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Market Brief, North America

Markets Hunker Down Ahead of Inflation Release

The dollar’s selloff is slowing ahead of inflation numbers that could have a direct bearing on the policy outlook presented during next week’s Federal Reserve meeting. Equity futures are trending upward, but Treasury yields are holding flat, and high-beta currencies like the Canadian dollar are coming under modest selling pressure as traders cut risk. February’s consumer price index is expected to show headline prices accelerating while the core measure slows – but considerable uncertainty remains around whether January’s hotter-than-expected numbers marked the beginning of a trend. If price growth remains stubbornly high, officials could reduce the number of expected rate...

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Soft Landing Bets Remain Dominant Ahead of Inflation Data

The trade-weighted dollar is coming under renewed selling pressure this morning after last week’s events helped fortify expectations for a “soft landing” in the US economy. On Thursday, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell told Congress that the Federal Reserve was “not far” from the level of confidence needed to cut rates. Friday’s jobs report showed headline job growth topping expectations, but revisions to the prior two months pointed to cooling momentum, and average hourly earnings saw their smallest month-on-month rise in two years. The pound and euro are defending last week’s advances in tight trading ranges. Sterling’s rally is losing...

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Dollar’s Fade Continues Ahead of Jobs Numbers

The dollar is stuck in a defensive posture after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell sounded slightly more dovish in his second day of Congressional testimony yesterday. “We’re waiting to become more confident that inflation is moving sustainably to 2 percent,” he told the Senate Banking Committee. “When we do get that confidence – and we’re not far from it – it’ll be appropriate to begin to dial back the level of restrictiveness”. This morning’s non-farm payrolls number could make or break the dollar’s decline. Expectations for the headline jobs gain have crept above the 200,000 mark this week, but the...

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Dollar Slumps On Diminishing Tail Risks 

In yesterday’s Congressional testimony, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell warned markets not to expect rates to begin coming down in the near term, but acknowledged the need to “begin dialling back policy restraint at some point this year,” and said that central bankers remain “squarely focused” on their dual mandate. Market participants – who had been alert to the possibility of a pushback against easing financial conditions – breathed a sigh of relief, sending yields and the dollar lower for a fifth consecutive session. Broadly speaking, softer data releases and consistent messaging from Fed officials over the last week have...

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Markets Go Quiet Ahead of Busy Week

Activity in the currency markets remains muted ahead of what could become a dangerous week for believers in the “soft landing” consensus. The dollar is inching higher against most of its major rivals, and ten-year Treasury yields are sitting near the 4.2 percent mark, recovering somewhat after losing altitude toward the end of last week. Data out on Thursday showed monthly core inflation accelerating in January, but this seemed mainly driven by idiosyncratic factors that are unlikely to repeat themselves. Social Security cost-of-living adjustments and a rise in stock market valuations helped lift personal incomes, but pay growth slowed. On...

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