USD
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BULLISH
1. The Monetary Policy outlook for the FED
Another bank that was hawkish in deed by dovish in word in their Nov policy decision. The Fed official announced tapering as expected, with purchases said to be reduced this month at a pace of $10bln in Treasuries and $5bln in MBS per month and explained that a mid-2022 conclusion is still their base case. There were also some hawkish language changes about inflation , with the bank dropping previous comments that called inflation transitory and replacing it with ‘expected to be transitory’, basically leaving some optionality to pivot more aggressively with tapering should price pressures stay sticky for too long. However, Fed Chair Powell did a really good job to put on a familiar dovish front by explaining that they see the current price pressures as driven by supply bottlenecks and still see those pressures cooling down in in 1H22, essentially giving themselves half a year of ‘tolerating’ the current inflation overshoot. Apart from that, Chair Powell explained that they would need to see maximum employment before their conditions for a lift off in rates would be met, and also explained that it’s likely that full employment could be reached by mid-2022. That endorsed the idea that a 2h22 hike is possible, but the Chair refused to provide any idea of what maximum employment would look like. On the rate front, Powell also explained that they think they can be patient with rates right now as they want more time to see in what shape the economy is in after the current covid shocks have calmed and after bottlenecks have eased. Overall, a policy meeting that was hawkish in their actions but dovish in their words.
2. Real Yields
With a Q4 taper start and mid-2022 taper conclusion on the cards, further material downside in real yields looks like a struggle, and upside from here should support the Dollar. However, we are growing cautious of nominal yields right now, with possible downside risks brewing it means real yields could continue to drift lower, which have not yet hurt the greenback, but is something to keep on the radar.
3. The global risk outlook
One supporting factor for the USD from June was the onset of downside surprises in global growth. However, there has been a growing chorus of market participants looking for a possible bounce in growth data in Q4 after the covid and supply chain related slowdown in Q3. If we do indeed see a pickup in growth, while inflation is still elevated, that would mean a reflationary environment, which is usually a negative input for the Dollar, so we want to keep that in mind when assessing the incoming US economic data in the next few weeks.
4. Economic Data
Fed speak will be in focus in the week ahead, after the surprise CPI beat last week. Furthermore, markets will be looking at US Retail Sales to gauge how the consumer has been holding up after rising price pressures and after consumer sentiment took a knock in last week’s data.
5. CFTC Analysis (CFTC data delayed with Veteran’s Day)
Latest CFTC data showed a positioning change of +525 with a net non-commercial position of +34982. Positioning isn’t anywhere near stress levels for the USD, but the speed of the build-up in large specular positioning has been sizeable in a short space of time. Thus, even though the med-term bias remains unchanged, it does mean the USD could be sensitive to mean reversion risks, especially trading at YTD highs.
CAD
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: BULLISH
1. The Monetary Policy outlook for the BoC
At their Oct meeting the BoC surprised to put an early end to QE purchases and updated forward guidance to suggest an earlier lift off in rates by explaining that project economic slack to be absorbed by the middle quarters of 2022. The initial reaction was bullish as one would expect but the biggest risk to further upside for the CAD from here is the fact that a lot of these positives that was confirmed by the BoC has already been reflected in both the CAD and rates markets over the past few weeks. The CAD has seen a similar run to the upside back in 1Q21 with the BoC’s hawkish tilt, and similarly to that we feel current prices for rates and the CAD already reflect a great deal of the positives. Thus, even though the med-term outlook remains tilted to the upside for the CAD, there is the risk of seeing some unwind of the recent upside and is something to be mindful of when making any med-term allocations to the upside in the CAD. This week’s Canadian CPI data will be interesting after the 6.2% print in the US, and also keeping an eye on US Retail Sales as a better economic picture is a positive for the CAD as well over 70% of Canadian exports goes across the border to the US, so good news for the US consumer is also good news for Canada.
2. Commodity-linked currency with dependency on Oil exports
Oil massive post-covid recovery continues on the back of three drivers: supply & demand (OPEC’s production cuts); improving global economic outlook and improving oil demand outlook, even though slightly pushed back by Delta concerns; rising inflation expectations. Even though further gains for Oil will arguably prove to be an uphill battle, the bias remains higher in the med-term as long as current supportive factors and drivers remains intact. There will of course be short-term ebbs and flows which could affect the CAD from an intermarket point of view, but as long as the med-term view for Oil remains higher it should be supportive for Petro-currencies like the CAD. OPEC seems content to stick to their plan to bring oil supply back gradually and have not been moved to cave to the US pressure. However, there is the risk that Saudi Arabia buckles under the pressure and opts to push for higher production in the months ahead. Similarly, we also need to keep an eye on the US in the case they release some of their strategic reserves which should be a short-term headwind for Oil.
3. Developments surrounding the global risk outlook.
As a high-beta currency, the CAD benefited from the market's improving risk outlook coming out of the pandemic as participants moved out of safe-havens. As a pro-cyclical currency, the CAD enjoyed upside alongside other cyclical assets supported by reflation and post-recession recovery best. If expectations for the global economy remains positive the overall positive outlook for risk sentiment should be supportive for the CAD in the med-term, but recent short-term jitters are a timely reminder that risk sentiment is also a very important short-term driver.
4. CFTC Analysis (CFTC data delayed with Veteran’s Day)
Latest CFTC data showed a positioning change of +842 with a net non-commercial position of +4162. With a lot of positives in the price for the CAD and the front-end yields, it is encouraging to see that positioning isn’t stretched large specs or leveraged funds. That suggests that further upside could be possible if short-term sentiment for oil and risk assets remain favourable. However, since prices do look stretched, we would be careful not to chase the CAD higher just yet.
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: WEAK BULLISH
1. The Monetary Policy outlook for the FED
Another bank that was hawkish in deed by dovish in word in their Nov policy decision. The Fed official announced tapering as expected, with purchases said to be reduced this month at a pace of $10bln in Treasuries and $5bln in MBS per month and explained that a mid-2022 conclusion is still their base case. There were also some hawkish language changes about inflation , with the bank dropping previous comments that called inflation transitory and replacing it with ‘expected to be transitory’, basically leaving some optionality to pivot more aggressively with tapering should price pressures stay sticky for too long. However, Fed Chair Powell did a really good job to put on a familiar dovish front by explaining that they see the current price pressures as driven by supply bottlenecks and still see those pressures cooling down in in 1H22, essentially giving themselves half a year of ‘tolerating’ the current inflation overshoot. Apart from that, Chair Powell explained that they would need to see maximum employment before their conditions for a lift off in rates would be met, and also explained that it’s likely that full employment could be reached by mid-2022. That endorsed the idea that a 2h22 hike is possible, but the Chair refused to provide any idea of what maximum employment would look like. On the rate front, Powell also explained that they think they can be patient with rates right now as they want more time to see in what shape the economy is in after the current covid shocks have calmed and after bottlenecks have eased. Overall, a policy meeting that was hawkish in their actions but dovish in their words.
2. Real Yields
With a Q4 taper start and mid-2022 taper conclusion on the cards, further material downside in real yields looks like a struggle, and upside from here should support the Dollar. However, we are growing cautious of nominal yields right now, with possible downside risks brewing it means real yields could continue to drift lower, which have not yet hurt the greenback, but is something to keep on the radar.
3. The global risk outlook
One supporting factor for the USD from June was the onset of downside surprises in global growth. However, there has been a growing chorus of market participants looking for a possible bounce in growth data in Q4 after the covid and supply chain related slowdown in Q3. If we do indeed see a pickup in growth, while inflation is still elevated, that would mean a reflationary environment, which is usually a negative input for the Dollar, so we want to keep that in mind when assessing the incoming US economic data in the next few weeks.
4. Economic Data
Fed speak will be in focus in the week ahead, after the surprise CPI beat last week. Furthermore, markets will be looking at US Retail Sales to gauge how the consumer has been holding up after rising price pressures and after consumer sentiment took a knock in last week’s data.
5. CFTC Analysis (CFTC data delayed with Veteran’s Day)
Latest CFTC data showed a positioning change of +525 with a net non-commercial position of +34982. Positioning isn’t anywhere near stress levels for the USD, but the speed of the build-up in large specular positioning has been sizeable in a short space of time. Thus, even though the med-term bias remains unchanged, it does mean the USD could be sensitive to mean reversion risks, especially trading at YTD highs.
CAD
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: BULLISH
1. The Monetary Policy outlook for the BoC
At their Oct meeting the BoC surprised to put an early end to QE purchases and updated forward guidance to suggest an earlier lift off in rates by explaining that project economic slack to be absorbed by the middle quarters of 2022. The initial reaction was bullish as one would expect but the biggest risk to further upside for the CAD from here is the fact that a lot of these positives that was confirmed by the BoC has already been reflected in both the CAD and rates markets over the past few weeks. The CAD has seen a similar run to the upside back in 1Q21 with the BoC’s hawkish tilt, and similarly to that we feel current prices for rates and the CAD already reflect a great deal of the positives. Thus, even though the med-term outlook remains tilted to the upside for the CAD, there is the risk of seeing some unwind of the recent upside and is something to be mindful of when making any med-term allocations to the upside in the CAD. This week’s Canadian CPI data will be interesting after the 6.2% print in the US, and also keeping an eye on US Retail Sales as a better economic picture is a positive for the CAD as well over 70% of Canadian exports goes across the border to the US, so good news for the US consumer is also good news for Canada.
2. Commodity-linked currency with dependency on Oil exports
Oil massive post-covid recovery continues on the back of three drivers: supply & demand (OPEC’s production cuts); improving global economic outlook and improving oil demand outlook, even though slightly pushed back by Delta concerns; rising inflation expectations. Even though further gains for Oil will arguably prove to be an uphill battle, the bias remains higher in the med-term as long as current supportive factors and drivers remains intact. There will of course be short-term ebbs and flows which could affect the CAD from an intermarket point of view, but as long as the med-term view for Oil remains higher it should be supportive for Petro-currencies like the CAD. OPEC seems content to stick to their plan to bring oil supply back gradually and have not been moved to cave to the US pressure. However, there is the risk that Saudi Arabia buckles under the pressure and opts to push for higher production in the months ahead. Similarly, we also need to keep an eye on the US in the case they release some of their strategic reserves which should be a short-term headwind for Oil.
3. Developments surrounding the global risk outlook.
As a high-beta currency, the CAD benefited from the market's improving risk outlook coming out of the pandemic as participants moved out of safe-havens. As a pro-cyclical currency, the CAD enjoyed upside alongside other cyclical assets supported by reflation and post-recession recovery best. If expectations for the global economy remains positive the overall positive outlook for risk sentiment should be supportive for the CAD in the med-term, but recent short-term jitters are a timely reminder that risk sentiment is also a very important short-term driver.
4. CFTC Analysis (CFTC data delayed with Veteran’s Day)
Latest CFTC data showed a positioning change of +842 with a net non-commercial position of +4162. With a lot of positives in the price for the CAD and the front-end yields, it is encouraging to see that positioning isn’t stretched large specs or leveraged funds. That suggests that further upside could be possible if short-term sentiment for oil and risk assets remain favourable. However, since prices do look stretched, we would be careful not to chase the CAD higher just yet.