Inflation will worry but not derail financial markets

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Sustained Increase

Significance The US Federal Reserve (Fed) is largely unperturbed by rising inflation. Bond markets concur, but some investors fear that this could prove complacent -- and costly. Impacts The price of bitcoin fell by 30% since mid-April to USD20,000, partly due to doubts of whether the token is maturing into a stable asset. US banking stocks have surged by over 70% since the vaccine breakthrough on average; strong first-quarter earnings will fuel further upside. Markets have confidence in the Fed, but investors’ fears of a more sustained increase in prices, and of the Fed falling behind, will rise.

Early Turkish elections could upset investor optimism

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Commodity Price ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Gradual Improvement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Fundamentals ◽  
Uncertain Outcome ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Presidential Election

Subject The marked improvement in sentiment towards Turkish assets since mid-January. Significance Despite the uncertain outcome of Turkey’s crucial constitutional referendum on April 16, the lira has risen against the dollar while foreign investors have resumed their purchases of domestic Turkish debt, after months of heavy outflows from the local bond market. The sharp improvement in sentiment towards emerging markets (EMs) this year and the tightening in liquidity by the Central Bank (TCMB) are easing the strain on the country’s financial markets, despite significant domestic and external risks. Impacts Fears of a sharp sell-off in global bond markets following Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election have not materialised. This is partly because aggressive monetary stimulus in Europe and Japan is continuing to suppress yields. Recent rising oil prices are sustaining the commodity price recovery that has underpinned improved sentiment towards EMs since 2016. EM currencies’ strong performance is partly due to gradual improvement in economic fundamentals in many developing economies.

Any US Fed balance sheet unwinding may be disorderly

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Balance Sheet ◽  
Target Range ◽  
Treasury Bills ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Treasury Securities ◽  
The Us ◽  
Repo Rate ◽  
The Interest Rate

Subject US Federal Reserve policy. Significance The US repurchase agreement (repo) rate, the interest rate on overnight loans backed by Treasury securities to facilitate a range of transactions, suddenly soared above 5% on September 15, 2019. There were immediate effects across financial markets, but the Federal Reserve (Fed) quickly bought up Treasury bills and the repo rate returned to the Fed’s 2.00-2.25% target range. However, concerns linger about whether a spike could recur. The Fed has increased its balance sheet by more than 10% since September but sees this as a temporary adjustment rather than a policy change. Impacts Having narrowed to 3.7 trillion dollars by August 2019, the Fed’s balance sheet could pass its 4.4-trillion-dollar record this year. The Fed will seek to ensure its has enough resources for corporate-tax payment dates but without increasing its holdings indefinitely. Increasing the size of the Fed’s balance sheet could limit the effectiveness of further balance sheet expansion in a future crisis.

US rates rift will fuel financial market volatility

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Open Market ◽  
Federal Open Market Committee ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
China Trade ◽  
The Us ◽  
Investment Grade ◽  
Global Growth

Subject Financial markets outlook. Significance The decision of the US Federal Reserve (Fed) on September 18 to lower its main policy rate while not assuring investors that it will continue to loosen monetary policy is exposing divisions within the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), and between the Fed and bond markets. The ‘hawkish cut’ came with three dissensions, reflecting the disconnect between the resilient US economy and the deterioration in the global growth outlook. Impacts Cautious investor optimism that a US-China trade truce will be struck is fuelling US equity gains, but a substantial deal seems unlikely. The Brent oil price fell back within days following the drone attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities, but more short spikes are possible. Almost one-third of investment-grade government and corporate bonds are negative yielding; those with zero lifetime coupon are riskiest.

ECB QE and growth may obscure Polish political risk

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Economic Recovery ◽  
Coalition Government ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Quantitative Easing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inconclusive Result ◽  
The Us

Significance Having fallen against the resurgent dollar this year, the zloty has lately been strengthening, since the US Federal Reserve surprised financial markets by striking a more dovish stance than expected on both the timing and pace of the anticipated tightening in monetary policy. While the zloty and Polish stocks had suffered because of fears of a rise in US interest rates, local bonds have been underpinned by the ECB's quantitative easing (QE) programme. The effects of QE and a brisker economic recovery may temporarily offset the risk of an inconclusive result in the parliamentary election in October. Impacts Investors have yet to price in the risk of a hung parliament in Poland following October's election. The vote could lead to the formation of a weak and unstable coalition government. The risk of an unstable coalition is particularly high, given the strong likelihood that PO's share of the vote will decline sharply.

Normalisation threatens Emerging Europe’s bond markets

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Interest Rates ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Central Banks ◽  
Capital Inflows ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Asset Purchases ◽  
Investment Grade

Subject The risks to Emerging Europe’s bond markets from the removal of monetary stimulus. Significance The IMF has warned that the withdrawal of monetary stimulus by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) is likely to reduce capital inflows into emerging market (EM) economies. Emerging Europe is particularly vulnerable, thanks to the additional risks posed by the reduction of asset purchases by the ECB. Corporate bonds are most at risk because of the rapid compression in spreads on sub-investment grade debt, at their lowest levels since the financial crisis. Impacts Hawkish signals from central banks and US tax cuts are taking the benchmark ten-year US Treasury yield to its highest level since mid-March. However, dollar weakness will ease some of the strain on EM currencies and local bonds. With low core euro-area inflation reducing pressure to end QE, the ECB is unlikely to raise interest rates before 2019.

Mixed bond market moves raise policy-tightening risks

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Yield Curve ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Bond Market ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Industrial Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Equity Funds

Significance Its two-year equivalent, which is more sensitive to US monetary policy, has risen faster, as expectations have increased that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will raise rates at least twice more this year. The gap between ten- and two-year yields is the narrowest since 2007, suggesting that bond markets expect aggressive short-term policy tightening to dampen growth and inflation in the longer term. Impacts The VIX Index, which anticipates S&P 500 equity volatility, is settling near its three-year average of 15, having touched 50 in February. The dollar has risen by nearly 2% since April 16 despite bearish bets continuing -- suggesting that its slump may have run its course. The ‘search for yield’ will draw investors to emerging market bond and equity funds; 2018 inflows so far are nearing 73 billion dollars. The US yield curve is close to inversion, traditionally signposting recession, but the backdrop of ultra-low rates obscures the outlook. US industrial firms including Caterpillar report solid first-quarter earnings but warn of already teaching a peak, worrying investors.

Attention will turn to policy scope to fight recession

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Equity Markets ◽  
Central Banks ◽  
Equity Market ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
China Trade ◽  
The Us ◽  
Equity Funds ◽  
Global Equity Markets

Significance The dovish U-turns by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) and the ECB, which were withdrawing monetary stimulus as recently as end-2018, are accentuating concerns that the leading central banks lack the firepower to fight the next recession. Creating confusion, global equity markets are surging but bond markets are growing more pessimistic. Impacts The Chinese equity market is surging as investors anticipate some form of US-China trade deal, but any boost is likely to be temporary. US equities have rebounded this year, but the outflows from US equity funds that began in October will continue and may rise amid anxiety. Chinese growth was slowing even before the tariffs and worries are rising that this, more than trade, will increasingly hit world growth.

Investors may be underpricing more US Fed tightening

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Stock Market ◽  
Financial Markets ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Us ◽  
Equity Funds ◽  
Global Growth

Subject Financial markets. Significance The US stock market has rallied by 11.8% this year, buoyed by the US Federal Reserve (Fed) executing a dovish policy reversal in late January. Slower global growth prompted the turnaround, but at the same time, US economic activity still has momentum. Reflecting the uncertainty, a week ago futures investors saw a 20.0% chance of the Fed's next move being a rate cut and a 3.5% chance of a hike by January 2020. Expectations have since shifted, to a 7.0% chance of a cut and a 6.9% chance of a hike, respectively. Impacts The dollar is 1% higher since the Fed turnaround at end-January; much larger concerns about Europe than US activity will keep it rising. Emerging market (EM) bond and equity funds are attracting consistently high inflows, but sharply lower Chinese growth would be contagious. The Brent oil price has risen more than 20% this year, but weaker global growth will limit further gains.

Weaker dollar will support global gold demand

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Financial Markets ◽  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Wealth Effects ◽  
Payment Method ◽  
Safe Haven ◽  
Gold Coin ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Share Prices ◽  
Mining Companies ◽  
The Us

Subject Gold outperforms other commodity sectors. Significance Gold has rallied above 1,200 dollars per ounce (oz), gaining 15.4% since the beginning of 2016 due to volatility in financial markets that has pushed investors into safe-haven assets and to the expected delay to further interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve (Fed). Impacts Physical gold demand in the Middle East will suffer from negative wealth effects among oil producers, except for Iran. Gold usage will fall in electronics, due to successful substitution with other materials. Innovative gold-backed schemes will suffer from inconsistency of simultaneously treating gold as a store of value and a payment method. Sales of Ashok Chakra, India's new gold coin, will cannibalise other products' sales and not add to net demand. The decade-long divergence between the gold price and the share prices of mining companies is unlikely to reverse anytime soon.

Markets are overreacting to US price and rates risks

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal Reserve ◽  
Futures Markets ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Price ◽  
Bond Markets ◽  
Crude Oil Price ◽  
Bond Yields ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bond Yield ◽  
Ongoing Support

Significance The continuation of the modest manufacturing downturn follows the recent report of slower third-quarter GDP growth. Despite slower growth, bond markets are challenging an attempt by the Federal Reserve (Fed) to delink tapering from tightening by bringing forward their forecasts for rate increases: futures markets are pricing in two 25-basis-point rate hikes by end-2022. Impacts Equities are at a record high in the United States; providing ongoing support for this, real US bond yields remain in negative territory. The Brent crude oil price is near its highest since 2014; further upside will be limited but it is likely to stay high well into 2022. Germany’s ten-year bond yield, negative since April 2019, has risen by 40 basis points since end-August and will soon turn positive.

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