Head of Research, Steno Research

Emil Moller

Head of Research

Macro and Geopolitical Research House

Steno Research

Steno Research is a new macro and geopolitical research house. We are based out of Copenhagen, Denmark, but have an international team and a strong network of sources and partners around the world. The team is lead by Andreas Steno, previous global head of strategy at Nordea Bank, and Mikkel Rosenvold, former chief consultant in the Danish Ministry of Finance.

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>Many have profited from MXN carry in the first half of 2023.</li>
<li>But is there more left to squeeze out or is it running on fumes?</li>
<li>We give our take here and assess the structural patterns at play in Mexico in relation to recent performance and the geopolitical climate.</li>
</ul>


Many have profited from MXN carry in the first half of 2023.
But is there more left to squeeze out or is it running on fumes?
We give our take here and assess the structural patterns at play in Mexico in relation to recent performance and the geopolitical climate.


EM By EM #12 - Is the Surging Peso a Prelude for a Longer Mexico Bull Case?

Fixed Income and Currency Strategist

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

FX & Rates

<ul>
<li>The Turkish lira has become the worst-performing currency this year as the central bank is holding the policy rate steady despite sharply accelerating inflation, leading to highly negative real rates.</li>
<li>The lira is effectively in a vicious cycle: weakening currency adds to inflationary pressures, which with the central bank on hold means real rates become more negative, hurting the currency.</li>
<li>High inflation is also weighing on the economic outlook, which combined with worsening current account and fiscal deficits and depleting international reserves, is adding to the depreciation pressure.</li>
</ul>


The Turkish lira has become the worst-performing currency this year as the central bank is holding the policy rate steady despite sharply accelerating inflation, leading to highly negative real rates.
The lira is effectively in a vicious cycle: weakening currency adds to inflationary pressures, which with the central bank on hold means real rates become more negative, hurting the currency.
High inflation is also weighing on the economic outlook, which combined with worsening current account and fiscal deficits and depleting international reserves, is adding to the depreciation pressure.


Turkish Lira Takes the Helm as the Worst-Performing EM Currency

<ul>
<li>The US dollar has strengthened this year in line with my expectation, but the surprise has been that EM currencies have performed well despite the dollar strengthening.</li>
<li>The solid EM FX performance is entirely due to Latin American currencies which have performed well due to their very high carry, attractive valuations, and positive political developments.</li>
<li>In the near term, I expect LatAm currencies to continue to perform well but the environment may change as the year progresses.</li>
</ul>


The US dollar has strengthened this year in line with my expectation, but the surprise has been that EM currencies have performed well despite the dollar strengthening.
The solid EM FX performance is entirely due to Latin American currencies which have performed well due to their very high carry, attractive valuations, and positive political developments.
In the near term, I expect LatAm currencies to continue to perform well but the environment may change as the year progresses.


<ul>
<li>In an environment marked by uncertainty with regards to the dollar's next move, EM currencies have been stable and LatAm currencies have outperformed Asia and CEEMEA so far this year.</li>
<li>The strong start for LatAm currencies is partly to make up for their underperformance last year and partly supported by their high carry relative to other currencies.</li>
<li>If risk aversion remains low, this trend should persist but given the uncertainty, it is best to be selective and target relative-value trades to take advantage of differences across countries.</li>
</ul>


In an environment marked by uncertainty with regards to the dollar's next move, EM currencies have been stable and LatAm currencies have outperformed Asia and CEEMEA so far this year.
The strong start for LatAm currencies is partly to make up for their underperformance last year and partly supported by their high carry relative to other currencies.
If risk aversion remains low, this trend should persist but given the uncertainty, it is best to be selective and target relative-value trades to take advantage of differences across countries.


Will Latin American Currencies Continue to Outperform Against Asia and CEEMEA?

<ul>
<li>Given the strong performance of several Latin American currencies in recent days, it is fair to ask if these returns are being driven purely by their high carry.</li>
<li>To address this question, we compare the performance of each currency, adjusted by its beta, with its carry, adjusted for its volatility.</li>
<li>While there is some overlap between performance and carry, we find no strong correlation, leading us to conclude that we are currently not in a carry-trade environment.</li>
</ul>


Given the strong performance of several Latin American currencies in recent days, it is fair to ask if these returns are being driven purely by their high carry.
To address this question, we compare the performance of each currency, adjusted by its beta, with its carry, adjusted for its volatility.
While there is some overlap between performance and carry, we find no strong correlation, leading us to conclude that we are currently not in a carry-trade environment.


Is Carry Driving the Returns of EM Currencies?

Mexico

The Mexican peso is the official currency of Mexico. 

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MXN (USDMXN CURNCY)

EM By EM #12 - Is the Surging Peso a Prelude for a Longer Mexico Bull Case?

Many have profited from MXN carry in the first half of 2023. But is there more left to squeeze out or is it running on fumes? We give our take...

Steno Research

Turkish Lira Takes the Helm as the Worst-Performing EM Currency

The Turkish lira is effectively in a vicious cycle: weakening currency adds to inflationary pressures, which with the central bank on hold means...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Latin American Currencies on Top

The US dollar has strengthened this year in line with my expectation, but the surprise has been that EM currencies have performed well, led by...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Will Latin American Currencies Continue to Outperform Against Asia and CEEMEA?

If risk aversion remains low, LatAm currencies should continue to outperform but given the uncertainty, it is best to target relative-value trades...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Is Carry Driving the Returns of EM Currencies?

The high carry of a few currencies appears to be one factor behind their recent strong performance, but on further examination, I conclude that we...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

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52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

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