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Currencies flatline into jobs reports

The dollar and Treasury yields are under pressure ahead of a non-farm payrolls report that could shed more light on how the economy is holding up amid the most aggressive monetary tightening cycle in decades. The trade-weighted greenback is almost unchanged relative to yesterday’s levels, with week-to-date gains at just 0.2 percent, while ten-year Treasury yields are holding at 4.73 percent, well off Tuesday’s 4.87 percent high. The pound is struggling to gain momentum after the Bank of England’s Ben Broadbent yesterday articulated a change in the central bank’s reaction function, appearing to suggest that growth risks were beginning to...

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Markets reverse yesterday’s reversal

A global relief rally is unwinding as markets take a more skeptical view on the likelihood of a shift in Federal Reserve policy. Early in yesterday’s session, a series of data releases helped diminish expectations ahead of tomorrow’s non-farm payrolls report and push odds on a final 2023 rate hike back below coin-toss levels: Payroll processing firm ADP said the private sector created just 89,000 jobs in September, well below forecasts for 160,000 or more. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) services index weakened more than projected. And West Texas Intermediate prices suffered the biggest reversal this year, falling by...

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Markets rise on interrupted shutdown

US markets are gaining this morning after the government reached a last-minute deal to avert a shutdown – but with the same brinksmanship likely to play out again in less than eight weeks, we’re not sure how long the momentum can last. Equity futures are rising ahead of the open, Treasury yields are pushing toward Friday’s highs, and the dollar is climbing against its major Asian and European rivals. In a surprising and confusing late-Saturday development, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – who had for weeks refused to consider a similar bipartisan measure crafted in the Senate – agreed to table...

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Up and away

Another round of stronger-than-expected US activity data combined with surging oil prices to send Treasury yields roaring to new cyclical peaks yesterday, triggering yet another spike in the dollar. Durable goods orders surprised with a 0.2-percent gain in August – markets had expected a -0.5 percent contraction – and non-defence capital spending climbed 0.9 percent, suggesting that the business investment cycle remained in relatively robust health. West Texas Intermediate prices briefly jumped above the $95 mark after the Energy Information Administration said crude inventories at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub fell to less than 22 million barrels, nearing tank bottoms...

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Bonds have more fun

Treasury yields are retreating from multi-decade highs, helping relieve pressure on equity and foreign exchange markets. North American stock markets look set to open in the green and the dollar is putting in a mixed performance, but the risk-sensitive Canadian dollar is inching lower, and background volatility measures are creeping up. Bond yields moved higher in yesterday’s session after home prices resumed their rise, with the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city index climbing for a fifth month in July – a development that could indicate financial conditions are still too loose, and one that suggests inflation might remain sticky for longer....

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