Market Highlights: US CPI, ECB Meeting, and Oil Prices
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US inflation remained firm both on headline and core, suggesting Fed will continue to push for higher-for-longer at next week’s meeting. Markets however shrugged off the report and USD also was largely unchanged. The yuan extended gains, and focus today will be on whether ECB can surprise hawkish, as well as the US retail sales. Oil prices saw another run higher before settling lower on inventory builds.
US Equities: The S&P500 ticked up 0.1% while the Nasdaq 100 added 0.4%. The CPI prints released were generally considered as not having an impact on a probable pause at the FOMC next week. Nvidia and Microsoft gained around 1.3% as the chipmaker’s chief scientist and the software giant’s President testified in Senate hearings about AI.
Fixed income: Treasuries sold off briefly following a higher-than-expected core CPI print but quickly reversed as buy-the-dip trades emerged. The 2-year yield ended the choppy session 5bps lower at 4.97% while the 10-year yield finished 3bps richer at 4.25%, near the day-low in yields in spite of a relatively weak 30-year auction.
China/HK Equities: Weaknesses in healthcare and technology stocks weighed on the benchmark indices, offsetting gains in China properties and financials. China properties were supported by news that Zhengzhou, a major city in eastern-central China, lifted restrictions on home purchases and lowered minimum down payment requirements. EV stocks sold off on EU anti-subsidy investigation news. The Hang Seng Index slid by 0.1% while the CSI300 dropped by 0.7%. Northbound net selling reached RMB6.6 billion.
FX: The US dollar wobbled on the CPI release but could not close the day higher with Treasury yields slipping. EUR in the spotlight today as ECB decision is due, and EURUSD has found support at 1.07 for now with a rate hike priced in with over 65% probability. USDJPY spiked to 147.73 but that remained short-lived and pair was back below 147.40 into Asian open. Yuan strengthened further with authorities increasing bill sales in Hong Kong to soak up yuan liquidity making it more expensive to short the currency. This could likely continue into the month-end National Day holiday, and USDCNH is seen testing 7.27 handle.
Commodities: Crude oil prices rose further with IEA estimates also looking at a supply deficit in Q4, although less so than the OPEC estimates. But gains were short-lived and prices fell after inventory data showing a crude build following weeks of drawdowns. US commercial inventories of crude oil rose 4 million barrels last week, according to EIA data. Gasoline inventories also rose by 5.6mn barrels. Meanwhile, Gold is back to threatening the $1900 handle with firmer US CPI.
Macro:
- US CPI surprised to the upside, but markets were not spooked as it did little to change the thinking around the Fed. Core CPI rose 0.3% MoM, or +0.278% unrounded, above the prior/expected +0.2%, with core YoY printing 4.3%, down from July's 4.7%, and in line with expectations. Headline print was in line with expectations at 0.6% MoM, up from +0.2% on account of energy price increases, with YoY lifting to 3.7% from 3.2%, above the expected 3.6%.
- The PBoC announced plans to issue RMB15 billion Central Bank Bills in Hong Kong on September 19, which is going to tighten CNH (offshore renminbi) liquidity. This issuance includes RMB5 rollover and RMB10 billion net issuance. According to PBOC's Financial Times, the PBoC will continue to issue bills in the offshore market to maintain ongoing control over offshore renminbi liquidity. The CNH HIBOR in Hong Kong reached 5.6% on Wednesday, marking its highest level since April 2022.
Macro events: US retail sales (Aug) exp 0.1% MoM (prev 0.7%), US PPI (Aug) exp 0.4% MoM and 1.3% YoY (prev 0.3% MoM, 0.8% YoY), US jobless claims exp 225k (prev 21k), ECB policy meeting exp 4.25% (prev 4.25%), Australia employment change exp 25k (prev -14.6k)
Adobe is scheduled to report Q3 results on Thursday after market close. Analysts' median forecast anticipates a 9.8% revenue increase and a 17% growth in adjusted EPS, reaching USD3.979. While Adobe has experienced steady revenue growth due to its shift to a cloud-based subscription model, recent trends indicate a plateau. Analysts remain skeptical about whether generative AI features in Adobe's content creation software will significantly contribute to growth.
In the news:
- EU launched an anti-subsidy investigation Wednesday against import of Chinese electric cars into the EU (Politico).
- Arm prices IPO at $51 per share, valuing company at over $54 billion (CNBC)
- Citigroup CEO shook up the management team (WSJ).
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