Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Main points of the day

•     Dollar higher all around as US housing statistics beat estimates
–    Housing starts & building permits for July rise more than expected; follows Monday’s strong NAHB sentiment indicator
–    Strong housing sector removes one more obstacle to Fed tightening; USD-positive
•     AUD lower ahead of RBA’s Stevens’ testimony, up a bit after
–    He reiterates RBA’s view, adds that risk of a material fall in AUD is “underestimated”
–    AUD recovers slightly though as he downplays the usefulness of monetary policy
•     Japan trade deficit wider than expected
–    Exports rise in line with expectations, but imports are much higher than expected
–    Continuing wide trade deficits are one reason I expect JPY to weaken further
•     Today:
–    Eurozone: German PPI for July expected to remain at June’s pace
–    UK:  Minutes of the recent BoE MPC meeting. If there are no dissenting votes in favor of raising rates, GBP could weaken further

–    US: Minutes of recent FOMC meeting. The statement after the meeting was slightly more hawkish, so the minutes could be too and send USD higher. However they are likely to be overshadowed by the Jackson Hole symposium that starts tomorrow. 

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