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Showing posts with label recent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recent. Show all posts

Friday, June 29, 2012

Or to Hold recent range despite USD Dump on the EU summit agreement

Fundamental forecasts for gold: neutral
Gold is higher at the end of the trade this week with the metal precious progress of 1.79% at the end of the month to the mark $ 1600. A massive rally in broader risk Friday fueled a rally of 3.06% gold after the EU leaders agreed to the band of emergency loans granted to Spanish banks of their seniority status which guarantees up to 100 billion € creditors default, a clear disadvantage to private bondholders. The move was able to put pressure on the Spanish yields that have reached their highest level since the month of November 2011 this month with the fall of 6.8% to 6.3%, 10 years Friday. While the announcement made few adr3ess the structural problems of the region, it mitigates the Spanish financing concerns in the short term with a substantial rebound in appetite for risk weighing on the greenback in favour of
The future of next week, traders will be be closely considering the RBA, BoE interest rate decisions and the ECB with data from key non-agricultural employment of Friday to steal the spotlight. While the Australia and the United Kingdom will leave rates unchanged at 3.5% and 0.50% respectively, focuses on the ECB with the differences in the expectations of the market and Economist considers likely to fuel added volatility in the markets. Night credit Switzerland swaps suggest that market participants are factoring in 37% chance of a rate cut on Thursday, then that 45 of the 57 Economist surveyed by Bloomberg called for lowering the cost of borrowing from the Central Bank. As such, blow of golden eye respond accordingly with more likely facilitate to maintain prices well supported investors look to hedge against the depreciation of the currency and inflation. Data on employment Friday may have the greatest impact on the price of gold next week with a consensus of estimates of the appellant for the addition of any K 90 jobs for the month of June, a slight improvement of the 69 K jobs created in May. In light of the recent decision by the Fed of scope operation key rather than to start a new series of large-scale asset purchases, a lower than expected printing is likely to feed speculation for plu Fed ease, there still no doubt to support the price of gold in the short term.
From a technical point of view, but is still within a descendant of canal dating from the formation to the heights of February with the closing price just below the confluence of the moving average 50 days and the tracing of 61.8% taken form June 15 drops to $1601. Over this breach exposes targets resistance subsequent superstructure depressions April $1612 and the confluence of the 100-day moving average and the top of June approximately $1641. Note that daily that RSI continued to hold above the mark of 40 with a violation over 60 changing of our Centre for higher interest. At first view, it is important to keep in mind that gold has been largely linked to the price holding between extension 38.2% Fibonacci from February to June to $1540 ridges and the highs from June to $1640. Although our prospects long term on the precious metals remains weighted to the downside, fundamental factors and the weakness of the greenback could see well supported in the short term with our prejudices on gold remaining neutral pending out of this price range. -MO

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

TradeTheNews.com European Market Update: Euro encounters profit-taking following recent rally


 TradeTheNews.com European Market Update: Euro encounters profit-taking following recent rally

***Economic Data***
- (GR) Greece Nov Current Account: -€2.5B v -€1.5B prior
- (RU) Russia Narrow Money Supply Narrow w/e Jan 16th(RUB): T v 7.15T prior
- (EU) ECB: €3.0B borrowed in overnight loan facility v €3.3B prior; €420.9B parked in deposit facility vs. €395.3B prior
- (DE) Germany Dec Producer Prices M/M: -0.4% v +0.1%e; Y/Y: 4.0% v 4.6%e
- (JP) Japan Dec Convenience Store Sales Y/Y: 4.1% v 7.5% prior
- (TH) Thailand Dec Customs Trade Balance: -$2.1B v -$1.4Be; Exports Y/Y: -2.0% v -10.0%e; Imports Y/Y: 19.1% v 5.3%e
- (HU) Hungary Nov Avg Gross Wages Y/Y: 6.0% v 5.4%e
- (TW) Taiwan Dec Industrial Production Y/Y: -8.2% v -6.6%e; Commercial Sales Y/Y: -0.5% v -0.8%e
- (TW) Taiwan Dec Export Orders Y/Y: -0.7% v -0.5%e (First decline in 2 years)
- (HK) Hong Kong Dec CPI Composite Y/Y: 5.7% v 5.6%e
- (NL) Netherlands Nov Consumer Spending Y/Y: -1.2 v -1.7% prior
- (IT) Italy Nov Industrial Orders M/M: +0.1% v -1.6% prior; Y/Y: -0.7% v -4.8% prior
- (IT) Italy Nov Industrial Sales M/M: 0.0% v 0.1% prior; Y/Y: 0.2% v 1.1% prior
- (UK) Dec Retail Sales Ex Auto Fuel M/M: 0.6% v 0.7%e; Y/Y: 1.7% v 1.7%e
- (UK) Dec Retail Sales (with Auto Fuel) M/M:0.6 % v 0.6%e; Y/Y: 2.6% v 2.4%e
- (ES) Spain Nov Trade Balance: -2.7B v -€3.5Be


Fixed Income
- (ZA) South Africa sold total ZAR800M in I/L 2022, 2028 and 2033 Bonds


*** SPEAKERS/FIXED INCOME/FX/COMMODITIES/ERRATUM ***
***Notes/Observations***
- Greece pushes to reach agreement in Private Sector Involvement (PSI)with Monday seen as the pivotal day
- Today is the dealine for European bank to submit capital raising plans to EBA
- Jan China manufacturing PMI 48.8 vs 48.7 in Dec (third straight month of contraction)
- Taiwan Export order decline for the first time in 2 years
- China begins week long lunar new year holiday


Equities:
FTSE 100 +0.10% at 5747, DAX -0.30% at 6396, IBEX 35 -0.40% at 8572, FTSE MIB -0.30% at 15,617, SMI -0.40% at 6170


- European shares dipped during the session, presumably on profit taking, after a week of solid gains which culminated in a 5-month high on Thursday. US initial jobless claims fell to a 4-year low while in Europe, Greece is continuing its talks with private investors. Peripheral bond auctions were also successful despite recent sovereign downgrades.
- In individual names, Vodafone [VOD.UK] rose up to 1.8% after Indian Supreme court ruled it had no jurisdiction to tax Vodafone's 2007 acquisition of Hutchison Essar on its territory. Furthermore, it directed the government to return the money with a 4% interest and pay back Vodafone's deposit of INR25B. The tax liability could have been approx. €1.9B. On the other hand, Thyssenkrupp [TKA.GE] issued a profit warning even after refuting speculations that the company would do so during the week. Germany's largest steel maker expects its steel business earnings to be down y/y.


Speakers:
- BoE's Broadbent stated that he did not pre-commit to QE decisions and votes each month on stock of asset purchases. Gilt purchases speed not relevant to his QE decision. He noted that the downside risks had lessen slightly in past 6 months due to actions by central banks and had not seen what was most feared about the EU. He saw household income and growth to improve in H2 and the degree of fiscal tightening to ease. BoE to maintain GDP forecast of flat growth for both Q4, Q1 quarters as near term output looked slightly weaker but Q1 seemed marginally stronger.
- German Fin Min Schaeuble commented in the German press that the economic recovery would be a 'long road' ahead. He stressed that Italy needed to lower its debt as it has been avoiding this since the 1990s. He reiterated the German govt view that Europe could not solve its crisis in 'one go'
- German Coalition MP reiterated the view that Germany should not bring forward ESM payments without participating countries
- BOE Trends in Lending Report noted that bank Long term funding markets were challenging in Q4 and higher funding costs fed into corporate loan pricing. Write-offs were stable in Q4 and arrears were seen stable but might pick up in late 2012
- Spain to maintain its 2012 budget deficit target of 4.4% to GDP (refutes earlier press reports that Budget Minister Montoro stated that the country might miss its 2012 deficit target.
- Portugal PM Coelho commented that it must continue with bailout plan despite market uncertainty
- Poland Central Bank's Chonja-Duch commented that Polish 2011 GDP was seen at 4% or higher and that the recent December output was positive. She noted that the Polish Central Bank should keep interest rates steady through March. The Zloty currency was still in an appreciation trend with EUR/PLN at 4.0 seen reflecting fundamentals (currently at 4.30)
- Austria Debt Agency (AFFA) stated that it would skip the planned auction on Feb 7th due to recent syndicated debt sale of 10-year and 50-year bonds
- France President Sarkozy commented that the Euro Zone still faced danger and stressed that swift action was needed from Greece to stem crisis. All must be done to avoid military conflict in Iran and all must stop buying Iranian oil (appeals to both China and Russia)


Currencies:
- The USD gained over the course of the European morning with some concerns over the looming EBA capital raising plan deadline. Cautious comments from German Finance Minister Schaeuble also weighed against the recent euphoria of the European debt auctions.
- The EUR/USD approached the 1.30 handle in late Asian trading before succumbing to selling pressures with Middle Eastern names cited. EUR/JPY cross was above the 100 level in late Asian and was around the 99.60 as the NY morning approached
- The GBP currency was mixed in the session. There were no surprises in the Retail sales data but the back month was revised lower. The GBP/USD was at 1.5460 ahead of the NY morning, softer by 20 pips from the Tokyo open


Political/ In the Papers:
- Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard looked at the recent rise in Portugal's bond yields and credit default swaps (CDS) and attributed some of the rise in yields to forced selling after S&P cut the country's rating to junk. Also, cited concerns that Portugal's fiscal cuts could negatively impact the country's growth, like in Greece.
- Citigroup Europe economist Jurgen Michels, expected Portugal's economy to contract by 5.8% in 2012, which is more pessimistic than the government's forecast. Portugal might not be able to significantly lower its debt levels, unless it implemented a "sizeable" haircut; Expected a haircut of 35% at the end of 2012 or in 2013.
- European officials have ruled out forced haircuts for Portuguese bondholders. Portugal's public debt was about 113% of GDP, while its total debt (including private sector debt) was 360% of GDP. Suggested the high levels of private sector debt in Portugal could make the banking system vulnerable to deleveraging


***Looking Ahead***
- (GR) EU/IMF/ECB Troika chiefs to arrive in Athens
- (MX) G20 Vice Finance Ministers meet in Mexico City
- 7:00 (CA) Canada Dec Consumer Price Index M/M: -0.2%e v +0.1% prior; Y/Y: 2.7%e v 2.9% prior; CPI Index: No est v 120.9 prior
- 7:00 (CA) Canada Dec CPI Core M/M: -0.2%e v +0.1% prior; Y/Y: 2.2%e v 2.1% prior
- 8:00 (PL) Bank of Portugal releases monthly Economic Indicators Report
- 8:00 (PL) Poland Dec Core Inflation M/M: 0.2%e v 0.3% prior; Y/Y: 3.0%e v 3.0% prior
- 8:30 (CA) Canada Nov Wholesale Sales M/M: 0.5%e v 0.9% prior
- 10:00 (US) Dec Existing Home Sales: 4.65Me v 4.42m prior
- 10:00 (MX) Mexico Central Bank Interest Rate Decision: Expected to leave the Overnight Rate unchanged at 4.50%
- 14:00 (AR) Argentina Nov Economic Activity Index M/M: No est v 0.3% prior; Y/Y: 7.5%e v 8.1% prior
- 16:00 (CO) Colombia Nov Trade Balance: $60Me v $103.2M prior
- 18:00 (IT) Italy PM Monti visits Tripoli, Libya


Saturday
- (US) Republican South Carolina Primary

Sunday
- (FI) Finland holds first round of Presidential Elections
- (DE) German Chancellor Merkel to meet IMF Lagarde

Legal disclaimer and risk disclosure

All information provided by Trade The News (a product of Trade The News, Inc. "referred to as TTN hereafter") is for informational purposes only. Information provided is not meant as investment advice nor is it a recommendation to Buy or Sell securities. Although information is taken from sources deemed reliable, no guarantees or assurances can be made to the accuracy of any information provided. 1. Information can be inaccurate and/or incomplete 2. Information can be mistakenly re-released or be delayed, 3. Information may be incorrect, misread, misinterpreted or misunderstood 4. Human error is a business risk you are willing to assume 5. Technology can crash or be interrupted without notice 6. Trading decisions are the responsibility of traders, not those providing additional information. Trade The News is not liable (financial and/or non-financial) for any losses that may arise from any information provided by TTN. Trading securities involves a high degree of risk, and financial losses can and do occur on a regular basis and are part of the risk of trading and investing.

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

FOREX NEWS - Yen bounces from recent lows, euro firmer

* USD/JPY dips on month-end exporter selling * Euro rises on hopes of a Greek debt breakthrough * Aussie, NZD near 3-month peaks, await US GDP data By Anirban Nag LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The yen was on track topost its biggest daily gain in a month against the dollar onFriday, recouping most losses made earlier this week as hedgefunds bought the currency, while the euro edged up on hopes of abreakthrough in Greek debt talks. Athens is locked in talks with its private creditors torestructure its debt and needs a deal quickly to avert an unrulydefault when a major bond redemption comes due in March. TheEuropean Union's top economic official Olli Rehn said a deal waslikely at the weekend, giving a leg up to the euro. Greece's creditors are demanding the European Central Bankcontribute to a deal to put the country's finances back ontrack. Despite the euro's bounce, most investors are cautiousabout adding euros to their portfolios in a big way on worriesPortugal may follow Greece and seek another bailout. Yields on Portuguese government bonds set fresh euro-erahighs on Friday, extending their recent rise. That kept the euro off five-week lows struck against thedollar on Thursday. It was last trading 0.3 percent higher onthe day at $1.3135, having tripped stops above $1.3120.On the downside, traders cited bids at $1.3070 and $1.3050. "Investors seem to have grown used to Greek debt swap talksdragging on," said Ankita Dudani, G10 currency strategist atRBS. "What the real risk for the euro is contagion from adisorderly Greek default and whether Portugal needs anotherbailout." The euro underperformed against the yen, with the commoncurrency down 0.3 percent at 101.15 yen as theJapanese currency recovered broadly from lows struck this week. The dollar fell to 76.895 yen on EBS and came closeto support at a trendline off its Oct. 31 low at 76.70 yen.Traders said Japanese corporates sold the dollar which had beendrifting lower after hitting a two-month high this week. This prompted hedge funds to follow suit, pushing thegreenback through support at its 100-day moving average of 77.20yen. The dollar was last trading at 77.05 yen, down 0.5percent on the day. The dollar hit a two-month high of 78.29 yen on Wednesdayafter Japan reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980,but the rally stalled right below resistance at its 200-daymoving average. Dudani of RBS said with interest rate differentials movingin favour of the yen after the Federal Reserve's pledge to keeprates low for longer than previously suggested, the dollar waslikely to stay subdued against the Japanese currency. Deutsche Bank strategists said they did not see the recentlosses in the yen as a trend reversal and expected dollar/yenand euro/yen to reach news lows during the course of the year. CARRY TRADES However, analysts said the dollar was unlikely to stay underpressure against the euro after some of the extreme bearishpositions against the common currency had been pared. Chris Turner, chief FX strategist at ING, said investorswere underestimating the risks of a domino effect from Greece. "Portugal could be a catalyst for a weaker euro inFebruary," he said. "The troika will be reviewing Portugal'sadherence to its bailout package, while bond investors arealready pricing a restructuring of Portuguese debt." He added the euro looks a sell at $1.3130/50 levels for abreak of channel support at $1.3020. Still, the Fed's decision encouraged the use of the dollarin carry trades and sparked big gains for commodities like goldand copper. The greenback has been on the back foot since the U.S. Fedpledged on Wednesday to keep rates near zero for the next threeyears. The dollar index was down 0.23 percent at 79.16,not far from a six-week low of 79.067. That pledge to keep rates ultra low and expectations thatthe European Central Bank will inject large amounts of fundsnext month also supported commodity currencies, with theAustralian and New Zealand dollars hovering near three-monthhighs. The kiwi has been a clear outperformer this monthwith a gain of 5.8 percent, while the Aussie has addedmore than 4 percent. Growth-linked currencies could get a boost from U.S. GDPnumbers for the fourth quarter. Forecasts are for an expansionof 3 percent from a year earlier which would be a sharpacceleration from 1.8 percent growth in the prior three monthsand the quickest pace since the second quarter of 2010.





Saturday, January 28, 2012

TradeTheNews.com European Market Update: Euro encounters profit-taking following recent rally

Back to The Headlines
Share This Story: Friday, January 20, 2012 5:47:16 AM TradeTheNews.com European Market Update: Euro encounters profit-taking following recent rally***Economic Data***
- (GR) Greece Nov Current Account: -€2.5B v -€1.5B prior
- (RU) Russia Narrow Money Supply Narrow w/e Jan 16th(RUB): T v 7.15T prior
- (EU) ECB: €3.0B borrowed in overnight loan facility v €3.3B prior; €420.9B parked in deposit facility vs. €395.3B prior
- (DE) Germany Dec Producer Prices M/M: -0.4% v +0.1%e; Y/Y: 4.0% v 4.6%e
- (JP) Japan Dec Convenience Store Sales Y/Y: 4.1% v 7.5% prior
- (TH) Thailand Dec Customs Trade Balance: -$2.1B v -$1.4Be; Exports Y/Y: -2.0% v -10.0%e; Imports Y/Y: 19.1% v 5.3%e
- (HU) Hungary Nov Avg Gross Wages Y/Y: 6.0% v 5.4%e
- (TW) Taiwan Dec Industrial Production Y/Y: -8.2% v -6.6%e; Commercial Sales Y/Y: -0.5% v -0.8%e
- (TW) Taiwan Dec Export Orders Y/Y: -0.7% v -0.5%e (First decline in 2 years)
- (HK) Hong Kong Dec CPI Composite Y/Y: 5.7% v 5.6%e
- (NL) Netherlands Nov Consumer Spending Y/Y: -1.2 v -1.7% prior
- (IT) Italy Nov Industrial Orders M/M: +0.1% v -1.6% prior; Y/Y: -0.7% v -4.8% prior
- (IT) Italy Nov Industrial Sales M/M: 0.0% v 0.1% prior; Y/Y: 0.2% v 1.1% prior
- (UK) Dec Retail Sales Ex Auto Fuel M/M: 0.6% v 0.7%e; Y/Y: 1.7% v 1.7%e
- (UK) Dec Retail Sales (with Auto Fuel) M/M:0.6 % v 0.6%e; Y/Y: 2.6% v 2.4%e
- (ES) Spain Nov Trade Balance: -2.7B v -€3.5Be
Fixed Income
- (ZA) South Africa sold total ZAR800M in I/L 2022, 2028 and 2033 Bonds
*** SPEAKERS/FIXED INCOME/FX/COMMODITIES/ERRATUM ***
***Notes/Observations***
- Greece pushes to reach agreement in Private Sector Involvement (PSI)with Monday seen as the pivotal day
- Today is the dealine for European bank to submit capital raising plans to EBA
- Jan China manufacturing PMI 48.8 vs 48.7 in Dec (third straight month of contraction)
- Taiwan Export order decline for the first time in 2 years
- China begins week long lunar new year holiday
Equities:
FTSE 100 +0.10% at 5747, DAX -0.30% at 6396, IBEX 35 -0.40% at 8572, FTSE MIB -0.30% at 15,617, SMI -0.40% at 6170
- European shares dipped during the session, presumably on profit taking, after a week of solid gains which culminated in a 5-month high on Thursday. US initial jobless claims fell to a 4-year low while in Europe, Greece is continuing its talks with private investors. Peripheral bond auctions were also successful despite recent sovereign downgrades.
- In individual names, Vodafone [VOD.UK] rose up to 1.8% after Indian Supreme court ruled it had no jurisdiction to tax Vodafone's 2007 acquisition of Hutchison Essar on its territory. Furthermore, it directed the government to return the money with a 4% interest and pay back Vodafone's deposit of INR25B. The tax liability could have been approx. €1.9B. On the other hand, Thyssenkrupp [TKA.GE] issued a profit warning even after refuting speculations that the company would do so during the week. Germany's largest steel maker expects its steel business earnings to be down y/y.
Speakers:
- BoE's Broadbent stated that he did not pre-commit to QE decisions and votes each month on stock of asset purchases. Gilt purchases speed not relevant to his QE decision. He noted that the downside risks had lessen slightly in past 6 months due to actions by central banks and had not seen what was most feared about the EU. He saw household income and growth to improve in H2 and the degree of fiscal tightening to ease. BoE to maintain GDP forecast of flat growth for both Q4, Q1 quarters as near term output looked slightly weaker but Q1 seemed marginally stronger.
- German Fin Min Schaeuble commented in the German press that the economic recovery would be a 'long road' ahead. He stressed that Italy needed to lower its debt as it has been avoiding this since the 1990s. He reiterated the German govt view that Europe could not solve its crisis in 'one go'
- German Coalition MP reiterated the view that Germany should not bring forward ESM payments without participating countries
- BOE Trends in Lending Report noted that bank Long term funding markets were challenging in Q4 and higher funding costs fed into corporate loan pricing. Write-offs were stable in Q4 and arrears were seen stable but might pick up in late 2012
- Spain to maintain its 2012 budget deficit target of 4.4% to GDP (refutes earlier press reports that Budget Minister Montoro stated that the country might miss its 2012 deficit target.
- Portugal PM Coelho commented that it must continue with bailout plan despite market uncertainty
- Poland Central Bank's Chonja-Duch commented that Polish 2011 GDP was seen at 4% or higher and that the recent December output was positive. She noted that the Polish Central Bank should keep interest rates steady through March. The Zloty currency was still in an appreciation trend with EUR/PLN at 4.0 seen reflecting fundamentals (currently at 4.30)
- Austria Debt Agency (AFFA) stated that it would skip the planned auction on Feb 7th due to recent syndicated debt sale of 10-year and 50-year bonds
- France President Sarkozy commented that the Euro Zone still faced danger and stressed that swift action was needed from Greece to stem crisis. All must be done to avoid military conflict in Iran and all must stop buying Iranian oil (appeals to both China and Russia)
Currencies:
- The USD gained over the course of the European morning with some concerns over the looming EBA capital raising plan deadline. Cautious comments from German Finance Minister Schaeuble also weighed against the recent euphoria of the European debt auctions.
- The EUR/USD approached the 1.30 handle in late Asian trading before succumbing to selling pressures with Middle Eastern names cited. EUR/JPY cross was above the 100 level in late Asian and was around the 99.60 as the NY morning approached
- The GBP currency was mixed in the session. There were no surprises in the Retail sales data but the back month was revised lower. The GBP/USD was at 1.5460 ahead of the NY morning, softer by 20 pips from the Tokyo open
Political/ In the Papers:
- Telegraph's Ambrose Evans-Pritchard looked at the recent rise in Portugal's bond yields and credit default swaps (CDS) and attributed some of the rise in yields to forced selling after S&P cut the country's rating to junk. Also, cited concerns that Portugal's fiscal cuts could negatively impact the country's growth, like in Greece.
- Citigroup Europe economist Jurgen Michels, expected Portugal's economy to contract by 5.8% in 2012, which is more pessimistic than the government's forecast. Portugal might not be able to significantly lower its debt levels, unless it implemented a "sizeable" haircut; Expected a haircut of 35% at the end of 2012 or in 2013.
- European officials have ruled out forced haircuts for Portuguese bondholders. Portugal's public debt was about 113% of GDP, while its total debt (including private sector debt) was 360% of GDP. Suggested the high levels of private sector debt in Portugal could make the banking system vulnerable to deleveraging
***Looking Ahead***
- (GR) EU/IMF/ECB Troika chiefs to arrive in Athens
- (MX) G20 Vice Finance Ministers meet in Mexico City
- 7:00 (CA) Canada Dec Consumer Price Index M/M: -0.2%e v +0.1% prior; Y/Y: 2.7%e v 2.9% prior; CPI Index: No est v 120.9 prior
- 7:00 (CA) Canada Dec CPI Core M/M: -0.2%e v +0.1% prior; Y/Y: 2.2%e v 2.1% prior
- 8:00 (PL) Bank of Portugal releases monthly Economic Indicators Report
- 8:00 (PL) Poland Dec Core Inflation M/M: 0.2%e v 0.3% prior; Y/Y: 3.0%e v 3.0% prior
- 8:30 (CA) Canada Nov Wholesale Sales M/M: 0.5%e v 0.9% prior
- 10:00 (US) Dec Existing Home Sales: 4.65Me v 4.42m prior
- 10:00 (MX) Mexico Central Bank Interest Rate Decision: Expected to leave the Overnight Rate unchanged at 4.50%
- 14:00 (AR) Argentina Nov Economic Activity Index M/M: No est v 0.3% prior; Y/Y: 7.5%e v 8.1% prior
- 16:00 (CO) Colombia Nov Trade Balance: $60Me v $103.2M prior
- 18:00 (IT) Italy PM Monti visits Tripoli, Libya
Saturday
- (US) Republican South Carolina Primary
Sunday
- (FI) Finland holds first round of Presidential Elections
- (DE) German Chancellor Merkel to meet IMF Lagarde Legal disclaimer and risk disclosure All information provided by Trade The News (a product of Trade The News, Inc. "referred to as TTN hereafter") is for informational purposes only. Information provided is not meant as investment advice nor is it a recommendation to Buy or Sell securities. Although information is taken from sources deemed reliable, no guarantees or assurances can be made to the accuracy of any information provided. 1. Information can be inaccurate and/or incomplete 2. Information can be mistakenly re-released or be delayed, 3. Information may be incorrect, misread, misinterpreted or misunderstood 4. Human error is a business risk you are willing to assume 5. Technology can crash or be interrupted without notice 6. Trading decisions are the responsibility of traders, not those providing additional information. Trade The News is not liable (financial and/or non-financial) for any losses that may arise from any information provided by TTN. Trading securities involves a high degree of risk, and financial losses can and do occur on a regular basis and are part of the risk of trading and investing. 

TradeTheNews.com European Market Update: Spanish and French debt auctions show no kinks despite recent SP sovereign downgrades


Thursday, January 19, 2012 5:44:32 AM
 TradeTheNews.com European Market Update: Spanish and French debt auctions show no kinks despite recent S&P sovereign downgrades
***Economic Data***
- (EU) ECB: €3.3B borrowed in overnight loan facility v €2.3B prior; €395.3B parked in deposit facility vs. €528.2B prior (Note: New Maintenance period began)
- (IN) India Primary Articles WPI w/e Jan 7th Y/Y: 2.5% v 0.5% prior; Food Articles WPI Y/Y: -0.4 v -2.9% prior
- (PH) Philippines Dec Balance of Payments: -$114M v $364M prior
- (RU) Russia Gold & Forex Reserve w/e Jan 13th: $497.1B v $498.0B prior
- (PH) Philippines Central Bank (BSP) cuts the Overnight Borrowing Rate by 25bps to 4.25%; as expected
- (AT) Austria Nov Producer Price Index M/M: +0.2% v -0.1% prior; Y/Y: 3.3% v 3.4% prior
- (NL) Netherlands Jan Consumer Confidence: -37 -34e
- (NL) Netherlands Dec Unemployment Rate: 5.8% v 5.9%e
- (HK) Hong Kong Dec Unemployment Rate: 3.3% v 3.4%e
- (EU) Euro Zone Nov Current Account nsa: €1.0B v +€2.6B prior; Current Account Seasonally Adj: - v -€1.8€7.5B prior
- (PL) Central/Eastern European Jan ZEW Indicator: -26.6 v -41.4 prior

Fixed Income
- (ES) Spain Debt Agency (Tesoro) sold €6.61B vs. €3.5-4.5B indicated range in2016, 2019 and 2022 Bonds
- Sold €1.3B in 4.25% Oct 2016 Bono; Avg Yield % v 5.276% prior; Bid-to-cover: 3.2x v 2.83; Max Yield 4.050% v 5.280% prior
- Sold €2.3B in 4.60% July 2019 Bono; Avg Yield % v 5.110% prior; Bid-to-cover: 2.0x v 2.09x prior; Max Yield 4.643% v 5.147% prior
- Sold €3.0B in 5.85% Jan 2022 Bono; Avg Yield % v 6.975% prior; Bid-to-cover: 2.2x v 1.54x prior; Max Yield 5.466%
- (FR) France Debt Agency (AFT) sold total €7.97B vs. €6.5-8.0B indicated range in 2014, 2015 and 2016 BTANs
- Sold €2.961B in 3.0% 2014 BTAN; Avg Yield 1.05% v 1.58% prior; Bid-to-cover: 2.10x v 2.98x prior
- Sold €1.575B in 2.0% 2015 BTAN; Avg Yield 1.51% v 2.44% prior; Bid-to-cover: 3.40x v 2.40x prior
- Solds €3.429 in 2.5% 2016 BTAN; Avg Yield 1.89% v 2.82% prior; Bid-to-cover: 2.10x v 1.68x prior
- (UK) DMO sold £4.0B in 4% Jan 2016 Gilts; Avg Yield 0.893% v 1.789% prior; Bid-to-cover: 2.02x v 1.48x prior; Tail:0.2 bps v 0.5bps prior
- (HU) Hungary Debt Agency (AKK) sold HUF45B vs. HUF45B targeted in 12-Month Bills; Avg Yield 8.19% v 9.96% prior
*** SPEAKERS/FIXED INCOME/FX/COMMODITIES/ERRATUM ***
***Notes/Observations***
- Australia Job data worse than expected
- Greek PSI discussions continue
- S&P registers its first close above 1300 since summer 2011
- First bond auctions in France and Spain since the ratings cuts go reasonable well
Equities:
FTSE 100 +0.10% at 5708, DAX +0.10% at 6358, CAC-40 +0.70% at 3288, IBEX-35 +0.50% at 8463, FTSE MIB +0.60% at 15,367, SMI +0.30% at 6133
- European shares climbed higher following recent news that Greece was working with its lenders and that IMF would increase its lending resources by $500B. The initial euphoria at the news has subsided given the reluctance of some countries, namely US and Canada, to the potential increase. On a positive note, Spanish auction were well received as Spain sold considerably higher than the planned range.
- In corporate news, Carrefour [CA.FR] dropped about 1.8% after missing estimates and expecting a lower operating profit. French manufacturer Alstom [ALO.FR] also declined after reporting a 9% drop in its Q3 revenues which missed estimates. Company blamed the weak economic conditions in developed countries. Commerzbank [CBK.DE] rose after announcing that it had fulfilled 57% of the EBA requirements and strengthened Tier 1 capital ratios from its own resources.
Speakers:
- ECB's Asmussen reiterated that the central bank's extraordinary measure were strictly temporary and that the govt bond purchase program could not last forever. He did note that the ECB had many unconventional tools such as liquidity measures. He supported strengthening and early introduction of ESM facility and that it had many advantages over the EFSF. The ESM required high, stable firewalls and that all members should contribute more capital to ESM.
- ECB published its Jan Monthly Report echoes Draghi's post rate decision commentary. The report reiterated that CPI to stay above 2% in the short term and move back towards target in medium term. The report also reiterated that downside risks to economic outlook were substantial and that ongoing financial market tensions to dampen economic activity. It did noted that it saw tentative signs of stabilization
- Bundesbank Official Dombret commented that global imbalances played an important role in financial stability. European members faced a moral hazard in buying stressed sovereign debt and that non-European investors should purchases peripheral bonds to diversify their portfolios. Global Investors should help to solve the debt crisis in Europe and purchase more sovereign debt on long-term sustainability. Monetary policy tools were not primarily financial stability tools
- Slovakia Fin Min Miklos commented that the combined EFSF and ESM capacity should not exceed €500M and that the EFSF lending capacity should be sufficient for ongoing programs despite the recent S&P downgrade
- Greece Finance Minister Venizelos confirmed that the final phase of Troika talks was related to new aid will begin and that new EU-led aid deal would come with new terms. He reiterated that the PSI debt swap talks were at a "critical" stage
- Germany BDI Federation commented in its economic outlook that it saw 2012 Germany exports rising 3% y/y and that overall 2012 GDP growth of 1.0% was possible (compares to official German Govt view of 0.75% growth)
- S&P commented that the Euro zone could see a mild recession in the first half of 2012 with roughly a 40% chance of deeper EU recession materializing
- Norway Central Bank (Norges) Q4 Survey of Bank Lending stated that household lending rose in quarter but saw broadly unchanged household credit demand. Banks tightened household credit standards in Q4 with tighter standards also seen in Q1
- Spain's government might halt transfers to regions which miss spending target
- Japan had not made any commitment regarding contribution to IMF new round of fund raising but would consider support for Europe's effort to stabilize markets including bilateral loans to IMF
- Fitch analyst reiterated its view that it expected that six euro zone members currently on review to end with downgrade of 1-2 notches in most states
- Fitch commented on Spain and noted that the Gov't liquidity plans for the autonomous regions was interesting
- Fitch commented that an disorderly Greek default was not likely
- Czech Central Bank Gov Singer commented that interest rates might remain unchanged during 2012
- Philippine Central Bank commented after its interest rate decision that its 2012 and 2013 inflation target seen falling within lower half of the 3-5% range. It did see upside risk to inflation from strong capital flows and geo-political issues with the main risk being oil prices. The local economy would likely to face external headwinds in 2012
- Iran foreign minister Salehi commented that no one needed to be concerned about the Hormuz Strait but the region was of importance to Iran and warned other Gulf nations not be to dragged into conflict. He noted that the US was double-dealing with Iran as it was flexing muscles but secretly asking for discussions. President Obama must follow up letter with goodwill
Currencies:
- The Euro continued to grind higher against the major pairs against a more supportive background. The recent disclosure that the IMF sought to raise its lending resources and not complications from the Spanish and French bond auctions helped the EUR/USD to probe above the 1.29 handle for fresh 2-week highs. The technical picture was also more constructive for the Euro. The EUR/USD was above the prior 3-month channel resistance line while EUR/JPY cross appeared to have some potential of a weekly reversal after testing 11-year lows earlier this month at 97.00. The cross probed the 99 handle during the session.
- The EUR/CHF cross seemed bent on testing the SNB's resolve on holding the 1.2000 floor that has been enacted since early September. The cross was at 1.2070 for the bulk of the session.
Political/ In the Papers:
- In an international study released by consultancy McKinsey, UK had the highest level of debt following Japan. UK debt increased over the past three years to more than 5x its economic output. At current trends, it would take until 2020 for households to return debt levels to the pre-bubble trend. The report compares major economies since 2008. The overall sentiment was positive for the US with household debt possibly reaching sustainable levels in roughly two years or slightly more compared to the UK where it will take many more years.
- The Telegraph's Evans-Pritchard looked at the warning signs related to China's economy. Unsold property inventories in China have hit multi-year highs with more than 800K cars sitting unsold in warehouses. According to former Chinese banking regulator Liu Mingbank, orders for new ships have declined sharply. China's property sector makes up about 13% of GDP, which is in line with levels seen in Spain at the peak of its property bubble. The extent of China's property bubble and the aggressive tightening measures by officials has raised concerns about whether policy makers can engineer a 'soft landing'.
- The FT reported that European banks, Commerzbank and Monte dei Paschi di Siena, are in danger as the Friday deadline approaches. Regulators in Europe were reported to be certain that both banks will not be able produce realistic plans to deal with capital deficits by deadline on Friday; this exposes both banks to the risk of full or partial nationalization. European official had said it is almost inevitable that further injection of funds by the state will be required. Plpease note that the recent EBA tests found that 31 out of the 70 banks tested needed to raise a total of €115B in new capital; European regulators gave banks until June, need to submit a plan by deadline of Friday.
***Looking Ahead***
- (ZA) South Africa Central Bank (SARB) Interest Rate Decision: Expected to maintain interest rates at 5.50%
- 6:00 (PL) Poland to sell up to PLN6.0B in Zero Coupon Bonds
- 6:00 (PT) Portugal Dec Producer Prices M/M: No est v 0.2% prior; Y/Y: No est v 5.2% prior
- 6:00 (IE) Ireland Dec CPI M/M: No est v 0.0% prior; Y/Y: 2.7%e v 2.9% prior
- 6:00 (IE) Ireland Dec CPI EU Harmonized M/M: -0.2%e v 0.0% prior; Y/Y: 1.3%e v 1.7% prior
- 7:00 (EU) ECB chief Draghi
- 8:00 (PL) Poland Dec Sold Industrial Output M/M: -6.3%e v +0.7% prior; Y/Y: 6.2%e v 8.7% prior
- 8:00 (PL) Poland Dec Producer Prices M/M: 0.6%e v 0.7% prior; Y/Y: 8.3%e v 8.9% pror
- 8:00 (RO) Romania to sell 5 Year Bond
- 8:30 (CA) Canada Nov Manufacturing Sales M/M: +0.8%e v -0.8% prior
- 8:30 (US) Dec Consumer Price Index M/M: 0.1%e v 0.0% prior; CPI Ex Food & Energy M/M: 0.1%e v 0.2%; CPI NSA: 225.782e v 226.23 prior
- 8:30 (US) Dec Housing Starts: 680Ke v 685K prior; Building Permits: 679Ke v 680K prior (revised from 681K)
- 8:30 (US) Initial Jobless Claims: 384Ke v 399K prior; Y/Y: 3.59Me v 3.628M prior
- 9:00 (BE) Belgium Jan Consumer Confidence: No est v -12 prior
- 9:00 (MX) Mexico Dec Unemployment Rate: 4.8%e v 5.0% prior
- 10:00 (US) Jan Philadelphia Fed: 10.3e v 10.3 prior
- 10:30 (US) Weekly EIA Natural Gas Inventories
- 11:00 (US) Weekly DOE Energy Inventories
- 11:00 (US) Treasury refunding announcement for 2-year, 5-year and 7-year notes
- 11:00 (US) Fed to buy Notes
- 13:00 (US) Treasury to sell $15.0B in10-Year TIPS
- 12:00 (DE) German Bundesbank President Weidmann
- 12:00 (EU) OECD
- 12:10 (CA) Canada former Dep Fin Min speaks in Ottawa
- 16:00 (CO) Colombia Nov Industrial Production Y/Y: 5.2e v 5.0% prior; Y/Y: 5.9%e v 6.1% prior
- (MX) G20 vice Finance Ministers meet in Mexico City (first of a 2-day meeting)
- (US) Republican Party holds Primary Debate in Charleston, South Carolina
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Friday, January 27, 2012

FOREX NEWS - Yen bounces from recent lows, euro firmer


Back to The Headlines
Share This Story: * USD/JPY dips on month-end exporter selling * Euro rises on hopes of a Greek debt breakthrough * Aussie, NZD near 3-month peaks, await US GDP data By Anirban Nag LONDON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The yen was on track topost its biggest daily gain in a month against the dollar onFriday, recouping most losses made earlier this week as hedgefunds bought the currency, while the euro edged up on hopes of abreakthrough in Greek debt talks. Athens is locked in talks with its private creditors torestructure its debt and needs a deal quickly to avert an unrulydefault when a major bond redemption comes due in March. TheEuropean Union's top economic official Olli Rehn said a deal waslikely at the weekend, giving a leg up to the euro. Greece's creditors are demanding the European Central Bankcontribute to a deal to put the country's finances back ontrack. Despite the euro's bounce, most investors are cautiousabout adding euros to their portfolios in a big way on worriesPortugal may follow Greece and seek another bailout. Yields on Portuguese government bonds set fresh euro-erahighs on Friday, extending their recent rise. That kept the euro off five-week lows struck against thedollar on Thursday. It was last trading 0.3 percent higher onthe day at $1.3135, having tripped stops above $1.3120.On the downside, traders cited bids at $1.3070 and $1.3050. "Investors seem to have grown used to Greek debt swap talksdragging on," said Ankita Dudani, G10 currency strategist atRBS. "What the real risk for the euro is contagion from adisorderly Greek default and whether Portugal needs anotherbailout." The euro underperformed against the yen, with the commoncurrency down 0.3 percent at 101.15 yen as theJapanese currency recovered broadly from lows struck this week. The dollar fell to 76.895 yen on EBS and came closeto support at a trendline off its Oct. 31 low at 76.70 yen.Traders said Japanese corporates sold the dollar which had beendrifting lower after hitting a two-month high this week. This prompted hedge funds to follow suit, pushing thegreenback through support at its 100-day moving average of 77.20yen. The dollar was last trading at 77.05 yen, down 0.5percent on the day. The dollar hit a two-month high of 78.29 yen on Wednesdayafter Japan reported its first annual trade deficit since 1980,but the rally stalled right below resistance at its 200-daymoving average. Dudani of RBS said with interest rate differentials movingin favour of the yen after the Federal Reserve's pledge to keeprates low for longer than previously suggested, the dollar waslikely to stay subdued against the Japanese currency. Deutsche Bank strategists said they did not see the recentlosses in the yen as a trend reversal and expected dollar/yenand euro/yen to reach news lows during the course of the year. CARRY TRADES However, analysts said the dollar was unlikely to stay underpressure against the euro after some of the extreme bearishpositions against the common currency had been pared. Chris Turner, chief FX strategist at ING, said investorswere underestimating the risks of a domino effect from Greece. "Portugal could be a catalyst for a weaker euro inFebruary," he said. "The troika will be reviewing Portugal'sadherence to its bailout package, while bond investors arealready pricing a restructuring of Portuguese debt." He added the euro looks a sell at $1.3130/50 levels for abreak of channel support at $1.3020. Still, the Fed's decision encouraged the use of the dollarin carry trades and sparked big gains for commodities like goldand copper. The greenback has been on the back foot since the U.S. Fedpledged on Wednesday to keep rates near zero for the next threeyears. The dollar index was down 0.23 percent at 79.16,not far from a six-week low of 79.067. That pledge to keep rates ultra low and expectations thatthe European Central Bank will inject large amounts of fundsnext month also supported commodity currencies, with theAustralian and New Zealand dollars hovering near three-monthhighs. The kiwi has been a clear outperformer this monthwith a gain of 5.8 percent, while the Aussie has addedmore than 4 percent. Growth-linked currencies could get a boost from U.S. GDPnumbers for the fourth quarter. Forecasts are for an expansionof 3 percent from a year earlier which would be a sharpacceleration from 1.8 percent growth in the prior three monthsand the quickest pace since the second quarter of 2010.