EUR
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
Persistently high inflation has seen the ECB tilt more hawkish by hiking rates 50bsp in July. Additional pressure on inflation from gas supply shortages and drought-linked supply constraints has seen ECB members get more uneasy about price pressures, with recent comments suggesting growing support among the GC for a 75bsp hike at their September meeting. Going into this week’s policy decision, it’s worth remembering that the bank quelled hawkish excitement in July by saying that frontloading hikes are not a signal of a higher terminal rate. Even if the bank delivers on a 75bsp this week, unless they also revise up terminal rate expectations any hike will unlikely be enough to see support for the EUR due to bigger hikes. Spread fragmentation, even though largely moving into the background, is still a concern, with the ECB failing to ease concerns with their new Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) as the eligibility criteria means countries like Italy and Spain that will need the support the most might have a tough time qualifying. Even though policy is important, the main driver for the EUR is the economic outlook. Recent data has continued to flag recession risks, and Friday’s Gazprom announcements of an indefinite suspension of the Nord Stream pipeline to Europe in retaliation to the planned energy price cap has opened up a whole new pressure point.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
De-escalation or cease fire in Ukraine would open up a lot of EUR upside. Stagflation risks remains, but with lots of bad news priced any materially better-than-expected data could spark some relief. Any TPI comments that convinces markets it can solve spread fragmentation issues should be supportive for the EUR. Energy supply is a problem. If Russia does re-open Nord Stream gas flows, it should be a positive catalyst for EUR upside. If gas storage levels, see Europe through winter that could ease some of the pressure so storage levels will be watched. With a 75bsp hike expected, it won’t be enough to trigger EUR upside, but if the bank also increases their terminal rate projections it could trigger upside in the EUR.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Any escalation in the Ukraine war that risks including NATO would be big negative risks. Stagflation risks remains, even with lots of bad news priced any materially worse-than-expected data could see more pressure. If ECB fails to act on the TPI when we see big jolts higher in the BTP/ Bund spread could trigger bearish reactions in the EUR. Energy supply is a problem. If Russia keeps Nord Stream one shut, it should add downside risks to the EUR. If gas storage levels are not enough to see Europe through the winter that should increase energy supply concerns for the EUR. With a 75bsp hike expected, it won’t be enough to trigger EUR upside, and if the ECB does not increase their terminal rate projections it could trigger downside for the EUR.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamental outlook remains bearish with recent leading indicators pointing to a much faster economic slowdown than markets previously expected. The current bearish drivers (geopolitics, stagflation, spread fragmentation, energy supply concerns) far outweigh the positives from a hawkish ECB. Recession risks have opened up a narrative change for the EUR which have seen markets adjust forecasts to reflect higher recession probabilities which has continued to weigh on the EUR. With lots of bad news priced in there is risks in chasing the EUR lower, but the fundamental outlook remains bleak.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
The outlook for the UK economy remains bleak, with CPI above 10% and recession expecting to hit in 4Q22 and last for 5 quarters, it has kept pressure on Sterling despite ongoing BoE rate hikes. Even though the bank followed through with a 50bsp hike in July, it wasn’t enough to offset the recession forecasts. With inflation expected to reach close to 20% by some IB estimates (due to the rapid rise in energy prices and expected rise in the energy price caps) the bank is stuck between a rock and a hard place as they are forced to keep hiking rates to try and fight inflation expectations going unanchored, but by doing so they also risk further damaging economic growth as a result. Right now, it seems like fiscal policy is the only way to avoid a much deeper recession. ING research suggests an additional £65 billion of support for households and more support for small businesses are required to offset the expected rise in energy costs. Even though the bias for the GBP remains bearish, a lot of bad news has been priced in for Sterling in a relatively short space of time. With CFTC positioning still giving bullish signals, chasing it lower seems too big of a risk right now.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
Stagflation fears remain high for the UK, and the BoE is now projecting 5 quarters of recession starting 4Q22. With a recession now the base assumption, any incoming data that surprises meaningfully higher could trigger some relief. With focus on stagflation, any downside surprises in CPI or factors that decrease inflation pressures are expected to support the GBP and not pressure it. The economy needs help, which means any help from the fiscal side will be a positive. Any major fiscal support measures from the incoming PM to help consumers (subsidies or tax cuts) could trigger bullish reactions for the Pound. With UK threats of triggering Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do Brexit is in focus. For now, markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any major de-escalation can see some upside for Sterling.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Stagflation fears remain high for the UK, and the BoE is now projecting 5 quarters of recession starting 4Q22. Even with recession now the base assumption, any material downside surprises in growth data can still trigger further pressure. With focus on stagflation, any upside surprises in CPI or factors that increase more inflation pressures are expected to weigh on the GBP and not support it. The economy needs help, which means any help from the fiscal side should be a positive, but any fiscal measures from the incoming PM that fails to address the expected impact on consumers and businesses could keep the GBP under pressure. With UK threats of triggering Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do Brexit is in focus. For now, markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamentals for Sterling remain bearish, especially after the BoE’s recent forecasts of a 5-quarter recession in the UK. Furthermore, given the risks to growth, there is growing speculation that the BoE might not be too far away from pausing their current hiking cycle. Anything that exacerbates stagflation fears is expected to weigh on the Pound and anything that alleviates some pressure could see some reprieve. Since Sterling is trading at fresh new cycle lows, the risk to reward for chasing it lower looks unattractive, and we could see asymmetric reactions skewed to the upside on positive data & news.
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
Persistently high inflation has seen the ECB tilt more hawkish by hiking rates 50bsp in July. Additional pressure on inflation from gas supply shortages and drought-linked supply constraints has seen ECB members get more uneasy about price pressures, with recent comments suggesting growing support among the GC for a 75bsp hike at their September meeting. Going into this week’s policy decision, it’s worth remembering that the bank quelled hawkish excitement in July by saying that frontloading hikes are not a signal of a higher terminal rate. Even if the bank delivers on a 75bsp this week, unless they also revise up terminal rate expectations any hike will unlikely be enough to see support for the EUR due to bigger hikes. Spread fragmentation, even though largely moving into the background, is still a concern, with the ECB failing to ease concerns with their new Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) as the eligibility criteria means countries like Italy and Spain that will need the support the most might have a tough time qualifying. Even though policy is important, the main driver for the EUR is the economic outlook. Recent data has continued to flag recession risks, and Friday’s Gazprom announcements of an indefinite suspension of the Nord Stream pipeline to Europe in retaliation to the planned energy price cap has opened up a whole new pressure point.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
De-escalation or cease fire in Ukraine would open up a lot of EUR upside. Stagflation risks remains, but with lots of bad news priced any materially better-than-expected data could spark some relief. Any TPI comments that convinces markets it can solve spread fragmentation issues should be supportive for the EUR. Energy supply is a problem. If Russia does re-open Nord Stream gas flows, it should be a positive catalyst for EUR upside. If gas storage levels, see Europe through winter that could ease some of the pressure so storage levels will be watched. With a 75bsp hike expected, it won’t be enough to trigger EUR upside, but if the bank also increases their terminal rate projections it could trigger upside in the EUR.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Any escalation in the Ukraine war that risks including NATO would be big negative risks. Stagflation risks remains, even with lots of bad news priced any materially worse-than-expected data could see more pressure. If ECB fails to act on the TPI when we see big jolts higher in the BTP/ Bund spread could trigger bearish reactions in the EUR. Energy supply is a problem. If Russia keeps Nord Stream one shut, it should add downside risks to the EUR. If gas storage levels are not enough to see Europe through the winter that should increase energy supply concerns for the EUR. With a 75bsp hike expected, it won’t be enough to trigger EUR upside, and if the ECB does not increase their terminal rate projections it could trigger downside for the EUR.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamental outlook remains bearish with recent leading indicators pointing to a much faster economic slowdown than markets previously expected. The current bearish drivers (geopolitics, stagflation, spread fragmentation, energy supply concerns) far outweigh the positives from a hawkish ECB. Recession risks have opened up a narrative change for the EUR which have seen markets adjust forecasts to reflect higher recession probabilities which has continued to weigh on the EUR. With lots of bad news priced in there is risks in chasing the EUR lower, but the fundamental outlook remains bleak.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
The outlook for the UK economy remains bleak, with CPI above 10% and recession expecting to hit in 4Q22 and last for 5 quarters, it has kept pressure on Sterling despite ongoing BoE rate hikes. Even though the bank followed through with a 50bsp hike in July, it wasn’t enough to offset the recession forecasts. With inflation expected to reach close to 20% by some IB estimates (due to the rapid rise in energy prices and expected rise in the energy price caps) the bank is stuck between a rock and a hard place as they are forced to keep hiking rates to try and fight inflation expectations going unanchored, but by doing so they also risk further damaging economic growth as a result. Right now, it seems like fiscal policy is the only way to avoid a much deeper recession. ING research suggests an additional £65 billion of support for households and more support for small businesses are required to offset the expected rise in energy costs. Even though the bias for the GBP remains bearish, a lot of bad news has been priced in for Sterling in a relatively short space of time. With CFTC positioning still giving bullish signals, chasing it lower seems too big of a risk right now.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
Stagflation fears remain high for the UK, and the BoE is now projecting 5 quarters of recession starting 4Q22. With a recession now the base assumption, any incoming data that surprises meaningfully higher could trigger some relief. With focus on stagflation, any downside surprises in CPI or factors that decrease inflation pressures are expected to support the GBP and not pressure it. The economy needs help, which means any help from the fiscal side will be a positive. Any major fiscal support measures from the incoming PM to help consumers (subsidies or tax cuts) could trigger bullish reactions for the Pound. With UK threats of triggering Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do Brexit is in focus. For now, markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any major de-escalation can see some upside for Sterling.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Stagflation fears remain high for the UK, and the BoE is now projecting 5 quarters of recession starting 4Q22. Even with recession now the base assumption, any material downside surprises in growth data can still trigger further pressure. With focus on stagflation, any upside surprises in CPI or factors that increase more inflation pressures are expected to weigh on the GBP and not support it. The economy needs help, which means any help from the fiscal side should be a positive, but any fiscal measures from the incoming PM that fails to address the expected impact on consumers and businesses could keep the GBP under pressure. With UK threats of triggering Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do Brexit is in focus. For now, markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamentals for Sterling remain bearish, especially after the BoE’s recent forecasts of a 5-quarter recession in the UK. Furthermore, given the risks to growth, there is growing speculation that the BoE might not be too far away from pausing their current hiking cycle. Anything that exacerbates stagflation fears is expected to weigh on the Pound and anything that alleviates some pressure could see some reprieve. Since Sterling is trading at fresh new cycle lows, the risk to reward for chasing it lower looks unattractive, and we could see asymmetric reactions skewed to the upside on positive data & news.