EUR
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
In recent weeks, the persistently high inflation has seen the ECB take a more hawkish turn with the bank hiking rates by 50bsp at their July meeting. But the bank quelled any hawkish excitement by explaining they are frontloading hikes and not signalling a higher terminal rate with their bigger hike. At their July meeting the bank also failed to ease spread fragmentation concerns with their new Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) as the eligibility criteria means countries that will need the support the most might have a tough time qualifying. Combined with Italian political concerns, further spread widening looks likely. Right now, even though policy and spreads are important, the main story and driver for the EUR is the economic outlook. Recent growth data continues to surprise to the downside at a rapid pace further stoking recession fears for the Eurozone. As long as data surprises lower and spreads remain high the bias for the EUR remains firmly in bearish territory.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
Geopolitics remains important where any de-escalation or cease fire in Ukraine would open up a lot of EUR upside. Also keep Italian politics in mind where successful attemptsto avoid a snap election could ease spread widening & support the EUR. Stagflation fears are high, with growth expected to slow with inflation still. Recent PMI data has invigorated recession fears, which means any materially better-than-expected growth data (DE Factory Orders & Industrial Production this week) could spark some relief for the EUR. Spread fragmentation remains a concern, especially with Italian politics and the ECB’s failed attempt to reassure markets about their new TPI tool. Any comments about TPI that convinces markets it can solve fragmentation issues should be supportive for the EUR. Energy concerns are still in focus, which means watching the Nord Stream 1 flows, if Russia increases gas flows to more regular levels it should ease some energy supply issues.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Geopolitics remain in focus, any escalation in the Ukraine war that risks including NATO would be big negative risks. Also keep Italian politics in mind, where any failed attempts to avoid a snap election should add further pressure on the EUR. Growth concerns continue to weigh on the EUR and means any major negative surprises in incoming growth data (DE Factory Orders & Industrial Production this week) could trigger further downside in the EUR. Spread fragmentation remains in focus, and if the ECB fails to act with big jolts higher in the BTP/Bund spread it could trigger bearish reactions in the EUR. We've seen a chunky repricing in hike expectations over the past three weeks, and any further lower repricing is expected to weigh on the EUR. Energy concerns are still in focus, which means watching the Nord Stream 1 flows, if Russia decreases gas flows again it should increase concerns and weigh on the EUR.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamental outlook remains bearish for the EUR with recent leading indicators pointing to a much faster economic slowdown than markets had previously expected. The current bearish drivers (geopolitics, stagflation, spread fragmentation, energy supply concerns) far outweigh the positives from a hawkish ECB. Recession risks open up a narrative change for the EUR which will require markets to adjust forecasts to reflect higher recession probabilities which should weigh on the EUR.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
The overall bleak economic outlook for the UK, with exceptionally high Inflation and rapidly falling growth have been the biggest negative driver for Sterling. With rising price pressures and falling demand, the risks of stagflation has risen substantially, so much so that the BoE have forecasted a possible recession for the UK economy heading into 2023. At their June meeting the bank followed through with their more moderate approach by hiking 25bsp instead of growing calls of a potential 50bsp hike. The BoE is stuck between a rock and a hard place, right now they have to hike rates to try and fight inflation but by doing so they risk further damaging economic growth as a result. Even though the June statement was dovish, it wasn’t materially more dovish compared to their previous meeting. The price action was a clear warning sign that a lot of negatives has been priced in for Sterling in recent weeks so chasing lower is very risky right now.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
Stagflation fears are very high for the UK, with probabilities of recession growing by the week. With so much bad news priced in, incoming news risk is asymmetrical, meaning positive surprises in growth data could trigger strong bullish reactions. The UK is facing a huge cost-of-living squeeze, which means lower-than-expected inflation could counterintuitively be a positive driver (as lower CPI means less stagflation risk). The economy needs help right now, which means any help from the fiscal side will be a positive. Any major fiscal support measures to help consumers (subsidies for energy or tax cuts) could trigger bullish reactions for the Pound. Any overly hawkish comments signalling more aggressive policy than what markets are currently pricing in could trigger bullish reactions.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Odds that the BoE has limited hikes left has been a negative driver, but so too is risks that inflation forces them to hike even more and further damage GDP. Further stagflation risks from higher gas prices or CPI could trigger bearish reactions. Politicsremain a focus, where any attempts by a new PM in the weeks or months ahead to call for a snap election should cause unnecessary uncertainty and could trigger GBP downside. With UK threats of triggering Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do Brexit is in focus again. For now, markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside. Any overly dovish comments signalling less aggressive policy than what markets are currently pricing in could trigger bearish GBP reactions.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamental outlook for the GBP remains fairly bleak right now with the economic prospects and risk of stagflation keeping the currency pressured, alongside expectations that the BoE might not be too far away from pausing their hiking cycle. Anything that exacerbates stagflation fears is expected to weigh on the Pound and anything that alleviates some of that pressure should be positive. Sterling has been looking stretched to the downside, so any new shorts do need to be weary of the risk of some mean reversion, but with the recent bounce at the index level some of the stretched price action might be waning.
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
In recent weeks, the persistently high inflation has seen the ECB take a more hawkish turn with the bank hiking rates by 50bsp at their July meeting. But the bank quelled any hawkish excitement by explaining they are frontloading hikes and not signalling a higher terminal rate with their bigger hike. At their July meeting the bank also failed to ease spread fragmentation concerns with their new Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) as the eligibility criteria means countries that will need the support the most might have a tough time qualifying. Combined with Italian political concerns, further spread widening looks likely. Right now, even though policy and spreads are important, the main story and driver for the EUR is the economic outlook. Recent growth data continues to surprise to the downside at a rapid pace further stoking recession fears for the Eurozone. As long as data surprises lower and spreads remain high the bias for the EUR remains firmly in bearish territory.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
Geopolitics remains important where any de-escalation or cease fire in Ukraine would open up a lot of EUR upside. Also keep Italian politics in mind where successful attemptsto avoid a snap election could ease spread widening & support the EUR. Stagflation fears are high, with growth expected to slow with inflation still. Recent PMI data has invigorated recession fears, which means any materially better-than-expected growth data (DE Factory Orders & Industrial Production this week) could spark some relief for the EUR. Spread fragmentation remains a concern, especially with Italian politics and the ECB’s failed attempt to reassure markets about their new TPI tool. Any comments about TPI that convinces markets it can solve fragmentation issues should be supportive for the EUR. Energy concerns are still in focus, which means watching the Nord Stream 1 flows, if Russia increases gas flows to more regular levels it should ease some energy supply issues.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Geopolitics remain in focus, any escalation in the Ukraine war that risks including NATO would be big negative risks. Also keep Italian politics in mind, where any failed attempts to avoid a snap election should add further pressure on the EUR. Growth concerns continue to weigh on the EUR and means any major negative surprises in incoming growth data (DE Factory Orders & Industrial Production this week) could trigger further downside in the EUR. Spread fragmentation remains in focus, and if the ECB fails to act with big jolts higher in the BTP/Bund spread it could trigger bearish reactions in the EUR. We've seen a chunky repricing in hike expectations over the past three weeks, and any further lower repricing is expected to weigh on the EUR. Energy concerns are still in focus, which means watching the Nord Stream 1 flows, if Russia decreases gas flows again it should increase concerns and weigh on the EUR.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamental outlook remains bearish for the EUR with recent leading indicators pointing to a much faster economic slowdown than markets had previously expected. The current bearish drivers (geopolitics, stagflation, spread fragmentation, energy supply concerns) far outweigh the positives from a hawkish ECB. Recession risks open up a narrative change for the EUR which will require markets to adjust forecasts to reflect higher recession probabilities which should weigh on the EUR.
GBP
FUNDAMENTAL OUTLOOK: WEAK BEARISH
BASELINE
The overall bleak economic outlook for the UK, with exceptionally high Inflation and rapidly falling growth have been the biggest negative driver for Sterling. With rising price pressures and falling demand, the risks of stagflation has risen substantially, so much so that the BoE have forecasted a possible recession for the UK economy heading into 2023. At their June meeting the bank followed through with their more moderate approach by hiking 25bsp instead of growing calls of a potential 50bsp hike. The BoE is stuck between a rock and a hard place, right now they have to hike rates to try and fight inflation but by doing so they risk further damaging economic growth as a result. Even though the June statement was dovish, it wasn’t materially more dovish compared to their previous meeting. The price action was a clear warning sign that a lot of negatives has been priced in for Sterling in recent weeks so chasing lower is very risky right now.
POSSIBLE BULLISH SURPRISES
Stagflation fears are very high for the UK, with probabilities of recession growing by the week. With so much bad news priced in, incoming news risk is asymmetrical, meaning positive surprises in growth data could trigger strong bullish reactions. The UK is facing a huge cost-of-living squeeze, which means lower-than-expected inflation could counterintuitively be a positive driver (as lower CPI means less stagflation risk). The economy needs help right now, which means any help from the fiscal side will be a positive. Any major fiscal support measures to help consumers (subsidies for energy or tax cuts) could trigger bullish reactions for the Pound. Any overly hawkish comments signalling more aggressive policy than what markets are currently pricing in could trigger bullish reactions.
POSSIBLE BEARISH SURPRISES
Odds that the BoE has limited hikes left has been a negative driver, but so too is risks that inflation forces them to hike even more and further damage GDP. Further stagflation risks from higher gas prices or CPI could trigger bearish reactions. Politicsremain a focus, where any attempts by a new PM in the weeks or months ahead to call for a snap election should cause unnecessary uncertainty and could trigger GBP downside. With UK threats of triggering Article 16 and EU threats to terminate the Brexit deal if they do Brexit is in focus again. For now, markets have rightly ignored this as posturing, but any actual escalation can see sharp GBP downside. Any overly dovish comments signalling less aggressive policy than what markets are currently pricing in could trigger bearish GBP reactions.
BIGGER PICTURE
The fundamental outlook for the GBP remains fairly bleak right now with the economic prospects and risk of stagflation keeping the currency pressured, alongside expectations that the BoE might not be too far away from pausing their hiking cycle. Anything that exacerbates stagflation fears is expected to weigh on the Pound and anything that alleviates some of that pressure should be positive. Sterling has been looking stretched to the downside, so any new shorts do need to be weary of the risk of some mean reversion, but with the recent bounce at the index level some of the stretched price action might be waning.
