06 2016. - Click to enlarge FX Rates The US dollar is advancing against the major and most emerging market currencies. Activity is subdued and ranges are narrow. We share four observations about the price action. First, the euro has been unable to sustain upticks even after Germany reported a jump in industrial orders three-times more than the median estimate (1.0%...
Read More »FX Daily, October 05: Euro Remains Firm Despite Dubious Tapering Story
Swiss Franc EUR/CHF - Euro Swiss Franc, October 05 2016. Federal Reserve While the markets can be an incredibly efficient discounting mechanism, it sometimes is also an echo chamber. What began off as a Bloomberg report indicated that there was an agreement at the ECB that when it decided to end its asset purchases, it would gradually taper back rather than come to a fast stop, by the end of the day, it had...
Read More »Why Portugal Matters
Summary: DBRS reviews its investment grade rating of Portugal on Oct 21. A cut in its rating would have far reaching implications. A cut in the outlook is more likely than a cut the rating. Many observers continue to tout Italian risks as the greatest in the euro area into the year end. The constitutional referendum that would emasculate the Senate, and end the perfect bicameralism that has contributed to...
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