View:
April 17, 2025
FX Weekly Strategy: April 21st-25th
April 17, 2025 2:52 PM UTC
Markets to continue to react to implications of US tariffs
USD to remain under pressure as overweight positions are trimmed
Downside risks to PMI data suggest safe havens to be preferred…
…but some currencies can still recover from extreme levels triggered by the equity sell-off
Banxico Minutes: Comfortable about the Cuts Amid the Volatility
April 17, 2025 2:26 PM UTC
Banxico’s latest minutes confirm a cautious but steady path toward policy normalization, with the policy rate expected to reach neutral levels (7.00–8.00%) in 2025. While the economy shows signs of deceleration and a negative output gap, inflation continues to ease, nearing historical averages.
ECB Review: Discussing Policy Restriction No Longer Appropriate
April 17, 2025 1:48 PM UTC
A seventh and widely expected 25 bp deposit rate cut was overshadowed by the ECB’s communication shift about the outlook hereafter, no longer talking about how restrictive policy may be. This shift is entirely appropriate not least given the manner in which financial conditions are now tightenin
Surprising Move: CBRT Increased the Key Rate to 46%
April 17, 2025 12:32 PM UTC
Bottom Line: Central Bank of Turkiye (CBRT) surprisingly hiked the policy rate from 42.5% to 46% during the MPC on April 17 after three consecutive interest rate cuts, mainly due to global uncertainties and domestic inflationary risks. CBRT highlighted in its written statement that the possibility o
Safe Havens Other Than the USD
April 17, 2025 8:30 AM UTC
The USD and U.S. Treasuries are currently not acting like safe havens, as the crisis is U.S. centric with the tariff debacle. 10yr Treasuries can regain safe haven status if a U.S. recession occurs, but U.S. equities are still clearly overvalued versus equity and equity-bond metrics. We prefer Ind
April 16, 2025
Bank of Canada - Proceeding carefully, but risks still lean towards further easing
April 16, 2025 4:28 PM UTC
The Bank of Canada left rates unchanged at 2.75% as expected. The statement concluded that the BoC will proceed carefully, noting that monetary policy cannot resolve trade uncertainty or offset the impacts of a trade war, but it can and must maintain price stability in Canada. While this shows cauti
U.S. March Retail Sales - Autos lead bounce ahead of tariffs
April 16, 2025 12:48 PM UTC
March retail sales with a gain of 1.4% is in line with expectations, led by a pre-tariff surge in auto sales. Gains of 0.5% ex auto and 0.8% ex auto and gasoline are on the firm side of expectations, though the control group, which contributes to GDP, was less impressive with a moderate rise of 0.4%
China GDP: Good Q1 Start, but 2025 Could Be 4.2% or 3.3%
April 16, 2025 8:24 AM UTC
• The March data releases from China alongside the Q1 GDP figures show a good start for 2025. However, underlying domestic demand is soft and Q2 will see a big hit from the U.S. tariffs already introduced. Our baseline (here) remains for a truce in the coming weeks and a scale back of 1
UK CPI Review: Inflation Respite Ahead of Likely Key April Surge?
April 16, 2025 6:28 AM UTC
Although relegated by current market ructions and tariff threats, the main near-term inflation story was (and remains) what happens in the April data when a series of energy, utility, post office and some other regulated and service price rises are due, albeit now possibly offset somewhat by a fall
April 15, 2025
Argentina: Moving to Phase 3, Bands Flotation
April 15, 2025 8:33 PM UTC
Argentina launched Phase 3 of its macro plan, ending currency restrictions for individuals and securing a USD 20B IMF deal to stabilize falling reserves. The Central Bank shifted from a crawling peg to a target band exchange rate regime, allowing for a 1% monthly devaluation within ARS 1,000–1,400
SARB's Monetary Policy Review Highlights Concerns over the Horizon
April 15, 2025 7:29 PM UTC
Bottom line: According to the Monetary Policy Review Report by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on April 15, uncertainties about the global economy, trade tensions and blurry domestic outlook have caused the scope for monetary policy easing had narrowed. In its biannual review of its monetary p
Preview: Due April 16 - U.S. March Retail Sales - Strong end to a subdued quarter
April 15, 2025 2:06 PM UTC
We expect US retail sales to rise by 1.3%, led by autos, in what will be a strong end to a subdued quarter. Ex autos we expect a moderate rise of 0.5% but ex autos and gasoline the rise we expect sales to rise by 0.8%.
Eurozone Banks Offer ECB More Cause for Concern
April 15, 2025 11:14 AM UTC
The ECB can draw comfort from signs that credit demand and supply for EZ households continues to improve. But the ECB’s latest bank lending survey (BLS) also offers worrying signs in regard to firms as well as questioning the alleged neutrality of the QT program. It shows a further (admittedly
UK Labor Market – A Tale of Two Labor Markets?
April 15, 2025 9:45 AM UTC
Policy-making is fraught with difficult decision making at the best of times. But at present in the UK, such decisions are made all the more problematic given inconsistencies, if not conflicts, in the data backdrop, thereby making any reading of the economy all the more subjective. Is employment
Nervous U.S. Long Term Asset Holders
April 15, 2025 8:30 AM UTC
Overall, foreign equity investors can no longer count on U.S. exceptionalism and could face lower long-term corporate earnings growth, which at a minimum will likely slow net inflows. Bond investors also face ongoing policy volatility, which likely means a need for an extra risk premium – t
April 14, 2025
U.S./China High Stakes Poker
April 14, 2025 7:30 AM UTC
The economic hit from a hard stop in U.S. imports/exports is too damaging for both sides and our baseline is still for a truce and de-escalation, in the coming weeks. This could be negotiations on a new trade deal with a more moderate reciprocal tariff on both sides and the extra reciprocal tariffs
April 13, 2025
April 12, 2025
Soaring Inflation Hits Two-Year High in March with 10.3% YoY
April 12, 2025 10:16 AM UTC
Bottom Line: According to Russian Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat) data, inflation ticked up to 10.3% YoY in March after hitting 10.1% in February, remaining well above the Central Bank of Russia’s (CBR) midterm target of 4%, due to surges in services and food prices, huge military spending,