Morning Commentary: Staying in the Millions

Foreign Exchange - Morning Commentary
Staying in the Millions
Share this story:
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Andrew Kositkun
Andrew Kositkun
Foreign Exchange Head Trader
This Friday brings our next non-farm payroll jobs report that should continue what has been a robust summer bounce in job growth.  While market consensus is for a pullback in job growth from last month’s 1.8 million print, payrolls are still expected to rise by ~1.3 million jobs.  Should this happen, the US economy would have recovered ~10.5 million jobs or 47% of the jobs lost, leaving a net loss of 11.7 million.  High frequency suggests that job gain momentum has cooled, but there is reasonable uncertainty to both upside and downside surprises.  Here is what some of the key high frequency data is saying.

Credit card data: Spending on retail ex-auto has been moving sideways since mid-July through mid-August.  This indicates that there is a loss in momentum for retail jobs.  Separately, OpenTable data suggests a pullback in restaurant demand. 

Small business jobs: Homebase data shows a slowing in small business job gains.  The 7-day moving average for the difference from the baseline level moved up to -21.5% in August from -22.3% in July.  Similarly, Kronos showed a small gain in the total hours worked relative to baseline levels.  It should be noted that these two databases have seen more extreme moves so a 1% change in these points would equate to a fraction of a percent in jobs data. 

Jobless claims: This series has shown a notable improvement and argues for an upside jobs surprise.  Initial jobless claims totaled 3.9 million during the July and August job report survey weeks versus 7.2 million the prior period. It should also be noted that the expiration of the $600/week enhanced benefit does add noise to the data.  This incentive pushes some people to apply for benefits, especially partial benefits that they would otherwise not apply for. 

Confidence: The confidence board series dropped to negative territory at -3.7 in August from 2.2 earlier.  This argues for downside job report risk.

Outside of high frequency data, the public sector should prove to be a tailwind to jobs.  Hiring for the 2020 Census has picked up dramatically.  While these jobs are temporary and lead to a payback once the census is over, it does lead to a near term bump. 

Should the government’s jobs report come in at market consensus, it would also push the unemployment rate back down to single digits.  Overall, these job gains are a positive but the economy is certainly not out of the woods.
HERE ARE THE KEY NEWS STORIES FROM OVERNIGHT:
  • Yesterday, European Central Bank Executive board member Philip Lane said that the ECB does not target FX rates but the EURUSD rate does matter for monetary policy.  While this comment might seem benign, traders are especially sensitive to comments from the ECB which usually doesn’t make remarks on currency developments.  Subsequent to these remarks, the common currency reversed from its two year high and continues to move lower on today’s session.
  • Australia’s Q2 GDP contracted -7.0% QoQ versus expectations for a -6.0% decline.  This is the largest contraction on record and put the Australian economy in its first recession in nearly 30 years.  The collapse in GDP was primarily driven by a sharp decline in private domestic demand.
  • US ADP jobs data came in weaker than expected at 428K jobs versus market consensus for 1 million jobs.  Last month’s number was revised up to 212K from 167K.  This print adds another data point showing a continued recovery but at a reduced pace.  The government’s jobs report will be released this Friday.
  • US crude inventories shrank another 6.36 million barrels last week.  This is the 6th straight drop and the longest stretch of declines in a year.
  • Stimulus talks remain at a stalemate in the US with major differences separating the two sides.  The Democrats have offered to compromise down to a $2.2 trillion bill while Republicans are working on a slimmed down $500 billion package with hopes of a vote next week. 
If we can help you with any Foreign Exchange needs, please email foreignexchange@cnb.com or call (800) 447‑4133.
Want to learn more about international finance, economics, and global events? Sign up for our other Foreign Exchange emails and videos!
Follow City National Bank on social media:
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google Plus YouTube
Non-deposit investment products:
Are not FDIC insured,
Are not deposits or other obligations of City National Bank and are not guaranteed by City National Bank, and
Are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested.
This report is for general information and education only and was compiled from data and sources believed to be reliable. City National Bank does not warrant that it is accurate or complete. Opinions expressed and estimates or projections given are those of the authors as of the date of the report with no obligation to update or notify of inaccuracy or change. This report is not a recommendation or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any financial instrument discussed. It is not specific investment advice. Financial instruments discussed may not be suitable for the reader. Readers must make independent investment decisions based on their own investment objectives and financial situations. Prices and financial instruments discussed are subject to change without notice. Instruments denominated in a foreign currency are subject to exchange rate and other risks. City National Bank (and its clients or associated persons) may engage in transactions inconsistent with this report and may buy from or sell to clients or others the financial instruments discussed on a principal basis. Past performance is not an indication of future results. This report may not be reproduced, distributed or further published by any person without the written consent of City National Bank. Please cite source when quoting.
Unsubscribe from this list  |  Update email preferences
This message has been sent to bank@banking.offers.report. Please do not reply to this email. To ensure the delivery of future emails, please add foreignexchange@emails.cnb.com to your email address book or safe sender list.
Copyright ©2020 City National Bank – All Rights Reserved.
350 South Grand Avenue, 12th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071
City National Bank is a subsidiary of Royal Bank of Canada.
TERMS & CONDITIONS  |  PRIVACY STATEMENT
Equal Housing Lender
NMLSR ID# 536994 | City National Bank Member FDIC
                                                           

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Acquisitions or Alliances: What's Your Growth Strategy?