At long last, the market finally got their long awaited Federal Reserve rate increase. Yesterday, the Fed hiked the Fed Funds rate by 25 basis points, from 0.25% to 0.5%. The Fed's famously watched "dot plot" revealed that most members expect at least four rate hikes in 2016. And investors? If interest rate swaps are any indication, then investors expect no more than two rate hikes next year.
So who is right then? The Fed? Or the market? Continue reading "Fed At Odds With Markets Over Oil"
For the investors who are watching the Euro, its latest behavior might appear bewildering. After all, the ECB, slightly undershooting expectations, still increased its target asset purchases to roughly €1.5tn. At the same time, the ECB cut the deposit rate to -0.3%. And let's not forget the goings on over on the other side of the Atlantic. There, the Federal Reserve is gearing towards its first rate hike in almost a decade. What, then, could possibly incentivize investors to buy Euros? And can it last?
When investors expect more central bank easing, they also expect the obligatory rhetoric. But what they hate is when the rhetoric is of a very specific sort. In this case, it is when a central banker stresses the limitations of monetary stimulus. Yet, in practically the same breath, they drive home the need for more government input. And essentially, that is exactly what Mario Draghi said.
Now, when the Fed unleashed similar rhetoric, it was seen as a signal that its ammunition might be running out. Earlier this year, the BoJ had made a similar statement in an attempt to lower expectations of more stimulus. Continue reading "Why The Euro Is Rising And Why It Can't Last"
Unless you’ve been asleep for the past 72 hours you’ve no doubt heard that Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet. Of course, whether the Russian fighter jet did or did not cross into Turkish airspace is debatable.
What is not debatable, however, is the rising tension between the two countries, which seems to be leading to a trade war. Though less grave than a military conflict, it could ignite a rout in Emerging Markets and their currencies.
Even before the unfortunate incident it was clear that tensions between Moscow and Ankara were heating up. The reason for that is a very clear conflict of interest between Russia and Turkey over what’s happening in Syria. More specifically, it involves the area of Turkey’s border with Syria. Continue reading "The Perils Of A Russian Turkish Conflict"
From the Bank of Japan’s recent monetary statements, one might assume that Yen bears have hit a brick wall. The BoJ refrained from adding more stimulus and kept its ¥80 trillion annual bond purchases unchanged.
The BoJ’s reticence seems a disquieting throwback to the monetary policy of the Shirakawa days. Then, the BoJ was in a clear state of denial and refrained from making extra stimulus. Now, though it may seem history is repeating itself, this is not the case. Governor Kuroda is certainly no Shirakawa, and the Yen is not about to get stronger.
At first blush, it just doesn’t add up. How can this be the same Haruhiko Kuroda? The man who announced ¥80 trillion in stimulus in a jaw dropping move suddenly and inexplicably turned passive. But, as the saying goes, appearances can be deceiving. In fact, the BoJ is really making a very calculated move. Continue reading "USDJPY: Bullish On The Dips"
Two weeks ago investors in the Aussie Dollar were on the receiving end of a sweet surprise. The official unemployment rate dropped to 5.9%, smashing analysts’ expectations. That suggested the Reserve Bank of Australia’s latest easing cycle, which began about a year ago, might soon be ending.
But before you jump on the Aussie bandwagon, you need the right strategy.
The truth is that the whiff of optimism had been long overdue for the Aussie Dollar. Even before the unemployment data there had been tentative signs of stabilization in the Australian economy.
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