Monday, August 31, 2009

Forex News Trader


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Investors to frequently


According to a recent report by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), forex volume is down in nearly every major category. “However, turnover declined by over 20 per cent between October 2008 and April 2009 to US$2.5 trillion, to be at its lowest level in over two years, a move reflected in all six markets indicating global, rather than location-specific, causes. The largest markets – the United Kingdom and the United States – experienced the sharpest percentage falls.”
The report was based on a survey of the world’s six largest forex trading hubs - US, UK, Japan, Canada, Singapore, and Australia - and produced a few interesting revelations. The first is that forex volume peaked well after other capital markets. This can probably be attributed to the notion that there is never a bear market in forex. In other words, after stocks and bonds began to collapse in the summer of 2008, investors embarked on a mission, unprecedented in its speed, to move capital from risky countries to safe-haven countries. This switch, by definition, required the forex markets to facilitate.
This point is further illustrated by the fact that, “the decline in turnover of spot and forwards occurred somewhat later than that in foreign exchange swaps and derivatives….Spot turnover reported in October 2008 was likely to have been supported by large cross-border capital flows as investors sought to reduce risk by repatriating foreign investments. In addition, the high frequency and impact of news at the height of the crisis would have generated the need for investors to frequently adjust their positions.”
The final revelation is that the change in forex volume was not always commensurate with changes in trade volume. A general relationship between trade and forex turnover has been observed, although speculators ensure that currency is exchanged much more frequently than actual goods and services. The two currency pairs registering the greatest unbalance are the CHF/USD and CAD/USD. Forex volume for the former fell much more sharply than trade, while the opposite is true of the latter. One can only speculate as to why this is the case. As for the CHF/USD, forex volume probably suffered disproportionately more because both the Swiss Franc and US Dollar were perceived as safe haven currencies, in which case it would be relatively less useful to exchange them for each other. In the case of the CAD/USD, meanwhile, it makes sense to view the imbalance in terms of the spectacular decline in trade, which was largely a product of declining commodity prices.
It’s impossible to predict whether forex volume will remain depressed. Given the efforts underway to increase regulation and curtail leverage, I don’t personally expect volume to recover for a while. As for the implications, the less might be to stick to the majors. If volume is declining, it will probably affect emerging market currencies most. Lower liquidity might translate into higher volatility. However, it’s worth pointing out that volatility has been declining ever since it skyrocketed after the collapse of Lehman Brothers last fall. In that case, it might be that investors are behaving more prudently with less funds to trade with.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

emerging market stocks

It’s safe to say that the inverse correlation observed between the Dollar (and also the Yen) and global equities is largely a product of the carry trade. “The U.S. stock market bottomed and the U.S. Dollar Index peaked almost simultaneously in March. While U.S. stocks are up more than 50% in that time, the Dollar Index (which measures the greenback’s value against the euro, the yen, the British pound, the Canadian dollar, the Swedish kroner and the Swiss franc) is down nearly 12%,” observed one analyst.
On one level, this represents a return to 2008, prior to the explosion of the credit crisis, when carry trading was THE dominant theme in forex markets. However, there is one important difference. While the Dollar and Yen were the funding currencies then and now (due to their low interest rates), there has been a slight shift in the currencies selected for the opposing/long end of the trade.
Traditionally, the most popular long currencies were those of industrialized countries, rich in commodities and backed by high interest rates and often rich in commodities. To be sure, these currencies have shined in recent months, certainly due in part to speculative (carry) trading. “
Strategists at Wells Fargo Bank in New York ‘believe that the gains in the dollar-bloc currencies (Australia, New Zealand, Canada) have run ahead of the gains in commodity prices.’ ” The Bank of Canada also noticed that “At the time of its last statement, oil prices were about $75 a barrel, but now they are in the $60-to-$65 range. That suggests the currency’s appreciation has outpaced the demand for its commodity exports.”
But the run-ups in the Kiwi, Aussie, and Loonie have been overshadowed by even more rapid appreciation in emerging market currencies. This shift is largely a product of changes in interest rate differentials, which are now gapingly large between developed countries and developing countries. Compare the 2.75%+ spread between the US and Australia, with the 8.5% spread between the US and Brazil or 12.75% between the US and Russia. For investors once again becoming complacent about risk, the choice is a no-brainer.
Still, some analysts are nervous about this change in dynamic: “While the new carry trade may be less leveraged, it’s an inherently
riskier bet. As such, it’s more vulnerable to the kind of swift unraveling of risk appetite observed across all nations and sectors in 2008, but which occurs with far more frequency in emerging markets.” Meanwhile, emerging market stocks have behaved volatilely over the last few weeks (with Chinese stocks even entering bear market territory), and some investors are concerned that they may be temporarily peaking. There are also signs that bubbles may be forming in carry trade currencies, with bullish sentiment at high levels. Accordingly, one strategist suggests waiting out a 5% pullback in the Australian dollar, and a 10% pullback in the New Zealand dollar before going back in.
There is also the outside possibility that the Fed will raise interest rates, which would crimp the viability of the US Dollar as a funding currency. Granted, it seems unlikely that the Fed will tighten within the next six months, but investors with a longer time horizon could begin to adjust their positions now, rather than wait until the 11th hour, at which point everyone will be rushing for the exits.

Australian Dollar


The performance of the Australian Dollar over the last six months has been nothing short of incredible: “Since the end of February, the Australian dollar has risen 29% against the U.S. currency,” and a still-impressive 18% if you backtrack to January, when the Aussie was still in free-fall.
As has been the trend in forex markets of late, the currency’s rise cannot be attributed to an improvement in fundamentals. The economic picture remains nuanced (that is putting a positive spin on it), and definitive proof of recovery has yet to emerge. “We really are trawling pretty deep to try and get any snippet of information that might have some backhanded relevance as far as Australia goes,” said
one analyst.
As a result, fundamental analysts have been forced to wait for a “more precise picture about the timing [of] any Reserve Bank of Australia interest rate hike.” On this front, investors are ratcheting down their expectations of a rate hike anytime soon, as “
The RBA has signaled that there’s a danger of raising rates too soon.” Futures prices reflect the expectation that rates will rise by only 37 basis points from current levels before 2010, and by 161 basis points 12 months from now.
With such economic uncertainty, investors have turned their attention elsewhere. “Nomura Chief economist Stephen Roberts said in the absence of any clues about the fundamental drivers of the currency, nearly all the cues in foreign exchange markets are being taken from equities.” Some analysts have posited a close relationship with the US stock market: “The correlation between the Aussie dollar and U.S. equity market in particular has been very strong over the past few weeks, with our analysis showing a correlation
as high as 95 percent.”
For other analysts, the relationship is with the Chinese stock market. This correlation makes more sense logically, since the Australian economic recovery is largely contingent on continued growth in China and the concomitant purchases of Australian commodities. “Currency markets will be watching the Shanghai share market, which has been a pretty big influence on the Aussie recently,” summarized one analyst. A reporter for the WSJ tried to spell it out even more clearly in an article entitled, “
Australian Dollar Up Late, Closely Tied To Chinese Stocks.”
Unfortunately, the correlation with (Chinese) stocks runs both ways. When the Chinese stock market tanks - often for inexplicable reasons - as it has for the last three weeks, the Australian Dollar follows suit. Another analyst is more blunt: “The story for the Australian dollar and other risk- and growth-oriented currencies is similar to the share markets. They’ve had a great run and are probably due a bit of a pullback.”

THE dominant theme


It’s safe to say that the inverse correlation observed between the Dollar (and also the Yen) and global equities is largely a product of the carry trade. “The U.S. stock market bottomed and the U.S. Dollar Index peaked almost simultaneously in March. While U.S. stocks are up more than 50% in that time, the Dollar Index (which measures the greenback’s value against the euro, the yen, the British pound, the Canadian dollar, the Swedish kroner and the Swiss franc) is down nearly 12%,” observed one analyst.
On one level, this represents a return to 2008, prior to the explosion of the credit crisis, when carry trading was THE dominant theme in forex markets. However, there is one important difference. While the Dollar and Yen were the funding currencies then and now (due to their low interest rates), there has been a slight shift in the currencies selected for the opposing/long end of the trade.

Friday, August 28, 2009

the foreign exchanges

LONDON (Dow Jones)--European stocks are expected to open higher Friday, despite a mixed session in Asia. The region's main bourses are more likely to follow their U.S. counterparts, traders said, after Wall Street posted modest gains Thursday. " [in the previous session] so they will be playing catch-up," said Matt Buckland, a dealer at CMC Markets. Buckland called London's FTSE 100 index up 34 points, or 0.7%, at 4903.4, Frankfurt's DAX up 38 points, or 0.7%, at 5508.3 and Paris's CAC-40 up 28, or 0.8%, at 3676.5. He also said that, as is common towards the end of the month, there may be some re-positioning and slightly higher activity, although he acknowledged that volumes have been very low this week. Meanwhile, Asian share markets were mixed Friday as weakness in China's stock markets continued to hurt investor sentiment despite mild gains on Wall Street. Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.6% while South Korea's Kospi Composite gained 0.5%. But Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.5%. "As profit-taking kicked in yesterday, positive external cues like U.S. stocks and crude futures can more easily lift the market," said Yukio Takahashi, market analyst at Mizuho Securities in Tokyo. Still, gains for the Tokyo stock market were limited by caution before Sunday's Lower House elections in Japan, in an absence of other domestic cues. The Shanghai Composite index was 2.9% lower on concerns that there could be more large-scale fund-raising activity, after Bank of China president Li Lihui said late Thursday that the bank may issue new shares to boost its capital base. Earlier, in the U.S., stocks closed higher, with banks pacing the gains and dominating volumes. Closing higher for the eighth straight session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average tacked on 0.4% to 9580.6. The Standard & Poor's 500 closed up 0.3% at 1031.0, including a gain of 0.8% for industrials and 1% for financials. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2% to 2027.7. Meanwhile, front-month Nymex crude oil futures rose $1.06 in New York and were up another 15 cents at $72.64 per barrel in electronic trade Friday, helping energy-related stocks. "Oil (inventories) are still at very high levels but improving demand amid continued supply tightness should accelerate the pace of erosion of the inventory overhang, lending support to prices," said Barclays Capital. In the foreign exchanges, the euro and the pound gained modest ground against the dollar and the yen. The euro was quoted at $1.4351 at 0630 GMT, up from $1.4341 in late





Thursday. The dollar was quoted at Y93.81, up from Y93.52. Traders said Japanese importers were buying both the dollar and the euro against the yen, but the market was otherwise fairly quiet. Meanwhile, LME metals were higher and spot gold was quoted at $950.55 per troy ounce, up $1.05 from the New York close. European bond markets opened a tad lower. The September bund futures contract was last seen down 0.14 at 122.56. -By Andrea Tryphonides, Dow Jones Newswires; +44-20-7842-9281; andrea.tryphonides@dowjones.com Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/access/al?rnd=I5gpE8lrGQfJ4vkJC6SOkQ%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.

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