Risk aversion picked up again, underpinned by negative vaccine news amid reports that Johnson & Johnson halted its Covid-19 trial due to “unexplained illness”.
The December 10-year Bund future is up 1 tick, while in cash markets Treasury yields have dropped back -1.2 bp to 0.76% after yesterday’s holiday. In FX markets EUR and GBP both declined against a largely stronger US Dollar. Negative vaccine headlines weighed on sentiment overnight, but tech stocks remained supported and the prospect of additional monetary and fiscal stimulus should help to underpin sentiment.
European stock markets are narrowly mixed in opening trade, with the UK100 up 0.04%, GER30 down -0.14% and the Euro Stoxx 50 down -0.03%, while US futures are narrowly mixed, with only the USA100 future managing fractional gains.
The ECB is clearly readying a strengthening of the PEPP program, the BoE is stepping up the preparations for a move towards negative rates and ECB President Lagarde also stressed again the need for fiscal stimulus to support the wave of monetary stimulus as the renewed surge in virus cases is threatening the still fragile recovery. An ongoing salvo of dovish signalling from ECB policymakers has resulted in outright Euro and GER30 declines, though has likely been contributory in offsetting dollar weakness recently. Aside from the Fed itself, and partly in response to, many other central banks have been conducting similar messaging campaigns.
Further pressure has been added to both EUR and GER30 despite after the release of German HICP inflation earlier. German HICP inflation confirmed at -0.4% y/y in the final reading for September. The national CPI rate was confirmed at -0.2% y/y, with the temporary cut to the VAT rate as well as the decline in energy prices the main reasons for the negative headline rate. Excluding household energy and petrol, CPI would have been 0.6% y/y. Still, while is not real deflation, the officials are clearly concerned that a prolonged period of negative headline rates against the background of new virus restrictions and rising unemployment will lead to a more permanent shift in inflation expectations that could lead to a deflationary spiral down the line. For the dovish camp at the ECB, the numbers will provide further ammunition in the push for additional stimulus measures and a further extension and strengthening of the PEPP program.
GER30, despite a decline on opening, retains the support at the 50-period SMA in the 1-hour chart. Although the asset has reversed nearly all the year’s losses and is trading clear above 12,500, the outlook is still not decisively positive, but neutral. It has been in a new uptrend since the beginning of October but momentum looks neutral with bulls struggling for a second day to move above 13,200 (76.4% FIb level) after a weak close yesterday. The improvement in momentum indicators will clear the strength level of the trend, as MACD is being tested around neutral as RSI slips lower towards 50. Immediate Resistance is in place at yesterday’s high, and the 13,200 at 76.4% Fib. The bulls need to show a breakout of this area. A pullback below 61.8% Fib. level at 13,027 but more precisely below the round 13,000 would seriously challenge whether bears are slowly taking the control again.
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Andria Pichidi
Market Analyst
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