Markets

Black Monday

Published

2 years ago

June 13, 2022

By Jeffrey Halley, Senior Market Analyst, Asia Pacific, OANDA

A market perpetually looking for reasons to temper Federal Reserve hiking expectations (so they can buy equities), had those quashed on Friday. US headline inflation accelerated to 8.60% YoY from 8.30% previously, with core inflation holding at 6.0%, slightly lower than April’s 6.0%. That sparked a scramble to reassess Fed hiking expectations, with some calling for a 0.75% hike at this week’s FOMC meeting.

Equities were sold heavily while the US yield curve saw short-dated yields shoot higher while the 10-year to 30-year was also sold. That has left the 2/10-year tenor at just 10 basis points and 2/30-year at just 16 basis points. That is uncomfortably close to flat and with the R-word now on everyone’s lips, we can’t rule out the possibility of an inversion, which markets use as a signal for a recession. The 5/10-year already is.

With higher yields and markets running for cover, the US Dollar soared, with the Euro getting pummelled along with fellow sentiment indicators, the Australian Dollar, New Zealand Dollar and the Korean Won. Oil has also retreated again today as a US recession is complicated by mass covid-19 testing over the weekend in Beijing and Shanghai. I’ll say it again, under covid-zero policies, the virus only has to get lucky once and anyone trying to pick the bottom in China’s growth and equity markets on the basis that China was “one and done” on lockdowns is naïve.

It is turning into a Black Monday in Asia as well after US and European equity markets were pummelled on Friday, as China risks also rise again. US equity index futures have continued their selloff this morning, oil continues to fall, the US Dollar has risen as Asian currencies play catchup to Friday’s greenback rally, and Asian equity markets are taking some serious selling pressure.

It is a measure of how quickly sentiment has turned that gold managed to disengage itself from its inverse correlation on Friday, finishing the day higher at $1871.50 an ounce. That indicates just how nervous investors out there are now, although I would like to see another positive close in the face of US Dollar strength and higher US yields before calling a medium-term low. Given that gold has fallen in Asia, I am not so sure that this isn’t another false dawn for gold bugs.

Perhaps the biggest carnage has been in the crypto space which is on the verge of a reckoning now that the gloves are off around global inflation and the realities of a new world where fixed interest actually pays a yield – albeit one still deeply negative in real terms. Bitcoin fell by around 10% over the weekend, while Ethereum was cremated, falling by around 20%. That sell-off also continues this morning and I am wondering if some cross-margining stop losses are going to start washing through real asset classes. Things may get uglier if the pegs on (un)stable coins like tether start becoming untethered.

Today’s data calendar is non-existent, which means markets will be allowed to continue stewing in sentiment and risk aversion. Australian markets are closed today, but looking at the price action around Asia, they may be glad they are.

This week’s centrepiece is undoubtedly the FOMC policy meeting this Wednesday (NYT). I am not sure if Friday’s inflation reading is enough to provoke a 0.75% rate hike, although that won’t stop people from forecasting it. A 0.50% hike is done and dusted, and the crucial point will be what the Fed’s outlook is from here and whether they remain confident about a soft landing. The post-meeting press conference will surely be one of the most exciting of the year.

Elsewhere, China will release its latest Medium Lending Facility rate sometime between today and Thursday. Cutting it from 2.85% would be a surprise (not a huge surprise), as the government remains intent on targeted stimulus and bank lending has already soared after the government ordered the banks to lend more.

The Federal Reserve is not the only central bank with a policy decision this week. The Swiss National bank on Thursday would love to raise rates from -0.75% I am sure, but with risk aversion lifting the Swiss Franc the Euro falling once again, it is boxed in. The Bank of England also meets on Thursday and markets are pricing in a 0.25% hike to 1.25%. Talk of 0.50% will come to nought as the BOE has raised the white flag on inflation already.

Perhaps the most interesting one, which is usually the most boring, is the Bank of Japan on Friday. A continuation of the quantitative easing forever and the 0.25% cap on 10-year JGB yields is expected. However, USD/JPY has hit 135.00 this morning and if it reaches for 138.00 this week, the temptation/need to tinker with the JGB yield corridor may become irresistible. Despite all the rhetoric to the opposite recently, I don’t fully discount the mother of all spoofs occurring on Friday. Given the amount of long USD/JPY positioning out there, a slight hike in the JGB yield cap could see an ugly washout, maybe even back to the 130.00 region or lower. Wouldn’t that be something?

Equity sell-off continues in Asia.

On Friday, the higher-than-expected US inflation data dissolved hopes of a less aggressive FOMC, prompting a mass sell-off of equity markets in the US and Europe. The S&P 500 slumped by 2.91%, the Nasdaq tumbled by 3.52%, and the Dow Jones fell by 2.73%. things aren’t looking any better with US futures in Asia today, as the selling continues, perhaps with one eye on the weekend crypto meltdown. S&P 500 futures are 1.40% lower, Nasdaq futures have fallen by 1.80%, and Dow futures are 1.0% lower.

Obviously, the slump by Wall Street has provoked a negative reaction in Asian markets today, and mass testing in China over the weekend has lockdown nerves elevated once again. Japan’s Nikkei 225 has tumbled by 2.70%, with South Korea’s Kospi doing slightly worse, retreating by 2.75%, while Taiwan is down by 2.25%.

In Mainland China, the Shanghai Composite is 0.85% lower, with the CSI 300 down by 0.95%. There is no solace for Hong Kong, the Hang Seng has slumped by 2.90% today. In regional markets, Singapore is 0.65% lower, Kuala Lumpur is down by 1.50%, and Jakarta has retreated by 1.95%. Bangkok has lost 1.25%, and Manila is 0.55% lower. Australian markets are closed, but New Zealand has slumped by 2.30%.

Given the price action seen today in Asia, especially the continuing selloff of US index futures, it is unlikely that European markets will look to buy the dip. More likely is that they will continue to jail without passing go. Even the perpetually bullish FOMO gnomes of Wall Street may struggle to find a reason to buy the dip this afternoon, especially if the US yield curve continues to flatten.

Haven buying lifts the US Dollar.

The US inflation data spurred a sharp rise in US yields across the curve, a selloff by equities, and in turn, a haven-derived rush into US Dollar. The dollar index tore through resistance at 104.00 on its way to a 0.85% gain to 104.18 on Friday, rising another 0.26% to 104.46 in Asia. The index looks to have formed a medium-term low now as the reality of monetary policy divergence permeates the financial world. The dollar index will now have 105.00 in its sights with support at 104.00 and 103.00.

EUR/USD slumped on Friday, carving through support at 1.0600, almost reaching my 1.0500 targets for this week. It finished 0.93% lower at 1.0520 and has fallen another 0.30% to 1.0490 in Asia. With the ECB only likely to hike a total of 0.50% by September, with the Fed likely to have booked 1.50% of hikes by then, it is no surprise that the single currency has resumed its selloff. The fact that EUR/USD never seriously attempted to regain its multi-decade breakout around 1.0800 suggests that a medium-term high is now in place. Weekend developments in Ukraine were not good news either, and that is likely to further sap sentiment. EUR/USD has resistance at 1.0610 initially, with support at 1.0460.

Sterling fell by 1.43% to 1.2320 on Friday on widening yield expectations from the BOE and the Fed. In Asia, GBP/USD has fallen another 0.23% to 1.2290. Resistance is distant at 1.2425, while a retest of the May lows around 1.2150 has become a distinct possibility.

Quite surprisingly, given the move in US yields on Friday, USD/JPY was almost unchanged at 134.40, before rising 50 points to 134.90 in Asia today. I suspect the broad selloff across asset markets on Friday provoked quite a lot of haven-derived yen repatriation by Japanese investors, capping USD/JPY’s gains. That has ebbed today, allowing the USD/JPY rally to resume. A daily close above 135.00 suggests more gains to 138.00 in the week ahead, while only a fall below 133.00 changes the bullish picture. Some nerves around Friday’s BOJ policy meeting may also be tempering USD/JPY gains.

The Australian and New Zealand Dollars held up relatively well on Friday, falling 0.74% to 0.7040, and 0.45% to 0.6355 respectively. An Australian holiday and severe weather in New Zealand are probably muting volumes in both today, sparing further blushes, but I do not rule out a catchup selloff in London this afternoon. AUD/USD has fallen 0.25% to 0.7025 today, with support at 0.7000 and 0.6950, with resistance at 0.7050. NZD/USD has fallen by 0.20% to 0.6340, with support/resistance is at 0.6300 and 0.6450.

USD/Asia has risen sharply today after a mixed performance by Asian currencies on Friday night. USD/CNH rose 0.50% on Friday to 6.7350, climbing 0.30% to 7.6550 today, with onshore USD/CNY has risen by 0.30% today to 7.7370. USD/KRW rallied sharply by 1.23% to 1279.30 on Friday, gaining another 0.60% to 1286.70 this morning. The rest of USD/Asia is higher by between 0.15% to 0.30% this morning and it seems probable that regional central banks are doing a bit of smoothing today. Lower oil prices are modestly supportive, as was a neutral USD/CNY fixing today. However, USD/KRW looks on track to retest 1292.00 and USD/MYR, which gained no benefit from a weaker US Dollar last week, could potentially reach 4.4500 this week. Higher Fed-rate-hike expectations will keep the pressure on Asian currencies this week and renewed lockdowns in China will make the situation darker still.

Recession fears push oil lower.

Oil prices edged lower on Friday as US inflation eroded hopes of a Fed-derived soft landing. The falls were modest though, highlighting that despite economic slowdown nerves, the supply/demand situation remains as stagflationary tight as ever. Brent crude finished 0.83% lower at $121.85 a barrel, and WTI fell just 1.0% to 121.25 a barrel.

In Asia, oil has fallen again, this time after mass testing in Beijing and Shanghai over the weekend raised fears that lockdowns would return, diminishing local demand. Brent crude and WTI have eased by 1.30% to $120.25 and $118.90 a barrel respectively, near Friday’s intraday lows.

Unless US markets move to price in a full-blown recession, and China does actually hit the lockdown button again, it is unlikely that we see an extended sell-off by oil prices. With OPEC+ compliance approaching 200% and the continuing squeeze on refined products such as diesel around the globe, the supply/demand dynamics remain supportive of prices.

In the near term, Brent crude has support at $119.50 and $118.50, with resistance at 122.00 and $124.40 a barrel. Brent crude has traced out four recent daily highs just above $124.00 suggesting further gains will be challenging, even if the downside is limited. WTI has support at $118.00 ad $117.00 a barrel, with resistance at $120.25 and $123.00 a barrel.

Gold rises on haven buying

Gold had an interesting session on Friday, shrugging off higher US yields and a powerful US Dollar rally to record a 1.28% gain to $1871.60 an ounce. Haven buying as equities and cryptos melted down lifted gold as investors parked cash in the yellow metal to hedge weekend risk.

With the new week starting, there unfortunately for gold bugs, seems to be a business as usual air around gold’s price action today. Gold has fallen by 0.46% in Asia to $1863.10 an ounce, as the US Dollar rally continues. Unfortunately, gold does have a habit of teasing gold investors, only to dash hopes with whipsaw corrections lower. I would really like to see another session or two of gold defying a stronger US Dollar before erring to the bullish side after a month of range trading.

With that in mind, I do not discount a continued correction lower and in the bigger picture, gold remains stuck in a $1830.00 to $1880.00 range with its 100-day moving average just above $1890.00 an ounce. Realistically, the technical picture requires a close or two above $1900.00 an ounce to suggest that gold is on the move once again.

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Samed Olukoya

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Businessinsider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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Crude Oil

Oil Prices Climb on Renewed Middle East Concerns and Saudi Supply Signals

Published

11 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Samed Olukoya

As global markets continue to navigate through geopolitical uncertainties, oil prices rose on Monday on renewed concerns in the Middle East and signals from Saudi Arabia regarding its crude supply.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigeria’s oil is priced, surged by 51 cents to $83.47 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose by 53 cents to $78.64 a barrel.

The recent escalation in tensions between Israel and Hamas has amplified fears of a widening conflict in the key oil-producing region, prompting investors to closely monitor developments.

Talks for a ceasefire in Gaza have been underway, but prospects for a deal appeared slim as Hamas reiterated its demand for an end to the war in exchange for the release of hostages, a demand rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The uncertainty surrounding the conflict was further exacerbated on Monday when Israel’s military called on Palestinian civilians to evacuate Rafah as part of a ‘limited scope’ operation, sparking concerns of a potential ground assault.

Analysts warned that such developments risk derailing ceasefire negotiations and reigniting geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Adding to the bullish sentiment, Saudi Arabia announced an increase in the official selling prices (OSPs) for its crude sold to Asia, Northwest Europe, and the Mediterranean in June.

This move signaled the kingdom’s anticipation of strong demand during the summer months and contributed to the upward pressure on oil prices.

The uptick in prices comes after both Brent and WTI crude futures posted their steepest weekly losses in three months last week, reflecting concerns over weak U.S. jobs data and the timing of a potential Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

However, with most of the long positions in oil cleared last week, analysts suggest that the risks are skewed towards a rebound in prices in the early part of this week, particularly for WTI prices towards the $80 mark.

Meanwhile, in China, the world’s largest crude importer, services activity remained in expansionary territory for the 16th consecutive month, signaling a sustained economic recovery.

Also, U.S. energy companies reduced the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating for the second consecutive week, indicating a potential tightening of supply in the near term.

As global markets continue to navigate through geopolitical uncertainties and supply dynamics, investors remain vigilant, closely monitoring developments in the Middle East and their impact on oil prices.

Crude Oil

Oil Prices Drop Sharply, Marking Steepest Weekly Decline in Three Months

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Samed Olukoya

Amidst concerns over weak U.S. jobs data and the potential timing of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut, oil prices record its sharpest weekly decline in three months.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigerian oil is priced, settled 71 cents lower to close at $82.96 a barrel.

Similarly, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil fell 84 cents, or 1.06% to end the week at $78.11 a barrel.

The primary driver behind this decline was investor apprehension regarding the impact of sustained borrowing costs on the U.S. economy, the world’s foremost oil consumer. These concerns were amplified after the Federal Reserve opted to maintain interest rates at their current levels this week.

Throughout the week, Brent experienced a decline of over 7%, while WTI dropped by 6.8%.

The slowdown in U.S. job growth, revealed in April’s data, coupled with a cooling annual wage gain, intensified expectations among traders for a potential interest rate cut by the U.S. central bank.

Tim Snyder, an economist at Matador Economics, noted that while the economy is experiencing a slight deceleration, the data presents a pathway for the Fed to enact at least one rate cut this year.

The Fed’s decision to keep rates unchanged this week, despite acknowledging elevated inflation levels, has prompted a reassessment of the anticipated timing for potential rate cuts, according to Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS.

Higher interest rates typically exert downward pressure on economic activity and can dampen oil demand.

Also, U.S. energy companies reduced the number of oil and natural gas rigs for the second consecutive week, reaching the lowest count since January 2022, as reported by Baker Hughes.

The oil and gas rig count fell by eight to 605, with the number of oil rigs dropping by seven to 499, the most significant weekly decline since November 2023.

Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict have somewhat eased as discussions for a temporary ceasefire progress with international mediators.

Looking ahead, the next meeting of OPEC+ oil producers is scheduled for June 1, where the group may consider extending voluntary oil output cuts beyond June if global oil demand fails to pick up.

In light of these developments, money managers reduced their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week leading up to April 30, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Crude Oil

Oil Prices Rebound After Three Days of Losses

Published

4 days ago

May 2, 2024

Samed Olukoya

After enduring a three-day decline, oil prices recovered on Thursday, offering a glimmer of hope to investors amid a volatile market landscape.

The rebound was fueled by a combination of factors ranging from geopolitical developments to supply concerns.

Brent crude oil, against which Nigeria oil is priced, surged by 79 cents, or 0.95% to $84.23 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 69 cents, or 0.87% to $79.69 per barrel.

This turnaround came on the heels of a significant downturn that had pushed prices to their lowest levels since mid-March.

The recent slump in oil prices was primarily attributed to a confluence of factors, including the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to maintain interest rates and concerns surrounding stubborn inflation, which could potentially dampen economic growth and limit oil demand.

Also, unexpected data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealing a substantial increase in U.S. crude inventories added further pressure on oil prices.

“The updated inventory statistics were probably the most salient price driver over the course of yesterday’s trading session,” said Tamas Varga, an analyst at PVM.

Crude inventories surged by 7.3 million barrels to 460.9 million barrels, significantly exceeding analysts’ expectations and casting a shadow over market sentiment.

However, the tide began to turn as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas gained traction, offering a glimmer of hope for stability in the volatile Middle East region.

The prospect of a ceasefire agreement, spearheaded by Egypt, injected optimism into the market, offsetting concerns surrounding geopolitical tensions.

“As the impact of the U.S. crude stock build and the Fed signaling higher-for-longer rates is close to being fully baked in, attention will turn towards the outcome of the Gaza talks,” noted Vandana Hari, founder of Vanda Insights.

The potential for a resolution in the Israel-Hamas conflict provided a ray of hope, contributing to the positive momentum in oil markets.

Despite the optimism surrounding ceasefire talks, tensions in the Middle East remain palpable, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating plans for a military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The precarious geopolitical climate continues to underpin volatility in oil markets, reminding investors of the inherent risks associated with the commodity.

In addition to geopolitical developments, speculation regarding U.S. government buying for strategic reserves added further support to oil prices.

With the U.S. expressing intentions to replenish the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) at prices below $79 a barrel, market participants closely monitored price movements, anticipating potential intervention to stabilize prices.

“The oil market was supported by speculation that if WTI falls below $79, the U.S. will move to build up its strategic reserves,” highlighted Hiroyuki Kikukawa, president of NS Trading, owned by Nissan Securities.

As oil markets navigate a complex web of geopolitical uncertainties and supply dynamics, the recent rebound underscores the resilience of the commodity in the face of adversity.

While challenges persist, the renewed optimism offers a ray of hope for stability and growth in the oil sector, providing investors with a semblance of confidence amidst a volatile landscape.