HOW FX REACTS AS GOVERNMENTS, CENTRAL BANKS RESPOND TO GEOPOLITICAL
For economies with a high degree of capital mobility, there are essentially four different sets of policy-mix alternatives that can provoke a reaction in FX markets following an economic or geopolitical shock:To get more news about
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Scenario 1: Fiscal policy is already expansionary + monetary policy becomes more restrictive (“tightening”) = Bullish for the local currency
Scenario 2: Fiscal policy is already restrictive + monetary policy becomes more expansionary (“loosening”) = Bearish for the local currency
Scenario 3: Monetary policy already expansionary (“loosening”) + fiscal policy becomes more restrictive = Bearish for the local currency
Scenario 4: Monetary policy is already restrictive (“tightening”) + fiscal policy becomes more expansionary = Bullish for the local currency
It is important to note that for an economy like the United States and a currency like the US Dollar, whenever fiscal policy and monetary policy start trending in the same direction, there is often an ambiguous impact on the currency. Below we will examine how various fiscal and monetary policy remedies for geopolitical and economic shocks impact currency markets.
SCENARIO 1 - FISCAL POLICY LOOSE; MONETARY POLICY BECOMES TIGHTER
On May 2, 2019 – following the FOMC decision to hold rates in the 2.25-2.50 percent range – Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that relatively soft inflationary pressure noted at the time was “transitory”. The implication here was that while price growth was below what central bank officials were hoping for, it would soon accelerate.The US-China trade war played a role in slowing economic activity and muting inflation.
The implicit message was then a reduced probability of a rate cut in the near term, given that the fundamental outlook was judged to be solid and the overall trajectory of US economic activity seen to be on a healthy path. The neutral tone struck by the Fed was comparatively less dovish than what markets had anticipated. This might then explain why the priced-in probability of a Fed rate cut by the end of the year (as seen in overnight index swaps) fell from 67.2 percent to 50.9 percent after Powells comments.
Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) forecasted an increase in the fiscal deficit over a three-year time horizon, overlapping the central bank‘s would-be tightening cycle. What’s more, this came against the backdrop of speculation about a bipartisan fiscal stimulus plan. In late April, key policymakers announced plans for a US$2 trillion infrastructure building program.
The combination of expansionary fiscal policy and monetary tightening made the case for a bullish US Dollaroutlook. The fiscal package was expected to create jobs and boost inflation, thereby nudging the Fed to raise rates. As it happened, the Greenback added 6.2 percent against an average of its major currency counterparts over the subsequent four months.
Theglobal financial crisis in 2008 and the Great Recession that followed rippled out worldwide and destabilized Mediterranean economies. This stoked worries about a region-wide sovereign debt crisis as bond yields in Italy, Spain and Greece climbed to alarming levels. Mandated austerity measures were imposed in some cases which helped create the basis for Eurosceptic populism that hence haunted the region.
Investors began to lose confidence in the ability of these governments to service their debt and demanded a higher yield for incurring what appeared to be a rising risk of default. The Euro was in pain amid the chaos as doubtsemerged about its very existence in the event that the crisis forced the unprecedented departure of a member state from the Eurozone.
In what is considered to be one of the most famous moments in financial history, European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi delivered a speech in London on July 26, 2012 which many would come to see as a pivotal moment that saved the single currency. He said that the ECB is “ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the Euro. And believe me,” he added,“it will be enough.” This speech calmed European bond markets and helped bring yields back down.
The ECB alsocreated a bond-buying program called OMT (for “Outright Monetary Transactions”). It was aimed at reducing stress in sovereign debt markets, offering relief to distressed Eurozone governments. While OMT was never used, its mere availability helped becalm jittery investors.At the same time, many of the troubled Euro area states adopted austerity measures to stabilize government finances.
While the Euro initially rose as worries about its collapse receded, the currency would depreciate substantially against the US Dollar over the course of the following three years. By March 2015, it had lost over 13 percent of its value. When examining the monetary and fiscal set up, it becomes quite clear why.
Austerity measures in many Eurozone countries limited their governments ability to provide fiscal stimulus that might have helped create jobs and boost inflation. At the same time, the central bank was easing policy as a way to alleviate the crisis. Consequently, this combination pressured the Euro lower against most of its major counterparts.
