This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.

Goldman FX Now Really Hedging Bets, Sees Near-Term Weakness In EUR.... And USD

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Goldman's Thomas Stolper has gotten expectation management down to an art. In his FX reco piece from today, the Goldman FX strategist is now bearish on pretty much everything. After all, who said a fiat world is zero sum - it can be whatever we want it to be...

More Front-Loaded EUR Weakness in the Near-term?

We are currently projecting a decline in EUR/$ to 1.22 over a 3 month horizon. The main reasons for this move are two-fold. First we have been highlighting for a few months that the return from the summer holiday period will likely see the re-emergence of fiscal/political concerns. Moreover, there is also anticipation of a sequential slowdown in the Euro-zone as growth slows to levels more consistent with trend demand growth.

On the first point, the post-summer period is important as many reform and consolidation programs enter the implementation stage which may bring home to the population what fiscal consolidation actually implies. A number of European countries have held strikes mainly in the public or related sectors. France saw a large-scale protest against pension reforms last week, widely seen as a success for the local trade unions. There is a strike planned for September 23rd and unions in a number of countries, including the UK, are calling for a Europe-wide strike on September 29th. In addition, government popularity in key Euro-zone countries continues to decline or stay at very low levels, including France, Spain and Germany.

At least at a Europe-wide level significant progress has been made on the policy front, notably via the creation of the EFSF and the involvement of the IMF. It should also be noted that many polls point to solid underlying support for reforms (a majority of the public supports  - or at least recognises the necessity for – both pension reform in France and fiscal consolidation in the UK). But that doesn’t rule out a more negative reaction in the meantime. Amid public protests and declining poll ratings markets could well start to  question governments’ resolve to push necessary macro and fiscal reforms through – a factor that could weigh on the EUR. .

Our growth forecasts are also consistent with only softening in the Euro exchange rate but only as a temporary phase. As we discussed in some detail in the FX Monthly, the chances are quite high that the macro data in Europe will continue to slow for a few months from extremely high sequential rates in the spring and summer. But we think the decline will be relatively limited and, relative to the market, we are more pessimistic about activity in the US than that in Europe.

Overall it appears quite possible that EUR/$ troughs notably earlier than the 3 month horizon. But given that this reflects our shortest regular forecasting horizon, we have decided to keep the numbers unchanged for now until we see indeed more evidence of stabilising momentum and reduced political tensions.

3. More USD Weakness Than Projected?

The second main risk to our current forecast path, i.e. even more USD weakness, needs less explanation, given we set out the case out in some detail in the FX Monthly. Bottom line is that we see bigger macroeconomic imbalances in the US, which are difficult to correct without involving notable USD weakness. This week brings the US balance of payments data for Q2 and the July TIC data, both of which are likely to highlight the fragility of the US external balance.

Markets may soon start to refocus on the “twin-deficits”, or faltering domestic demand and the need to reclaim manufacturing jobs lost to the rest of world in recent years. Even the reserve currency issue may become a talking point once again. And when combining our relative transatlantic views on monetary policy with comparisons of domestic and internal imbalances, upside risks to our longer dated EUR/$ forecasts in the high 1.30s emerge.

In order to embed such risks in our forecast path we first need to see evidence that the very latest moderate improvement in US data really is only temporary. The upcoming business surveys, in particular the ISM will be particularly important in that respect.

Presumably the currency that will win against all this is the AUD. Good luck with the Chinese bubble in that trade.

 

- advertisements -

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:00 | 578516 frankTHE COIN
frankTHE COIN's picture

Goldman retail call... Go Long Tulips.

Fri, 09/17/2010 - 04:17 | 587317 euclidean
euclidean's picture

Hey TD, can we get an update on this and the previous classic from Goldman gurus selling EUR outright dated 8Sept. I went bookoo long EU at 1.27 and want to know when these clueless knob-chewers propose to do the same.

I'm figuring they've closed enough shorts by now it might be time for me to go short.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:03 | 578520 liberal sodomy
liberal sodomy's picture

Whenever I go to short any currency the question is always "Against what" in ATSM?

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:05 | 578525 ratava
ratava's picture

its about late to short USD, goldman top ticking as usual

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:14 | 578551 Dismal Scientist
Dismal Scientist's picture

Short the USD ? Madness, according to lovable Uncle Warren...

     Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) --  Warren Buffett said businesses owned by his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. are growing and ruled out a second recession in the U.S. “I am a huge bull on this country,” Buffett, Berkshire’s chief executive officer, said today in remarks to the Montana Economic Development Summit. “We will not have a double-dip recession at all. I see our businesses coming back almost across the board.”

A huge bull, eh ? He's a huge something...

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:19 | 578561 traderjoe
traderjoe's picture

The idea that the analysts, economists, etc. suggest there is NO chance of a double dip is preposterous. Probabilities of these events are NEVER zero. And given the softening data, and the macro headwinds, it is of great discredit to not assign some reasoned probability. 

Of course, I don't think we ever left the first recession...

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:53 | 578633 HelluvaEngineer
HelluvaEngineer's picture

...and that's why there's 0 probability of a double-dip

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:53 | 578634 stollcri
stollcri's picture

Maybe he means in nominal terms, he is betting on inflation, right?

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:21 | 578563 SheepDog-One
SheepDog-One's picture

Certainly helps Warren to be a bull on everything when all of his trades are on insider info and guaranteed going in. Of course when the wheels fall off, Warren will say he was hedged for it.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:22 | 578569 firstdivision
firstdivision's picture

Didn't Berkshire have some really shitty numbers recently, as well as be downgraded by anal_ysts?

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:32 | 578580 Dismal Scientist
Dismal Scientist's picture

Warren is all in on US recovery. He cannot exist in a world where there is no growth.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:56 | 578642 traderjoe
traderjoe's picture

Heard his comments replayed on Bloomberg. I won't read much into it, usually he speaks with an awh-shucks confidence. This time he seemed to by trying to convince people more. There wasn't conviction and confidence in his voice. Almost a bit of pleading??

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:20 | 578702 RockyRacoon
RockyRacoon's picture

There is something just a little too corn-poney about the Buffett line.  His one-liners get a little old.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:45 | 578764 Dagny Taggart
Dagny Taggart's picture

Too true! His, "You never know who is swimming naked 'til the tide goes out?" I am completely skeeved to picture him without clothes. Bet he's bought a fine rescue vehicle to scoop him naked, shivering, from the surf and return him to the clothed kingdom. But that doesn't mean we can pretend we didn't see him NAKED. Eeewwww.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 14:07 | 578828 liberal sodomy
liberal sodomy's picture

He uses johnny rockets coupons in his front pants pockets as bait for becky quick.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 14:12 | 578839 Saxxon
Saxxon's picture

Don't buy into the cornpone.  He's simply a reptile, like the rest.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 16:27 | 579211 hamurobby
hamurobby's picture

One of his main points of no chance of a double dip was that ....America ALWAYS bounces back, always! That is some amazing analysis right there.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:06 | 578672 DavidC
DavidC's picture

They mistranscribed a word and a bit there, what they'd meant to write was 'I am talking bull on this country'.

DavidC

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:37 | 578591 prudentinvestor
prudentinvestor's picture

GS is right: EUR & USD will devaue against gold.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:48 | 578620 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

it's not even a question anymore of which is worst off. Both suck.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:47 | 578618 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

Today the VIX speeders where funny :)

They where at 200% fair value and imploded like a cake coming out of the oven.

I wonder how many suckers got lured into that scam.

It seems like there are still enough small retail investors buying whatever comes to mind.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:49 | 578623 Sudden Debt
Sudden Debt's picture

at least Silver is really booming these last few weeks he :)

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 12:52 | 578628 scratch_and_sniff
scratch_and_sniff's picture

...i give up.

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:24 | 578710 RockyRacoon
RockyRacoon's picture

Gonna get me one o' these: http://www.barcalounger.com/products/index.php

...then sit back and watch the show.  I'm all set.  Got the 3 Gs in relative abundance and no worries.  If the internet bites the dust I have an extensive library.

Have a nice trip to HELL, Squid!

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:31 | 578731 Turd Ferguson
Turd Ferguson's picture

Conflagration is dollar positive. The latest from The Mossad...

http://www.debka.com/article/9018/

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:36 | 578745 Vampyroteuthis ...
Vampyroteuthis infernalis's picture

Question is the squid hoping the euro will rise or actually plunge blowing through the $1.22 level? The squid wins either way.

 

The world is a vampire.......

Mon, 09/13/2010 - 13:48 | 578773 Byte Me
Byte Me's picture

Squiddie speaks with forked tentacle..

 

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!