FOREX: Further Pricing of Less Easy Fed Leads USD/JPY (Briefly) Above 149
Oct-07 09:23
- JPY trades stronger off lows early Monday, with USD/JPY initially extending the NFP-inspired rally on the resumption of trade - helping the pair touch 149.13, before reversing through the European open to trade lower. Risk sentiment is mixed as markets continue to price in a lower likelihood of a second Fed 50bps rate cut, with the US 10y yield popping back above the 4.00% mark for the first time since early August.
- Elsewhere, NOK and CAD sit stronger on the back of continued tensions in the Middle-east. Further strength in oil prices this morning puts WTI at new multi-month highs, helping press EUR/NOK toward first support at the 11.6637 100-dma.
- USD/CNH now the only major currency pair to have reversed the NFP-inspired USD rally, with the pair now below 7.07 mark to narrow in on the Friday low of 7.0471. This firms the 50-dma as notable resistance on any further rally (today at 7.1128), while 7.0377 marks the first major downside target (50% retracement of upleg off the cycle low at 6.9713.
- Tier one data releases are few and far between Monday, keeping focus on the much busier speaker schedule. Markets are expecting appearances from ECB's Escriva & Nagel, as well as Fed's Bowman, Kashkari, Bostic and Musalem - the last of which should prove most relevant for policy expectations - although comes after the close.
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US TSYS: Short End Leads Post-NFP Rally Despite Faded 50bp Sept Cut Prospects
Sep-06 20:05
The short-end led a Treasury rally in a busy Friday session, despite a fading of the initial dovish reaction to soft nonfarm payrolls data.
- The week's main event August employment report showed both a miss in nonfarm payrolls growth (142k vs 165k cons) and heavy downward revisions to the prior 2 months (-86k), alongside a slight downtick in the unemployment rate.
- That spurred a sharp bull steepening in the curve as a 50bp September Fed cut regained 50% implied probability.
- Comments 15 minutes after the NFP release by NY Fed Pres Williams were seen as noncommittal on 25 vs 50bp, and yields reversed steadily from session lows to session highs.
- Gov Waller's speech at 1100ET saw a renewed Treasury bid, as headlines emerged that he could support a "front-loaded" cutting cycle - but it soon became clear that this was a hypothetical and, like Williams, didn't seem particularly pro-50bp for Sept.
- The net impact was that September pricing was trimmed to 32bp of cuts, (4-5bps fewer than seen pre-payrolls), but short-end Treasuries still ended much stronger as futures saw more cuts overall: 2.5bp extra by end-2024 (to 113bp cumulative) and 12bp of extra cuts due by Jun’25 (221bp).
- 2s10s closed the week comfortably in positive territory for the first time since 2022, rallying 7bp on the day.
- We won’t get any more Fed communications due to the pre-FOMC blackout – but for observers clinging on to the possibility of a 50bp September hike, next Wednesday’s CPI release could be eyed as a tiebreaker.
- Latest levels: The Dec 24 T-Note future is up 6.5/32 at 114-30.5, having traded in a range of 114-10 to 115-13. The 2-Yr yield is down 8.7bps at 3.6565%, 5-Yr is down 4.3bps at 3.4938%, 10-Yr is down 1.5bps at 3.7117%, and 30-Yr is unchanged at 4.0198%.
USDCAD TECHS: Bear Trend Intact
Sep-06 20:00
- RES 4: 1.3646 High Aug 15
- RES 3: 1.3641 50-day EMA
- RES 2: 1.3574 20-day EMA
- RES 1: 1.3565 High Sep 03
- PRICE: 1.3530 @ 16:02 BST Sep 06
- SUP 1: 1.3441 Low Aug 28 and the bear trigger
- SUP 2: 1.3420 Low Mar 08
- SUP 3: 1.3358 76.4% retracement of the Dec 27 - Aug 5 bull leg
- SUP 4: 1.3288 Low Jan 05
Recent gains in USDCAD appear to have been a correction and the recent impulsive sell-off, in August, reinforces a bearish condition. Note too that moving average studies are in a bear-mode set-up, highlighting a dominant downtrend. A resumption of bearish activity would signal scope for a move towards 1.3358, a Fibonacci retracement. On the upside, initial firm resistance to watch is at 1.3574 the 20-day EMA.
OPTIONS: Friday SOFR Option Flow Roundup
Sep-06 19:35
Friday's SOFR options flow included:
- SFRU4 95.12/95.06ps traded 3.5 in 3.5k.
- SFRU4 95.06/95.18cs 2x3, traded 5.25 and 5.5 in 2.5k.
- SFRU4 95.12/95.25cs traded 4.5 and 4.75 in 6.5k.
- SFRU4 95.25/95.37cs 1x2 traded 1.5 in 5k.
- SFRU4 95.25/95.31cs, bought for 1 I 12k total
- SFRU4 95.2595.31/95.37/95.43c condor, traded 1.25 in 6.5k.
- SFRU4 95.50c traded half in 10k.
- SFRU4 95.12c sold at 4.75 in 12k total.
- SFRU4 95.25c sold at 1.25 in 10k
- SFRU4 95.12 call vs 9512.25 sold at 4.75 in 15k all day
- SFRU4 95.00/95.12/95.25 cfly sold at 4 in 2.5k
- SFRU4 94.93/95.50 traded 0.25 for the c in 6k. (risk reversal)
- SFRU4 95.18/95.12/95.06p ladder traded 0.75 in 2.5k. (block)
- SFRU4 95.18/95.31cs traded 3.25 and 3.5 in 10k. (block)
- SFRV4 95.50p, traded 1.25 in 8.5k.
- SFRZ4 95.50p, traded 4.5 in 7.5k.
- SFRZ4 95.87/96.12/96.87c ladder vs 95.25p traded 2.25 and 2.5 in 5k.
- SFRZ4 96.12/96.25cs 2x3 traded 10 in 5k. (block)
- SFRH5 96.31/96.00ps 2x3 traded 12.5 in 5k.
- SFRM5/0QM5 97.50c, spread, traded for -6 in 5k.
