FX
The Dollar Bounces Back
Posted onUSD poised for a tactical rebound
- Smaller than expected damages from Hurricane Irma and a pause in North Korea’s missile test caused the US dollar to bounce back moderately on Monday.
- The focus now shifts to the release of the US’ August inflation reading on Thursday. After five consecutive months of disappointment, Citi analysts expect core inflation to rise 0.2% MoM. This is likely to be strong enough for the Fed to hike in December. Given low long term bond yields and the market’s current underpricing of Fed hikes, a stronger than expected reading will be positive for the dollar.
EUR & GBP: EUR dips likely to be shallow, Sterling vulnerable
- European Central Bank Board member Coeure’s overnight comments about EUR strength being a reflection of the euro zone economy’s resilience appear in line with the views from President Draghi and Council member Hansson. Citi analysts expect these comments to help limit corrections in the euro and see the currency outperforming non-USD crosses.
- Hedge fund and real money investors have been buying sterling with Citi analysts reporting weekly net inflows at their strongest since June. In fact, net inflows into the GBP over the last 10 days are the largest since 2011. In Citi’s view, this makes the GBP vulnerable ahead of the release of UK inflation, jobs and Bank of England meeting minutes this week.
Commodity Bloc: NZD looks cheap on crosses
- The AUDUSD eased to 0.8025 overnight ahead of Australia’s employment report on Thursday. Citi analysts expect Australia to create 10k jobs in August. While this would be a smaller gain than the previous five months, it still translates into a yearly acceleration in employment. Citi analysts do not expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise rates for the next 12 months.
- The upcoming New Zealand general election on September 23rd remains the focus for the NZD. Opinion polls continue to trend in favour of Labour and the outcome is likely to be a coalition between Labour and NZ First. This could change the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s mandate to include both employment and inflation, which may be dovish for the NZD. That said, with AUDNZD approaching 1.1100, such concerns appear to be largely priced in. Citi analysts see upside for the NZD against the AUD at current levels.
Asia EM: Risk of RMB intervention rising as China’s export growth slows
- The risks that the Chinese central bank may intervene in the currency market are rising as Chinese exports slow for two consecutive months. Friday’s announcement that the People’s Bank of China (PBoc) will remove a reserve requirement for trading currency forwards is a key development. Citi analysts estimate that the removal of the reserve requirement could significantly increase demand for USD. The PBoC may have already started the process of trying to curb the RMB’s gains.
This is an extract from the Daily Currency Update, dated 12th September. Please approach a Citigold Relationship Manager if you would like a copy.



