Deutsche Bank
Markets Research
Global
Foreign Exchange
FX Spot
Date
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint
Dashing Buck
Theme #1: Green Back: Buy USD TWI: Sell EUR/USD
Theme #2: USD/JPY to Step Up Again: Buy USD/JPY
Theme #3: Swiss Cheese Pounded: Sell GBP and CHF vs. USD and EUR
Theme #4: Solid Bloc: Sell NZD/CAD, Buy low delta AUD/USD call
Theme #5: NOK o'Clock: Buy NOK/SEK
Theme #6: No Chinese Quick Fix: Buy USD/CNH calls
Theme #7: Japanese Takeaway: Buy USD/KRW, USD/SGD, buy MYR/JPY
Theme #8: EMEA Reality Check: Buy PLN/CZK, buy EUR/HUF and USD/ZAR
calls, buy USD/TRY put
Theme #9: Mexican Siesta: Take profit on short USD/MXN, sell EUR/BRL and
EUR/CLP
Theme #10: Turning Up the Volume: Buy USD/GBP variance swap and
AUD/USD variance swap
Research Team
London
Bilal Hafeez
James Malcolm
Henrik Gullberg
George Saravelos
Caio Natividade
Siddharth Kapoor
Oliver Harvey
Nicholas Weng
New York
Alan Ruskin
Daniel Brehon
Drausio Giacomelli
Guilherme Marone
Mauro Roca
Singapore
Sameer Goel
Mallika Sachdeva
Sydney
John Horner
Tokyo
Taisuke Tanaka
Head of FX Strategy
Bilal Hafeez
Deutsche Bank AG/London
DISCLOSURES AND ANALYST CERTIFICATIONS ARE LOCATED IN APPENDIX 1. MICA(P)
EFTA01464418
054/04/2013.
EFTA01464419
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Overview
Asia, not the US, has provided the biggest surprises of
2013 so far. Chinese FX reserve accumulation has
grown at a pace not seen since 2010. Much seems to
be due to speculative dollar sales, but whatever the
reason, the likely rebalancing has provided support for
non-dollar reserve currencies such as the euro and
Australian dollar. The other surprise has been the scale
of the Japan "shock" with Abenomics proving to be
the most radical set of policies since the depression-era.
The yen has fallen markedly; competitor nations such
as Korea have seen their currencies weaken, while
suppliers to Japan such as Thailand and Malaysia have
seen their currencies strengthen. Through all of this the
dollar has marched higher even with the market
wavering over an early move to tapering by the Fed
and still absent equity re-allocations to the US.
Dollar Break-Out Time
The resilience of the dollar should be taken as a signal
that the dollar is in the midst of a major uptrend. Over
the coming months, economic data will likely improve
after a soft patch, which should keep real yields well
supported. More importantly, despite continued US
equity market outperformance, international investors
have still favoured the Euro-area, Japan and EM Asia
over the US in terms of flows. This is unlikely to
continue. Chinese reserve accumulation should also
slow down, not least because of measures by
authorities to clamp down on speculative inflows. The
euro will no doubt lose out with such a backdrop.
Additionally, the ECB has re-opened discussions of
easing, while the Fed is contemplating how to wind
down easing. On the flow side, lower euro risk premia
should see much less repatriation, and if anything a
greater allocation to foreign assets by Euro-area
investors. We go long the dollar trade-weighted index
and short EUR/USD.
Japan Shock
Though many want to fight the trend, we continue to
stick resolutely to a bearish yen view. The next three to
four months should see a wave of events and
announcements that will reinforce the potency of
Abenomics, whether
through elections, structural
reforms or monetary policy. Expectations will remain
one of the key channels through which Abenomics will
influence the direction of the economy. The flow
picture also remains negative for the yen thanks to
M&A outflows and the potential for further unwinds in
EFTA01464420
past inflows to short-term Japanese instruments. We
stay short the yen against the dollar.
GBP, CHF: Nowhere To Hide
Two other currencies should lose out to an unwind of
safe-haven inflows: sterling and the Swiss franc. The
negative sterling picture is aggravated by the fact that
recent strong data will not change BoE policy, while
the negative net investment income balance points to
Page 2
How We Did
Turning to how our trades performed from January's
blueprint, it is clear that our weaker yen and stronger
euro calls were key factors behind our overall return of
+3.8%. Carry trades also performed well. Our biggest
winner was long USD/JPY (up 17%) while our biggest
loser was short a 1 year USD/PHP NDF (-1.5%). The
trades made 3.8% on average with a hit ratio of 78%.1
Bilal Hafeez London, +44 (20) 7547 1489
an extremely negative current account deficit dynamic.
The franc meanwhile will suffer from a resumption of
portfolio outflows from Swiss-based investors. We sell
both GBP and CHF (vs EUR and USD).
Rest of G10
Swedish disinflation and Norwegian household debt
issues should lead to central bank biases that support a
long NOK/SEK trade. Finally in G10, we like to go long
CAD against the JPY and NZD on the back of Canadian
growth catching up to US growth, a stabilisation in the
housing market and an upturn in natural gas prices.
We are neutral on the Australian dollar, but given the
recent sharp decline would consider buying AUD
upside options, which appear cheap making the riskreturn
look attractive.
Asia = China+ Japan
The yen-centric Asia FX trade, short Korean won and
long Malaysian ringitt, should continue to perform well.
As well as competition from Japanese companies,
Korea will likely suffer from portfolio re-allocations to
Japan. Malaysia meanwhile should benefit from a pickup
in bond and equity inflows after the recent election.
As for CNY, at annualized appreciation pace of 12%,
we are concerned. The state of the economy does not
justify that, and measures to clamp down on
speculative inflows should reduce the appreciation
pressure. Moreover, a band-widening should, if
anything, lead to CNY weakness. We like to sell CNY
via options.
Rest of EM
Of the remaining currencies, we find the Brazilian real
attractive thanks to its carry and policy support for a
range in the currency. We go tactically neutral on the
EFTA01464421
Mexican peso. Big picture the currency looks attractive,
but positioning is crowded.
In EMEA, we look for
additional strength in the Israeli shekel after its recent
sell-off on the back of a strong economy. We remain
negative on the Hungarian forint and South African
rand, and positive on the Turkish lira. We enter optionbased
trades to express those views.
1 Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464422
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #1: Green Back
The dollar is the top performing currency in G10 so far
this year, and not far from the top if emerging market
currencies are included. Therefore, dollar strength has
not been confined to just the yen (see first chart),
which suggests a broader dollar uptrend is unfolding.
The fact that the consensus of analysts is only looking
for moderate dollar strength against the majors and
weakness against the rest of G10 and EM add to the
case that we are only at the early stages of dollar
strength.
Equity Flows Still Not Supportive
Ironically, dollar strength has so far not been supported
by foreign inflows into US equity markets, despite US
outperformance. The US saw negligible equity inflows
in 01, with the Euro-area seeing by far the largest. Both
Japan, and the rest of Asia also saw larger inflows (see
second chart). Flows often lag performance, so one
would not necessarily expect flows to immediately pick
up into the US with stronger US markets, but the
resilience of the dollar does augur well for a dollar
uptrend.
China Wildcard
Yet the equity flow picture has not been the most
surprising flow story of 2013. Instead, the significant
increase in Chinese FX reserves takes that prize.
Reserve accumulation has been at the highest pace
since 2011, and undoubtedly has provided much
support to currencies such as the euro and Australian
dollar through a rebalancing effect. The backdrop of
weak growth and strong credit expansion has provided
an unusual mix for such a pace of accumulation. It
would appear that some inflows to China have
occurred through over-invoicing of exports and
onshore entities taking advantage of the carry offered
by borrowing in dollars and lending in Chinese rates
However, over the past week, new measures have
been introduced to clamp on these practices. This
should slow the pace of reserve accumulation.
Moreover, the sharp decline in the USD/CNY fix over
April has also likely added to inflows. USD/CNY
continues to trade at the bottom of the band around
the fix, which implies still significant CNY demand.
However, this state-of-affairs is unlikely to continue not
least because the much anticipated band widening
may actually occur over the coming months, and bring
to an end anticipatory inflows.
Dollar Mispricing
Stepping back, what is evident is that US equity
EFTA01464423
markets have been outperforming since 2009, but the
dollar has only started to gain traction since late 2011.
The 1995 dollar turn also saw US equity
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Figure 1: Dollar Trending Higher In 2013
65
67
69
71
73
75
77
79
Fed USD TWI
USD basket vs G10 ex-JPY (equal-weighted)
Jan-11 May-11 Sep-11 Jan-12 May-12 Sep-12 Jan-13 May-13
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 2: Equity Flows To Everywhere But US
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
-20
-10
0
12Q1 12Q2 12Q3 12Q4 13Q1
Source: Deutsche Bank
$bn, estimated for Q1 for Euro-area
Euro
Japan
Asia
ex-Ch
US
Figure 3: China Reserves Have Surged In 2013
100
150
200
250
300
350
50
(100)
(50)
09Q1 09Q3 10Q1 10Q3 11Q1 11Q3 12Q1 12Q3 13Q1
Source: Deutsche Bank
China ($bn)
EFTA01464424
Asia incl China ($bn)
Page 3
EFTA01464425
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
outperformance precede dollar strength. The swing
factor for a more pronounced dollar move, though,
appears to be real interest rates. Their relentless
decline since late 2808 did weigh on the dollar, but the
picture has started to improve as real rates appear to
be turning up (see first chart on this page). Earlier
tapering by the Fed would likely cause a sharper move
up in real yields, but even a further delay in tapering
would unlikely cause real yields to reach new lows.
Therefore, markets have entered an important new
phase for the USD: real yields moving higher in tandem
with stronger equity markets. Such a combination
should be very supportive for the dollar. We therefore
like to go long the dollar trade-weighted index.
What about the euro?
We turned bearish EUR/USD at the beginning of
March, and beyond our broad bullish dollar view we
see two factors as driving us towards our 1.20 end-year
target. First, we see divergence in conventional policy
expectations
(rates) returning. For all the
unconventional measures since 2088, the remarkably
consistent pricing of 2-year ahead rates paths from the
Fed and ECB post Lehman is what stands out (see
second chart). We think this year will mark the
beginning of renewed divergence. On the Fed side,
mid-2015 guidance is soon coming into view for 2-yr
rates making the entire US yield curve "live". In
contrast, the ECB is re-opening a discussion around
negative rates and strengthening its verbal guidance on
"low for long" via multi-year liquidity commitments. For
how long can the market be pricing identical rates
paths for the ECB and Fed over the next decade?
Second, and more importantly, we see the reduction of
Eurozone risk premia as negative, not positive for the
EUR. On the one hand, our models suggest there is
little redenomination risk priced into the EUR anymore.
This has seen the correlation with Euro peripheral bond
spreads and EUR/USD drop to close to zero, and makes
the potential (negative) EUR/USD reaction to a return of
tail risk very asymmetric. Most importantly, the big
story over the last five years has not been a lack of
inflows into the Euro-area, which have remained
remarkably steady. It has been domestic risk aversion.
This has seen large waves of repatriation and the
building of more than EUR ltrillion worth of underweights
in foreign assets. Lower tail risks and a
gradually improving business cycle should see a return
of these outflows - so we think EUR/USD is fully
EFTA01464426
capable of participating in a USD rally, even if it lags
the move lower in many other crosses.
Bilal Hafeez
George Sarav
Page 4
Figure 4: USD Drivers Turning Up
-3
-2
-1
0
2
3
normalised units
USD
Real yields*
S&P:world
91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13
Source: Deutsche Bank, * pre-1997 nominal ley minus CPI used, rather than
TIPs
Figure 5: ECB To Diverge From Fed
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
US 2y2y rates
Market has been pricing identical
Fed/ECB rates path since 2008,
divergence coming
Euro 2y2y
fwd rates
05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 6: Euro-Area Repatriation To End
-6
-4
-2
0
4
6
Cumulative debt and equity
flows, trio EUR
inflows
outflows
99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12
Source: Deutsche Bank
EFTA01464427
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464428
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #2 USD/JPY to Step Up Again
After a 14 big figure rally in the fourth quarter, our
January Blueprint piece was called 'Don't wait for
USD/JPY to dip.' It argued that the move had great
scope to run because yen trends are multiyear affairs
which in the early stages tend to see few pullbacks.
Another 12 big figures later, we feel the same way. We
envisage spot
Japan's narrow basic balance remains under pressure
continually ratcheting up in steps
following the new BoJ's landmark shift to Quantitative
and Qualitative Easing (QQE) in early April. Our latest
forecasts are 110 by December and 120 next year. The
prospect of overshoot is also very real.
Unwinds before outflows
The case that we made earlier from BoP and flow
drivers is still relevant. Japan's current account may be
starting to stabilize but the capital flows picture
continues to deteriorate and matters more (first and
second charts). Outbound M&A is accelerating judging
by the take-up of JBIC loans under MOF's USD100bio
cheap bridge financing facility. And massive short-term
hedge trades and safe-haven inflows from the time of
the European Crisis have only just begun to get
unwound. The latter that probably accounts for the
strong underlying bid which the spot market found
after exploding higher on April 4/5. It might also imply
that another leg higher in the market through, say, 102
would induce a rash of 'stop-loss' buying.
By contrast, consensus had put more focus on the
prospect of fresh capital outflows, which are so far
disappointing. And short-term offshore positioning
dissipated accordingly: Just before the recent breach of
100 the weekly IMM report, for example, had leveraged
funds' yen short at less than 40% of open interest,
versus 60-80% when historically stretched. This made
little sense when divergent monetary policy continues
to be a source of ongoing support, and left the market
susceptible to seemingly innocuous triggers like a low
weekly US jobless claims number.
Regardless, on the institutional side, we have
consistently pointed out that significant new Japanese
real money outflows are likely to evolve only gradually,
and even then for the most part will be FX hedged.
Retail investors, too, should be slow starters in terms of
foreign asset demand. A key difference with America's
experience during QE1 & QE2 is that Japan's relative
growth prospects have improved rapidly. And the fact
that local investors' starting point
EFTA01464429
is a heavy
underweight in the domestic stock market.
Expect more!
Abenomics is a departure from past reformist agendas,
in that it relies heavily on the lever of expectations
(apparently in part generated by yen weakness per the
1930s). Thus, the BoJ's latest Outlook Report
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Source: Ecowin; US Commodity futures trading commission (CFTC)
Source: Deutsche Bank
Significant short-term unwinds have yet to ensue
Source: Deutsche Bank
Offshore positions cut when spot stalled in 97-99 range
Page 5
EFTA01464430
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
anticipates a 'virtuous cycle among production, income
and spending triggered
by increases in public
investment and exports.' At the risk of caricature,
Hayami had been all about gritting one's teeth and
holding out for the eventual benefits of
(Schumpeterian) creative destruction, while Shirakawa
was resigned to the structural drag from demographics.
Kuroda has taken a leaf out of the Fed's much more
activist playbook, raising the stakes (promising almost
three times as much QE) and taking a lead in talking up
the economy's reflationary prospects. Policy board
members' core forecasts are that the economy will
exceed its potential by a factor of 5-6 times this fiscal
year (2.4-3.0% versus 'around 0.5%,' albeit with the
caveat that this includes frontloaded demand ahead of
the April '14 consumption tax hike)!
Measures of progress will come over the summer, with
investors able to gauge the reaction to: (i) Abe's grand
deregulation and competition plan, to be unveiled midJune;
(ii) the Tokyo metropolitan and Upper House
elections, in June and July respectively; plus (iii) final
social security reform and fiscal reconstruction plans in
August and September. Positive domestic sentiment
could well exaggerate risk-seeking outflows just as the
Fed discussion about tapering down asset purchases is
progressing.
Déjà vu and then some
So how does the current backdrop stack up against
previous periods of significant yen weakness? We
examined seven episodes since the breakdown of
Bretton Woods. They were characterized by trade
shocks (mid- and late-70s, late-'80s, mid-'90s);
valuation overshoots and intervention (mid-'90s);
capital outflows, be they deregulation-, risk seeking- or
'sell-Japan'-driven (early and late-'80s, mid -'90s, early
and mid-'00s). Clearly, today shares many of these
features, with the added kicker of an unprecedented
monetary backdrop. This is what raises the prospect of
overshoot. But that's unlikely to be an issue in the next
3-6 months.
James Malcolm, London,
Taisuke Tanaka, Tokyo,
Abe's delivery scheudul
Source: Deutsche Bank
Periods of yen weakness in the 70's and early 80's
Source: Deutsche Bank
Periods of yen weakness since the late 80's
Source: Deutsche Bank
EFTA01464431
Page 6
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464432
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #3: Swiss Cheese Pounded
EI Swiss investors have significant underweights in
foreign assets and "safe havens" globally are
turning. Sell CHF vs USD and EUR.
El The GBP bear story is not over, in our view: basic
balance dynamics remain explosive, Carney will
stay dovish and market positioning is cleaner. Sell
GBP vs USD and EUR.
Don't Underestimate Swiss Investor
The market has been very focused on "safe-haven"
inflows into Switzerland in recent years. While these
have been big, the bigger story is the lack of outflows.
Up to 2088, bond and equity flows by Swiss investors
had been running at a 50bn CHF annual pace, mostly
recycling savings from Switzerland's large current
account surplus. The main destination has been US
and European assets, accounting for more than two
thirds of Swiss net foreign assets. This abruptly ended
after Lehman: the Eurozone crisis, narrow rate
differentials, CHF strength and very volatile equity
markets all played their part. On all these fronts, we
think things are changing however. Eurozone risk
premia have been unwound to pre-2018 levels. Riskadjusted
equity returns are booming. The Swiss franc
has stabilized at extremely overvalued levels, and both
European and US yields have likely bottomed. We
therefore see conditions ripe for a return of the Swiss
investor to international capital markets, and believe
this will be a major driver behind Swiss franc weakness.
All Other Safe Havens Have Turned
Aside from domestic-led portfolio outflows, we don't
think the signals from the unwind of other "safe
haven" trades can be underestimated. Of all the "tail
risk" trades, we see gold as holding the most similar
properties to the Swiss franc: zero yielding, but
perceived to hold value at times of stress. With the
economy entering an environment of asset price
inflation but goods price deflation, gold has proved a
poor hedge, and we think the same holds for the Swiss
franc. Indeed, medium-term trends between the two
are similar, and combined with the huge decline in
Eurozone risk premia, we see the risks as skewed
towards an unwind of the more than 150bn of safehaven
inflow that went into Switzerland over 2010-12.
CHF Should Participate in Dollar Turn
Finally, USD/CHF historically turns to lag turns in the
dollar cycle. Back in the 1990s, it turned together with
USD/JPY and USD/DEM. With our confidence on the
dollar outlook building and no change from the SNB on
EFTA01464433
the back of a very benign inflation outlook, we see
conditions as ripe for a breakout in both USD/CHF and
EUR/CHF targeting 1.00 and 1.27 respectively over the
rest of the year.
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 7
It's Not the Inflows, But the Swiss Outflows That
Matter
cumulative fportfolio lows,
bn Sfr
-900
-700
-500
-300
-100
100
99
inflows
outflows
250bn
u/weight
02
05
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
08
11
Swiss Franc Is Last "Safe Haven" To Turn
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
0
90 93 96 99 02 05 08 11
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Gold in EUR terms (lhs)
CHF effective exchange rate (rhs)
70
80
90
100
110
120
130
CHF Is Last To Weaken Around Dollar Turns
Months since currency topped against USD in 1990s
10
EFTA01464434
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
0
NZD AUD CAD GBP NOK SEK DEM CHF JPY
Jun 1988: NZD/USD
hits cycle high, year
when DXY range
begins
April 1995: USD/JPY
hits cycle low, DXY
uptrend begins
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
EFTA01464435
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Staying Bearish GBP
We've been bearish sterling since the start of the year
and stick with the view, despite the last few months'
squeeze. First, the recent run of positive UK data
surprises versus the US and Euro-area appears to have
reached extremes. Even if the run of positive UK data
continues, it is difficult not seeing a greater catch-up
from the country's two main trading partners.
Second, outside of its recent potential to squeeze GBP
shorts, we don't think the moderate improvement in
the data outlook matters much anyway. Unlike the Fed,
the BoE won't shift to less easing anytime this year, so
the market can't price much in terms of relative
monetary policy tightening.
In contrast, GBP
correlations with risk appetite (eg. the FTSE) have
shifted to negative over the last two years. Improved
risk appetite is associated with higher
outflows from the UK given the extremely low level of
real yields - the lowest in the world.
Third, we believe that flow, not data, will be the
dominant driver behind GBP. On that front, we think it
is fair to say that sterling has the worst flow dynamics
in the world. Portfolio inflows remain exceptionally
weak due to very negative real yields. The trade
balance remains stuck in deficit due to the high share
of services, the big rise in ULCs in recent years, as well
as persistent negative J-curve effects. Perhaps even
more worrying, the investment income balance is
deteriorating rapidly. This, not trade, has been the
biggest drag on the UK current account and has small
potential to improve in coming months. For any EM
country, this deterioration would flash warning lights
on the sustainability of the external position. This is
very negative in the UK and growing. On top of this, it
stands in sharp contrast to the US. Even though both
have current account deficits, the UK appears to be
suffering from a more structural decline in the relative
profitability of its foreign investments - pointing to a
more permanent decline in the UK financial system's
capacity to transform foreign "safe haven" inflows into
higher-yielding foreign assets.
Finally, the risks are skewed towards higher "political"
and "policy" premia on GBP. The continued dramatic
decline in Eurozone risk premia should hurt GBP the
most given that sterling has been one of the biggest
beneficiaries of "safe haven" inflows from the Eurozone.
On a more medium-term basis, the ongoing domestic
political debate around an EU membership referendum
EFTA01464436
on top of EU initiatives towards increasing regulatory
burdens on the financial sector (financial transaction
tax, among others), will do little to provide a mediumterm
uplift to UK structural competitiveness.
George Saravelos, London,
portfolio
UK vs Avrg US & Euro Data Surprises At Extremes
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
-1
04
Source: Deutsche Bank
06
08
10
12
UK and Canada Have Worse Basic Balance In World
Narrow
C/A + FDI
SGD
NOK
TWD
HUF
MYR
CNY
SEK
CHF
ILS
RUB
PHP
KRW
CZK
THB
CLP
BRL
EUR
AUD
JPY
IDR
PLN
MXN
NZD
TRY
EFTA01464437
USD
GBP
INR
CAD
ZAR
Source: Bloomberg Finance LP. *Average of 3M rolling correlations over the
past 5 years.
Rank of basic balance
Broad
C/A + FDI + Portfolio
HUF
SGD
MYR
26 CNY
MXN
SEK
PHP
TRY
21 RUB
THB
KRW
CZK
PLN
16 EUR
CHF
BRL
USD
AUD
11 IDR
ILS
CLP
NOK
TWD
6 NZD
INR
JPY
CAD
ZAR
1
GBP
Page 8
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464438
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #4: Solid Bloc
T. The key US data suggest CAD's external backdrop
remains supportive, as do Canada's commodity
prices, and fears on Canadian housing are likely
overdone. We maintain our recently entered
CAD/JPY long. Having recently exited our long -held
bullish AUD/CAD and NZD/CAD views from our
previous Blueprint, we now also go short NZD/CAD.
T. With AUD looking to have clearly overshot to the
downside we do not enter AUD/CAD shorts at this
point.
Indeed we are more inclined to take
advantage of the skew in AUD/USD options to buy
a vanilla AUD/USD 1.01 3-month call for around
100 pips.
We have in the past noted how US data surprises tend
to lead Canadian data surprises, showing the influence
trends in Canada's largest trading partner have on its
economy. CAD then tends to follows US data surprises.
CAD has been surprisingly resilient to weakness in the
broader US data flow in recent weeks - a period where
our US Macro Pulse Index of data surprises has largely
run in negative territory. As can be seen in Figure 1,
however, the key parts of the US recovery story — the
recovering housing and labour markets — have been
more encouraging than the broader US data flow
recently, and are providing greater support for CAD.
Canadian commodity prices also remain supportive,
with US natural gas prices having climbed solidly in
2013
Even in the weakest part of the Canadian outlook — the
weakening building sector — the recent news is more
encouraging, with overall building permits at a 5-month
high in March (albeit driven by non-residential permits).
While it is by no means a bullish factor yet, it may be
that market participants are too negative on how much
further this sector is likely to weigh on CAD (Figure 2).
Given our ongoing bearishness on JPY, we expressed
this CAD bullishness by going long CAD/JPY on 9 May
when it rallied through 99 (see Trade Recommendation:
Long CAD/JPY, 10 May) and we maintain this long.
This improving macro backdrop for CAD is being
reflected in the financial variables that drive our shortterm
models of CAD crosses. Our AUD/CAD model has
clearly rolled over, while our NZD/CAD model is
starting to roll over as well (Figure 4). So we recently
exited our long-held AUD/CAD and NZD/CAD Blueprint
views (see FX Daily: Changing the Call on CAD Crosses,
6 May 2013).
EFTA01464439
Figure 1: Signals from US housing and labour market
support CAD...
CAD TWI 12wk-12wk% (LHS)
10
15
-15
-10
-5
0
5
97
99
01
03
05
07
09
11
13
Combined Mortgage Apps and Jobless Claims
12wk-12wk% Pulse (RHS)
10
15
-15
-10
-5
0
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Figure 2: Canadian building outlook starting to turn?
10
20
30
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
Jan-03
10
20
30
Canadian. Building Permits 3m3m%, (LHS)
CAD TWI 3m-3m% (RHS)
Jan-05
Jan-07
Jan-09
Jan-11
Jan-13
-40
-30
EFTA01464440
-20
-10
0
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Figure 3: NZD/CAD model is rolling over — even though
spot has overshot near-term, we target a move to 0.80
0.87
0.85
0.83
0.81
0.79
0.77
0.75
May 12
Aug 12
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Nov 12
Feb 13
May 13
NZD/CAD
Model - uses Dairy Futures, NatGas, Crude, CRB, rate differential, USD TWI,
VIX
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 9
EFTA01464441
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
While both crosses have now fallen a long way relative
to our models, we would now expect these models to
keep trending lower. Given the respective levels of the
two crosses (and our AUD view below), we prefer to go
short NZD/CAD. Indeed we are now more cautious on
NZD more widely, as most of the good news appears
priced in following its rally in recent months (see
Figure 4).
In terms of AUD, our view remains that the global
monetary
environment argues against looking for
anything more than short-term weakness. Reinforcing
this were the Chinese monetary data for April, which
showed a further pickup in M2 Money growth — this
has generally been bullish for AUD in recent years.
Moreover, our Chinese team remains more bullish on
the Chinese growth outlook than the market consensus,
looking for 8.2% growth in 2013 and 8.9% growth in
2014, against a market consensus of 8.8% growth in
both years. It is notable then that other "China plays"
such as Hang Seng H-shares and copper prices have
started to trend higher recently, indicating a greater
confidence in the outlook for Chinese demand (see
Figure 5). This should soon start to bolster AUD.
One of the other key drivers of our resilient-AUD view
has been the expectation of ongoing mining-related FDI
inflows (see for instance FX Daily: On-Hold RBA Lifts
AUD, But FDI Inflows And G3 Policy Remain Key
Supports, 5 March 2013). Despite recent negativity on
the mining investment outlook, the ABS's 01 Capex
survey suggested an increase in mining investment
would be seen in 2013/14, with a lift in building and
structures investment offsetting an expected decline in
machinery and equipment investment. While this may
prove too optimistic, it suggests mining investment is
hardly about to fall off a "cliff". In terms of what this
means for AUD, even if there is little growth in mining
investment, it is likely to remain at an extremely
elevated level for some quarters to come. Additionally,
as mining investment rotates from an import-heavy
machinery and equipment focus to a local-expenditureheavy
building and structures focus, the AUD-intensity
of this spending may well increase. This argues that
the need for resource firms to continue to generate
substantial FDI inflows will likely remain intact.
As to how we prefer to express this AUD view, one
relatively consistent dynamic in FX options markets is
the tendency of AUD/USD options to skew towards
puts on AUD/USD declines (see Figure 6). We would
EFTA01464442
take advantage of this dynamic by buying a vanilla
AUD/USD 1.02 call (around 70 pips at time of writing),
expecting it to resume trading in the 1.02-1.06 range
that had until very recently held for most of 2013.
John Horner, Sydney, +61 (2) 8258 2130
Page 10
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Figure 4: The good news in NZ is more than fully priced
10
15
-15
-10
-5
0
5
04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
NZD TWI 3m% ch (LHS)
ANZ Survey Employment Intentions 3mth change (RHS)
-25.0
-20.0
-15.0
-10.0
-5.0
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
Figure 5: Many China plays are now getting a boost
10
15
20
25
30
35
5
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013
Chinese M2 money supply growth yoy% (LHS)
H-Shares yoy% (RHS)
100
150
200
50
-100
-50
0
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Figure 6: Taking advantage of option market dynamics
to buy a vanilla AUD/USD 1.01 3-month call on this dip
EFTA01464443
0.55
0.65
0.75
0.85
0.95
1.05
1.15
AUD/USD (LHS)
AUD/USD 25-delta risk reversal (RHS)
-8
-7
-6
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
Jan 10 Jul 10 Jan 11 Jul 11 Jan 12 Jul 12 Jan 13
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
EFTA01464444
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #5: NOK o'Clock
The Norwegian krone has weakened somewhat vs. the
EUR since the last FX Blueprint on Jan 10
th
, reflecting
weaker crude primarily but also a Norges Bank that has
struggled to make its mind up on what the main focus
of monetary policy should be, headline CPI or
household debt/house prices.
The latest policy meeting would suggest household
debt and house prices now have the upper hand again,
although with the caveat this could change if the krone
appreciates significantly. However, to be fair to Norges
it is a nigh impossible job for any inflation targeting
central bank to balance the dilemma of pockets of
domestic overheating with external deflation. Add a
solid C/A surplus and a triple-A rating and Norges Bank
is stuck between a rock and a hard place.
What this means for our outlook for the NOK is that the
Norges Bank's NOK TWI projections matter more than
ever. Deviations of around 2-3% or more are likely to
be crucial over the next couple of rate meetings.
Other factors/variables that will be monitored closely at
Norges Bank are: a) total credit as % of GDP; b) house
prices as % of disposable income, c) real commercial
property prices; d) the share of money market funding
in Norwegian financial institutions. These four
variables have previously been identified as the key
indicators the Bank monitors on an ongoing basis for
guidance on longer-term financial stability, and also the
main variables that will determine the additional capital
requirements for the counter-cyclical capital buffer.
Taken together, the dilemma of balancing the risk of
domestic overheating versus excessive currency
appreciation and subdued spot inflation is something
Norway shares with a number of EM economies and
also to a lesser extent with neighboring Sweden.
However, Norway's dilemma is further reinforced by
the lack of an output gap, Norway's accumulated oil
wealth, booming oil & gas investments, extremely low
unemployment, and large external surpluses.
The bottom line, with Norwegian monetary policy likely
to continue to be a compromise over the next couple of
meetings, the best Norges Bank can hope for currently
is that the correction in Brent crude lower will extend
and weigh the NOK down. Near-term, and dependent
on crude consolidating above/around $100/barrel, the
re-assessment of the Norges policy outlook favour a
higher NOK/SEK. Look for a return to the highs from
EFTA01464445
late last year. Target 1.1775, with a stop @ 11.90
(1.1440 at the time of writing).
Source: Deutsche Bank
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 1: NOK I-44 slightly weaker than NB's latest
projection
Figure 2: CPI below target, but slightly above NB's
projected inflation path
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 3: Household debt is increasing again
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 11
EFTA01464446
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Meanwhile in Sweden imported deflation is dragging
headline CPI further below the Riksbank's projection (in
April -0.5% YoY vs the -0.2% projection). For the
inflation targeting Riksbank this should mean further
policy easing, and it might result in further cuts.
However, as the majority on the board has made clear,
they are not entirely comfortable reducing rates further
in response to external disinflation when house prices
are edging higher and households take on more debt.
Also, further rate reductions would not necessarily
support demand since the slowdown was/is due to
weak sentiment and a poor external environment.
Meanwhile in the real economy, data is generally a
mixed bag, with a few very early indications of a
turnaround. Retail sales are largely stable, and
consumer sentiment is back in the positives, backed up
by higher property prices and surging equities. In the
manufacturing sector the PMI remains just below the
50 benchmark line, but hard industrial data has
improved significantly of late, with industrial output up
0.8% on the month in March for a flat YoY reading,
while the more forward looking new orders component
rose a sharp 10.5% MoM and 11.2% YoY, the highest
YoY outturn for 2 years.
So where does this leave the krona? On the back of the
CPI report the rates market is almost fully priced for a
further 25bp rate cut over the next two meetings. This
to us seems about right, as even given the reluctance
of the Riksbank neutrals to solely focus on the CPI,
they can also not ignore headline CPI when it is
running so much below target. However, at current
levels (8.65) we also see limited downside in the SEK
vs the EUR. In the current environment and at current
policy rate levels, policy expectations can only impact
on the SEK to a degree, with positive flows dynamics
(C/A surplus a solid/steady 7-7.5% of GDP), attractive
valuations (see DB's BEER, FEER and PPPs), and more
near-term a lack of positioning (SEK a net short on
dbSelect, investors have not been this short the krone
for almost a year). Therefore we believe the probability
of further rate reductions in the SEK is best captured in
short SEK vs the NOK, where the CPI gap will continue
to underpin expectations for a wider policy rate gap.
Look for a return to the highs from late last year. Our
initial target is 1.1775, with a sto 'ust below 1.12.
Henrik Gullberg, London,
Figure 4: Inflation is running below Riksbank fcsts
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 5: Domestic inflation stable - imports hugely
EFTA01464447
deflationary
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 6: Household debt as % of disposable income
Source: Deutsche Bank
Page 12
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464448
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #6: No Chinese Quick Fix
We believe the risk-reward to USD/CNY has shifted in
favor of topside exposure for a few reasons.
First,
Fixings have diverged from the trend in macro data
108
the fixing has become increasingly misaligned
from domestic macro data and the USD's gains against
China's trade partners. China is losing competitiveness,
at the very time when returns to its growth model are
being tested. To us, this appears unsustainable. The
motivations behind stronger fixings — whether RMB
internationalization or an attempt to "catch-down" to
spot — are unlikely to compel a continued disconnect
from fundamentals and regional FX trends. The pace of
fixing gains in April — at a 12% annualized pace — is not
only unlikely to continue, but may well reverse to fulfill
the policy promise of greater two-way volatility.
Second, one-way USD selling pressure onshore should
begin to normalize. Authorities are clamping down on
sources of speculative USD sales. Trade invoicing
irregularities used to disguise capital inflows will now
be scrutinized. Foreign currency lending is likely to
slow, as regulators discourage imbalanced FX loan-todeposit
ratios by tying them to higher long USD NOP
limits for banks. Importer buying is thus likely to return
to the market. Should USD deposit rates begin to rise
in response to the regulation, incentives to sell USD
may begin to shift. Seasonal buying should also rise in
the summer with a pick-up in MNC repatriation.
Third, the widely expected band widening is not
necessarily a positive for CNY. In fact, the April 2012
band-widening was first followed by spot trading to the
upper extreme of the band. We see a narrowing of the
spot-fixing basis as a key precondition for the move,
and are wary of a downshift in growth expectations.
Thus, spot could be facing upside — not downside —
pressure at the time of band-widening.
Fourth, market signals may be foreshadowing a turn.
Volatility markets are becoming less complacent. CNH
implied volatility has been moving higher since midApril
with realized volatility picking up sharply this
month. CNH spot has begun to trade at a discount to
CNY, after trading at an average premium of 125 pips
in Ql. Offshore positioning in the RMB complex is
stretched and strongly consensus, and is thus
vulnerable to abrupt shifts in expectations.
Timing remains the key risk to our view. Policy intent
for lower fixings and/or early band widening could keep
EFTA01464449
the lid on for longer. But we believe risk-reward is now
more compelling for topside. We recommend going
long USD/CNH via short-dated vanilla calls. Indicatively,
a 3M 6.22 call costs 27bps. We also maintain our long
3M USD/CNH versus USD/CNY NDF spread trade to
position for an initial move higher in spot within the
bands, with a view to squaring the NDF leg at par.
Deutsche Bank AG/London
20
40
60
80
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
Jan-12 Apr-12 Jul-12 Oct-12 Jan-13 Apr-13
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
USD selling should normalize as regulations reduce FX
lending relative to deposits onshore
100
20
40
60
80
-40
-20
0
USD bn
10
20
30
40
Jan-10 Jul-10 Jan-11 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13
Net FX sales by onshore clients to banks, monthly (LHS)
New FX loans - FX deposits, monthly (RHS)
Source: Deutsche Bank, CEIC, SAFE
-30
-20
-10
0
Citi China Data Surprise Index
USD/CNY Fixing (RHS, reversed)
6.24
6.29
6.34
6.39
6.19
Spot traded to the top band last time it was widened
EFTA01464450
6.00
6.10
6.20
6.30
6.40
6.50
Jun-11
Spot Max Intraday Deviation from Fix (RHS)
CNY Spot
CNY Fixing
April 2012: Intraday
trading band widened to
+/-1% from +/-0.5%
Dec-11
Jun-12
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Sameer Goel, Singapore,
Mallika Sachdeva, Singa
Page 13
Dec-12
-2%
-1%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
Jun-13
EFTA01464451
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #7: Japanese Takeaway
3E We expect sensitivity to the JPY and offshore
portfolio allocation preferences will continue to
drive Asian FX. We are long USD/KRW, USD/SGD
& MYR/JPY.
Asian FX returns this year have largely been driven by
varying sensitivities to the JPY. Correlations to the JPY
(first chart) differentiate the relative laggards — that
compete for exports and portfolio flows with Japan —
from the relative leaders — that are integrated into
Japanese supply chains and should benefit
from
Japanese import demand, FDI, and potential QEinduced
portfolio investment. With USD/JPY breaking
into the triple-digit atmosphere, and a bulk of the "real"
flow impact from Japanese policies yet to materialize,
these divergent correlations remain the best guide to
regional FX trends, in our view. In addition to the JPY,
the outperformance of EM debt over EM equity fund
flows has boosted debt-centric ASEAN FX over equitycentric
North Asian FX. We believe this trend has legs
but will become more selective.
KRW has the most to lose from JPY weakness.
Competitiveness metrics such as export similarity
indices point to a trade channel vulnerability. But the
real pressure point comes from the portfolio channel.
Earnings
expectation downgrades for Korean
companies and upgrades in Japan are driving relative
equity market performance, resulting in flows into
Japan and away from Korea. Importantly, an identical
trend unfolded during the JPY weakness of 2004-07
(second chart). Politicization of FX may also drive
further monetary easing and FX intervention in Korea.
By comparison, TWD losses should be more subdued
from here given weaker export competition with Japan,
stronger equity inflows and central bank USD supply.
SGD is the purest USD beta in Asia. By virtue of its
NEER framework, the USD TWI has consistently been
the top driver of USD/SGD. Unsurprisingly then, the
importance of the JPY to SGD has surged since the
USD/JPY uptrend began in October. Importantly, a long
USD/SGD view is predicated in principal on USD
strength broadening across Singapore's trading
partners. It is thus even compatible with S$NEER
tracking near the top band, although this positioning
makes the risk-reward that much more attractive.
MYR should outperform, given good inflow potential
and a growing trade surplus with Japan. The status
EFTA01464452
quo election result should sponsor portfolio rebalancing
towards Malaysia. Equities have considerable scope to
catch up to ASEAN peers, where valuations are now
unattractive. IPOs should resume in force and could
attract offshore interest. Bond allocations should pick
up as underweights are covered (third chart) and as
Thailand considers penalizing bond market access for
foreigners. Malaysia meanwhile is unlikely to consider
capital controls or a line in the sand on FX.
Page 14
JPY has been a key driver of Asian FX performance
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
-0.4
-0.3
-0.2
-0.1
0
Latest 6M Correlation to JPY (LHS)
YTD performance vs. USD (RHS)
Winners
Losers
-5%
-4%
-3%
-2%
-1%
0%
1%
2%
3%
4%
5%
SGDKRW TWDCNY INR PHP IDR MYR THB
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
Equity flows move away from Korea and towards
Japan during periods of JPY weakness
100
20
40
60
80
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
USD bn
EFTA01464453
6m sum
10
20
30
JPY/KRW
downtrend begins
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
Japan Equity Inflows (LHS)
Korea Equity Inflows (RHS)
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Finance LP
-30
-20
-10
0
Portfolio reallocation to drive MYR outperformance
10
15
20
-10
-5
0
5
2009
USD bn
Bond inflows (3m sum)
Malaysia
Other ASEAN (IDR, THB, PHP)
2010
2011
2012
2013
Source: Deutsche Bank, Bond flows data is collected from the respective
country's official sources
Sameer Goel, Singapore,
Mallika Sachdeva, Singap
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464454
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #8: EMEA Reality Check
There are a number of sub-plots and potential themes
currently in EMEA FX, but rather than impacting
significantly on price action, they seem to have led to
paralysis, with correlation patterns versus traditional
drivers having converged to near zero in many cases.
That is unlikely to last and over the next couple of
months we are likely to see a mix of global themes and
country-specific factors having much more of a
significant impact on price action.
In EMEA, the impact of the external backdrop is
potentially very mixed. The subdued external inflation
environment means that economies with large negative
output gaps will be less sensitive to currency weakness,
and more inclined to continue to push through rate
cuts, if not regardless of FX, at least as long as FX
depreciation is orderly. Hungary's NBH have made it
very clear that the focus is on growth, and that inflation
is taking the back-seat for now. Consequently, the NBH
rate cutting cycle continues unabated, with the Bank
now having reduced the base rate down to an all-time
low of 4.75% from 7.00%. The poor domestic backdrop,
the need for further fiscal austerity in order to secure
EDP exit and headline CPI at a record lows suggest rate
reductions will continue, with the rates market
currently pricing in around 180-125bps of further
easing. Indeed, weak data, the non-domestic PPI
running at a mere 3.2% YoY, coupled with global
disinflation and relative currency strength also lower
the bar for 50bp rate cuts (during all NBH easing cycles
since the turn of the century the bank has at some
point reduced rates by more than 25bps) and/or a more
prolonged easing cycle.
Elsewhere, South Africa's SARB seems to be warming
to the idea of rate cuts despite a relatively weak ZAR.
Governor Marcus recently emphasized the importance
of a free-floating exchange rate as a shock-absorber,
and argued that a weaker currency would be crucial in
dealing with the country's large trade and C/A deficits.
She also pointed out that medium-term inflation
expectations remain well anchored. These comments
definitely appear more dovish than before, particularly
with regard to the exchange rate and would suggest
the Bank is ready/willing to accept a weaker currency
as long as the sell-off does not become disorderly.
The Czech National Bank (CNB), meanwhile, falls into
the category of central banks not just willing to accept
but which would welcome currency weakness, in order
to counter persistent disinflation.
EFTA01464455
Indeed, Governor
Singer recently reiterated his view that interest rates
will stay near zero for a "very, very long" time, and
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 1: Dramatic differences wrt the 'growth gap' in
EMEA (relative to pre-crisis trend)
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 2: SA C/A deterioration to lead ZAR even lower?
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 3: Persistent Czech disinflation/deflation
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 15
EFTA01464456
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
argued that the positive effects from a weaker
exchange rate on the economy were outweighing
negative effects on demand. Combined with global
disinflation, the Czech Republic's large negative output
gap continues to advocate further policy easing, with
the CNB's focus in turn likely to remain on ways of
making policy more expansive.
Meanwhile global disinflation is complicating the policy
outlook in much of the rest of EMEA FX. In Israel,
Poland and Turkey output gaps are largely non-existent,
with domestic credit growth and/or house prices
edging higher. In these markets, further rate reductions
would not necessarily support demand since the
slowdown was/is due to weak sentiment and a poor
external environment. Moreover, more rate cuts could
also fuel further inflows into the domestic bond market,
with foreigners already increasingly long local rates.
Here central banks are instead drawn into a growing
dilemma: reduce rates and risk adding to domestic
imbalances/'pockets' of domestic overheating, or
'accept' that slow growth is primarily due to a poor
external backdrop something monetary policy is not
equipped to address.
The FX implication: In real terms, we think it is all but
inevitable that these currencies will appreciate. What
monetary authorities can do is to decide if most of that
appreciation will come through nominal appreciation or
higher domestic inflation. We maintain long core views
in ILS, PLN and TRY.
Trades:
Buy a 3m EURHUF call with strike at 300 and KO at
320 for 55bps. Spot ref 293.60. Vanilla 3m call at 300
costs 1.50%.
Buy a 3m USD/TRY put, with a strike 1.79 for 0.46% of
notional. Spot ref 1.81.
Maintain short USD/ILS. We are long a 3m USD/ILS put
with a strike at 3.50 for 0.17% (spot ref: 3.68) from the
EMEA Daily Compass on March 11
th
. Little to prevent
further grind lower to 2011 lows around 3.40, stop @
3.73.
Target a continued gradual grind higher in PLN/CZK.
Target 6.400, stop @ 6.10.
Buy a 3m USD/ZAR call with a 9.20 strike and KO at
9.65 for 32bps. Spot ref 9.12. Vanilla 3m call at 300
costs 2.76%.
[Risks: Maximum loss for long option trades is the
premium; risks detailed in FX Blueprint report]
EFTA01464457
Henrik Gullberg, London,
Source: Deutsche Bank
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 6: ILS rallying ahead of C/A improvement
Figure 4: Turkey, credit leading domestic demand
higher again.
Source: Deutsche Bank
Figure 5: NBP are cutting, but real rates are PLN
supportive.
Page 16
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464458
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #9: Mexican Siesta
51 With the reduction of global tail risks, EMFX is still
attractive as a carry proposition due to elevated
interest rate differentials and reduced volatility.
g However, differentiation could play a more
prominent role as fundamental deterioration
gradually spreads from the core to the periphery.
g In some cases, government intervention will
continue to have an important influence on shortterm
FX movements.
5E We still recommend short EUR/BRL and short
EUR/CLP as carry trades. While we remain
constructive on MXN in the medium term we
recommend tactically taking profits.
The noticeable reduction of Eurozone tail risks has
helped EM currencies to become less sensitive to
EUR/USD movements. With still relatively better growth
perspectives, and in many cases, elevated interest rate
differentials, EM currencies maintain some residual
allure in this
from the combination of excess global liquidity amid a
weakening global environment, in which it is becoming
increasingly difficult to find a good story on
fundamentals like Mexico's engaging in long-due
structural reforms. An anticipated credit upgrade (by
Fitch) and political signals for the continuation of the
reform agenda pushed the MXN to break the critical 12
level in the last few days. Even though the structural
backdrop is sound, we believe that the short-term
upside potential of the MXN is now limited. The
gradual materialization of the reform agenda and the
inevitable recovery in the US will certainly provide
some medium-term support for the currency. In the
short run, however, heavy positioning and potential
transitory increase in risk aversion could induce a
temporary break in the appreciation trend.
Figure 1: LatAm and Asia FX on overvaluation territory
environment of reduced volatility.
Nevertheless, as the deterioration of fundamentals
slowly spreads from the core to the periphery,
differentiation begins to play a more prominent role.
Despite some overvaluation and, in some cases,
deterioration in external accounts, capital inflows on
the back of persistent monetary accommodation at the
core should help to avoid any important correction, at
least in the near term. Aggressive FX intervention could
be problematic when central banks are more worried
about losing competitiveness amid sputtering
economic growth than the potential inflationary effects
EFTA01464459
of weaker currencies.
The BRL is a clear example of a central bank stepping
in front of weakening fundamentals. In our view, the
BRL will remain range bound due to official
intervention, offering an attractive carry/volatility
combination. The lukewarm interest rate hiking cycle,
when inflation dynamics are all but comfortable,
indirectly imposes greater constraints on acceptable FX
depreciation. Even though the FX pass-through is
relatively low in Brazil, and fundamental drivers are
pointing toward further depreciation, the central bank
has already signaled that it does not want to face any
risks on the inflation front by promptly intervening
when it considers necessary. We thus continue
recommending short EUR/BRL to maintain a long BRL
exposure as a carry trade (current: 2.60, entry: 2.56,
target: 2.45, stop: 2.64).
In contrast, MXN is an example of positive
differentiation. Mexican assets continued to benefit
-1.5%
-1.0%
-0.5%
0.0%
0.5%
1.0%
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
4.0%
REER Misalignement from Fair Value
Mar-13
EMEA
Source: Deutsche Bank
Asia
Jan-13
Jul-12
LatAm
Figure 2: Still elevated interest rate differentials
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Policy Interest Rates (%)
EFTA01464460
Policy Interest Rates
US
Euro Zone
Japan
BRL CLP COP MXN PEN ZAR HUF ILS PLN RUB TRY
Source: Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 17
EFTA01464461
16 May 2813
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Additionally, after the Central Bank of Mexico
suspended the "stabilization" mechanism, we would
not be surprised if a new "reserve accumulation" rule is
installed if the speed of appreciation increases. While
any potential negative effects in the currency will likely
be short lived (barring any disappointment in the
reform agenda) we have recommended tactically
taking profits in our long held short USD/MXN
recommendation 2
(closing: 11.96, entry: 12.68).
Investors willing to position for residual upside could
benefit from still reduced volatility by entering some
bullish options strategies (either 1x2 USD/MXN put
spreads or knock-outs).
Andean currencies may suffer relatively more from
weakening fundamentals, but we think that the
downside may be limited.
In particular, we do not see much upside potential in
the CLP, but the combination of elevated yield and
relatively low volatility makes it an attractive carry
proposition for those willing to position for the global
recovery. Nevertheless, as fundamentals gradually
weaken, the risk of intervention is also fading away.
The recent correction in commodity prices, especially
copper, has driven the CLP away from intervention
levels (perceived to be around 460), to the extent that
some statements by CB president Vergara vouching for
a weaker currency took the market by surprise.
Depending on its persistence, this novel shock to the
terms of trade could worsen an already complicated
current account balance. Additionally, economic
activity seems to be entering the long awaited
deceleration path. In our view, the carry trade on
EUR/CLP is an attractive alternative to position for
loose monetary policies at the core (current: 618, entry:
616, target: 682, stop: 626).
In Colombia, policymakers under-delivered in terms of
FX market intervention after signaling that the currency
was unacceptably expensive. Nevertheless, some noise
remains due to proposed changes in pension funds'
minimum return calculation. 3
While it is difficult to
determine the potential impact of this measure (early
calculations point to a range of lbn to 5bn of USD
demand), this should not have an important direct
short-run impact in the
COP (beyond market
anticipation). With the currency trading around away
from the perceived 1808 intervention threshold, we
EFTA01464462
have recommended taking profits in long USD/COP
(closing:1830, entry:1819) and waiting for some
potential retracement to re-enter.
Figure 3: Capital flows help to cover growing current
account deficits
-8.0%
-6.0%
-4.0%
-2.0%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
Percentageof the GDP
Portfolio Flows
FDI
Current Account
Sum
HUF RUBMXN CZK COP PEN BRL TRY CLP ILS PLN ZAR
Source: Deutsche Bank
The PEN finally suffered a meaningful correction on the
back of some news regarding the potential acquisition
of a stake in a private oil company by a public one and
weakening external accounts. But after briefly touching
2.65, the currency recovered to the 2.60 level. Barring
any external surprises, and taking into consideration
the new boost to global liquidity, PEN should remain
relatively anchored on the back of strong FDI flows but
the change in CB intervention is evidently beginning to
have the desired effect of increasing the volatility of the
currency. Considering the almost non-existent carry,
we recommend remaining neutral on USD/PEN.
All in all, the tide is beginning to change in LatAm FX.
While some currencies still offer some attractive carry
(BRL or even CLP) and other have some (medium-term)
upside potential (MXN),
gradually weakening
fundamentals could increase the relevance of
differentiation.
Mauro Roca, New York, +
Jose Vieira, New York,
2 See Emerging Market M , May 10 2013.
3 The draft by the Superintendent of Pension Funds suggests it could
induce pension funds to follow a minimum share of foreign assets,
which is slightly above current portfolios' allocation.
Page 18
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464463
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Theme #10: Turning Up the Volume
5E Trading volumes, one of the better proxy indicators
for realized volatility, have been grinding higher
5E
Increased monetary divergence and abundant
global liquidity could see this trend continue further,
we like long volatility option plays
Spot trading volumes picking up
Trading volumes and volatility tend to closely track
each other and volumes are now on the march. Last
month's average Daily Volume (ADV) traded on the
EBS platform for spot transactions averaged $128.3b1n
a day, or 7% higher than the previous month. Looking
at the disaggregated YtD trends,
it can be seen that
trading activity has been somewhat suppressed in the
euro by the Cypriot banking crisis and broader Euro
zone growth uncertainty, though was held up by the
yen reflation trade and commodity currencies in Q1
(charts 2-4, relative trading volumes for other
currencies are available on request).
Options markets telling a similar story
The options market had signaled a similar pickup in
2013. ADVs for exchange traded options from the CME
for April increased by 61% YoY. Excluding yen options,
which accounted for two-third of the differences in
contracts traded, the largest relative difference was in
GBP, more than doubling (143% YoY) since last April
despite the lowered spot transactions, followed by
AUD (79% YoY) and CAD (16% YoY). Although these
contracts represent a small sample of the derivatives
market and are corporate biased, we find that these
often correlate well to volatilities (chart 5). When taken
together with spot data the broader picture emerges -
higher overall volumes from the historical lows of 2012,
followed by realized volatility.
Monetary divergence should help
In terms of whether the volume uptrend could be
sustained in 2013, it appears that this trend is
increasingly finding support from monetary divergence
(one of the core drivers of FX volatility, in addition to
volume) in an abundant global liquidity environment. A
number of factors could contribute to this: Abenomicsrelated
investor outflows from Japan have yet to
materialize,
although recent net outflows in Toshin
investment is suggestive of the initial pickup. RBA's
monetary stance remains closely tethered to global
growth, while the rest of the dollar bloc and
EFTA01464464
Scandinavia central bank policies are linked to
domestic pressures. Elsewhere in the UK, stagflation
remains a prominent issue, further, it is worth nothing
that almost any policy response could conceivably
push volumes higher given that GBP/USD spot volumes
experienced one of the sharpest falls YtD within the
Deutsche Bank AG/London
The bigger picture: Trading volumes and volatility
100
150
200
250
300
50
0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
EBS ADV $bn
CVIX Index
0
Source: EBS, Bloomberg Finance LP.
25
20
15
10
5
EUR/USD volumes down
10
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Source: EBS, Bloomberg Finance LP.
EURUSD 2W volume
2W realised volatility (RHS)
10
12
14
16
18
2
4
6
8
Mar-11 Jul-11 Nov-11 Mar-12 Jul-12 Nov-12 Mar-13
But held up by yen
10
0
EFTA01464465
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Source: EBS, Bloomberg Finance LP.
USDJPY 2W volume
2W realised volatility (RHS)
10
15
20
25
30
0
5
Mar-11 Jul-11 Nov-11 Mar-12 Jul-12 Nov-12 Mar-13
Page 19
EFTA01464466
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
G10 and hence is susceptible to rebound. Within the
Eurozone, another factor to consider is the risk
sensitive safe-haven unwinds (mainly from Switzerland
and the UK) which could further add to this trend.
The favoured trades
In sum, a further increase in trading volumes and
monetary policy divergence could see a broad-based
volatility pick-up. Looking across a number of relative
value trades, we recommended buying a 6M GBP/USD
variance swap struck at 7.75%, and a 3M AUD/USD
variance swap (9.00% strike), due to the low
transaction volumes in GBP/USD and attractive
historical realized volatility levels (see chart 6).
Furthermore, these trades benefit from the negative
spot-to-empirical volatility skew.
Nicholas Weng, London,
James Malcolm, London,
GBP/USD volumes falling sharply in 2013
10
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
GBPUSD 2W volume
2W realised volatility (RHS)
10
12
14
2
4
6
8
Mar-11 Jul-11 Nov-11 Mar-12 Jul-12 Nov-12 Mar-13
Source: EBS, Bloomberg Finance LP.
Options market ADVs on the rise
10
GBPUSD 1M options volume
GBP 1M realised volatility (RHS)
8
6
4
2
0
Mar-11 Jul-11 Nov-11 Mar-12 Jul-12 Nov-12 Mar-13
EFTA01464467
Source: CME group.
10
12
0
2
4
6
8
AUD and GBP realised volatilities are historically cheap
1.5
2
0.5
1
-0.5
0
-1.5
-1
-2
6M realised z-score
Source: Bloomberg Finance LP. Z-score values are calculated using three
years of historical data.
Page 20
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EURCAD
UUDCAD
AUDCAD
AUDNZD
AUDUSD
NZDUSD
EURUSD
EURAUD
USDNOK
GBPCAD
GBPUSD
EURNOK
USDCHF
USDSEK
EURNZD
EURCHF
EURSEK
EURGBP
AUDJPY
CADJPY
GBP3PY
EURJPY
USDJPY
EFTA01464468
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Trade Recommendation Update
Trades from January 8
th
thth
Trade
Long USD/JPY
Long EUR vs. USD,
JPY, GBP, CHF basket
Short GBP TWI
Long EUR/CHF
Long AUD/CAD
Long NZD/CAD
Short EUR/SEK
Short EUR/NOK
Long S&P call contingent
on higher USD/CAD
Short 1Y USD/CNH
Short 1Y USD/PHP
Short S$NEER
Long RUB/JPY
Long PLN/CZK
Short CAD/MXN
Short EUR/BRL
Short EUR/CLP
Short USD/PEN
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
Theme
1
2
2013 to May 14 2013
Gain/Loss
+17.07%
+5.6% (trailing 10Opt stop
introduced Jan 25 )*
th
+3.3%
+2.54%
-0.9% (exited 7 May)*
th
+2.8% (exited 7 May)*
+0.52%
+0.61%
4.25%
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7
+1.6%
7
7
8
8
9
9
9
9
-1.5%
-0.8%
+16.25%
+1.18%
+10.48%
+4.47%
+1.59%
-0.61%
No. of winners: 14, No. of losers: 4, Hit Ratio 78%, Average Gain/Loss: +3.8%
*Without risk management, long EUR vs basket trade would have made
+3.9%, long AUD/CAD trade -2.38% and long NZD/CAD +1.32%
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 21
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16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Appendix 1
Important Disclosures
Additional information available upon request
For disclosures pertaining to recommendations or estimates made on
securities other than the primary subject of this
research, please see the most recently published company report or visit our
global disclosure look-up page on our
website at http://gm.db.com/ger/disclosure/DisclosureDirectory.eqsr
Analyst Certification
The views expressed in this report accurately reflect the personal views of
the undersigned lead analyst(s). In addition,
the undersigned lead analyst(s) has not and will not receive any
compensation for providing a specific recommendation
or view in this report. Bilal Hafeez
Page 22
Deutsche Bank AG/London
EFTA01464471
16 May 2013
FX Blueprint: Dashing Buck
Regulatory Disclosures
1. Important Additional Conflict Disclosures
Aside from within this report, important conflict disclosures can also be
found at https://gm.db.com/equities under the
"Disclosures Lookup" and "Legal" tabs. Investors are strongly encouraged to
review this information before investing.
2. Short-Term Trade Ideas
Deutsche Bank equity research analysts sometimes have shorter-term trade
ideas (known as SOLAR ideas) that are
consistent or inconsistent with Deutsche Bank's existing longer term
ratings. These trade ideas can be found at the
SOLAR link at http://gm.db.com.
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only for "wholesale clients" within the
meaning of the Australian Corporations Act and New Zealand Financial
Advisors Act respectively.
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authors about the subject company(ies) and
its(their) securities, including in relation to Deutsche Bank. The
compensation of the equity research analyst(s) is
indirectly affected by revenues deriving from the business and financial
transactions of Deutsche Bank. In cases where
at least one Brazil based analyst (identified by a phone number starting
with +55 country code) has taken part in the
preparation of this research report, the Brazil based analyst whose name
appears first assumes primary responsibility for
its content from a Brazilian regulatory perspective and for its compliance
with CVM Instruction # 483.
EU countries:
Disclosures
relating to our obligations
under MiFiD
can be found at
http://www.globalmarkets.db.com/riskdisclosures.
Japan: Disclosures under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law: Company
name - Deutsche Securities Inc.
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advice, products and services. Recommended investment strategies, products
and services carry the risk of losses to
principal and other losses as a result of changes in market and/or economic
trends, and/or fluctuations in market value.
EFTA01464472
Before deciding on the purchase of financial products and/or services,
customers should carefully read the relevant
disclosures, prospectuses and other documentation. "Moody's", "Standard &
Poor's", and "Fitch" mentioned in this
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Risks to Fixed Income Positions
Macroeconomic fluctuations often account for most of the risks associated
with exposures to instruments that promise
to pay fixed or variable interest rates. For an investor that is long fixed
rate instruments (thus receiving these cash
flows), increases in interest rates naturally lift the discount factors
applied to the expected cash flows and thus cause a
loss. The longer the maturity of a certain cash flow and the higher the move
in the discount factor, the higher will be the
loss. Upside surprises in inflation, fiscal funding needs, and FX
depreciation rates are among the most common adverse
macroeconomic shocks to receivers. But counterparty exposure, issuer
creditworthiness, client segmentation, regulation
(including changes in assets holding limits for different types of
investors), changes in tax policies, currency
convertibility (which may constrain currency conversion, repatriation of
profits and/or the liquidation of positions), and
settlement issues related to local clearing houses are also important risk
factors to be considered. The sensitivity of fixed
income instruments to macroeconomic shocks may be mitigated by indexing the
contracted cash flows to inflation, to
FX depreciation, or to specified interest rates - these are common in
emerging markets. It is important to note that the
index fixings may -- by construction -- lag or mis-measure the actual move
in the underlying variables they are intended
to track. The choice of the proper fixing (or metric) is particularly
important in swaps markets, where floating coupon
rates (i.e., coupons indexed to a typically short-dated interest rate
reference index) are exchanged for fixed coupons. It is
also important to acknowledge that funding in a currency that differs from
the currency in which the coupons to be
received are denominated carries FX risk. Naturally, options on swaps
(swaptions) also bear the risks typical to options
in addition to the risks related to rates movements.
EFTA01464473
Deutsche Bank AG/London
Page 23
EFTA01464474
David Folkerts-Landau
Global Head of Research
Marcel Cassard
Global Head
CB&S Research
Asia-Pacific
Fergus Lynch
Regional Head
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Co-Heads
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Regional Head
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Chief Operating Officer
EFTA01464475
Research
Richard Smith
Associate Director
Equity Research
North America
Steve Pollard
Regional Head
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EFTA01464477