Archive - Dec 15, 2010

A summary of all the key events overnight that are shaping market today. Of note, a particularly weak 3M €500 million Bill auction in Portugal which came at 3.403%, up 159 from prior, with a lower bid to cover: 1.9x vs 2.2x before.

After the mortgage applications data we have CPI, a couple of reports on industrial activity, and one on builder sentiment. Also, POMO comes back with a bang.

RANsquawk European Morning Briefing - Stocks, Bonds, FX etc. – 15/12/10

Retail traders are notoriously wrong at picking market direction/tops and bottoms. Most retail traders very naturally seem to adopt a counter-trend stance and this offers very accurate signals for individuals looking to trade against this group. This daily report is designed to help traders focus their efforts on higher probability pairs.

EURUSD whoosh. Somehow the fact that Europe is insolvent is once again lost on the markets who need Moody's to remind them. Let's see how the upcoming Spanish auction will fare under these circumstances. From Moody's:"Moody's Investors Service has today placed Spain's Aa1 local and foreign currency government bond ratings on review for possible downgrade. The main triggers for placing the rating on review for possible downgrade are: (1) Spain's vulnerability to funding stress given its high refinancing needs in 2011. This vulnerability has recently been amplified by fragile market confidence. (2) A potential further increase in the public debt ratio should the cost of bank recapitalisation prove to be higher than expected so far, whether to meet higher-than-expected asset impairments or simply to retain the confidence of the wholesale markets. (3) Increased concerns over the ability of the Spanish government to achieve the required sustainable and structural improvement in general government finances given the limits of central government control over the regional governments' finances."

The Fed's monthly statement on the economy was out today and it was more redundant than a repetitive semantic pleonasm and less telling than a gay soldier (though it's not clear that anyone asked).