EURUSD Weekly Forecast | 29th May 2023Fundamental Backdrop
Last week, notably the German Flash Manufacturing PMI and French Flash Services PMI dropped a lot causing the EUR to weaken.
This week there's only the German Prelim CPI m/m which is also expected to decrease from 0.4% to 0.2%. This will cause the EUR to weaken further.
Technical Confluences
Near-term resistance level at 1.07350
Next support at 1.05340
Idea
We could see the EUR drop towards the support at 1.05340 by the end of the week.
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Europe
We will never see such prices for European stocks again...European indices have been reddening for several days in a row.
European Euro Stoxx 50 fell only -3% from the high, but this is just the beginning of a big drop and I will tell you why.
Since the beginning of year, European indices have shown very good growth, which is not entirely supported by fundamental factors.
Yesterday, on the channel, I already drew attention to the difficult situation in the German industry (the German economy is already in recession and will only deepen into it), but this did not prevent DAX from updating its historical maximum!
It is very strange, because Germany is still famous for its industry, and not for the IT sector...
Now the technical picture says that there are serious reasons to believe that the growth in European markets has come to an end. There are serious signs that the French TVC:CAC40 index has reversed.
There were large sales in the shares of the leaders. Someone "big" got out of the market. Today the decline continued.
Do not forget that inflation in Europe is higher than in the US, which means that the ECB will raise the rate even more and even more choke the economy, which can not stand it now!
While in the US they are already talking about a pause in raising the rate.
The chances of a return to the highs are melting right before our eyes.
TVC:SX5E are doomed to fall…
🔰 My recommendation:
If you have European shares - sell them.
Then say thank you for saved capital.
You can find even more useful analytics in header of my profile 🎩
If you are interested in analysis for other assets - write in the comments which asset you need to see.
Wheat (World) - Short Bias; Cheap Ukrainian wheat everywhere!Sure, it is winter in the northern hemisphere so why even bother with the grains at all? ...
... Because cheap Ukrainian wheat had absolutely flooded European markets, so much so that very soon they will have to start dumping some of it into the ocean! (Right now, they are trying to air out these mountains of grain, so it wouldn't mold, but that will go only so far.)
Normally, this time of the year, 55-60 ships per week get loaded with Ukrainian wheat, headed for Africa and Asia.
As of last week, these numbers are down to 19 ships .
Russia closed the Bosporus to Ukrainian wheat (and oil seed) shipments.
As an alternative solution, Ukraine is shipping most of its harvest to the EU - mostly Poland & Germany - to load it on ships in those ports. - But guess what ...
... shipping it all to Europe AND THEN load it onto ships makes the whole proposition economically non-viable. (Well below producer cost.)
So now, the endless trainloads of grains, continuously pouring into the EU, gets dumped all over EU markets (at 40%-60% discounts!) because long empty local silos are all filled to capacity. There is now zero (0) storage capacity left anywhere in Europe! (... and the endless trainloads just keep on coming.)
... making this trade - not a monster - rather a no-brainer. (Like free beer)
XNGUSD ready to reverse recent downtrend LONGOn the daily chart here XNGUSD had a head and shoulders or double top last summer and fall
and has now trended down to support. I see this as a prime place to take a long position.
The decline of the overvalued USD contributes to this idea as does the persistent demand in Europe
for compressed / liquid NG and the ongoing war there that could eventually grind into WWIII.
ETFs such as BOIL , UNG and UNL may be a good way to make this trade if not in the forex market.
Quality is back in focus, amidst the banking turmoilHistory never repeats itself, but it often does rhyme. The recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank in the US and the forced takeover of Credit Suisse by rival UBS have triggered concerns of contagion across the global financial system. The current stress in the banking sector is reminiscent of the 2008 financial crisis. However, unlike the 2008 financial crisis, uncertainty is not centred on the quality of assets on bank balance sheets but instead on the potential for deposit flight.
Tough ride for Banks ahead
US regional banks have witnessed significant deposit outflows which, combined with unrealised losses on their security holdings, have seen banks consuming their liquid assets as a very fast pace. In turn, sentiment towards European banks has deteriorated. This is evident in the widening of debt risk premia, making it more expensive for banks to fund their operations. It’s important to note that banks were already tightening lending standards prior to recent events. So, lending conditions are likely to tighten further as deposits shrink at small and regional US banks and regulators respond to the new risk environment. The turn of events in the banking sector have led to higher uncertainty which is likely to be reflected in higher volatility in credit markets. So far, the impact on other sectors has been fairly contained, but a further deterioration of bank credit quality could drag other industries lower as well. We are still in the early innings, so the range of repercussions remains wide.
Traditional defensive sectors offer more protection in prior weakening credit cycles
On analysing the impact of a further rise (by 200Bps) in credit spreads on US and European debt (highlighted by the dark blue bars) we found that not all equity sectors will be impacted equally on the downside. In fact, traditional defensive sectors like utilities, consumer staples and healthcare could offer some protection in comparison to cyclical sectors such as banks, energy and real estate.
Since March 8, 2023, the steepest price corrections have been centred around the banking and commodity related sectors such as energy and materials, while technology, healthcare, consumer staples and utilities have managed to escape the rout illustrated by the grey bars. The historical sector performance (in the light blue bars) during Eurozone debt crisis (the second half of 2011), confirm a similar pattern whereby the traditional defensive sectors tend to shield investors when spreads widen.
Europe earnings hold forth despite the banking turmoil
Interestingly despite the recent banking turmoil, the global earnings revision ratio continued to show resilience in March. Europe stood out as the only region with more upgrades than downgrades. Earnings remain the key driver of equity market performance. Europe has clearly gotten off to a strong start and it will be interesting to see if European earnings expectations can hold up as credit conditions deteriorate.
Within Europe we analysed the sectors that were most exposed to the banking stress. By observing the beta of the sectors in the EuroStoxx 600 Index relative to regional banking spreads, we found that real estate, financials, industrials, materials, and energy were most exposed on the downside to the high banking stress. On the contrary, consumer staples, information technology, utilities and healthcare showed more resilience.
When the going gets tough, quality gets going
Investors should focus on companies with strong balance sheets which we often tend to find within the quality factor. Quality stocks, characterised by a higher earnings yield compared to its dividend yield alongside higher return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA), would offer a higher margin of safety in periods of higher volatility.
Conclusion
While central banks in US, Europe and UK continued their hawkish stance at their most recent policy-setting meetings, the evolving banking crisis could alter the path for monetary policy ahead. Chair Powell conceded that tightening financial conditions could have the same impact as another quarter point rate hike or more from the Fed.
Given the rising concerns on the risk of banking industry contagion, shrinking corporate profits and central bank policy ahead we continue to believe that positioning your equity exposure towards the quality factor would be prudent.
LONG EURUSD (4H TIMEFRAME)Following on my idea on the daily and weekly timeframes below:
EURUSD looks like have completed its pullback before uptrend continuation.
EURUSD retested the support (demand) zone and tipple bottom neckline at the bottom of area 1.07 on the 4H timeframe with failing to break below.
Possibly a sub uptrend channel is forming, which next target is into the upper channel above previous and current month high into area 1.11.
EMA Crossing and Breakout of Resistance in EUBUND (15 Min Time)The EUBUND has been showing signs of bullish momentum in the 15 min time frame as indicated by the EMA (Exponential Moving Average) crossing and the breakout of the resistance level. This suggests that there may be a potential trading opportunity for buyers in the short term.
LONG EURUSD (Daily Timeframe)Following up on my previous post below and zooming in thru the daily timeframe:
EURUSD is at the resistance area (supply zone) 1.08 and holding on. A break above may be confirmed today after FOMC and Fed rate decision.
A break above, will lead to the upper channel of the correction uptrend (ABC) and to the next resistance and supply area at level 1.15 as next target.
Brace for volatility as inflation meets recession2023 has been ushered in with a rebound in pockets of equity underperformance from 2022. Markets are coming to terms with the fact that stickier inflation and more resilient economic data globally are likely to keep central banks busy this year. Owing to which the spectre of interest rates staying higher for longer appears to be the dominant theme for the first half of 2023. Global money market curves are re-pricing higher to reflect the tighter monetary scenario.
For the Federal Reserve (Fed), markets have priced in a 5.5% terminal rate, somewhat higher than was suggested by the median dot plot back in December. While in Europe, 160Bps of additional rate hikes are being priced for the European Central Bank (ECB) with terminal rate forecasts approaching 4%. The speculative frenzy witnessed since the start of 2023, indicates that equity markets are discounting the fact that the global economy has not faced such an aggressive pace of tightening in more than a decade and the ramifications, although lagged, will eventually be felt across risk assets.
Preference for international vs US equities
Exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows since the start of 2023 resonate investors’ preferences to diversify their portfolios with a higher allocation to international markets versus the US. Since the start of 2023, international equity market ETFs have received the lion’s share of inflows, amounting to US$20.6bn in sharp contrast to US equity ETFs that suffered US$9.3bn in outflows.
Looking back over the past decade, US companies outpaced international stocks owing to two main drivers of equity price appreciation: earnings and valuation. Earnings remain the key driver for equity markets over the long term. If we try to think about what lies ahead, we can see that earnings revision estimates are displaying a marked turnaround for China, Japan, and Emerging Markets (EM), whilst the US and Europe are poised to see further earnings contractions.
China’s recovery remains the important swing factor that could enable its economy, alongside EM and Japan, to outperform global equities in 2023. At 8% of sales, Europe has the second highest exposure after Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan) to China. Yet it’s important to bear in mind that European companies earn twice the amount of revenue from the US than from China. So, a soft landing in the US will be vital for Europe to continue its cyclical rally.
US valuations remain high vs international developed and EM equities
US equity market valuations from a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio remain high globally, whilst Japan continues to trade at a steep 29% discount to its 15-year average. Amidst the recent rally, European valuations at a 13.7x P/E ratio remain at a 14% discount to its 15-year average. That being said, three months ago European equity valuations were trading at a 35% discount to its 15-year average. After travelling half the distance to their long-term average, European valuations might have to contend with the headwinds of tighter monetary policy.
Evident from the chart above, international markets ex-US continue to boast of favourable valuations allowing for a higher margin of safety, which is why we expect investor positioning to tilt in favour of international markets ex-US over the course of 2023.
The battle between Energy and Technology stocks
The Energy sector is coming off a strong year, as tight supplies and rising demand drove energy prices higher in 2022. While these dynamics have failed to play out so far in 2023, owing to the speculative frenzy in riskier parts of the market, we expect earnings results for energy companies, and their stock performance across the spectrum (including oil, gas, refining and services), to maintain momentum in 2023. Whilst investment in oil and gas production has been rising, it will still take multiple years for global supply to meet demand, which continues to support the narrative of higher energy prices.
Refining capacity continues to look tight this year, given the reduced capacity and long lead time required to bring new capacity online. We expect this to support another strong year for the profitability of refining operators. At the same time, energy service companies should also benefit as spending on exploration and production continues to gather steam. The biggest risk to the sector remains if demand for energy falters in the face of a severe recession. However, as we expect most economies to face a modest recession, this risk is less likely for the Energy sector.
Meanwhile, higher interest rates were the key driver of the underperformance of the Technology sector last year. We continue to see weakness in the Technology sector amidst rising risks of peak globalisation, weaker earnings, and the potential for more regulation. Despite the recent layoff announcements by technology firms, they still appear inflated, with employee growth in recent years 20% too high relative to real sales growth. The COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the demand in software and technology spending with the rise of remote work and social distancing. However, companies today are more likely to cut their technology spending to offset the higher costs of energy, travel, wages, and other factors. The key risk, in our view, remains that valuations have come down, and if rates do begin to peak, selective technology companies could benefit from the growth generated by their cost-cutting initiatives.
Value vs Growth in 2023
Value stocks tend to be positively correlated with higher inflation. In 2022, high inflation was a result of rising commodity prices, labour shortages, and fiscal stimulus provided by Western economies, whilst Growth stocks were penalised for their lofty valuations. Value-based stocks flourished on commodity supply constraints and cheaper valuations amidst a rising rate environment. Much of this is now priced into Value stocks. Most Value stocks’ earnings growth and valuation re-ratings rely on higher commodity prices or interest rates or a factor outside of their control. Owing to this, we still believe there are opportunities where constrained supply in the absence of falling demand will continue to support higher prices.
There are significant prospects in Europe and Asia where discounts remain wide and sizeable valuation gaps exist across sectors. Europe’s energy sector accounted for two-thirds of Europe’s EPS (earnings per share) growth in 2022. The continuing trend of capital discipline, resilient earnings, and high shareholder returns should keep attracting flows into the sector in 2023. We expect Value stocks to be in better shape to withstand the global economic slowdown. Historically, the Value factor has demonstrated resilience during periods of interest rate volatility.
Conclusion
There is considerable uncertainty about how 2023 will unfold. As the key focus moves from inflation to a recession in 2023, it opens up the possibility of several outcomes for central banks and interest rates. Keeping this in mind, 2023 may well be a tale of two halves, with higher interest rates in the first half, followed by lower rates in the second half as a global recession takes centre stage.
MY OPINION ON GBPUSDMy bias is displayed on the chart. I do hope that the M-pattern on the chart will likely come to play.
To be on the conservative side, I will only enter sell when the neckline of the pattern is formed. My SL and likely TP are depicted on the chart
share your opinion, FOLLOW and like
European Gas March 2023: Bullish and Bearish FactorsThe idea has two parts: fundamental and technical analysis . The latter is based on the weekly chart.
On the fundamental side , several essential and minor factors affect and could affect March 2023 price change. Let's divide them into three groups.
Bullish :
Russian shutdown of gas supply to Europe
Russia has cut its European flows for the last months so that a total shutdown would be possible. Russian gas remains crucial for the European economy despite the American armada of LNG ships.
Freeport LNG plant Restart Shift
The company plans to restore the plant in January 2023. A possible postponement would support TTF prices in the winter season.
Limitations of US Gas Exports
Last winter, some US Senate members suggested limiting or prohibiting US LNG export. They estimated that the change would increase US gas supply for the internal US market, especially for New England, which is dependent on the import of gas from the gas-production states getting gas via pipelines and LNG. They said the prohibition would reduce high gas prices for customers and industry. In July, LNG winter 2023 prices for New England touched a record high of $40/MMBtu, while Henry Hub traded at about $8.6/MMBtu. I suppose that senators would return to the idea, especially since the US elections are in November. Although the risk is low, its realization could dramatically affect the TTF price assessment. Analysts and think tanks have considered possible Russian gas cuts but haven't accessed a potential US gas supply reduction.
French Nuclear Plants Outages
Since the end of 2021, the French nuclear industry has been weak with planned and unplanned maintenance. As a result, nuclear output has lost more than 40% YoY of its output. While serious issues are unlikely to arise, new minor obstacles could buoy TTF prices.
Dry Summer
The continuation of the European 2022 dry summer led to abbreviated hydropower production. On the back of hydropower reduction, natural gas-power generation increases its output and gas consumption, driving subdued gas injection into storage facilities. Subdued gas injection in summer means less gas for winter, creating a possible gas deficit.
Bearish:
Slowing European Economy and Demand Destruction
High inflation induced by the monetary policy of 2020-2021 provokes a decline in real incomes and makes some industrial production unprofitable or near break-even. These debilitate aggregate demand, particularly industrial output of fertilizers, ceramics, and other chemicals. Industries that are heavily reliant on gas are cutting their gas consumption today. Lasting historically high gas prices would promote a decrease in gas utilization. The demand destruction could happen among all consumers: power, industrial and individual. A new recession is near. ECB monetary policy with a growing rate also adds problems to the economy. The rate is still tiny, but debt bubbles are sensitive to interest rate change. The bust of bubbles would drop economic growth and curtail gas demand pushing TTF prices down.
Slowing world economy
The world economy suffers from high prices losing economic growth momentum. A move into a recession would trigger a decline in gas consumption lowering LNG gas prices and letting LNG producers increase LNG sendout to Europe.
Voluntary Demand Reductions of 15% and Gas Rationing
Energy ministers of Europe adopted plans to voluntarily cut gas demand by 15% from August until March 31, 2022. In case of emergency, like near zero Russian flows, the voluntary reduction changes to mandatory. i.e., gas rationing. The actions could divert rising prices.
Covid Lockdowns in Europe
Europe has prepared different measures to withstand possible gas issues in winter. Besides voluntary reduction or rationing Europe could return to the lockdowns of 2020, when gas consumption dramatically went down because industrial production of goods collapsed. Since June 2022, the media has published news about a new variant of Covid. Countries could impose Covid-related limitations this fall. Unstable gas consumption and gas shortage would drive for a Covid or climate lockdown. A good measure to cut gas demand and destroy the economy.
Covid Lockdowns in China
Despite possible lockdowns of 2022-2023 in Europe, lockdowns in China happened in the last months and could be imposed again. An effect of prohibitions has hit the Chinese economy and cut gas consumption resulting in freeing up the supply for other consumers, i.e., Europe. New Chinese lockdowns would mean more gas for Europe.
Joker :
The joker that could be a bullish or bearish driver is the weather. They can't predict winter weather today. Lasting temperatures above season norms in winter could be a lifesaver for Europe, dropping gas consumption and its prices. Cold spells and lingering temperatures under the winter season average would lift prices significantly. Near-average temperatures would put the significance of the factor on hold. While in summer, it is vice versa. Temperatures above the norms slow gas storage injection and slightly increase a lack of gas risk in the winter season.
On the technical side , there are no resistance levels cause the contract is traded near its record high. Only psychological levels like €200/MWh , €300/MWh , and higher. On the bulls' side, there are many support levels. For those practicing buy a bounce trading , essential levels are €125/MWh , €100/MWh , and €86/MWh . The last one developed in the December 2021-April 2022 period. I estimate that Gazprom made a significant contribution to its existence. Gazprom's export price to Europe, which was pegged to a fusion of lagged prices of fossil fuels, including TTF, was near to €86/MWh . So when the market price rose significantly above the level, market participants cut their demand because Gazprom sold cheaper. When the price tried to break through €86/MWh and went down, Gazprom trimmed its flows to Europe. All in all, this helped the company to control its revenues on the same level. Since then, it has not been the case because Gazprom has changed its approach.
Finally, I am afraid to forecast the price on the expiration date. I suppose the price would remain volatile, and we could see spikes above €200/MWh in the winter season.
Thank you for your reading, and have profitable trading! Comment your thoughts!
**Long Nikkei Short DAXPost BOJ decision which is USDJPY supportive, we could expect the Nikkei to recover from recent weakness.
Since it remains a choppy Equity Environment, selling DAX against it (delta hedge) makes sense from a relative price perspective and looking at technical levels, along with oscilators.
Another way would be to buy Upside calls on Nikkei (cheap in Impiled volatilities) and selling upside on DAX (call vs. Calls strategy)
I will keep it plain vanilla though
Buy BT/Bund Spread wideningAfter Equity Option expiry today and into Month end, the technical rally induced by January effect could be fading.
Commodities recent spike (on China reopening/inflationary) will certainly have an knock on seasonal effect in next Inflation data,
Technically speaking BTP/Bund spread has done a double bottom, and we could expect a bounce from here (Italy widening i.e. BTP selling off more than Bund)