CAD
Weapons of mass disruption
In 1939, after the Soviets invaded Poland, Winston Churchill told radio audiences, “I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.” We find ourselves in a similar position. We cannot predict what Russia will do in the coming days, let alone the coming months. We’re not even sure the key is Russian national interest: Vladimir Putin’s actions in recent years would suggest he is driven by other motives. We worry, however, that the world looks increasingly vulnerable...
Markets turn negative as threat environment worsens
Markets are back on the warpath this morning, pushing Treasury yields and the dollar toward cyclical peaks. The US ten-year is holding near 16-year highs, the trade-weighted greenback is at its strongest levels in six months, risk-sensitive currencies are retreating, and global oil benchmarks keep pushing toward the $100 per barrel mark. Two major factors are bolstering the US exceptionalism trade: strong domestic demand numbers are forcing investors to capitulate in the face of the Federal Reserve’s higher-for-longer mantra, and risk-reward ratios in other currencies are worsening as soaring oil prices threaten to raise costs in the major energy importing regions. And...
US exceptionalism trade regains momentum
A bruising week for global Wall Street continues this morning, with the dollar holding steady and major indices paring gains into the North American open. Ten-year Treasury yields are inching slightly lower after climbing to a 16-year high in yesterday’s session, paying more than 4.5 percent at one point. The moves came after the Federal Reserve on Wednesday issued forecasts showing rate cuts happening at a slower and more incremental pace than markets had previously anticipated, and after another weekly claims report beat expectations, suggesting that labour markets remain far from cooling. The number of initial applications for unemployment benefits fell...
Compromising positions
Ahead of this afternoon’s Federal Reserve meeting, we note that speculators have sharply reduced short positions against the dollar in the last month, with the capitulation coming after a series of stronger-than-expected data releases widened expected performance gaps between the United States and the rest of the global economy. Friday’s numbers from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed the net dollar position on the verge of flipping into bullish territory, with long trades on the euro tumbling sharply relative to levels earlier in the year. The net non-commercial futures position on the dollar against the G10 currencies plus the Mexican...