Founder

Olivier Desbarres

Exacting. Excellent. Exceeding. Exemplary.

4X Global Research

4X Global Research was founded in 2017 to provide institutional and corporate clients with the substantive research, high-quality analysis and thoughtful insight on Emerging and G20 economies and financial markets they need to make informed and timely decisions and gain an edge in their investments.

FX & Rates

<ul>
<li>Covid-19 cases in most Eurozone countries remain at or near record levels and in many the death rate has risen in past five weeks. </li>
<li>Governments have thus maintained strict social distancing and travel rules which are weighing on Eurozone’s economic growth and Euro.</li>
<li>But United Kingdom, which has announced a loosening of rules, could be template for how things unfold in Eurozone and cheap Euro may eventually rebound.</li>
</ul>


Covid-19 cases in most Eurozone countries remain at or near record levels and in many the death rate has risen in past five weeks. 
Governments have thus maintained strict social distancing and travel rules which are weighing on Eurozone’s economic growth and Euro.
But United Kingdom, which has announced a loosening of rules, could be template for how things unfold in Eurozone and cheap Euro may eventually rebound.


Light at the End of Long Eurozone Tunnel?

<ul>
<li>Last week's spike in US asset prices, including US Treasuries, in the wake of gangbuster US CPI-inflation data for October, has proved short-lived.  </li>
<li>However, EM currencies have outperformed developed currencies since 1st November thanks partly to EM central bank policy rate hikes, a lack of currency contagion and domestic macro data.</li>
<li>We focus on low-volatility Asian currencies, the under-pressure Norwegian Krone, Polish Zloty,  Hungarian Forint and Euro and the importance of the release of UK retail sales data on Friday.</li>
</ul>


Last week's spike in US asset prices, including US Treasuries, in the wake of gangbuster US CPI-inflation data for October, has proved short-lived.  
However, EM currencies have outperformed developed currencies since 1st November thanks partly to EM central bank policy rate hikes, a lack of currency contagion and domestic macro data.
We focus on low-volatility Asian currencies, the under-pressure Norwegian Krone, Polish Zloty,  Hungarian Forint and Euro and the importance of the release of UK retail sales data on Friday.


FX Round-Up – Calm Before the Next Storm

We turned bullish GBP/EUR in late-June and re-reiterated our constructive view in mid-July and early-August and the cross duly hit a 76-week high of about 1.182 on 11th August. In line with our expectations, historical monthly seasonal patterns were up-ended thanks in part to the positive impact of international travel restrictions on the UK’s tourism balance and the Bank of England turning more hawkish in absolute terms and relative to the ECB.However, since then Sterling has weakened about 1.1% against the Euro and 1.5% in NEER terms, despite the Bank of England turning even more hawkish, markets now pricing almost three 25bp rate hikes in 2022 and a sharp widening of the Gilt-Bund yield spread.The reason in our view is that Gilt yields have risen because of market expectations that UK CPI-inflation will rise from already elevated levels despite weak domestic economic growth, which renders UK financial assets (including Sterling) less attractive.UK GDP growth slowed in July despite the government having removed on 19th July all but a few social distancing restrictions in England and PMI data suggest GDP growth remained weak in August-September. Notably the deceleration in economic growth in recent months was likely more pronounced in the UK than in the Eurozone, albeit from higher levels. The UK economy faces a number of headwinds, namely i) acute labour shortages and supply-chain constraints and bottlenecks; and ii) multiple challenges to domestic demand.On the demand-front the issue is not weak household purchasing power or strained corporate balance sheets but rather tepid consumer and business confidence as a result of planned tax increases in April 2022, furlough having ended on 30th September, fuel-shortages, rising CPI-inflation and likelihood that Bank of England will hike rates next year. The risk is that the current shortage of fuel at forecourts will not be a one-off, in our view, because the ratio of vehicles to fuel forecourts has risen materially in the UK since 2000.In the current context we find it challenging to build a bullish short-term case for GBP/EUR.

We turned bullish GBP/EUR in late-June and re-reiterated our constructive view in mid-July and early-August and the cross duly hit a 76-week high of about 1.182 on 11th August. In line with our expectations, historical monthly seasonal patterns were up-ended thanks in part to the positive impact of international travel restrictions on the UK’s tourism balance and the Bank of England turning more hawkish in absolute terms and relative to the ECB.However, since then Sterling has weakened about 1.1% against the Euro and 1.5% in NEER terms, despite the Bank of England turning even more hawkish, markets now pricing almost three 25bp rate hikes in 2022 and a sharp widening of the Gilt-Bund yield spread.The reason in our view is that Gilt yields have risen because of market expectations that UK CPI-inflation will rise from already elevated levels despite weak domestic economic growth, which renders UK financial assets (including Sterling) less attractive.UK GDP growth slowed in July despite the government having removed on 19th July all but a few social distancing restrictions in England and PMI data suggest GDP growth remained weak in August-September. Notably the deceleration in economic growth in recent months was likely more pronounced in the UK than in the Eurozone, albeit from higher levels. The UK economy faces a number of headwinds, namely i) acute labour shortages and supply-chain constraints and bottlenecks; and ii) multiple challenges to domestic demand.On the demand-front the issue is not weak household purchasing power or strained corporate balance sheets but rather tepid consumer and business confidence as a result of planned tax increases in April 2022, furlough having ended on 30th September, fuel-shortages, rising CPI-inflation and likelihood that Bank of England will hike rates next year. The risk is that the current shortage of fuel at forecourts will not be a one-off, in our view, because the ratio of vehicles to fuel forecourts has risen materially in the UK since 2000.In the current context we find it challenging to build a bullish short-term case for GBP/EUR.

Global FX volatility – as measured by the 5-day Standard Deviation (SD) in the daily percentage change in the spot (closing) price of a turnover-weighted basket of 32 major currency pairs against the US Dollar – remains depressed by historical standards.While global FX volatility rose slightly on 11th August to about 0.32 SD following the release of US CPI-inflation data, it is still well below its level one month ago (0.43 SD) and 10-year average (0.47 SD). Notably global FX volatility is at a similar level (0.30 SD) as it was in the run-up to the 16th June Fed meeting and release of a more hawkish FOMC “<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/files/fomcprojtabl20210616.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dot-chart</a>”.Volatility versus the US Dollar in most of these 32 developed and EM currencies has either fallen in the past month from already modest levels or been broadly stable. Volatility in the high-yielding Brazilian Real and low-yielding Canadian Dollar, Czech Crown, Norwegian Krone and Hungarian Forint has fallen the most in absolute terms. However, there have been a few notable exceptions, including the Turkish Lira, Thai Baht and Chilean, Colombian and Philippines Pesos.USD/THB volatility has risen further in past month and is now near top end of its admittedly narrow 12-month range. The Baht has been choppy against a strong US Dollar, resulting in the Baht NEER appreciating 1.4% since the multi-year low recorded on 6th August.GBP/EUR volatility is currently at its lowest level since early June. Sterling’s appreciation against the Euro has been slow and steady, in line with our expectations. Volatility in global FX (and the S&amp;P 500) also remains very modest compared to volatility in other asset classes, notably US Treasuries and Brent crude oil (see Figure 5). Most of the price action has been in the US rates market in recent months, perhaps unsurprisingly given protracted debate about the timeline for Fed tapering and rate hikes.There are a number of factors behind this low transmission from US rates to Dollar crosses and equities but, as was the case in late-2019, FX markets are ultimately pricing in very little risk of policy, macro data or geopolitical surprises, in our view.

Global FX volatility – as measured by the 5-day Standard Deviation (SD) in the daily percentage change in the spot (closing) price of a turnover-weighted basket of 32 major currency pairs against the US Dollar – remains depressed by historical standards.While global FX volatility rose slightly on 11th August to about 0.32 SD following the release of US CPI-inflation data, it is still well below its level one month ago (0.43 SD) and 10-year average (0.47 SD). Notably global FX volatility is at a similar level (0.30 SD) as it was in the run-up to the 16th June Fed meeting and release of a more hawkish FOMC “dot-chart”.Volatility versus the US Dollar in most of these 32 developed and EM currencies has either fallen in the past month from already modest levels or been broadly stable. Volatility in the high-yielding Brazilian Real and low-yielding Canadian Dollar, Czech Crown, Norwegian Krone and Hungarian Forint has fallen the most in absolute terms. However, there have been a few notable exceptions, including the Turkish Lira, Thai Baht and Chilean, Colombian and Philippines Pesos.USD/THB volatility has risen further in past month and is now near top end of its admittedly narrow 12-month range. The Baht has been choppy against a strong US Dollar, resulting in the Baht NEER appreciating 1.4% since the multi-year low recorded on 6th August.GBP/EUR volatility is currently at its lowest level since early June. Sterling’s appreciation against the Euro has been slow and steady, in line with our expectations. Volatility in global FX (and the S&amp;P 500) also remains very modest compared to volatility in other asset classes, notably US Treasuries and Brent crude oil (see Figure 5). Most of the price action has been in the US rates market in recent months, perhaps unsurprisingly given protracted debate about the timeline for Fed tapering and rate hikes.There are a number of factors behind this low transmission from US rates to Dollar crosses and equities but, as was the case in late-2019, FX markets are ultimately pricing in very little risk of policy, macro data or geopolitical surprises, in our view. 

Low Global FX Vol: Maturity or Complacency?

US Treasury yields and the Dollar, perhaps unsurprisingly, have risen in the wake of today’s strong US labour market report. However, we think it would be a stretch to argue that markets have “hard-baked” in their view that the Federal Reserve will announce its tapering plans potentially as early as the Jackson Jackson Hole Symposium on 26-28 August. A case perhaps of once bitten twice shy and for good reason in our view.We have been moderately bullish the GBP/EUR cross since late-June and the cross briefly traded above 1.18 this afternoon, its strongest level since February 2020. We maintain a positive outlook in the remainder of Q3. The Kiwi Dollar has been the fourth strongest major currency since the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on 16th June. The Kiwi Dollar NEER has so far in August appreciated about 0.9%, confounding historical patterns which on average in 2010-2019 saw the currency weaken 0.9% in the month of August. However, the currency may not fare quite as well in Q4, in our view – the theme of our next FIRMS report.Conversely, the Thai Baht has underperformed but it’s not just been a tourism issue.

US Treasury yields and the Dollar, perhaps unsurprisingly, have risen in the wake of today’s strong US labour market report. However, we think it would be a stretch to argue that markets have “hard-baked” in their view that the Federal Reserve will announce its tapering plans potentially as early as the Jackson Jackson Hole Symposium on 26-28 August. A case perhaps of once bitten twice shy and for good reason in our view.We have been moderately bullish the GBP/EUR cross since late-June and the cross briefly traded above 1.18 this afternoon, its strongest level since February 2020. We maintain a positive outlook in the remainder of Q3. The Kiwi Dollar has been the fourth strongest major currency since the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on 16th June. The Kiwi Dollar NEER has so far in August appreciated about 0.9%, confounding historical patterns which on average in 2010-2019 saw the currency weaken 0.9% in the month of August. However, the currency may not fare quite as well in Q4, in our view – the theme of our next FIRMS report.Conversely, the Thai Baht has underperformed but it’s not just been a tourism issue.

United Kingdom

The British Pound Sterling is the official currency of The United Kingdom. 

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Light at the End of Long Eurozone Tunnel?

In the face of record-high Covid cases and stubborn death rates, strict Eurozone rules weighing on growth and Euro. But UK could be template for...

Olivier Desbarres

FX Round-Up – Calm Before the Next Storm

Interest rate and FX vol has subsided with directionality in EM and developed market currencies driven by domestic macro data and monetary...

Olivier Desbarres

Sterling – Fuel for Thought

GBP/EUR down since 76-week high on 11 Aug despite widening of 2-yr Gilt-Bund yield spread. BoE & markets more hawkish but for wrong reasons....

Olivier Desbarres

Low Global FX Vol: Maturity or Complacency?

Global FX vol is low by historical standards and relative to vol in US Treasuries, and for good resason. But FX markets are pricing in very little...

Olivier Desbarres

FX Focus: USD, GBP, NZD and THB

US yields and USD have risen following strong US labour mkt report but still not clear markets expect Fed to announce tapering plans in coming...

Olivier Desbarres

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