The U.S. labour market was robust on Monday, supporting bets on rising interest rates as traders prepared for data that was anticipated to reveal persistently high inflation. The dollar began the week well.
U.S. unemployment surprisingly decreased last month, according to figures released on Friday, and headline inflation is predicted to be a scorching 8.1% year-over-year in Thursday’s inflation data. Core inflation is expected to increase to 6.5%, as desired by policymakers.
The statistics and correspondingly rising yields, according to Westpac strategist Sean Callow, were a strong combination for the currency.
He claimed it is proof that the American economy is not in freefall. It only reinforces the idea that the Fed will continue to discuss interest rates for the next three weeks.
Anxiety overgrowth was also fuelled by rising oil costs and geopolitical unrest, which affected currencies in Europe that import energy as well as exporters like the growth-sensitive and jumpy Australian dollar.
Early Asian trading, which was light due to a vacation in Japan, saw the Australian dollar drop 0.3% to a 2-1/2 year trough of $0.6347. The yen was moving towards a zone on the lower side of 145 per dollar, which necessitated government assistance to maintain it last month, and the sterling lost 0.2% to $1.1071.
The yen last traded for 145.37 to the dollar. The New Zealand dollar dropped to $0.5593, a two-week low.
According to futures pricing, traders anticipate a 75 basis point (bps) rate increase in the US next month and a tightening of more than 150 bps by May. Last week, ten-year Treasury rates increased for the tenth consecutive week.
Benchmark After the Saudi-led output cartel decided to reduce output, Brent crude futures increased by more than 11% last week. As winter approaches, the escalating conflict in Ukraine also poses a risk to Europe’s energy security.
On Friday, the euro dropped below $0.98 and last traded at $0.9733. The U.S. dollar index remained stable at 113.83, up from lows of under 110 the previous week and moving back toward the 20-year peak of 114.78 set last month.
The markets were anticipating the Kremlin’s response to the explosion that damaged Russia’s sole bridge to Crimea. Over the weekend, North Korea conducted its eighth recent missile launch.
After a week of vacation, Chinese markets return, and prior to that, the overseas yuan was stable at 7.1310 per dollar. Sunday marks the start of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party, which is anticipated to confirm Xi Jinping’s position as leader.
In September, services activities in China contracted for the first time since May, falling short of expectations.
Scotiabank strategist Qi Gao said the yuan will presumably trade between 7.0 as well as 7.2 in the foreseeable future.
The average magnitude of salary increases in 2023 is difficult to predict, although experts anticipate them will be more than normal.
A veteran economist at the Oxford Economics, Katharina Koenz, predicts that average annual negotiated earnings would increase by 4-5% next year, surpassing levels from 2008, when there was a wave of significant pay increases during the global financial crisis.
Undoubtedly, increases below the rate of inflation would hurt households more and probably accelerate the decline of consumer demand.
But for now, Florian Ielpo, a multi-asset and experienced portfolio manager at the Lombard Odier Investment Managers, claimed the market is more concerned about rising borrowing costs as interest rates increase than it has been about the twin threats of rising inflation, particularly wage inflation, and diminishing demand.
The danger of declining earnings is not now factored into equity prices. Only the high rates, not the dwindling demand, have been discounted.
