FX Update: Powell says TOMO to come another day FX Update: Powell says TOMO to come another day FX Update: Powell says TOMO to come another day

FX Update: Powell says TOMO to come another day

Forex 6 minutes to read
John J. Hardy

Head of FX Strategy

Summary:  The FOMC meeting provided less dovish signalling on the forecasted rate trajectory than expected and barely adjusted the statement or the economic forecasts. But the pivotal stuff was in the press conference, where Powell was very careful in his wording on how the Fed would continue to deal with expansion of its balance sheet, leaving the market a bit hog-tied in reacting to this meeting.


Very little volatility over the FOMC meeting last night as the market struggled to come away with a strong signal on what comes next. On the one hand, the meeting looked hawkish at the margin because the monetary policy statement was almost entirely unchanged, the economic forecasts saw almost nary an adjustment, and the dot plot forecast showed a less dovish shift than the market was looking for. Powell’s general message on the economy was that the Fed sees a generally healthy outlook.

On the other hand, the immediate concern for the Fed and markets is communication around the recent liquidity event that required the Fed’s emergency repo operation. The general message on this issue was save for the press conference and question and answer session and the general takeaway is that the Fed would respond with further liquidity operations as needed, but on an ad hoc basis and with (what is a new acronym for me as of yesterday): TOMO, or temporary open market operations, rather than planning any immediate POMO, or permanent open market operations, like those during the QE era of 2009-14.

The general attempt from Powell was to project confidence that the Fed is on top of the situation and ready to provide liquidity when these situations arise, but didn’t want to signal much beyond that for now. The most revealing snippet may have been in answer to a NY Times reporter, who asked [whether the Fed had overdone it with QT]” to the point that reserves are too scarce to get through sort of these unusual periods, is organic growth in the balance sheet [mentioned earlier by Powell] enough to get back to a point of ample reserves that can get us through those tough times or would you need to see something a little bit above that? And is that a possibility the committee would consider?”

Powell’s answer: “…I think for the foreseeable future, we’re going to be looking at, if needed, doing the sorts of things that we did the last two days, these temporary open market operations [TOMO!]. That’ll be the tool that we use. And the question will be then as we … how much of this really has to do with … the level of reserves? And I think we’ll learn quite a lot in the next six weeks.” We assume the six weeks reference is to the next FOMC meeting in six weeks.

So the bottom line of this FOMC: Powell’s indication on preparedness to address liquidity issues is effectively an admission that Fed control of its balance sheet is slipping away and that the more generous it becomes in providing liquidity, the more it is enabling excessive Trump deficits (NOT mentioned by Powell at the presser, but implicit in what is going on here). Expect all manner of technical adjustments from the Fed from here to. The chief question for FX traders here is whether the Fed can stay sufficiently responsive to USD funding crunches from here with all manner of technical fixes and TOMO operations and the USD will finally turn lower or whether the turnaround in the USD will prove a stop and start affair. Stay tuned for our Q4 outlook on that account.

Chart: USDJPY
Is it time for USDJPY to turn around back lower? The Fed message didn’t sound particularly generous to markets, rather a cautious message that the Fed would deal with liquidity issues as they arise but isn’t set to consider notable easing unless there are material concerns on the economic outlook. The chart shows a bit of divergent momentum here after the pair recently bulled up into the 108.00+ resistance area.

Source: Saxo Bank

The G-10 rundown

USD – is the Fed’s opening up of the balance sheet discussion enough to turn the USD lower? We have an open mind, perhaps most interesting at present in USDJPY, EURUSD and USDCAD

EUR – EURUSD flailing around between 1.10 and 1.1100, our two lines in the sand for what comes next – perhaps more based on the US dollar until we get more determined policy signalling from the EU

JPY – yen begins pulling back to the upside on no new news from the BoJ overnight (but an announcement that it will review its assessment of prices and the economy at the next meeting) and could continue to pull higher here if Powell’s message continues to be seen as weak support for extreme complacency in global markets.

GBP – somehow the market maintains a positive spin on sterling with No Deal still a clear and present danger, especially given that Johnson’s popularity is rising fast (i.e., he could feel emboldened to defy Parliament’s machinations). Hardly expecting BoE to change the plot today.

CHF - ECB at the end of its policy rope and hopes for fiscal, as well as complacency on Brexit perhaps keeping EURCHF near 1.1000. SNB up today, and has to be relieved that they have been able to ease off the intervention recently.

AUD – a weak jobs report overnight (headline looked positive, but full time payrolls dropped and unemployment rate ticked up) knocks AUD lower across the board.

CAD – the USDCAD rate shying away from the pivotal 1.3300 area – one of the areas that stands or falls on the USD outlook.

NZD – slight upside surprise on the Q2 GDP surprises at the margin and  sets  AUDNZD into consolidation mode – that pair needs to maintain above around 1.0700 to hold the tight trend, but a deeper retracement a risk after a very persistent slop rally off the sub-1.0300 lows.

SEK and NOK – today a test of whether NOK is reactive to rate signals and moves  from the Norges Bank as market divided on prospects for a hike today. Key for EURNOK bears is a breakdown through 9.80-75. SEK struggling badly after the Unemployment print earlier on Tuesday.

Upcoming Economic Calendar Highlights (all times GMT)

  • 0730 – Switzerland SNB Meeting
  • 0800 – Norway Norges Bank Announcement
  • 0830 – UK Aug. Retail Sales
  • 1100 – UK Bank of England Announcement
  • 1230 – Canada Aug. Teranet/National Bank Home Price Index
  • 1230 – US Sep. Philly Fed Business Surey
  • 1230 – Weekly Initial Jobless Claims
  • 1400 – US Aug. Existing Home Sales
  • 2330 – Japan Aug. National CPI
  • 0130 – China Rate Announcement

Quarterly Outlook 2024 Q3

Sandcastle economics

01 / 05

  • Macro: Sandcastle economics

    Invest wisely in Q3 2024: Discover SaxoStrats' insights on navigating a stable yet fragile global economy.

    Read article
  • Bonds: What to do until inflation stabilises

    Discover strategies for managing bonds as US and European yields remain rangebound due to uncertain inflation and evolving monetary policies.

    Read article
  • Equities: Are we blowing bubbles again

    Explore key trends and opportunities in European equities and electrification theme as market dynamics echo 2021's rally.

    Read article
  • FX: Risk-on currencies to surge against havens

    Explore the outlook for USD, AUD, NZD, and EM carry trades as risk-on currencies are set to outperform in Q3 2024.

    Read article
  • Commodities: Energy and grains in focus as metals pause

    Energy and grains to shine as metals pause. Discover key trends and market drivers for commodities in Q3 2024.

    Read article
You can access both of our platforms from a single Saxo account.
Disclaimer

The Saxo Group entities each provide execution-only service and access to Analysis permitting a person to view and/or use content available on or via the website is not intended to and does not change or expand on this. Such access and use are at all times subject to (i) The Terms of Use; (ii) Full Disclaimer; (iii) The Risk Warning; (iv) the Rules of Engagement and (v) Notices applying to Saxo News & Research and/or its content in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of hyperlinks on the website of a member of the Saxo Group by which access to Saxo News & Research is gained. Such content is therefore provided as no more than information. In particular no advice is intended to be provided or to be relied on as provided nor endorsed by any Saxo Group entity; nor is it to be construed as solicitation or an incentive provided to subscribe for or sell or purchase any financial instrument. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. As such no Saxo Group entity will have or be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information which is available on Saxo News & Research or as a result of the use of the Saxo News & Research. Orders given and trades effected are deemed intended to be given or effected for the account of the customer with the Saxo Group entity operating in the jurisdiction in which the customer resides and/or with whom the customer opened and maintains his/her trading account. Saxo News & Research does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication under relevant laws.

Please read our disclaimers:
- Notification on Non-Independent Investment Research (https://www.home.saxo/legal/niird/notification)
- Full disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-hk/legal/disclaimer/saxo-disclaimer)

None of the information contained here constitutes an offer to purchase or sell a financial instrument, or to make any investments. Saxo does not take into account your personal investment objectives or financial situation and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information nor for any loss arising from any investment made in reliance of this presentation. Any opinions made are subject to change and may be personal to the author. These may not necessarily reflect the opinion of Saxo or its affiliates.

Saxo Capital Markets HK Limited
19th Floor
Shanghai Commercial Bank Tower
12 Queen’s Road Central
Hong Kong

Contact Saxo

Select region

Hong Kong S.A.R
Hong Kong S.A.R

Saxo Capital Markets HK Limited (“Saxo”) is a company authorised and regulated by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong. Saxo holds a Type 1 Regulated Activity (Dealing in Securities); Type 2 Regulated Activity (Dealing in Futures Contract); Type 3 Regulated Activity (Leveraged Foreign Exchange Trading); Type 4 Regulated Activity (Advising on Securities) and Type 9 Regulated Activity (Asset Management) licenses (CE No. AVD061). Registered address: 19th Floor, Shanghai Commercial Bank Tower, 12 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong.

Trading in financial instruments carries various risks, and is not suitable for all investors. Please seek expert advice, and always ensure that you fully understand these risks before trading. Trading in leveraged products may result in your losses exceeding your initial deposits. Saxo does not provide financial advice, any information available on this website is ‘general’ in nature and for informational purposes only. Saxo does not take into account an individual’s needs, objectives or financial situation. Please click here to view the relevant risk disclosure statements.

The Saxo trading platform has received numerous awards and recognition. For details of these awards and information on awards visit www.home.saxo/en-hk/about-us/awards.

The information or the products and services referred to on this site may be accessed worldwide, however is only intended for distribution to and use by recipients located in countries where such use does not constitute a violation of applicable legislation or regulations. Products and services offered on this website are not directed at, or intended for distribution to or use by, any person or entity residing in the United States and Japan. Please click here to view our full disclaimer.

Apple, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. AppStore is a service mark of Apple Inc. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.