USD
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: BULLISH
1. Monetary Policy
In March the Fed delivered on a 25bsp hike as expected with Fed’s Bullard the only dissenter voting for a 50bsp hike. The Dot Plot saw a big upgrade from 3 hikes (Dec) to 7 hikes for 2022, with the FFR seen reaching 2.75%- 3.0% in 2023 before falling in 2024. They did however lower their neutral rate from 2.5% to 2.4% which were a negative. Inflation forecasts for 2022 were raised to 4.1% (previous 2.7%) but med-term inflation saw less aggressive upgrades. Even though the overall message and projections were hawkish, the fact that GDP estimates were lowered to 2.8% from 4.0% shows the Fed expects their actions to impact demand and also reflect some of the recent geopolitical uncertainties. The Fed didn’t share new details on QT but noted that the decision to start selling assets will be made at a coming meeting (markets consensus sees a July start as likely) and added that good progress in QT discussions means a May announcement is likely. During the presser the Chair expressed his view that the economy is doing really well and, should be more than able to withstand the incoming rate hikes (a very similar situation like we had in 4Q18). When asked whether 50bsp hikes could be on the table, the chair explained that the FOMC has not made decision to front-load hikes and will keep an eye on incoming inflation data to determine their policy actions going forward, but of course added that every incoming meeting was live. Overall, the Fed was hawkish, but due to very strong pre-positioning and close to peak hawkishness priced for STIR markets the meeting saw a ‘sell-the-fact’ reaction across major asset classes.
2. Global & Domestic Economy
As the reserve currency, the USD’s global usage means it’s usually inversely correlated to the global economy and global trade. The USD usually appreciates when growth & inflation slows (disinflation) and depreciates when growth & inflation accelerates (reflation). Thus, current expectations of a cyclical slowdown are a positive driver for the Dollar. Incoming data will be watched in relation to the ‘Fed Put’ as there are many similarities between now and 4Q18, where the Fed were also tightened into a slowdown. If growth data slows and the Fed stays hawkish it’s a positive for the USD, however if the Fed pivots dovish that’ll be a negative driver for the USD.
3. CFTC Analysis
Aggregate USD positioning remains close to 1 standard deviation above the mean, and close to prior tops where the USD topped out in previous cycles. That does not change the bullish outlook for the USD in the med-term but means that we would wait for pullbacks before initiating new longs with price at new cycle highs.
4. The Week Ahead
The main event for the week ahead will no doubt be the FOMC meeting, but we’ll also get ISM PMIs as well as the April jobs print coming our way. For the FOMC, we think the Fed has set themselves a very high hawkish bar going into the meeting. STIR markets are pricing in 3 back-to-back 50bsp hikes, as well as an earlier start to QT ($95bn p/m). On the language side, recent Fed speak has seen even the doves find their inner hawks by talking up very aggressive policy tightening. So, with all of that as the baseline going into the meeting, it means the Fed would need to hike 75bsp and up the expected QT pace to really surprise markets. With the USD and Yields at cycle highs and equities at cycle lows, that increases the chances of some sell-the-fact reactions. This would be our preferred strategy for the USD going into the week. Then we also have the data where the ISM PMI data will be closely watched for further clues of whether growth is slowing faster than expected. On the jobs side, the impact of the NFP will most likely be dictated by the outcome of the FOMC decision. If the Fed manages to surprise on the hawkish side (seems unlikely) a beat in jobs won’t do much to change that, but a miss can certainly do a lot to stir the pot (even more so if the Fed decision is interpreted as ‘less hawkish’.
CAD
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The BoC delivered on expectations with a 50bsp hike as well as announcing a start to passive QT from the end of April by ending its reinvestment of maturing bonds. The bank upgraded both inflation and growth estimates as markets were expecting but did play a hawkish card by also increasing their neutral rate estimate to 2.5% from 2.25%. They acknowledged the growing risks from the current geopolitical situation but made it very clear that they are concerned about inflation and their hike of 50bsp showed that they think that policy needs to be normalized quickly (which some took as a hint that another 50bsp is on the way). The bank didn’t offer any additional clarity on QT but did note that they are not considering active QT of selling bonds just yet. Some conditionality also surfaced, where they explained that any sudden negative shocks to growth or inflation could see them pause hikes once they get closer towards neutral (Gov Macklem also added that they might need to get rates slightly above neutral in the current cycle). Overall, it was a more hawkish than expected BoC decision, but interesting to note that STIR markets did not price in another 50bsp following the meeting (only a 25bsp) hike. We remain of the opinion that we are close to peak hawkishness for the BoC and are looking for the last push higher in the CAD for opportunities to sell.
2. Intermarket Analysis Considerations
Oil’s impressive post-covid recovery has been driven by many factors such as supply & demand, global demand recovery, and more recently geopolitical concerns. At current prices the risk to demand destruction and stagflation is high, which means we remain cautious of oil in the med-term. Reason for caution: [1] Synchronised policy tightening targeting demand, [2] slowing growth, [3] consensus longs, [5] steep backwardation curve, [6] heightened implied volatility. We remain cautious oil, but geopolitics are a key driver and focus for Petro-currencies like the CAD (even though the CAD-Oil correlation has been hit and miss). The upcoming week has a new round of OPEC meetings where the cartel is once again expected to stick to their plans to up output by 430K BPD per month. It will be interesting though to see whether recent lockdowns in China, and possible oil embargo news from the EU impacts the OPEC discussions, if at all.
3. Global Risk Outlook
As a high-beta currency, the CAD usually benefits from overall positive risk sentiment as well as environments that benefit pro-cyclical assets. Thus, both short-term (immediate) and med-term (underlying) risk sentiment will always be a key consideration for the CAD.
4. CFTC Analysis
Very little change in CFTC data for the CAD. We think markets are setting up a similar path compared to April 2021, Oct 2021 and Jan 2022 where markets were too aggressive to price in CAD upside only to see majority of it unwind later. As always though, timing those shorts will be very important.
5. The Week Ahead
The highlight for the week ahead will be the jobs data scheduled for Friday, as well as oil market developments and risk sentiment. On the jobs data, this will be an interesting test for the Canadian labour market which have held up really well after bouncing back from the Omicron hick up. Even though we think the growth outlook for Canada is too optimistic, it might be too early to start seeing those growth concerns trickle into the jobs market as it is usually a late cycle indicator. However, in the event of a miss or a beat it might not change much in terms for the BoC just yet but given the frothy CAD price action a surprise miss could kickstart some overdue downside. Even though the correlation to oil has been rather hit and miss over the past few weeks, it’s always important to keep oil developments in mind, which means next week’s OPEC+ meetings could be an important event for Petro-currencies, especially with the possibility of oil embargo news from the EU as well. Then we also have risk sentiment to watch as the classic risk sensitivity that one would usually expect from high beta currencies like the AUD, CAD and NZD have seemingly returned with a vengeance in the past two trading weeks. That means overall risk sentiment will be an important driver to keep in mind for the CAD as well.
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: BULLISH
1. Monetary Policy
In March the Fed delivered on a 25bsp hike as expected with Fed’s Bullard the only dissenter voting for a 50bsp hike. The Dot Plot saw a big upgrade from 3 hikes (Dec) to 7 hikes for 2022, with the FFR seen reaching 2.75%- 3.0% in 2023 before falling in 2024. They did however lower their neutral rate from 2.5% to 2.4% which were a negative. Inflation forecasts for 2022 were raised to 4.1% (previous 2.7%) but med-term inflation saw less aggressive upgrades. Even though the overall message and projections were hawkish, the fact that GDP estimates were lowered to 2.8% from 4.0% shows the Fed expects their actions to impact demand and also reflect some of the recent geopolitical uncertainties. The Fed didn’t share new details on QT but noted that the decision to start selling assets will be made at a coming meeting (markets consensus sees a July start as likely) and added that good progress in QT discussions means a May announcement is likely. During the presser the Chair expressed his view that the economy is doing really well and, should be more than able to withstand the incoming rate hikes (a very similar situation like we had in 4Q18). When asked whether 50bsp hikes could be on the table, the chair explained that the FOMC has not made decision to front-load hikes and will keep an eye on incoming inflation data to determine their policy actions going forward, but of course added that every incoming meeting was live. Overall, the Fed was hawkish, but due to very strong pre-positioning and close to peak hawkishness priced for STIR markets the meeting saw a ‘sell-the-fact’ reaction across major asset classes.
2. Global & Domestic Economy
As the reserve currency, the USD’s global usage means it’s usually inversely correlated to the global economy and global trade. The USD usually appreciates when growth & inflation slows (disinflation) and depreciates when growth & inflation accelerates (reflation). Thus, current expectations of a cyclical slowdown are a positive driver for the Dollar. Incoming data will be watched in relation to the ‘Fed Put’ as there are many similarities between now and 4Q18, where the Fed were also tightened into a slowdown. If growth data slows and the Fed stays hawkish it’s a positive for the USD, however if the Fed pivots dovish that’ll be a negative driver for the USD.
3. CFTC Analysis
Aggregate USD positioning remains close to 1 standard deviation above the mean, and close to prior tops where the USD topped out in previous cycles. That does not change the bullish outlook for the USD in the med-term but means that we would wait for pullbacks before initiating new longs with price at new cycle highs.
4. The Week Ahead
The main event for the week ahead will no doubt be the FOMC meeting, but we’ll also get ISM PMIs as well as the April jobs print coming our way. For the FOMC, we think the Fed has set themselves a very high hawkish bar going into the meeting. STIR markets are pricing in 3 back-to-back 50bsp hikes, as well as an earlier start to QT ($95bn p/m). On the language side, recent Fed speak has seen even the doves find their inner hawks by talking up very aggressive policy tightening. So, with all of that as the baseline going into the meeting, it means the Fed would need to hike 75bsp and up the expected QT pace to really surprise markets. With the USD and Yields at cycle highs and equities at cycle lows, that increases the chances of some sell-the-fact reactions. This would be our preferred strategy for the USD going into the week. Then we also have the data where the ISM PMI data will be closely watched for further clues of whether growth is slowing faster than expected. On the jobs side, the impact of the NFP will most likely be dictated by the outcome of the FOMC decision. If the Fed manages to surprise on the hawkish side (seems unlikely) a beat in jobs won’t do much to change that, but a miss can certainly do a lot to stir the pot (even more so if the Fed decision is interpreted as ‘less hawkish’.
CAD
FUNDAMENTAL BIAS: NEUTRAL
1. Monetary Policy
The BoC delivered on expectations with a 50bsp hike as well as announcing a start to passive QT from the end of April by ending its reinvestment of maturing bonds. The bank upgraded both inflation and growth estimates as markets were expecting but did play a hawkish card by also increasing their neutral rate estimate to 2.5% from 2.25%. They acknowledged the growing risks from the current geopolitical situation but made it very clear that they are concerned about inflation and their hike of 50bsp showed that they think that policy needs to be normalized quickly (which some took as a hint that another 50bsp is on the way). The bank didn’t offer any additional clarity on QT but did note that they are not considering active QT of selling bonds just yet. Some conditionality also surfaced, where they explained that any sudden negative shocks to growth or inflation could see them pause hikes once they get closer towards neutral (Gov Macklem also added that they might need to get rates slightly above neutral in the current cycle). Overall, it was a more hawkish than expected BoC decision, but interesting to note that STIR markets did not price in another 50bsp following the meeting (only a 25bsp) hike. We remain of the opinion that we are close to peak hawkishness for the BoC and are looking for the last push higher in the CAD for opportunities to sell.
2. Intermarket Analysis Considerations
Oil’s impressive post-covid recovery has been driven by many factors such as supply & demand, global demand recovery, and more recently geopolitical concerns. At current prices the risk to demand destruction and stagflation is high, which means we remain cautious of oil in the med-term. Reason for caution: [1] Synchronised policy tightening targeting demand, [2] slowing growth, [3] consensus longs, [5] steep backwardation curve, [6] heightened implied volatility. We remain cautious oil, but geopolitics are a key driver and focus for Petro-currencies like the CAD (even though the CAD-Oil correlation has been hit and miss). The upcoming week has a new round of OPEC meetings where the cartel is once again expected to stick to their plans to up output by 430K BPD per month. It will be interesting though to see whether recent lockdowns in China, and possible oil embargo news from the EU impacts the OPEC discussions, if at all.
3. Global Risk Outlook
As a high-beta currency, the CAD usually benefits from overall positive risk sentiment as well as environments that benefit pro-cyclical assets. Thus, both short-term (immediate) and med-term (underlying) risk sentiment will always be a key consideration for the CAD.
4. CFTC Analysis
Very little change in CFTC data for the CAD. We think markets are setting up a similar path compared to April 2021, Oct 2021 and Jan 2022 where markets were too aggressive to price in CAD upside only to see majority of it unwind later. As always though, timing those shorts will be very important.
5. The Week Ahead
The highlight for the week ahead will be the jobs data scheduled for Friday, as well as oil market developments and risk sentiment. On the jobs data, this will be an interesting test for the Canadian labour market which have held up really well after bouncing back from the Omicron hick up. Even though we think the growth outlook for Canada is too optimistic, it might be too early to start seeing those growth concerns trickle into the jobs market as it is usually a late cycle indicator. However, in the event of a miss or a beat it might not change much in terms for the BoC just yet but given the frothy CAD price action a surprise miss could kickstart some overdue downside. Even though the correlation to oil has been rather hit and miss over the past few weeks, it’s always important to keep oil developments in mind, which means next week’s OPEC+ meetings could be an important event for Petro-currencies, especially with the possibility of oil embargo news from the EU as well. Then we also have risk sentiment to watch as the classic risk sensitivity that one would usually expect from high beta currencies like the AUD, CAD and NZD have seemingly returned with a vengeance in the past two trading weeks. That means overall risk sentiment will be an important driver to keep in mind for the CAD as well.
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.
Disclaimer
The information and publications are not meant to be, and do not constitute, financial, investment, trading, or other types of advice or recommendations supplied or endorsed by TradingView. Read more in the Terms of Use.