Treasury Yields Slip Pulls Dollar Lower, Italian Yields Still Key

 | Oct 10, 2018 10:37

Market Overview

Yield differentials have been playing a key role in how currency pairs have fluctuated recently. Subsequently, the focus remains on how Treasury yields are moving near term to drive market sentiment across asset classes, but also the moves of yields on Italian BTPs and even UK Gilts.

With 10-Year Treasury yields dipping back from yesterday’s high of 3.26%, some of the momentum has been lost from the dollar. The sharp move higher on yields of Italian government debt had the reins pulled yesterday as Italian Finance Minister Tria tried his best Mario Draghi impression, saying that they would do whatever is necessary to regain control, a move that has helped to stabilise the euro.

With UK Gilts, it is interesting to see yield differentials on the 10s over US Treasuries have been sterling positive this past week and this is helping a sterling rally. Brexit factors have played positively, with encouraging comments from the EU’s Junker and Tusk last week, whilst moves towards an agreement on the all-important Northern Irish border apparently continue. However, data on US inflation will gain focus in the next couple of days and any upside surprises to the PPI and more importantly the CPI could find Treasury yields spiking higher again and thus renewing dollar strength. This would be risk negative as fears over growing US inflation will subsequently take hold and impact again across asset classes.

Wall Street slipped a touch into the close last night, with the S&P 500 -0.1% at 2880, with S&P 500 futures a tick higher this morning. Asian markets have been suitably mixed with the Nikkei +0.1% and Shanghai Composite -0.1%. In Europe, markets are a shade lower in early moves, but with little conviction.

In forex, there is a move towards a dollar correction forming, with a more positive appetite for risk. The yen is the main underperformer in this, with the dollar weaker across the other majors. The Aussie seems to be the main outperformer as signs of a technical rally continue.

In commodities, the weaker dollar is helping to maintain support for gold, whilst oil is consolidating ahead of this week’s EIA inventories.

After a quiet couple of days on the economic calendar a raft of UK data and the beginnings of US inflation data is the focus today. UK monthly GDP for August is released at 0930BST and is expected to show growth of +0.1% (after a gain of +0.3% in July). The UK Industrial Production is expected to grow by +0.1% on the month and mean a yearly growth of +1.0% (+0.9% last month). There is also the UK Trade Balance for August which is expected to show a deterioration to -£10.9bn from -£10.0bn in July.

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The factory gate inflation in the US, the US PPI is released at 1330BST which is expected to show headline PPI stable at +2.8% (+2.8% in August) whilst core PPI is expected to tick higher to +2.5% (+2.3% last month). There are also a number of central bankers speaking today, with the Bank of England’s chief economist Andy Haldane (leans hawkish) at 10:00 BST and the FOMC’s Raphael Bostic (voter, mild dove) at 23:00 BST.

Chart of the Day – FTSE 100

After three solid and strong bear candles as the markets sold sharply lower, has there been an exhaustion in the move on the Footsie that could now be the precursor to a recovery. The key support of the September low at 7220 was breached on an intraday basis yesterday but this could well have turned out to be a false downside break after the rebound of 50 ticks to close higher on the session. This has also now completed what is now a bullish hammer candlestick and the prospect of a recovery. Momentum indicators are still corrective (especially the MACD lines) which means that the bulls will have to continue to pull the rebound otherwise the overriding momentum will pull the market lower again. The hourly chart is interesting though as there are hourly buy signals across the RSI, MACD and Stochastics indicators. One of the benefits of such a sharp sell-off is that it reduces the significance of immediate resistance, and once clear of 7300 there is minor resistance around 7360/7382 but little real overhead supply until 7450. A positive session today would be needed to confirm the appetite for a reversal, however a drop back again with a close below 7220 would be a disappointment now and reopen potential downside towards 7000 again.