Here are four trades - 3 I like right now and 1 for now or soon.
1) BUY lOy BTPS 0 3.16% - This is a 3-6mth 'buy the rumour sell the fact' tactical trade to position for
ECB QE (now)
The ECB is preparing both itself and markets for QE - Its senior board members have stepped up public
comments over the past 48hrs. This is the clearest sign so far QE could happen and why I am writing to
you now.
Ideally ECB wants to buy ABS from small to medium sized European companies but the outstanding available
is relatively small so it will likely buy Eurozone Government Bonds. The spread between Italian BTPs and
German Bunds has tightened significantly past 18months but old metrics of value make no sense in Europe
because they rely on history when there was no QE.
while It's hard to get excited about lOy BTPs yielding 3.16% (164bp over 10Y German Bunds) I'd still
have 5-10mm lOy BTPS in my portfolio both for the duration and spread compression potential. I prefer
lOy over Sy because the recent nearly parallel spread compression has left 5s10s steep relative to 0-5s..
3 reasons i like this trade:
i) macro investors view ECB QE as a second bite at the cherry. Everyone I talk to wants European risk
assets having seen QE in the US.
ii) ECB QE is probably still 3-6mths away which will keep credit bid. This will be a buy the rumour sell
the fact trade
iii) Credit has been bulletproof during the recent risk selloff because a) ECB QE expectations, b) G3
rate hikes are being pushed into the future while cash has nowhere else to go. This price action is
telling - as and when equities recover i think credit continues to tighten
Yields of 10Y Italy, lOy Germany and the Yield Spread
(Embedded image moved to file: pic10202.gif)
2) Tactically position for higher EURUSD - 2 week view (now)
BUY EuRSOmm 2week expiry 1.40 strike European Style EURUSD Calls @ 6bp (EUR30,000)
This is a low cost contrarian short term tactical call. most investors myself included are bullish USD in
the medium term (see trade 3)
but in the very short term I see EURUSD higher because:
i) Despite ECB preparing the markets for QE, the price action of EURUSD (broadly unchanged) has been
quite bullish compared to what one would expect
ii) Speculators don't appear long EURUSD to us. Majority are short or flat.
iii) implied volatility is 5.25% (offer for 2week options) which is very very low historically. so this
is a penny option, highly convex, pain trade bet against other speculators betting on QE
If my view is wrong 6bp is lost. If I'm right I'd plan to exit in a week making 4-6x
scenario Analysis - Premium in bp of EUR notional
(Embedded image moved to file: pic03719.gif)« 4bp is mid mkt, offer is 6bp
3) Position for a Stronger Dollar - lyear view (now or soon)
Buy 1y expiry European style digital binary option on EURUSD struck 5% below spot 0 21% of payout (which
i think is too cheap)
current strike (spot - 5%) would be 1.3120
At expiry if EURUSD has fallen by more than 5% from current levels the option payout is EuRlmm. upfront
premium is EuR210k.
The option is liquid and can be unwound at any time.
i) Yellen has done a poor job of communicating the Fed's thinking but its increasingly clear the Fed will
brake later than usual
ii) Betting on higher uS interest rates in the rates market isn't cost effective because the forward
curve is already pricing in higher rates
iii) The Dollar hasn't appreciated yet because short rates in the us haven't risen meaningfully
iv) THE KEY POINT - FX volatility is very low in currency pairs like EURUSD where central bank policy on
each side is increasingly diverging. The low vol makes this bet inexpensive to put on.
v) Because FX vol is so low betting now or soon with a one year time horizon costs very little. id rather
be early than late here
vi) i prefer ly expiry because this trade could take 6-12mths to play out
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