Archive for May, 2016

Greek Tragedy Continues

Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

Via the WSJ: By Viktoria Dendrinou and Gabriele Steinhauser May 24, 2016 8:59 p.m. ET BRUSSELS—Eurozone finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund patched together a deal in the early hours of Wednesday that clears the way for fresh loans for Greece and sets out how the country could get debt relief in the ...

ECB Corporate Bond Purchases

Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

Via Reuters: BFW 05/25 09:44 *ECB CORP BONDS PURCHASES SAID TO START SLOWLY IN JUNE: REUTERS BFW 05/25 09:42 *ECB SAID AIMING TO BUY EU5B-EU10B/MO OF CORP. BONDS: RTRS

Augmenting the Bonus Pool

Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

Trading revenues have been difficult to come by of late particularly as fixed income trading revenues enter a period of secular stagnation. The WSJ details one strategy employed by major banks to increase revenue and that is block trading of equities. Dealers by large blocks of equity at a small ...

Weak Yuan

Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

Via Bloomberg: Strengthening greenback is ending period of stability for yuan China’s currency still above January low as no panic seen China’s central bank weakened its currency fixing to the lowest since March 2011 as the dollar strengthened.   The reference rate was set 0.3 percent weaker at 6.5693 per dollar. A gauge ...

Early FX

Wednesday, May 25th, 2016

Via Kit Juckes at SocGen:   Solid US economic data yesterday and a ‘risk-on' day in Asia today; there ought to be smiles at the Federal Reserve: So far, so good for their plan to persuade markets to price in a faster pace of rate hikes without throwing the baby (and the ...

Running Out of Bonds

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016

Bloomberg reports that the ECB has hoovered in most available bonds as it pursues its aggressive stimulus program. Via Bloomberg; It’s like building ‘a boat in the open sea,’ says Rabobank Germany could face hurdle in executing QE plan: DZ Bank The biggest buyer of European government bonds may have to start ...

Deja Vu All over Again

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016

The WSJ reports that an unusual confluence of circumstances (low levels of capital and derivative accounting) might necessitate another government bailout of either FNMA or Freddie Mac (or of both agencies). Via the WSJ: By Joe Light May 24, 2016 3:34 p.m. ET Eight years after the financial crisis, the core businesses of mortgage ...

Overnight Data Preview

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016

Via Robert Sinche at Amherst Pierpont Securities: CANADA: The Bberg consensus expects the Bank of Canada to keep its policy rate at 0.50% but likely scale back some of its optimistic rhetoric from last month’s review and forecasts. S. KOREA: The May Consumer Confidence Index will follow a 101 reading in April ...

New Home Sales

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016

I have been away from the markets for a good chunk of the day. This is a worthwhile read from Stephen Stanley on the new home sales data. This was the strongest report for this series since  January 2008. Mr Stanley describes today's report as "spectacular". Via Stephen Stanley at Amherst ...

Treasury Auctions Previewed

Tuesday, May 24th, 2016

Via TDSecurities: Treasury will auction a total of $88bn this week, selling $26bn in 2s on Tuesday, $34bn in 5s on Wednesday, and $28bn in 7s on Thursday. With $70.6bn maturing at month-end settlement, net cash raised at the auction will total $17.4bn. Treasury will also auction $13bn in reopened FRNs ...