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MaxIG

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Blog Entries posted by MaxIG

  1. MaxIG
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 16-Nov 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.




    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
     
    Special Dividends
            Index
     
     
     
     
    Index
    Bloomberg Code
    Effective Date
    Summary
    Dividend Amount
    MEXBOL
    WALMEX MM
    23/11/2020
    Special Div
    45
    RTY
    HL US
    17/11/2020
    Special Div
    0.5
    RTY
    CTO US
    18/11/2020
    Special Div
    1183
    RTY
    WING US
    19/11/2020
    Special Div
    500
    RTY
    HVT US
    20/11/2020
    Special Div
    200
    RTY
    AMRK US
    20/11/2020
    Special Div
    150
    RTY
    DHIL US
    24/11/2020
    Special Div
    1200
    RTY
    SBSI US
    24/11/2020
    Special Div
    50
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
  2. MaxIG
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 2-Nov 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.



    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
     
    Special Dividends
            Index
    Bloomberg Code
    Effective Date
    Summary
    Dividend Amount
    NIFTY
    LT IN
    04/11/2020
    Special Div
    1800
    SPX
    AIV US
    03/11/2020
    Special Div
    738
    SPX
    ROL US
    09/11/2020
    Special Div
    13
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
  3. MaxIG

    Dividend Adjustments for 21-Dec to 28-Dec

    By MaxIG,


    Dividend Adjustments
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 21st Dec 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.



    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
    Special Dividends
            Index
    Bloomberg Code
    Effective Date
    Summary
    Dividend Amount
    RTY
    TG US
    21/12/2020
    Special Div
    597
    RTY
    OPY US
    21/12/2020
    Special Div
    100
    SPX
    CME US
    24/12/2020
    Special Div
    250
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
  4. MaxIG
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 21st Sep 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.



    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
     
            Special Dividends
            Index
    Bloomberg Code
    Effective Date
    Summary
    Dividend Amount
    UKX
    HL/ LN
    24/09/2020
    Special Div
    17.4
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
     
  5. MaxIG

    Dividend Adjustments for 28-Dec to 4-Jan

    By MaxIG,


    Dividend Adjustments
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 28th Dec 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.



    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
  6. MaxIG
    Dividend Adjustments for 30-Nov to 7-Dec
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 30-Nov 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.




    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
     
            Special Dividends
            Index
    Bloomberg Code
    Effective Date
    Summary
    Dividend Amount
    OMX
    TELIA SS
    03/12/2020
    Special Div
    65
    NDX
    COST US
    01/12/2020
    Special Div
    1000
    NDX
    FAST US
    01/12/2020
    Special Div
    40
    RTY
    ITIC US
    30/11/2020
    Special Div
    1500
    RTY
    IIIN US
    30/11/2020
    Special Div
    150
    SPX
    COST US
    01/12/2020
    Special Div
    1000
    SPX
    FAST US
    01/12/2020
    Special Div
    40
     
     
     
     
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
  7. MaxIG
    Expected index adjustments 
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 9-Nov 2020. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video.



    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account.
     
    Special Dividends
            Index
    Bloomberg Code
    Effective Date
    Summary
    Dividend Amount
    UKX
    SBRY LN
    12/11/2020
    Special Div
    7.3
    RTY
    WINA US
    09/11/2020
    Special Div
    300
    RTY
    AMSF US
    09/11/2020
    Special Div
    350
    FBMKLCI
    SDPL MK
    16/11/2020
    Special Div
    1.45
    SPX
    ROL US
    09/11/2020
    Special Div
    13
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary.
      Entry Actions  Report Entry  
  8. MaxIG
    Earnings optimism tempers the markets’ mood: Financial market participants curbed their enthusiasm yesterday. Friday’s brief excitement on Wall Street relating to a handful of earnings beats from some of the US’s big banks failed to translate into meaningful momentum to begin the new trading week. Such a dynamic was also evident throughout the Asian session. The ASX200 closed flat for the day, and Chinese stocks rallied and retraced all in the space of a few hours. The Nikkei was higher for the day; however, that was largely due to a markedly weaker Japanese Yen, with that currency unable to reclaim its losses after Friday’s risk-on move.
    Sluggish trade on Wall Street: The activity on Wall Street overnight was very much of the “let’s-now-wait-and-see” variety. The behaviour is sensible and based on a sound enough logic. Earnings seasons are a long-slog, with the possible arduousness of this reporting period even greater given the prevailing global economic backdrop. The return of thinner trade conditions, which of course were attributable in part to a level of Monday-itis, betrayed this cautiousness during the North American session. Volumes were below average, and market-breadth was meagre: 38.8 per cent of stocks were higher across Wall Street, with only 4 out of 11 sectors registering gains for the session.

    The next bullish impulse being sort out: If traders are unwilling to carry-through with their bullish bias, it bears questioning what presently stands in their way. The obvious answer is a general uncertainty as to whether US stocks will outperform their lowly Q1 earnings estimates; and whether an improvement in forward guidance is delivered by US corporates. But where might the substance of this answer be discovered? If last night’s trade is any indicator, it won’t be US bank stocks. After JP Morgan’s surprise beat on Friday night, the numbers released by the likes of Citi and Goldman Sachs, though solid, didn’t engender quite the same excitement.
    Markets wait for bellwether earnings: Instead, the meatier part of earnings season will come when market participants receive updates from the major tech-giants and big industrial companies. The rationale for this view is simple enough: the two key sticking points for the market at-the-moment pertains broadly to risk appetite and macroeconomic growth. As last year’s record run and violent correction will attest to, the US tech sector is the bellwether for what desire there is to punt big on growth-stocks. While the powerhouse American industrial companies will provide the ultimate read on what impact the slow-down in China and Europe is having on corporate profits.
    ASX likely to keep doing its own thing: The problem is market participants must wait a few days-to-weeks to receive clarity on these matters. For now, traders turn to the Asian session, and that of the ASX in particular, with few chunky leads to determine this region’s early fortunes. SPI Futures for one are pointing to a negative start for Australian equities, with that contract predicting a 16-point drop at the open. It backs up another day where the ASX traded seemingly according to its own will: a lift North American banks perhaps support our own somewhat, however the ASX200 experienced a meandering day, trading in a narrow 20-point range.
    RBA Minutes the key risk event today: Event risk during Asian trade today is relatively light from a global perspective. But for those with an interest in the Australian-macro landscape, RBA Minutes will be one to watch. Since the RBA’s monetary-policy-decision a fortnight ago, traders have moved gradually to temper their bets on the extent of rate cuts from the central bank in the year ahead. By way of virtue of diminishing fears about the state of health of the global economy, traders have reduced the number of implied interest rate cuts by the RBA from about 1-and-a-half to just over 1 before the end of 2019.
    Australian Dollar feeling the love: The restored confidence in the global macro-economic outlook has manifested in the Australian Dollar. Though its begun the week listless, the AUD has held onto its short-term trend, to be currently trading just below a few significant resistance level at the prices 200-day moving-average. Despite the yield story apparently unsupportive of the move in the currency, the climb in iron ore prices combined with speculation of further improvements in the global economic outlook is apparently underpinning Aussie Dollar strength. A break over the currency’s 200 day moving-average may well indicate a further run higher for it is afoot.

    Written by Kyle Rodda  IG Australia
     
  9. MaxIG
    Elevated volatility and choppy trade: Volatility is still elevated. It's one moment up and one moment down. Price action and sentiment is shifting all in the space of a single session. The extreme vacillations in price and sentiment are wrung by the twisting fortunes of the global economy's two major forces: the Chinese and US economies. Day-to-day, markets are playing out like a game of pong, with one side rising only to strike the ball in the opposite direction to send the other diving lower. Once again, a sharp rally in China's equities just prior to its lunch break yesterday fizzled throughout the day, to the chagrin of nonplussed European and North American equity traders. The remainder of Thursday's session since has seen a sea of red, as the bears one again have-their-way with the market.

    Risk-off (again): Several causes have been used to rationalise last night's drop in US equities, ranging from fears regarding poor earnings and soft US housing data last night. Nothing major has thus far leapt out as a catalyst however, seeming more like a continuation of the very choppy trend we've watched play out for weeks. Havens maintained their trend higher amidst the risk-off sentiment, pushing US Treasuries (and bond markets in general) higher. The USD has rallied on this basis, diving into the 1.13 handle against the EUR and the 1.28 handle versus the GBP. While Gold prices have remained steady, as traders maintain their hedge against fiat currency risk.
    Currency markets: The Australian Dollar has naturally suffered from the stronger greenback, to be squashed toward the 0.7050-mark. The Kiwi has endured a similar fortune, though the other of the Big 3 commodity bloc currency, the CAD, rallied after he Bank of Canada hiked interest rates overnight. The ultimate growth-versus-risky proxy, the AUD/JPY, has plunged to around 79.30, epitomising the prevailing fears regarding global growth and equity market bearishness. And of greatest global significance, the USD/CNH continued its apparently inexorable run toward the 7.00 handle, breaking through 6.95 to trade close to year-to-date highs.


    ECB meeting: Rates and currency markets will remain in focus over the next 24 hours, in preparation for the ECB's monetary policy meeting. The ECB won't materially change policy at this meeting: stimulus will stay on, and rate settings will remain negative. What will be watched for however, is comments on the unfolding political-economic issues regarding Brexit and the Italian fiscal problem, and more importantly, the central bank's plans to implement its Quantitative Tightening (QT) program. The expectation is currently that the ECB will flag the beginning of the end to this program in December this year, all the while reassuring markets that interest rates will stay where they are -- effectively at 0 per cent -- until well into 2019.
    The slow-end of easy money: The deepest cause of the volatility experienced in global financial markets is the tighter liquidity conditions, aided just as much by the ECB as the US Federal Reserve. A profound reaction to any mention by the ECB of its QT intentions isn't greatly expect tonight, however it's practical implications in the medium-to-long term sow the seeds of the sort of volatility heaped upon markets over the last several weeks. Tonight's ECB meeting is being treated as potentially another reading of the last rites to the easy money era. The realisation amongst markets participants is that (finally, after a decade) the ability to gorge on free money is over, tipping the risk/reward ledger out of the favour of long booming global equity markets.
    North American wipes 2018 gains: The problem is, with the necessity to tighten global monetary policy in the face of better global growth and higher inflation risks, the global economy is being threatened on several fronts from a breakdown in international geopolitical and economic ties. The day-to-day commentary on Wall Street is centred on this dynamic, and it played out again in last night's major equity sell-off. Growth/momentum stocks in US tech caused the NASDAQ to sustain the greatest losses across US indices overnight, but fears about slower earnings growth from weaker economic fundamentals also pushed the S&P500 and the Dow Jones in the realms of 2 and 3 per cent lower. The next 48 hours become increasingly significant as the losses in North America mount: tech giants -- those who have pushed this market higher-and-higher -- Microsoft (who this morning reported record profits in the first quarter) Amazon and Alphabet are report earnings, with the reaction to them potentially deciding the view on what the futures holds for US equity markets.
    Bearishness for ASX200: SPI futures portend a very challenging day for the ASX200, with markets pricing in a 94-point drop at today's open. Zooming out to the bigger picture as it currently stands, there are few glimmers of hope for Aussie equity bulls now. The major drivers of upside are all struggling: the banks are battling potential regulatory crack downs and a slowing local property market; major healthcare stocks, with their stretched valuations and low yields, have lost the bid of momentum investors; and the miners are battling fluctuating commodity prices amid concerns regarding the trade-war and global growth. Opportunities always exist for the savvy reader and investor, of course, but extending the rationale enunciated and looking at the technicals as they gradually unfold, signs of a bearish trend in the ASX200 are progressively emerging.


    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
  10. MaxIG
    Event risk passes with no surprises: The litany of economic data provided market participants the green-light they were looking for; but so far, the price-reaction, while bullish, has been subdued. Relative to the past 100-days, volume on Wall Street, and a majority of developed markets, has been thin overnight. It’s giving the impression of a stock-market bereft of conviction, as nervousness sets in as the S&P500 edges towards new record highs. Admittedly, much of this phenomenon could be attributed to the upcoming US reporting season: while risk-taking is being encouraged by policy-makers, a true validation in corporate fundamentals needs to accompany the oft-touted accommodative global monetary policy settings.
    Fed the highlight overnight: Nevertheless, the knowledge that monetary policy from the world’s largest central banks will remain supportive is a necessary precondition to any rally in equity-markets. Last night’s trade, and the data that was released and monitored within it, spoke of such a necessity. Naturally, it was the words of the Fed that held the greatest weight – this time, contained within their latest monetary-policy minutes. The information contained within them wasn’t new; however, it did confirm the stance makes have recently savoured. The majority of the Fed saw the need to remain qualifiedly “patient” in the face of “significant uncertainties”.
    US inflation-risk still low: The Fed’s dovishness was backed by US CPI overnight, which acted as tangible evidence for that central bank’s policy stance. Though headline inflation beat economist’s estimates, this was largely due to energy price volatility, with the “core” component of the number falling to 2.00 per cent on an annualized basis. The data itself saw the bets of interest rate cuts in the US increase marginally, prompting a fall in US Treasury yields across the curve. Moreover, 5 Year US Breakevens, while ticking slightly higher overnight, point to US inflation remaining below the Fed’s “symmetrical” 2 per cent target rate.

    ECB played second fiddle: Not to be outdone, the ECB met last night, too, and delivered approximately no surprises. Another rubber-stamping of the global monetary policy outlook, it seems. The ECB had already told the markets that it sees the need for a maintaining of its interest rate settings well into the future. The effect on Euro-zone rate expectations was practically the same as those in the US economy. Tighter policy settings from the ECB before year end has been all-but priced out; with negative interest rate policy, as well as many of the ECB’s more exotic policy tools, apparently here to stay for the foreseeable future.
    A nonplussed currency complex: As the race to the bottom in global interest rates resumed, currency markets appeared to have a little trouble working out what it all means. The US Dollar was the primary laggard in the G4 currency-complex, as the Fed seemingly won this round of Who can be the biggest dove? The Euro was up slightly against the USD; however, it was down against most its major crosses. The Yen climbed, but not as anti-risk trade.  As it relates to the AUD, it climbed higher in the 0.7100 handle, as the yield differential between the US and Australian government bonds narrowed.
    A down start for the ASX, following a flat day: For what was a generally positive, albeit lukewarm lead from Wall Street overnight, SPI Futures are pointing to an 11-point drop for the ASX200 at today’s open. Trade was as flat as a tack yesterday, lifted only by a bounce in bank shares, partially (and arguably) due to a component in yesterday’s consumer sentiment data that suggested a shift in confidence towards the housing market. Otherwise, a stall in the astronomical rise in iron prices, and a pullback in oil prices, weighed somewhat on the market – though that dynamic may be due to change judging by last night’s commodity price action.

    A clear-cut lead hard to find: Today’s trade on the ASX may well be judged in large part on how the market reacts to the prospect of an announced Federal election date. SPI Futures fell into that market’s close, suggesting that the story may hold some weight. Otherwise, in the Asian session today, Chinese CPI data is the key release for market participants and will again be judged on what it says about China’s consumer demand, and the prospects for further fiscal and monetary intervention by policy makers. Thematically, cross-market moves suggest that there exists a present appetite for growth and risk, even if that comes without remarkable conviction.
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
  11. MaxIG
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 8 April 2019. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video. 

    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account. Special Divs are highlighted in orange.
    Special dividends
    Index Bloomberg Code Effective Date Summary Dividend Amount AS51 SIQ AU 12/04/2019 Special Div 28.5714 As you know, constituent stocks of an index will periodically pay dividends to shareholders. When they do, the overall value of the index is affected, causing it to drop by a certain amount. Each week, we receive the forecast for the number of points any index is due to drop by, and we publish this for you. As dividends are scheduled, public events, it is important to remember that leveraged index traders can neither profit nor lose from such price movements.
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary. 
     
  12. MaxIG
    Please see the expected dividend adjustment figures for a number of our major indices for the week commencing 15 April 2019. If you have any queries or questions on this please let us know in the comments section below. For further information regarding dividend adjustments, and how they affect  your positions, please take a look at the video. 

    NB: All dividend adjustments are forecasts and therefore speculative. A dividend adjustment is a 
    cash neutral adjustment on your account. Special Divs are highlighted in orange.
    Special dividends
    Index Bloomberg Code Effective Date Summary Dividend Amount MEXBOL WALMEX*MM 23/04/2019 Special Div 35 As you know, constituent stocks of an index will periodically pay dividends to shareholders. When they do, the overall value of the index is affected, causing it to drop by a certain amount. Each week, we receive the forecast for the number of points any index is due to drop by, and we publish this for you. As dividends are scheduled, public events, it is important to remember that leveraged index traders can neither profit nor lose from such price movements.
    How do dividend adjustments work? 
    This information has been prepared by IG, a trading name of IG Markets Limited. In addition to the disclaimer below, the material on this page does not contain a record of our trading prices, or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instrument. IG accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of these comments and for any consequences that result. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. Consequently any person acting on it does so entirely at their own risk. Any research provided does not have regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation and needs of any specific person who may receive it. It has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such is considered to be a marketing communication. Although we are not specifically constrained from dealing ahead of our recommendations we do not seek to take advantage of them before they are provided to our clients. See full non-independent research disclaimer and quarterly summary. 

  13. MaxIG
    Not with a bang, but with a whimper? Without all the fire and fury that we saw in December, markets are pricing in once again a slow down in global economic growth. It could be strongly argued this is evidence of how important US Fed support is to equity market strength – but that’s a drum to beaten (over-and-over-again) for another day. Fundamentally, traders are quietly re-pricing for a world where economic growth will be weaker than once thought. Such behaviour has been long evident in Chinese markets, so there’s nothing new about pessimism in the Asian region. The point of focus now is in Europe, and to a lesser extent North America, which is increasingly demonstrating signs that market participants believe those economies are briskly approaching a period of (even) lower rates, growth and inflation.
    The many facets of the global growth story: There’s no shortage of causes for this looming slowdown – and in the financial media, each one is getting a good exercising. The trade-war remains the popular one, which is providing a convenient explanation for the confluence of confusing and complex causes for China’s recent economic malaise. This thread gets pulled-on to describe why Europe is feeling the pinch too, being the geography wedged in the middle of the trade-war’s heavyweight combatants. Throw in a sprinkling of Brexit anxiety and internal political unrest in the continent and that’s the story driving Europe’s economic outlook. The US economy is still humming, and the data coming out of the states is still showing a robust economy. Nevertheless, price action says that’s being somewhat ignored, with yields betraying an underling anxiety about economic health.
    What the bond market is saying: Essentially, it’s all written in yields at present. A few unwanted milestones were achieved in bond markets on the weekend. The most significant was in German Bunds, which saw the yield on its 10-year fall to 0.08 per cent – its lowest point since 2016 – even though rates markets leaving unchanged the implied probabilities for ECB decision making in 2019. 10 Year Japanese Government Bonds are back below 0 per cent, as markets stay resigned to the fact that the Japanese economy will see no signs of inflation for the foreseeable future. And despite there being an absence of data impetus to cause this – other than a general “risk-off” tone for Friday’s trade – US Treasuries climbed as traders priced in the increased chance the Fed will cut rates this year.

    The RBA adds its 2 cents worth: The market’s central premise that interest rates will need to fall the world-over manifested just as clearly in domestic trade on Friday. The RBA’s Statement of Monetary Policy, released on Friday morning, delivered to markets the material to price in further downside risks for local rates. Following the central bank’s meeting on Tuesday last week, and RBA Governor Philip Lowe’s influential speech on the Wednesday, it’s perhaps a surprise that anymore dovishness from the RBA could be priced into the forward curve. Lo-and-behold, there was, with the immediate reaction from markets towards the RBA’s SOMP to increase rate-cut bets in 2019 to over 60 per cent, bid higher Australian Commonwealth Government Bonds, and to sell-out of the Australian Dollar – pushing the local unit below the 0.7100 handle, subsequently.
    The RBA’s take on economic growth: It was another softening of the RBA’s economic growth outlook that spurred the flurry of activity. The SOMP was far from a manifesto of doom-and-gloom. However, what markets have for a while been predicting came clearly in the RBA’s opening lines of the document: “GDP growth slowed unexpectedly in the September quarter… The Bank’s growth forecasts have been revised down in light of recent data, particularly for consumption. GDP growth is expected to be around 3 per cent over this year and 2¾ per cent over 2020.” There was plenty of good news contained within the SOMP, it must be stated, especially as it relates to the outlook for the labour market. Sentiment clung to the growth outlook nevertheless, as traders assessed how a global economic slowdown will manifest down-under.
    The ASX followed global equities lower: The fall in yields on ACGBs and the Australian Dollar proved once again supportive of the ASX200, but the effect was fleeting. It was a bearish day for the ASX on Friday, no matter which way you spin-it. It was simply one of those days for risk assets, as the bulls took themselves to the sidelines for a breather, at the end of a week which was -balance very good for stocks in Australia. Equity market strength throughout last week was perhaps lacking in other parts of the world: Wall Street finished its week higher by a very slim margin, equity markets in continental Europe shed over 1 per cent across the board, the Nikkei dropped over -2.00 per cent, while a weaker Pound kept the FTSE in the green.
    Price action for the ASX200: The last traded price in SPI Futures is pointing to a 4-point drop at the open for the ASX200 this morning. The market demonstrated some signs of short-term exhaustion on Friday, after its face-ripping rally earlier in the week, as higher than average volumes propelled the index higher. Resistance at ASX200’s September low at around 6100/05 was dutifully respected as the week’s high. The daily-RSI is still in overbought territory, though not flashing a sell-signal nor a major change in momentum yet. The week’s break of the 200-day EMA is seeing that moving average slowly turn higher, which bodes well for the bulls. In the immediate future: the long-awaited pullback could be upon us here, with the November high at 5950 the next logical support level to watch.

    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
     
  14. MaxIG
    Fed minutes: The week’s blockbuster event dropped over night: the release of the FOMC’s Monetary Policy Minutes. Equity markets have staged a tentative turnaround globally this week, but it has all been occurring in the shadows of what could be gleaned from last night’s Fed minutes release. When all is weighed up, the document reaffirmed the Fed’s hawkishness, revealing in-depth discussions ranging from cutting the word “accommodative” from the central bank’s language, to debating the possible need to hike rates above the “neutral rate”. A spike in volatility in financial markets wasn’t forthcoming on the back of the release, most likely because traders have been analysing it in a far different context to the one in which it was written: the meeting precipitated the recent equity market rout, and therefore appreciate circumstances have duly changed.
    US markets: However, the detail in last night’s minutes establishes the new environment within which future Fed policy discussion will take place – both for the Fed itself and amongst market participants. Reaction’s to the Fed minutes were relatively dull overnight, seemingly due to a reluctance from traders to jump-the-gun. Benchmark US 10 Year Treasury yields climbed modestly to 3.17 per cent and the US Dollar has taken advantage of a weaker bid on the Pound and Euro to climb slightly. Wall Street has suffered somewhat, erasing earlier gains on earning’s optimism to trade more-or-less flat-to-down for the day. The trade dynamic gives a curious impression for equity indices, a struggle between an apparent binary: a battle of forces, if you will, between optimism regarding solid earnings growth and pessimism regarding the impact of higher global rates.
    ASX yesterday: SPI futures have absorbed the lead on Wall Street and translated it (currently) to a 13-point drop at the open for the ASX200. No cause for alarm naturally, following a day where the Australian share market put-in a broad-based rally, to bust back within the upward trend channel it abandoned during last week’s equity sell-off. The ASX200 was registering an oversold reading on the RSI leading into yesterday, and a basic breadth reading of 74 per cent yesterday across the index recognized the sell-off was a tad overdone. The growth stock heavy health care sector ran with the lead of US big tech, to top the markets winners; while the only sectoral laggard for the day was the materials space – though that can somewhat be discounted by the unlucky timing of news from BHP regarding that company’s production downgrades.

    ASX day ahead: The day ahead will probably be a grind for the ASX200 given a weak Wall Street lead, but a hold within its trend channel, the bottom of which is around 5890, should be considered a win for the bulls. As always, the core strength in the market was underpinned by a bounce in the banks yesterday, a theme that may well continue today given the boost in global bond yields, but will likely fizzle in the weeks and months ahead. Activity around the Asian region was also settled, with Chinese equities for one catching a small bid on rumours that a further cut to China’s banks reserve-ratio-requirement may be imminent. The general relief-rally provided the fuel for a pop in the MSCI All-Asia Index, pulling that index away from its near-18-month lows.
    Aussie employment: The major event risk for Aussie markets today will be domestic employment data, out of which the ABS is forecast to print a steady unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent and an employment change figure of 15.2k. Only the most extreme outcome to this release will shift the dial in financial markets, especially that of interest rate markets, which continue to price in no-move from the RBA until early-2020. A sprinkle of volatility could be seen in the AUD/USD, as that pair hugs support just above 0.7100, but as always, will probably take a stronger lead from activity in the greenback. The spread between US 2 Year Treasuries and 2 Year Australian Government Bonds has narrowed of late, supporting the AUD/USD – however a repricing of interest rate expectations for the US Fed could widen this spread once again, potentially pushing Aussie Dollar back towards previous lows at 0.7040.

     
    Europe: Taking a glance at other risks entering the end of the week, European markets continue to remain a source of uncertainty. European bureaucrats have gathered for a multi-day summit in Brussels, to discuss the many seemingly intractable issues facing the continent. A Brexit deal this week is becoming a diminishing prospect and is showing up in pricing across the region’s financial markets. Adding to the tension is a slight spike in anxiety relating to the Italian fiscal situation, stoking fears of greater animosity between Europe’s leaders and a general instability the European Union’s political structure. Credit spreads have widened in sovereign bond markets as a result, weighing on the Euro and Pound (which also receded on the back of weaker CPI figures overnight), sapping strength from the major European equity indices consequently.
    Oil: Oil markets deserve a mention, given the human-tragedy that is defining much of the volatility found in the price of the black-stuff now. Fundamentals first: US Crude Oil Inventories surprised to the upside overnight, sending the price of Brent Crude to the $US80.00 per barrel mark. The real developments in all markets this week centre, however, on the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi Arabian regime. Putting aside (the far more important) humanitarian implications of this situation, speculation has increased that the Saudi’s will exploit the leverage they possess in the form of their massive oil reserves to suffocate scrutiny on the subject by members of the global community. The details of the matter are far too nuanced to do justice to here, but the approach taken by global leaders to the Saudis and the subsequent Saudi response could prove one of the major determinants of oil price volatility moving forward.
  15. MaxIG
    Fed on tap: It’s a commentary written on the fly this morning, as developments out of this morning’s US Federal Reserve meeting are being digested by markets. The Fed has hiked rates just as they were expected to do, with market participants now trawling through the fine print in the Fed’s commentary. We were expecting a “dovish hike”; what we got looks like a “less-dovish than-expected-hike”. The dot plots were revised as presumed: the Fed has told the markets that it expects interest rates to be lifted twice in 2019, rather than the three-times implied in the September dot-plots. It also downgraded its growth expectations and hinted unemployment is likely to pick up in the medium term. Overall, though, at first glance this looks like a Fed reasonably content with their policy position, as well as the position of the US economy.

    First responders: Price action in markets have been interesting. The message being delivered by the Fed is somewhat curious. Initial judgements are that they’ve struck quite an effective tone, albeit one that was probably different to that which was implied in market pricing prior to the event. US stocks are paring their gains for the day; volume has returned to Wall Street, after being below its average for most of the session last night. The NASDAQ is in the red presently: momentum stocks (read: information technology firms) are being hurt by the “less-dovish” Fed. Investors don’t want to buy into growth, it would seem. The intraday trend is pointing to a down day for Wall Street, though naturally that could turn in the next hour-and-a-half.
    Rates markets: The VIX is down currently, which is a good early indicator that markets are less-uncertain after the Fed’s announcement. That’s not always guaranteed and is liable to change today; one assumes policy makers would be pleased with that outcome. Interest rate markets, as the data presents itself in the Bloomberg World Interest Rate Probability data, aren’t presenting signs of adjustment yet. That indicator still implies only a modest 14 basis points of hikes into 2019 from the Fed – though it is showing a greater chance that the central bank will stop or even reverse course in 2020. Arguably, the most interesting price action has transpired in US breakeven inflation rates: the 5 Year indicator has dropped to imply future inflation of just below 1.6 per cent – well below the Fed’s target level of 2.00 per cent.

    Powell Press Conference: Fed Chairperson has delivered his commentary and is taking questions from the press. Markets are reacting quite well to what he is saying but most asset classes are still swinging around a lot. The “data-dependant” line is being touted once again, suggesting a flexibility to future policy decision. The dot-plots too, it has been stated several times, is not a consensus estimate or guideline and is subject to revision. Traders ought to take comfort from that notion: if things get uglier, for whatever reason, the Fed will provide some sort of a back stop – a low-premium Powell-put, perhaps. However, a positive – a less dovish, more hawkish – tone has been delivered. Powell is waving away some of the recent financial market volatility, despite acknowledging that financial conditions are less accommodative for economic growth.
    Bonds and currencies: Bond and currency markets have been the locus of activity, as one would assume. Sentiment is still shifting in response to new information, though some insights into the collective consciousness of traders can be inferred. The US Dollar is turning higher for the day, climbing toward 97 according to the US Dollar index. The greenback is performing best against risk and growth sensitive currencies like the Australian Dollar: our currency has been dumped, tumbling over 1 per cent to sit just above 0.7100, at present. Bonds are rallying across the board and all the way across the curve. US Treasuries are of course leading the drive: there is the feeling that risk aversion is taking hold now. Equities are selling-off: one criticism popping up now is the Fed is not taking financial market volatility seriously-enough.
    US Treasury yields: A cursory analysis of the yield curve is presenting some interesting information, too: the yield on rate sensitive US 2 Year note has fallen by 2 points at time of writing, but the US 10 Year note has fallen by an even greater 5. The spread between those two assets has narrowed to 13 points. Traders are suggesting, as they had been at stages in the lead up to this Fed meeting, it expects the Fed to keep tightening rates, even in the face of lower inflation and growth prospects. If anything is going to spark fear and further volatility today, it’s probably going to be based on that point. An imminent-enough economic slow-down is upon us, it is being implied, however the Fed will likely stick to its strategy of restricting financial conditions by lifting interest rates.

    The aftermath: The event is more-or-less over now: all the official information is out-there, and Powell has delivered his press conference. Now traders trade and speculate on what has been communicated to the market. After holding up well enough initially, US equities are being smashed and futures markets are pricing in a sell-off across both European and Asia markets. Looking at the market-map of the S&P500, it’s all a sea of red now, with just over half an hour left in trade. That index is clambering to hold onto the 2500 handle, while the Dow Jones has just registered a new year-to-date, intra-day-low. After all the formalities, market participants are behaving none-too-happy with what they have received this morning: stocks are off on volumes that have gone through the roof, credit spreads have widened, and safe-havens are being sought out.

    ASX today: Though it has suffered in the global equity sell-off, the ASX200 has held-up rather well of last, at least when compared to its global peers. SPI Futures have swung heavily this morning, vacillating all in the time it takes to type a sentence in a range between 7-to-25-points. Yesterday was a soft day for Australian shares as traders positioned for this morning’s Fed; the only bright spot for the session was the announcement from APRA it was going to lift lending restrictions on investor only loans. That fact gave the real estate sector, the banks and the consumer staples space a boost. What’s in store for the day ahead is hard to pick for a trader right now: the markets are shifting so rapidly. Anything more than a flat day for Aussie shares would be surprising. IG is pricing the ASX at 5560 as of 7.45AM, with the recent intra-day low of 5551 the level to watch today.
  16. MaxIG
    Fed sparks bullish sentiment: Traders were bullish overnight, but as far global equities go, the ultimate results were mixed. Activity has been very high, that’s irrefutable. Volumes flowing into stocks have been much higher than average, no matter where you look. Fundamentally, the Fed has lit a fire under markets, and traders are repositioning to adjust to a new set of circumstances. The fundamentals have shifted in quite a meaningful way. It’s the notion that the Fed will maintain monetary policy support that has made this so. A world of relatively easy monetary policy and loose financial conditions has market participants believing the record bull-run can be sustained. It may prove fleeting, merely a boost in sentiment, but at the very least today, markets have found their justification to buy-in.
    Bond markets start to adjust: Look no further to rates and bond markets to see the true impact of what the Fed has done. US Treasuries had been a boring market to watch for most of January, at least when compared to the events of late 2018. The US 10 Year note had been less than a 10-basis point trading range. The ultra-dovish Fed yesterday morning put an end to that. Implied probability for a rate hike this year from the Fed has for all intents and purposes has now been erased. By the end of the year, interest rate traders see little more than a 1 per cent chance that a rate hike will occur. US Bond yields have tumbled consequently, with the US 2 Year Treasury now yielding little more than current US Federal Funds rate.

    The greenback smack-down: The US Dollar is losing its advocates it seems. The pro-Dollar cheer squad espoused two reasons to justify their hitherto bullishness: if the economy regains its strength, then that means higher US rates, ergo a stronger greenback; if the economy goes into decline, that means greater risk aversion, ergo a stronger greenback. That idea is very cogent and could prove true in time, but here-and-now, the price action flies in the face of Dollar bulls. The USD is well off its highs, and although receiving a lift from a weaker Euro last night, a lift in our Australian Dollar (along with other risk-currencies) to above 0.7260 suggest traders are more than happy to short the greenback where it presently trades.
    Global economic data shows further weakness: Which leads to the irony, or perhaps contradiction, in financial markets at-the-moment: global growth keeps showing signs of a synchronized slow down. A weaker global economy in 2019 is all but a given if you listen to the analysis of the global economic elite. Last night though, markets were delivered another dose of reality about what the “real” economy is up to. A truckload of macro-data was released yesterday, and though there were some solid numbers here-and-there, most of it was quite ugly. Canadian GDP figures showed a contraction in growth for the quarter, German Retail Sales data missed by a long way, Chicago PMI disappointed, Italy is entering a technical recession, and Chinese PMI figures remain in contraction territory.
    Trade-war pain hurts Europe: It didn’t help sentiment toward global growth that US President Donald Trump decided to hit Twitter to discuss the trade war overnight. He said nothing inflammatory, in fact he was quite positive about trade negotiations. However, the US President made quite clear that a trade breakthrough couldn’t be expected until he and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down to nut out the final details. Seemingly, European markets copped the brunt of that news, and it showed up in its currency and fixed income markets. The EUR was down across the board last night, as German Bund yields collapsed to a 2-and-a-haf year low -- primarily as recession risks in the European economic bloc, and a subsequently idle ECB, forced traders to price-out the prospect of monetary policy normalization in Europe in 2019.
    ASX200 bucked the theme: Not that is represents much, but the to-and-fro between the optimism regarding a more dovish Fed, coupled with the grow anxiety elicited by slowed economic growth, has SPI futures pointing to a slim 5-point gain for the ASX200 this morning. Defying the theme in global markets yesterday, the ASX200 closed just shy of -0.4 per cent lower for the session, sustaining most of its losses during the after-market auction. Notably once again, the index failed to break through stubborn resistance at its 200-day EMA, selling-off that point once more during intraday trade. Upside momentum is diminishing in the market in the very short term, but perhaps in favour of the bulls, an ascending triangle pattern has emerged in the price action, maybe signalling an upside break is building within the market.

    The Fed, Hayne, and Iron Ore: The down day in Aussie stocks could be interpreted as a sign bearishness is gripping traders, but yesterday’s activity should be put into the context that the sell-off into yesterday close was probably symptomatic of a bit of end of month rebalancing in the market. Financial stocks are languishing too, as traders apparently stay out of the space ahead of Monday’s release of the final report from the Hayne Royal Commission. The beacon in the market has been the materials sector, owing to the recent rally in iron ore prices, following the devastating Vale disaster, which has thrown into question the safety (and therefore future productive capacity) of the mining industry in Brazil. To see a day in the green today, it may rely on mining bullishness outstripping banking-sector bearishness.
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
  17. MaxIG
    Financials drag on the ASX: The ASX200 was legged in the final stages of trade yesterday. It was led by a sell-off in major financial stocks, after a media address made by Australian Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, during which he announced the Liberal government would not pursue the eradication of trailing commissions for financial advisors and mortgage brokers, as prescribed by Kenneth Hayne QC in the final Banking Royal Commission report. It turned what was an otherwise solid day for the ASX200 on its head. Naturally, given their substantial weighting in the index, a bad day for the banks more-often than not leads to a pull-back in the market. That notion certainly proved to yesterday and looks to prove true again this morning.
    A good lead, but a weak start: Thus, at time of writing, SPI Futures are pointing a 7-point drop at the open. With half-an-hour left in Wall Street trade, it won’t be for a lack of a positive lead that this will be so. It’s been a reasonable day for US stocks, rallying just over 0.3 per cent, according to the S&P500. Market participants, it would seem, have had hurled back at them, when it comes to the banks, the political risk to the industry, they’d thought, had disappeared following the final report handed down by the Royal Commission. This being the case, the simplest answer for the ASX’s likely sluggish start today is this returning shadow of regulatory uncertainty over the financial sector.
    Banks back into the spotlight: Numerous specific explanations could be offered regarding the exact rationale for trader’s sell-off in financial-stocks. Many of them are politically-charged and filled with bias. For some inclined to one way of thinking, it might be because the Government’s new-position invites the Labor opposition to go harder on their “bank-bashing” (as it has become colloquially known) and raised the prospect of harsher regulations on the banks. The overarching explanation, no matter the specific reasoning, however, can be summed up in a cliché about markets: the only thing worse than bad news in markets, is uncertainty. Yesterday’s proclamations from the Government reintroduce uncertainty to the banking industry and create reason to avoid long positions in the banking stocks.

    Some of the bullish stories: Hence, despite some reasons to climb further today, the ASX200 may struggle to stay out of the red. It will come in the face of other macro-factors that ought to support stocks in Australia – and across the region. For one, industrial metals elegantly bounced from trendline support to sustain its recent run higher, which augurs well for the materials sector today. Oil is edging higher once more, so another day of gains for the energy sector could be in store. And a further play into health care and information technology stocks on Wall Street last night suggests an appetite for growth and risk in the market, pointing to positive conditions for highly weighted biotechnology firms on the ASX200.
    US CPI and global yields: Even more fundamentally, risk appetite was galvanized by a general fall in bond yields overnight. While still well within their broad range, US 10 Year Treasury yields fell 4 basis points to 2.60 per cent, after US CPI numbers missed expectations. The headline core CPI figure printed a lukewarm 2.1 per cent – effectively affirming, for now, that the US Fed is under very little pressure to hike interest rates. The knock-on effect was tangible throughout fixed-income and currency markets: 10 Year German Bunds clocked another multiyear low around at around 0.05 per cent; and the USD gave up ground, as it lost some of the yield advantage that has fuelled its recent rally. 
    A higher chance of a Fed cut: Inflation expectations for the US economy have been tempered after last night’s CPI miss. The US 2 Year Breakeven rate slipped below 1.90 per cent – revealing a market that believes that inflation in the US will continue to languish below the Fed’s 2 per cent “symmetrical” target. The dynamic has manifested in the implied probabilities US interest rate markets. A rate cut from the Fed is now considered a roughly 36 per cent chance before the end of 2019. It’s taken market positioning to levels not witnessed since the start of January – that being a time, of course, when the market was still being shaped by the massive market correction experienced in the last quarter of 2018.
    Brexit update: For everything else going on in markets, Brexit and the unfolding drama in that issue was the headline issue for traders overnight. There were many swings in the story yesterday, but ultimately, the simple fact this morning is this: UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal has been voted down again. It was by a smaller a margin this time – a 149 vote deficit. But nevertheless, the defeat was resounding, and ensures that the toxic effect of Brexit on markets lingers. The Sterling has whipped around in a 2.4 per cent range in the last 48 hours. Similar volatility is expected as the House votes tomorrow morning on whether to exit the EU with “no deal” at all.

    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
  18. MaxIG
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
    First trading day of the new year: Traders picked-up right where they left-off in the first trading day of 2019. Hardly a true microcosm by any means, but the last 24 hours could be considered an appropriate metaphor for how analysts expect markets to behave in the year ahead. Dire warnings out of Asia about global growth, backed-up by lukewarm activity in Europe, finished by a wildly fluctuating Wall Street. Trading conditions haven’t totally returned to normal; activity was very low globally, especially in Asia. However, it is lifting slightly when compared to last week, as traders drag their feet back to their desks for another year. Volatility is retracing, to the delight of investors and perhaps the chagrin of (bearish) traders. The fundamentals haven’t shifted even if sentiment has, so let’s keep ourselves strapped in.
    House prices falling: Taking in isolation what was hurled at Australian markets yesterday, and it was a bad day for the bulls. As alluded to, volume was light in Asia, and the ASX experienced volumes 45.85 per cent below the 30-day average. The financial press was handed two big headlines to run with that meant it was left-right-goodnight and straight to the canvas for the Aussie share markets on day-one of 2019. CoreLogic released its latest reading on the Australian residential property market, and for home owners it left much to be desired. The slow-down in the market continues for the major Sydney and Melbourne markets, each down now from their respective highs by 11.2 per cent and 7.2 per cent, according to yesterday’s reading.
    China slowing: The ASX200 didn’t move a terrible amount on that release, though it was a drag throughout the day. The real gut-check came upon the release of Caixin PMI data out of China, which confirmed that Chinese manufacturing has dived into contraction territory. It’s the latest evidence that, owing to standard cyclical factors and the stifling impact of the trade war, the Chinese economy is decelerating in a significant way. Of course, where goes China so goes Australia, more-or-less, and the prospect of an industrial slow-down in the Middle Kingdom, combined with sentiment-sapping consequences of a domestic property collapse, piqued fears our economy is headed for some turbulent times ahead. Naturally, the financials and materials sectors were the big laggards on the ASX200 consequently, with index plunging 1.57 per cent for the day.

    Mining and property: It’s a great summary of the Australian economy, this statement: the Australian economy is founded on digging-up stuff out of the ground, selling it overseas, then blowing the income on residential housing. A bit crude, probably unsympathetic too, but quite pithy and somewhat true. Given it’s the case, a set of circumstances whereby Australian property and mining is facing headwinds is no good for the economy and no good for the ASX. As often appointed-out, for index watchers, half the ASX200 is comprised of materials and financials stocks. Problems for Chinese growth is a challenge for the former, and problems in domestic property is a challenge for the latter. When both problems emerge simultaneously, it’s a big problem for the economy and the share market.
    RBA and the Australian Dollar: The most noteworthy result of yesterday’s difficult circumstances is that traders are pricing in cuts from the RBA this year in a bigger way. A survey of economists built the early consensus that Australian interest rates won’t be hiked until 2020. Traders, often far less forgiving, have in the space of a month already run from holding that view, to one where there is a roughly 30 per cent implied probability that the RBA will cut interest rates this year. Needless -to-say, the dynamic has legged the Australian Dollar: the little battler held up resiliently during Asian trade, bouncing off psychological support of 0.7000. But as we wake up this morning, the local currency has plumbed lows of 0.6982, taking it to its lowest level since February 2016.

    Growth concerns, safe-havens: It can’t be surprising that this is so; arguably its over-due, though one only ever admits that after the fact. Despite the bounce in global equities in certain geographies this past week, assets tied to fundamental growth prospects are still ailing. Last night’s swathe of Europe PMI figures, while not as poor as their Chinese counterparts, were still tepid, and did little to relieve investor anxiety. Copper was off slightly on this basis overnight, and amid continued institutional dysfunction in the White House, gold held above $US1280 as a safe-haven, despite looking a little overbought in the short-term. US Treasuries also caught a bid, as interest rate hikes from the US Fed this year become progressively priced out, with the yield on the US 10 Year note falling to as low as 2.64 per cent.
    Wall Street and ASX Futures: There’s 30 minutes to go in Wall Street trade at time of writing and the benchmark S&P500 is lower by a small margin, and SPI futures are indicating a healthy 86-point bounce for the ASX200 this morning. After opening considerably lower, US stocks recovered and have traded within a 2.11 per cent intraday range. A boost in oil prices was the major catalyst, courtesy of some Saudi-data, revealing how important (and understated) the black stuff’s impact is on this market. Credit spreads are still flashing orange, but higher energy prices are keeping that contained. The trend is still to the downside for stocks, however the likelihood we are experiencing a bounce is higher: for the S&P500, a rally beyond 2600, and for the ASX200, a rally beyond 5800, would be a strong indicator that this is so.
  19. MaxIG
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
    Fleeting relief: The Chinese and Americans are talking again; and the UK and European Union are nearing a deal. Those are the two stories that have turned the dour sentiment that characterized the first trading day of the week into something resembling optimism. Perhaps it’s another relief rally – every time the world doesn’t end we get one of those. Like when US mid-terms passed with few surprises, things going as they ought to engender nice feelings in the guts of traders. And not unjustifiably, either: the trade war and Brexit have become the two biggest bugbears in developed markets. In fact, 2018 may well be remembered in financial market history as the year the three biggest economic blocs’ almost tore one another apart – well that, and the very significant turn in US Fed monetary policy, of course.
    Is this the turning point? If this sounds all a little grand, that’s because it is; and it is why although the headlines read well this morning, the text of the story is one that we’ve read before. Could this time be different? Quite possibly. The steps taken by Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and US Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin to re-engage in talks is a considerable step forward, ahead of what is a planned meeting between the two nation’s Presidents, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the sidelines of this month’s G20. And the news that UK Prime Minister May has effectively secured a deal with her European Counterparts – one that includes an Anglo-friendly outcome on the Irish border, it’s been reported – bares the signs that (at the very least) the British and Europeans are on the same page.
    A long way to go: Nevertheless, there is an amplitude to cover for the negotiating teams on all sides relating to both respective issues to feel comfortable that, this time around, this is the true beginning of the end. The political machinations driving both matters forward are occurring (naturally) behind closed doors – away from the prying eyes of the press and the public. For all we know, both or either one of the conflicts may be well advanced towards a resolution. From what has simply been reported thus far however, little has materially changed – at least for now. Even when stripping aside the important point that even if these issues were to disappear, the bigger fundamental challenges facing financial markets would remain, the very many sticking points to arrive at an end in the Trade War or Brexit means that turbulence inevitably lies ahead, whatever the outcome.
    Asian action: The price action in markets, as it evolved throughout global trade, apparently reflects this notion. When the news broke about a possible step forward in negotiations between the Chinese and Americans, China’s equities flew, erasing a one per cent loss to close day one per cent higher. The Yuan – a better barometer– pared its losses to trade back at the 6.95 handle, and the Australian Dollar rallied above 0.7200 and the New Zealand Dollar paid a visit above 0.6750. The Nikkei, which had been down by 3-and-a-half per cent on less than one per cent breadth, rallied to contain losses to – a still considerable – 2 per cent, courtesy, in part, to a fall in the Yen to 114.00 resistance.

    European follow-through: Futures markets also turned to price in the relief-pop across US and European equities, and as news filtered through about the potential Brexit-deal during European trade, traders hit the buy button. The DAX, which would have certainly fed on the prospect of reduced tensions between the US and China, added 1.30 per cent, and the Eurostoxx 50 gained 0.96 per cent for the day. The FTSE100, it must be said, only managed to register a flat finish for the session; but this was largely due to the rally in the Pound. The GBP/USD rallied above the 1.30 handle briefly and the EUR/USD pushed above 1.1250, forcing the USD to recede from its 18-month highs – a dynamic that also saw commodities generally turn higher for a period.
    Wall Street fizzle: Flash forward to this moment (or really, to the moment at which this is being written): US equities are entering the final hour of trade having erased the gains attained in early trade. As has been described, the attractive headlines about the Trade War and Brexit have proven not enough to change the fundamental landscape, for now. The VIX remains hovering just below the 20-level, and a general sense of risk aversion has pushed the yield on 10 Year US Treasuries back to 3.14 per cent. Another day of losses for oil, that has seen the price of Brent Crude plunge to $US65.14, has also been blamed for the poor showing for US stocks. In a choppy end to the session caused by below average volume, the Dow Jones is down around 0.5 per cent, the S&P500 is down 0.2 per cent, while an early tech-bounce has (thus far) supported a flat day for the NASDAQ.

    Australia today: SPI futures have followed US indices down at the back end of the North American session, indicating that now the ASX200 is expecting a more-or-less flat open. It was another wipe out for the local market yesterday, with the Australian share market closing 1.8 per cent lower, led by losses in the healthcare and information technology sector. A handful of companies going ex-dividend, including heavy weight Westpac, certainly exacerbated he ASX200’s fall, however a breadth of 10 per cent shows this was a widespread sell-off. 
    Australian trade could prove to be eventful today following Wall Street’s lead. The economic calendar is robust: locally, Wage Price Index data is released, while abroad, Chinese Fixed Asset Investment and Industrial Production data is printed. The Australian Dollar is exposed to downside in the event these three releases underwhelm – 0.7150 is a realistic level of support to watch for – and the ASX200 appears vulnerable to break below a key level at 5820, if Wall Street’s selling follows through.    

  20. MaxIG
    Flight to safety: There's been a general flight to safety in global markets over the past 24 hours, adding to the bearish sentiment that's been mounting for several weeks. The risks remain the same and there wasn't an event to precipitate yesterday's sell-off. It apparently began in the Asian session, after Chinese equities pared the gains it had added over the previous two trading sessions, then swept through European and North American markets as the day unfolded. Haven assets have caught a bid, the most pertinent of which are US Treasuries and gold (which tested $US1232 resistance once more), while the Yen has experience a broad-based boost from the unwinding of the carry trade, to test the support of a significant medium-term trend line.


     
    US Treasuries: Arguably, the most illuminating asset during overnight trade were US Treasuries, and the activity of its yield. Of course, that should come as no surprises, given the dominant theme in markets is the US Federal Reserve's rate hiking ambitions. The tussle in markets regarding heightened global growth risks and the impacts of higher global rates is manifesting on the hour across the US yield curve. The yields on interest rate sensitive 2 Year Treasury Note jumped to near-decade-long highs during Asian trade yesterday, seemingly inciting a minor panic amongst investors. The shift subsequently looks to have hastened the liquidating of equity positions, driving funds back into bonds, pushing yields down first at the back end of the curve, before driving the front end down with it, as havens have been sought.
    Asian equities: The edginess amongst investors played out most acutely in Chinese equity indices, which let go of much of the optimism engendered by policy makers' recent assurances of State-backed support for financial markets. The relatively blue-chip CSI300 dropped 2.66 per cent for the day, capping off an Asian session in which the Nikkei shed a comparable amount, the Hang Seng lost over 3 per cent, and the ASX200 dropped over 1 per cent. The downward trend continues for China's markets, which despite exhibiting stronger fundamentals (on paper) than what markets are conveying, can't managed to hold onto a sustained rally. It points to a market that may well believe that the worst impacts of the trade-war are still to play out – that is, that the trade war will transform China's mild economic slowdown into something graver.

    ASX200: The action on China's markets accelerated the momentum of selling on the ASX200 in yesterday's trading session, however it must be said bearish sentiment had already been pervading the local share market by the time China’s markets opened. SPI Futures have undergone a noteworthy reversal early this morning, indicating currently a 13-point jump at the open today. The shift in price can be attributed to a late run on Wall Street, which has seen US indices bounce off the day's lows to contain the session's losses to about half-a-per-cent. What Wall Street’s lead reveals about what lies ahead for the ASX today is opaque; but considering that yesterday’s activity saw losses across every sector, perhaps simply a general retracement is in store today.
    Europe: Europe took the weak Asian lead yesterday and added to it the continent's own idiosyncratic risks. The result was a 1.24 per cent fall in the FTSE 100 and a 2.17 per cent fall in the DAX. Combined with fears about global growth, higher global interest rates, and stalling Brexit negotiations, was another deterioration in the relationship between the Italian Government and European Union bureaucrats, after Brussels threatened Italy with hefty fines if it did not revise its controversial budget in the next 3 weeks. The spread between German Bunds and Italian BTPs expanded to around 320 basis-points once again, as markets priced in a greater chance of an Italian credit default. Despite this, the Pound and the Euro kept flat for the day, by virtue of a slightly weaker USD, which lost some of its haven bid to gold on the back of investors cutting exposure to fiat currencies.
    Wall Street: At Wall Street's close, the major US indices have all closed effectively 0.5 per cent lower for the day. Another poor session undoubtedly, making this the twelfth time in fourteen days that the S&P500 has registered a loss – however it must be remarked that the result comes after US equites fell by as much as 2 per cent intraday. The overriding theme again for US markets was the building angst regarding the various risks that posed to earnings growth in 2019, especially after Caterpillar flagged a suggested a crimp to its profits from the expected impacts of the US-China trade war. How this narrative holds will hold increasing weight in the final days of this week, as markets anticipate earnings release from the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet.
    Saudis and Oil: Oil prices experienced some of the highest levels of volatility overnight, as the sinister politics of the black stuff played out in price action. Brent Crude prices dropped by over 4 per cent, breaking its dance with the $US80 per barrel level. A degree of the tumble in prices comes as fears mount about the sustainability of global economic growth. However, the major catalyst for the very acute fall came as Saudi Arabia pledged yesterday to boost oil production, in the face of growing pressure from the global community regarding its (all but proven) murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi. If last night's move is indeed a turn of trend, time will tell; though it isn't a stretch now to suggest that the Saudi's may look to push oil prices down as an act of recompense to the global community for their heinous behaviour.

     
  21. MaxIG
    A flowless rally: It’s being dubbed the “flowless rally”. Equities are ticking higher, but without the fundamental buying-support one might assume. This is especially so when considering the milestone achieved on Wall Street on Friday. Finally, the 2815 resistance level has tumbled, and the bulls have cautiously, quietly rejoiced. There are yellow flags popping up here and there, however, and that is making participants wary. It goes back to this “flowless rally” business: the latest leg of global stocks big recovery isn’t being supported by investor flows. In fact, investor flows look to have diminished somewhat. The reasoning behind this move is somewhat speculative. The impact of share buybacks is one popular argument. Whatever the cause, confidence isn’t accompanying this rally.

    Economic conditions deteriorating: Maybe market participants are still scorned from the market correction in 2018. A bitterness and cynicism stemming from that is understandable. Much of the frustration comes, it would seem, from a widespread recognition that this rally has come in the absence of solid fundamentals. On the contrary, if looking at the macro-outlook, there are more reasons to be bearish than bullish right now. Global growth is (almost) irrefutably slowing, and some of the geopolitical sore-points dictating sentiment, like Brexit and the US-China trade war, are showing little new signs of progress. A major factor keeping this rally alive in riskier assets, perhaps concerningly, is a little case of “fear of missing out”.
    Markets betting on policy support: Policy makers are igniting this behaviour: market participants are hoping-big that they can turn the economic ship around. Such policy intervention if for good cause, and with good intentions, of course: economic growth the world over is wheezing, and those whose job it is to address this affliction are experimenting with ways to cure it. The concern now relates to the unintended consequences, of course. Just on Friday, two more stories relating to stimulatory economic policy galvanized markets. The first came from the board of the Bank of Japan, who as expected downgraded their economic outlook and hinted at sustained monetary stimulus. The second came from Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who announced more fiscal measures to tackle China’s economic slowdown.
    Premier Li stokes optimism: The latter of the two stories carried most weight. It betrays what financial markets’ biggest concern is now: the health of the Chinese (and therefore global) economy. The move into stocks and growth-tied markets on Friday was catalysed by Premier Li’s boldness, especially. In a bid to quell concern about a deterioration in China’s labour market, he stated the Communist Party leadership would look to lower the Reserve Ratio Requirement, cut taxes, and lower interest rates if necessary. Risk and growth assets across the region rallied on the news. The CSI300 added 1.26 per cent for the day and the Australian Dollar climbed back towards the 0.7100 handle – the latter despite little move in yield spreads.
    The more accurate indicators: Although there were signs of optimism in speculative assets because of the prospect of further stimulatory fiscal and financial conditions, better barometers of the growth outlook were unmoved. Bond yields generally fell, as traders continued to price in a world of lower growth and falling interest rates. The US 10 Year Treasury Note closed at 2.58 per cent over the weekend; and bets were increased that the US Fed, ECB and our own RBA would have to cut rates at some stage before the end of 2019. Granted, this dynamic has supported equites, and risk assets like corporate credit. However, if economic growth is to slow like expected, the question is: how long is it before slower growth manifests in the earnings outlook?
    Measures of fear stay subdued: Only the shiniest and clearest crystal ball can predict that one. Market participants may prove emboldened in the short term irrespective, as a hunt for yield, some technical drivers, and a touch of momentum spur the herd to push the market higher. Naturally, this comes with risk, although the areas one might expected to see hedging against this aren’t finding love either. Gold is up but remains closely wedded to the $US1300 pivot point. The US Dollar isn’t attracting safe haven flows in the short term, either. Perhaps most tellingly, the VIX has continued to creep lower, closing last week at 12.88; and poetically, finds itself at lows not registered since Jerome Powell’s notorious “a long way from neutral” speech.

    ASX200 to leap out of the gates: It hasn’t been the most reliable indicator of the intraday fortunes of the ASX200 of late, but the last traded price on the SPI futures contract is indicating a 35-point jump at the open today. A part of this ought to occur by virtue of a small bounce back following Friday’s index rebalancing, which saw heightened activity in heavily weighted stocks at Friday’s close. Last week for the ASX200, when contrasted with the world’s other major equity indices, was underwhelming. It was one of the few to close lower for the week. Wall Street traders are mumbling about the potential for US indices to clock new all-time highs currently. For us, the ASX200 is now 2.76 per from its decade-long high.
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
  22. MaxIG
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
    Friday session: Friday capped off another horror week for Wall Street. It was US equities’ worst week since March. Traders are currently operating within a volatility trap – and there are few indications this will soon end. The VIX is elevated, above 23 at the last reading, but occupied time above the 25-mark at stages during the week. Volatility is an active trader’s friend, and for the most part the opportunities it has thrown have been relished. Liquidity is becoming thin though, and there is a sense that the risk-reward dynamics in certain asset classes have changed. For perennial bulls, or those who have long term investments in equities space, there is undoubtedly a lot of pain being experienced. If the activity across equity markets on Friday is any guide, this is something that is set to last.
    Shifting narratives: The narrative has definitively shifted. It might even be said for the bulls that it has gone from bad to worse. On the surface, since October, downside risks have manifested and grown in global equities. For many-a trader, whatever the root cause of this dynamic is secondary to being able to play the trend. But something interesting has happened recently, and it’s worth knowing to appreciate the way the market has changed. The initial stages of this market correction were precipitated by the fear an (over)active US Fed would hike rates to a point that would sink the global stocks. In some way, the effects of such a phenomenon played-out in markets just by way of virtue of the pricing in of those expectations. US Treasuries were rallying, the US Dollar trended higher, and growth-stocks plunged on the belief solid economic data would justify interest rate hikes.

    The “real” economy: But this isn’t the case anymore; this isn’t about shifts in intermarket behaviour, contained primarily to financial markets. The concerns now relate to the prospects for the real economy. To repeat: October and November were about adjusting to a Hawkish Fed. December has so far been about slower global economic growth. It’s a problem with Main Street, perhaps more than Wall Street, that traders are worried about. The bond market is king, no matter how much attention stock markets get. The best information comes from reading into what is occurring in bond markets – especially US Treasuries. As has been discussed a-plenty, the US Treasury Yield curve is exhibiting signs of inverting. Traders are telling us they think growth in the medium term will be soft.
    US Inflation expectations: There is another useful indicator to use in the fixed income market: the TIPS spread. More-or-less: the spread is a crude measure of future inflation. When traders were stressing-out about an over-zealous Fed, it was primarily due to fears that some (albeit modest) outbreak inflation was upon us. Interest rate hikes would be the necessary and mandated response. At this time, the TIPS spread (on equivalent 10-year securities) was about 2.20% -- that is, future inflation was tipped to be around 2.20%. Flash forward to its most recent reading, and that indicator has fallen to 1.95%. Inflation-risk is being priced out of the markets, along with the prospects of healthy economic growth. Ergo, interest rate traders have called-out the Fed and demanded the central bank “Say Uncle!”.

    US Non-Farm Payrolls: Whether this reaction proves justified will be fascinating. Markets are forward looking, so current economic data is only good as far as it can be used to extrapolate answers about the future. Nevertheless, the data coming out of the US is (generally) satisfactory. The latest Non-Farm Payrolls release came out on Friday, and the numbers were okay: the US unemployment rate is 3.7 per cent, and annualized wages growth held at 3.1 per cent. The jobs-added figure was a big miss, coming in at 155,000 – also, although respectable, the wages component did print below expectations. However, stripping-out the highly charged emotions in financial markets at-the-moment, the figures produced by Non-Farm Payrolls were objectively solid. The picture it painted of the US economy was good.
    Friday’s price action: But that doesn’t matter in this market. The bears are winning, and the bulls are looking for any excuse to sell. Wall Street experienced another poleaxing on Friday night, backing on from a mixed day in Europe: the NASDAQ was down over 3 per cent again, while the Dow Jones and S&P500 were down nearly 2-and-a-half per cent. Rates and bonds didn’t respond well to the Non-Farms data: the yield on the US 2 Year Treasury fell to 2.71 per cent, while the yield on the US 10 Year note fell to 2.85 percent, taking the spread there to 14 basis points. The US Dollar took a dive, breaking upward trend support, launching gold through resistance to $US1249 per ounce. The EUR and Yen naturally benefitted from the weaker greenback, but the AUD is still struggling, unaided by a fall in iron ore, which fell despite climbs in other commodities.


    ASX, and the week ahead: The last price on the SPI futures contract is indicating a 30-point drop for the ASX200 this Monday. This comes on the back of a relatively uneventful, but solid day for the index on Friday, which managed to eke out a 0.4 per cent gain. This week is filled with a litany of risk events. The first market to watch might be the oil market, after OPEC+ agreed over the weekend to cut production to stabilize falling prices. The trade war and the developments in it relating to the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wan Zhou will be curious. US CPI, PPI and Retail Sales data will be closely watched too, as traders gauge US economic health.
    The week may well prove to be more about Europe, though. There is a stack of event risk coming up. It may well not go ahead, but Brexit is scheduled to vote on UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit bill. The Cable is worth watching ahead of that event. ECB President Mario Draghi speaks, and the ECB meets, with his commentary to be perused for signals that the Europe’s central bank might be stepping away from its potential rate hikes. Whatever is said by Draghi will be assessed against a slew of PMI figures. And finally, the Italian fiscal crisis will probably continue to be a soap-opera, though hopes are rising that the Italians are going to play ball.
  23. MaxIG
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
    Friday’s trade: Activity in global markets was more settled on Friday. There isn’t a consensus yet whether the trading witnessed last week was a dead-cat bounce, or a true bottom. Nevertheless, perhaps the lack of substantial news flow was enough to keep the bulls and bears from clashing heads for one day. The ASX200 impressed the bullishly inclined, albeit once again on thin trade, to add 1 per cent during the Asian session. The index managed to chop through the cluster of resistance between 5600 and 5630, to end the week at 5654. The rest of the Asian region put in a mixed performance, with China’s market finishing 0.44 per cent higher and Japan’s Nikkei ending 0.31 per cent. Europe fared well, ending its week in a sea of green, while US indices were also mixed.

    Final day of 2018: Today is quite obviously the last trading day of 2018 and it caps off an extraordinary month – and an extraordinary year, at that. A reliance on the calendar as a way of defining and measuring market success is shallow. But for purely rhetorical purposes: who would have thought that a year that would contain two all-time highs for Wall Street would culminate in a negative year for global equities? In a similar vein: what about the gang buster earnings, and white-hot economic growth – does this seem like the end of a year that contained both those things? It’s reductive to distil the year’s market action to those two points, however it does highlight how unconventional and sometimes strange this year has been in global markets.
    Volatility: The year was much about the return of volatility. Volatility is a measure of fear, and fear is a function of uncertainty. Uncertainty breeds confusion, and the behaviour in financial markets at present is reflecting a state of confusion. It stands to reason and doesn’t necessarily need to induce pessimism. A collective view on the state of the world is absent – good, bad or otherwise, the aggressive swings in equity markets last week is a function of market participants seeking to price-in the most accurate representation of the financial world right now. Such a representation is far from being fully formed, and its shape is being pushed and pulled by opposing ideas and views. Until the will of either the bulls or bears can overcome the other, swings in markets, in an environment of tightening financial conditions, will continues into 2019.

    Bulls, bears and the Fed: Fundamentally, there is a disagreement between the bears and the bulls about future global growth and financial conditions. On the one hand, the bulls suggest the sell-off is overdone, and prices have corrected approximately to where they ought to be. On the other hand, the bears are of the belief that this sell-off has more to run, and that prices remain distorted. The logic begins with the US Federal Reserve, and market views on what the Fed will and ought to do, then expands to the many other major issues impacting market sentiment from there. A great many think that the Fed is overestimating the strength of the US economy and will lean on it in such a way that it will exacerbate a looming economic slow-down – so much so that Fed hikes have been effectively priced out for next year.
    Risk-off, anti-growth: It’s been over a week since the December 19 Fed meeting, and the central bank’s next meeting isn’t until January 31st, opening-up the chance of an uncertain and volatile month. In equities, beginning on Wall Street, the foundations of major turbulence are in place. Traders are bidding up safe-havens, and pricing out higher global interest rates, pushing the yield on US 10 Year Treasuries to 2.72 per cent, and the yield on US 2 Year Treasuries to 2.52 per cent. The US Dollar is looking exhausted as-a-result, falling to 96.40, supporting a push higher in gold, which rallied to $US1283 over the weekend. The anti-risk, ant-growth mentality of traders has also pushed the Yen deep into the 110-handle and held the AUD/USD to support at 0.7040.
    Trade war: It’s very unlikely to change the trend or status quo, however today’s focus, at the outset, should be directed towards riskier, growth exposed assets. A mere Tweet of course, though confidence again has been piqued by assurances from US President Donald Trump over his Twitter account that there is being made “Big progress being made (on a trade deal)”. Markets are used to this commentary, so the chances of a complete overturn of the prevailing view on the trade war is next-to-zero. Even still, it adds to what appears to be positive momentum in working towards a trade-resolution, at a time where Chinese equity equities keep plumbing to new lows, and fears mount for the health of the Chinese economy and financial markets.
    ASX200: As this all relates to the ASX200 today: the latest traded price in SPI Futures is implying a 22-point jump for the index today. The trend for the ASX200 is still lower, meaning market bulls should remain cautious. With its break through ~5630 on Friday though, the index apparently possesses some upside, even if for no longer than the short-term. The market is currently wrestling with the index’s 50-day EMA at 5669 – eyeing the psychological-barrier of 5700 presents as the next key level. Beyond that, a line-in-the-sand is draw at 5760: the level represents boundary line resistance, traced back to the index’s last high. Given that the fundamentals are yet to greatly shift, a break through this level seems unlikely. However, it might well indicate that at least for the ASX, the bears are losing control of the market.

     
  24. MaxIG
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia
     
    A historic week ahead? One does get the sense that some of the biggest risks plaguing financial markets -- over the course of several months, if not years -- may be coming to something resembling a definitive end. This isn't to suggest that extreme bouts of volatility, like those experienced throughout the month of October, have been put behind us; but that we are at least reaching a critical juncture for some of the biggest macro-economic challenges facing market participants. There's a cliché often quoted in markets, and that is that the only thing worse than bad news is uncertainty. Though the potential for heightened risk and volatility remains ever present amid a constantly shifting fundamental landscape, perhaps a closure to some of the bigger challenges hanging over global markets may prove enough (at the very least) to unshackle sentiment and support renewed bullishness amongst investors and traders.
    US event risk: Just in the United Stated alone, several events pencilled into the financial market calendar this week jump-out as possible flash points for some of the big global economic issues. US mid-term elections on Tuesday give a gauge on the much-speculated-about mood of the American electorate and provide insight into what capacity US President Donald Trump will possess to exercise his policy platform in the future. The FOMC Meeting on Thursday will clarify whether the global share market correction experienced last month may derail the Fed's plans to hike interest rates again in December – and then a further three times in 2019. And the introduction of US sanctions on Iran on Monday (US time) will provide a firmer understanding of to what extent the removal of Iran from global markets will have on whipsawing oil prices.
    European and Asian event risk: Looking beyond the trials and tribulations of financial markets in the United States, promising signs of major breakthroughs regarding Brexit and the US-China war have emerged. News reports over the weekend have warmed the idea that a Brexit deal could be negotiated, by some time before November 21. The reports suggested that Prime Minister Therese May is inching toward a deal that would allow the UK to remain in the European customs union -- possibly alleviating many of the deal-stalling concerns relating to the Irish border. Regarding the US-China trade-war, markets were bolstered by leaked reports -- since contradicted by some members of the White House -- that US President Trump, following his "long and very good” conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, had instructed his cabinet to draft a trade-deal with China
    NFPs and US fundamentals: The prospect of resolutions to several of the world's major economic and geopolitical issues supported investor sentiment on Friday but proved inadequate in sustaining the week's share market turnaround in the face of the week's most significant economic release: US Non-Farm Pay rolls. The data reaffirmed that the US economy is still booming, printing a better than expected jobs-added-number of 250,000 (versus a forecast 190,000) -- a figure strong enough to maintain the unemployment rate at 3.7 per cent despite a climb in the participation rate. As is always highlighted, with the US economy having long been at nominally full employment, it was the wage growth number that preoccupied market participants: in what amounts to the strongest growth in wages since the GFC, the data revealed that workers earnings had climbed on an annualised basis by 3.1 percent.
    The Fed and US rates: The strong US labour market numbers were a stark reminder to market participants that with the US economy running so hot, the subsequent signs of a build in price pressures may turn interest rate considerations from the US Federal Reserve from a matter of choice, to one of absolute necessity. Interest rate markets immediately reflected this reality, driving bets of a December rate hike from the Fed back around 80 per cent. The dynamic bid the US Dollar higher, and prompted a self-off in US Treasuries, pushing the yield on Benchmark US Treasuries 8 points higher to 3.21 per cent. US equity markets were dragged lower by way of virtue of this dynamic, led by the NASDAQ – which added to the losses sustained after Apple Inc. results contained a profit guidance downgrade – to close 1.04 per cent lower.

     
    Global currency action: The reminder that US interest rates may hike in a steeper trajectory than expected pushed the EUR and Pound lower, which dropped below 1.14 and 1.30 respectively – before those currencies rebounded because of greater Brexit optimism. The solid gains made by the AUD/USD, which had itself climbed during Asian trade above 0.7240 on the back of the greater hopes of an imminent US-China trade deal, were unwound, dragging the A-Dollar back below 0.7200. The CAD fell in tandem with our local unit, though some of the losses with regards to the latter came consequent to the considerable fall in the price of oil to $US72.00 per barrel (in Brent Crude terms).
    The Japanese Yen also declined, as did the Swiss Franc, proving the conviction behind the move into the Greenback. While the only currency that truly maintained its rally against the US Dollar was the Chinese Yuan, with that currency holding to 6.89 level on the belief that China's policy makers have what it takes to support and stabilise a slower Chinese economy. The greater confidence in China’s markets also galvanized a rally in emerging markets assets: the MSCI Emerging Market index leapt to its highest level in 30-days.

     
    ASX200: SPI futures are now indicating a 5-point drop at the open for the ASX200, following a Friday that brought a mixed day for the ASX200, as well as the Asian region. Confidence that China has the fortitude to stimulate its way through slower economic growth, coupled with the prospect that a US-China trade deal can be reached, drove the CSI300 over 3 per cent higher, and the materials sector on the local share market one per cent higher. The materials space was primarily responsible for the ASX200's 0.1 per cent gain, only marginally offsetting the 0.38 per cent bank-led fall in the financials sector.
    It will be a dichotomy that may dictate trade once more today and into the early stages of the weak, after auction clearance rates demonstrated further signs of weakness in the domestic property market. The potential softness in bank stocks, combined with several RBA-related event risks, and the still uncertain global backdrop, may test the positive price action witnessed in the ASX200 this week, which fought gallantly to close last week's trade above 5930 support/resistance, and display tentative signs of a recovery from October's market correction.
     
     
     
  25. MaxIG
    Around the globe, geopolitics dominates: Political spot fires have captured the attention of market participants. From Washington, to Hanoi, to Kashmir, to Caracas, to London: the ugly machinations of power have dominated the headlines. Only, despite fleeting action, the impact to market activity has seemingly been muted. A facile logic might suggest that it is because of the geopolitical uncertainty in the world that markets have traded so dull overnight. It would be too long a bow to draw, though: tremors can be seen in prices, but a global earthquake can’t be found. Not to diminish the events turning the world in the last 24-hours: they go well beyond the importance of markets. It’s simply just developed markets haven’t responded terribly much to them.

    In Washington: The most salacious news that had traders’ interest excited last night took place in the halls of US Congress. No, not the testimony of US Fed Chair Jerome Powell – though his words are of far greater import to markets. It was instead the unfolding Michael Cohen testimony, at which the disgraced lawyer has cast a series of accusations and aspersions toward US President Donald Trump, on issues ranging from Russian ties, electoral fraud and hush payments. On the face of what’s been said, the revelations are potentially monumental. However, although demonstrating signs of nervousness in the lead up to the testimony, as it unfolded, financial markets have seemingly shrugged off the possible implications of that event.
    In Hanoi: Is it a collective dismissal of Cohen’s testimony? It’s too hard call. One assumes that if there was a material chance that US President Trump could fact impeachment, traders would stand to attention. So far: they haven’t, so the roughest conclusion is that such an outcome is still considered unlikely. As the never-ending circus plays-out in Washington, US President Trump is of course half-the-world away in Vietnam, trying to employ his self-styled statesmanship to charm North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un. The end game is denuclearisation in the Korean Peninsula and the end of what is technically a multi-decade war. Again, despite all the pomp and ceremony, markets are behaving as though no breakthrough will happen in that matter this week, either.
    In Kashmir and in Caracas: Political posturing, and financial markets’ eye rolling, aside, there is a firm gaze on what is happening in both Venezuela, and the Indian-Pakistan border. At risk of conflating two all too complex geopolitical issues, markets are apparently taking note of the escalating tensions in those geographies. The necessary moral caveat:  the potential for human suffering in each conflict is the biggest issue by any measure. But for traders, the power-struggle in Caracas is being judged on its impact on oil markets, and the potential it could inflame tensions between the US, Russia and China; while the conflict in Kashmir is being monitored for the potential for an all-out war between two nuclear-armed nations.
    Back in Washington; and in London: It’s a tinderbox out there, but until it catches alight, markets en masse don’t appear too fussed. The geopolitical concerns pertain primarily to the trade-war and Brexit – the perpetual bugbears. The trade-war narrative overnight centred on a statement by Robert Lighthizer that America is pursuing “significant structural changes” to China’s economy. It’s contestable what impact that statement had on markets. The Brexit narrative did manifest in markets, however: falling into lock step with the UK on the issue, the European Union stated its amenable to extending Brexit if necessary. The Cable leapt to 8-month highs, Gilt Yields rallied across the curve, and a much better than 50/50 chance is being priced in the BOE will hike rates this year.
    Bonds fall; oil rallies: The market-friendly Brexit news looks as though it shared its benefits across national economies. German Bund yields climbed considerably, as did US Treasury yields. The yield on the US 10 Year note touched 2.70 per cent – something of a relief rally. Global equities were more reticent, with the major European and North American indices trading generally in the red. Important to note: the selling in bond markets could perhaps also reflect fundamentally altered inflation expectations, over and above growth optimism. Oil prices leapt overnight after US inventory data showed a much larger than expected drawdown in reserves, leading to US 5 Year Breakevens hitting 1.87 per cent – a level not registered since the middle of November last year.

    Australia: While inevitably influenced by Wall Street’s limp-lead, and the political ructions evolving across the planet, SPI Futures are indicating an Australian share market that is marching to its own beat once more. On that contract: the ASX200 ought to open roughly 9 points higher this morning, perhaps due to the jump in oil and a leg-up in iron ore prices. The day’s trade might find itself focused on the macro-outlook for the Australian economy, and the reactions in ACGBs, the AUD and pricing for RBA rate cuts: local Capex figures will be delivered at 11:30AM this morning – and are taking on greater significance after yesterday’s Construction numbers greatly missed economist consensus forecasts.
    Written by Kyle Rodda - IG Australia

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