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European flags are seen in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) building, in Frankfurt, Germany, July 21, 2022. Price pressures are easing and the economy is slowing to a point that a recession may already be underway, making any further rate hikes increasingly unlikely. Meeting in Athens for the first time in over a decade, the Governing Council is expected to have an easy time deciding on rates. Others argue that growth prospects are deteriorating so quickly that the ECB would be better served with a "neutral" guidance, emphasizing data dependency. This suggests that any change in the scheme will be gradual, so the ECB can protect Italy as long as possible.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Martin Wolburg, Wolburg, Frederik Ducrozet, reinvestments, Balazs Koranyi, Emelia Sithole Organizations: European Central Bank, REUTERS, ECB, Generali Investments, Wealth Management, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, FRANKFURT, Athens, Italy

☆ Shares drop as 'higher-for-longer' rate outlook rattles investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, September 22, 2023. The MSCI All-World index (.MIWD00000PUS), which is heading for its worst monthly performance this year, with a 3.6% drop, was down 0.2% on the day. U.S. 10-year Treasury yields have nudged at 4.5% for the first time since October 2007, and on Monday were up 5 basis points at 4.491%, set for their largest monthly rise in a year, reflecting investor unease over the economic outlook. The dollar index got a boost from the rise in Treasury yields, rising 0.1% on the day. Brent crude futures rose 0.2% to $93.48 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate rose 0.1% to $90.16.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Frederik Ducrozet, Ducrozet, Powell, Evergrande, Andrew Lilley, Kazuo Ueda, Stella Qiu, Himani Sarkar, Jacqueline Wong, Miral Fahmy, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Staff, Global, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Federal Reserve, Treasury, Pictet Wealth Management, Nasdaq, Barrenjoey, Bank of Japan, Brent, West Texas, Thomson Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, U.S, Europe, CHINA

☆ Analysis-For traders, September's ECB move is far from clear cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoData on Thursday showed euro zone inflation held at 5.3% in August rather than dropping. Another inflation hawk, Austrian central bank chief Robert Holzmann, said the ECB could deliver “another hike or two”. Overall money supply in the bloc contracted in July for the first time since 2010, demonstrating the extent to which ECB policy has tightened financial conditions. And even if investors are divided on September’s decision, the consensus is that the ECB will be done raising rates soon. Longer-term, markets expect the ECB to start cutting rates by the second quarter of 2024.

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Kai Pfaffenbach, Piet Christiansen, ’ indecisiveness, ” Christiansen, Isabel Schnabel, Robert Holzmann, ”, Mauro Valle, Valle, Edward Hutchings, Frederik Ducrozet, Aviva’s Hutchinson, ” Pictet’s Ducrozet Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Central Bank, ECB, REUTERS, Danske Bank, Generali Investments, Treasury, Aviva Investors, Pictet Wealth Management Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Austrian

☆ For traders, September's ECB move is far from clear cut
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/File PhotoData on Thursday showed euro zone inflation held at 5.3% in August rather than dropping. Overall money supply in the bloc contracted in July for the first time since 2010, demonstrating the extent to which ECB policy has tightened financial conditions. And even if investors are divided on September’s decision, the consensus is that the ECB will be done raising rates soon. Longer-term, markets expect the ECB to start cutting rates by the second quarter of 2024. (This story has been corrected to clarify that Aviva favours a small overweight in European bonds, not longer-dated euro zone bonds, in paragraph 19)

Persons: Christine Lagarde, Kai Pfaffenbach, Piet Christiansen, ’ indecisiveness, ” Christiansen, Isabel Schnabel, Robert Holzmann, ”, Mauro Valle, Valle, Edward Hutchings, Frederik Ducrozet, ” Aviva’s Hutchings, ” Pictet’s Ducrozet Organizations: Reuters, European Central Bank, Central Bank, ECB, REUTERS, Danske Bank, Generali Investments, Treasury, Aviva Investors, Pictet Wealth Management, Aviva Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Austrian

☆ Europe's weaker economy limits fallout of US bond rout
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Yoruk Bahceli | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Last week, U.S. 10-year Treasury yields touched their highest relative to Germany's since December. For rate-sensitive short-dated German bond yields yields are even down 17 bps in August as weak data has raised expectations of a European Central Bank rate hike pause in September. SPILLOVERBofA, Goldman Sachs and Barclays expect Treasury yields to end the year slightly below current levels. Barclays's Khanna estimates German bond yields would have been 50-60 bps lower had they only been driven by domestic factors. The spillover from higher Treasury yields is more challenging elsewhere.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mauro Valle, Valle, Salman Ahmed, Rohan Khanna, Fitch, Mondher, SPILLOVER BofA, Goldman Sachs, Jackson, Barclays's Khanna, Frederik Ducrozet, Ataru Okumura, Yoruk, Chiara Elisei, Junko Fujita, Kevin Buckland, Dhara Ranasinghe, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: REUTERS, Generali Investment Partners, European Central Bank, Fidelity International, U.S, Fitch, AAA, Vontel Asset Management, Barclays, Treasury, Federal Reserve, ECB, Pictet Wealth Management, of Japan, Nikko Securities, Yoruk Bahceli, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Europe, Germany, Britain, Germany's, It's, Italy, France, Japan, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo

REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHONG KONG/AMSTERDAM, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Global investors fleeing China have one simple message for the country's leadership: put prudence aside for a short while, and start spending big. "At this point there is confusion and, as long as there is confusion, then there's lack of credibility and that means investors are more likely to stay away," said Seema Shah, chief global strategist at Principal Global Investors in London. Prominent examples are heavy Chinese government spending during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and its swift intervention during the 2015 market crash. But the subsidies need to come from local governments, many of which are cash-strapped or even drowning in debt and unable to pay their civil servants. The lack of concrete stimulus measures now is prompting many China watchers to downgrade their growth estimates for the next few years.

Persons: Aly, China's, Seema Shah, Chen Zhao, Zhao, hasn't, Frederik Ducrozet, Ducrozet, Principal's Shah, Yan Wang, Xi Jinping's, we’ve, Lorraine Tan, Dhara Ranasinghe, Davide Barbuscia, Yoruk, Xie Yu, Ankur Banerjee, Tom Westbrook, Li Gu, Vidya Ranganathan, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Global, Global Investors, policymaking Politburo, Pictet Wealth Management, Local, UBS Bank, Federated Hermes, Foreigners, Asia, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: Huangpu, Shanghai, China, HONG KONG, AMSTERDAM, London, Beijing, Japan, United States, New York, Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore

☆ Euro zone inflation falls further in comforting sign for ECB
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

FRANKFURT, July 31 (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation fell further in July and most measures of underlying price growth also eased, in a largely comforting sign for the European Central Bank (ECB) as it considers ending its severe run of interest rate hikes. Consumer prices grew by 5.3% this month versus 5.5% in June, extending a downtrend that started in the autumn. "Services inflation is the area where monetary policy should have the greatest influence because it reflects domestic demand," Dirk Schumacher, an economist at Natixis said. Hawks could also point at hard data about growth, which showed the euro zone returned to growth in the second quarter of 2023 despite negative sentiment and activity polls. The weak survey data has continued to come in in recent days, fuelling talk of a recession in the euro area that the ECB is still hoping to avoid.

Persons: Frederik Ducrozet, Christine Lagarde, Dirk Schumacher, Natixis, Francesco Canepa, Peter Graff Organizations: European Central Bank, Pictet Wealth Management, ECB, Oxford, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT

☆ Euro zone inflation falls again in June as energy prices tumble
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FRANKFURT, June 30 (Reuters) - Inflation in the euro zone extended its decline in June as the cost of fuel tumbled, more than offsetting an acceleration in prices for services, a preliminary reading showed on Friday. The data, pointing to only the smallest drop in underlying inflation, was unlikely to sway the European Central Bank, which has pencilled in a ninth consecutive rate hike for July and is eyeing one in September too. "Inflation is still high and sticky but momentum is moderating," said Frederik Ducrozet, head of macroeconomic research at Pictet Wealth Management. The euro zone unemployment rate remained at an historic low of 6.5% in May, Eurostat reported separately on Friday. Big differences remain between euro zone countries, with June headline inflation falling to as little as 1.6% in Spain and Belgium and 1.0% in Luxembourg while staying in double digits in Slovakia (11.3%) and close to them in the Baltics.

Persons: chalking, Frederik Ducrozet, Ulrike Kastens, Christine Lagarde, Neil Shah, Francesco Canepa, Catherine Evans Organizations: European Central Bank, Pictet Wealth Management, ECB, DWS . Services, Eurostat, Edison Group, Thomson Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Europe, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Baltics

☆ Eurozone slips into recession as revised data shows two quarters of falling output
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Olesya Dmitracova | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

In the first three months of the year, economic output in the eurozone dropped 0.1% compared with the previous quarter, according to revised official data published Thursday. Across the European Union, gross domestic product ticked up 0.1% in the first quarter after falling 0.2% late last year. Commenting on the eurozone data, Andrew Kenningham, chief Europe economist at Capital Economics, said consumption by households had been “hit hard” by high prices and rising interest rates. US economy out in frontBoth the eurozone and the whole of the EU are now lagging the US economy. Earlier official estimates of the eurozone’s economic output pointed to a slight increase in the first quarter.

Persons: Andrew Kenningham, Frederik Ducrozet, Russia’s, Claus Vistesen, ” Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Capital Economics, Pictet Wealth Management, Organisation for Economic Co, Pantheon Macroeconomics, European Central Bank Locations: Europe, Ukraine, United States, downgrades, Germany, Europe’s, Ireland

"We are not pausing - that is very clear," ECB President Christine Lagarde told a press conference. NOT FED DEPENDENTShe also dismissed the notion that the ECB would have to pause if its U.S. counterpart did so, saying the ECB was "not Fed-dependent". The German 10-year yield , the euro zone benchmark, fell as much as 7 basis points to a one-month low of 2.18%. "In a nod to the hawks, the ECB hinted at 'future decisions' in the plural," Holger Schmieding at Berenberg said. Firms in the services sector especially have complained of labour shortages, suggesting that more wage pressures could come this summer.

And an ECB survey of lending data for March revealed banks were tightening access to credit even as demand for it from borrowers collapsed, resulting in the slowest pace of growth in credit to households since 2018. And it was mirrored by March lending data, which showed growth in corporate credit slow to 5.2% year on year. "With the next big TLTRO expiring towards the end of June amid further key rate hikes, credit demand will be further dampened," Martin Wolburg, senior economist at Generali Investments, said. There was a smaller decrease in demand for consumer credit and other lending to households. Lending data also showed the annual increase in lending to households slowing to 2.9% from 3.2%.

[1/2] European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde speaks during a news conference following the ECB's monetary policy meeting in Frankfurt, Germany March 16, 2023. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsPresident Christine Lagarde noted it was impossible to determine the future rate path amid "completely elevated" uncertainty stemming from market ructions. "Given financial instability risks, there's growing uncertainty on future ECB actions beyond this pre-signalled rate hike," said Daniele Antonucci, chief economist and macro strategist at Quintet Private Bank. Piet Christiansen, chief analyst at Danske Bank, said he was sticking to a call for a 4% peak ECB rate. "Unless this turns into a macroeconomic crisis then we are ripe for a sell-off and a repricing of rate hike expectations," he said.

The ECB has contacted banks on its watch to quiz them on their exposure to the struggling Swiss lender, two supervisory sources told Reuters. Money market pricing suggested traders now saw less than a 20% chance of a 50 basis point rate hike at Thursday's scheduled ECB meeting. That's down from as high as 90% at the start of the session , when a source-based story saying ECB policymakers were leaning towards a half-percentage-point rate hike was published. While rapidly rising interest rates across major economies have raised concern about potential pressure points, many analysts still expected a large ECB hike given high inflation. Pictet's Ducrozet said the ECB could also ease collateral rules for banks, though not as much as the Federal Reserve.

Investors reeled in their expectations for global central bank rate hikes, and bank stocks tumbled once again. Reuters GraphicsIn the money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up on Monday, as did other indicators of credit risk in the euro zone. The gap between two-year euro swap rates and two-year German bond yields , widened by around 20 basis points to 83 basis points, to the highest since Nov. 11. Reuters GraphicsIn Germany, two-year bond yields dropped more than 50 basis points, much more than a drop of 37 basis points on swap rates. Back in late 2008, when failed investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, this swap rate went as negative as 300 bps.

Markets have ramped up bets on further rate increases after the ECB has already tightened monetary policy by 3 percentage points since July. ECB President Christine Lagarde reckons a 50 basis points (bps) rate hike "is very, very likely". "The ECB is prioritising getting policy rates as high as needed and nothing else is as important," Pictet Wealth Management's head of macroeconomic research Frederik Ducrozet, said. Signs of economic resilience suggest ECB growth forecasts, also out on Thursday, could be revised upwards for 2023. Falling energy prices and a stronger euro, up around 6% in trade-weighted terms from August lows, suggest headline inflation forecasts could be revised lower.

Investors reeled in their expectations for global central bank rate hikes, and bank stocks tumbled once again. Reuters GraphicsIn the money markets, a closely watched indicator of credit risk in the U.S. banking system edged up on Monday, as did other indicators of credit risk in the euro zone. The gap between two-year euro swap rates and two-year German bond yields , widened by around 20 basis points to 83 basis points, to the highest since Nov. 11. Reuters GraphicsIn Germany, two-year bond yields were last down over 40 basis points, much more than a drop of 24 basis points on swap rates. Back in late 2008, when failed investment bank Lehman Brothers collapsed, this swap rate went as negative as 300 bps.

☆ Bank of England still facing the perfect storm, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBank of England still facing the perfect storm, economist saysThe guidance for the economic outlook provided by the Bank of England is more surprising than its interest rate decision, Frederik Ducrozet, head of macroeconomic research at Pictet Wealth Management, says.

"That would be a problem for any central bank." TUG OF WARLagarde's commitment also puzzled ECB-watchers because the central bank had previously said it wouldn't make such public predictions - known as forward guidance - anymore, but instead take each decision based on incoming data. This of course leads to a tug of war between the ECB and the markets on the narrative," he added. ING's Brzeski said the ECB lacked a clear thought-leader on its Governing Council who could steer markets like Lagarde's predecessor, Mario Draghi. "The cacophony of diverging voices and the lack of clarity on who is the leading voice keeps hurting the ECB," Brzeski said.

☆ The ECB could be uncomfortable with market reaction to Fed announcement, strategist says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe ECB could be uncomfortable with market reaction to Fed announcement, strategist saysFrederik Ducrozet, global strategist at Pictet Wealth Management, discusses the rate hike announcements by the Fed, European Central Bank and Bank of England.

Headline inflation slowed in November for the first time in 1-1/2 years, to 10%, raising hopes that sky-high price growth has passed. ECB President Christine Lagarde will likely be careful about calling a peak after last year's "big mistake" of insisting surging prices were "transitory," said Pictet's Ducrozet. ECB Chief Economist Philip Lane reckons wages would be a "primary driver" of price inflation even after energy price shocks fade. Closely-watched business activity data points to a mild recession and latest forecasts should show how the ECB views the coming slowdown. Lane believes record price growth will start to subside next year.

☆ Dollar heads for biggest monthly loss since 2010 ahead of Powell speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - The dollar eased from a one-week high on Wednesday ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while optimism over a possible loosening in China's COVID restrictions set it on course for its biggest monthly loss since late 2010. But after almost two years of near-relentless acceleration in inflation, markets could welcome any sign that the worst may be over. European assets got a lift on Tuesday after inflation in Spain and a number of major German states cooled. It has lost around 4.3% in November, marking its worst monthly performance since September 2010 , according to Refinitiv data. The offshore yuan gained ground against the dollar, which fell 1% to 7.0802.

For these reasons, the ECB said banks would have to start paying going rates on their TLTRO credit, rather than the average rate over the whole duration of the loans. But the rate the ECB pays commercial banks is now back in positive territory and is likely to rise further. Analysts have warned changing the terms of loans already outstanding could deter banks from tapping similar loans in future downturns. The TLTRO cash also creates additional demand for low-risk securities, limiting the rise in rates on repurchase agreements and short-dated government bond yields. , Lagarde said that also factored into the ECB's decision.

But the rate decision is likely to be the easy part of Thursday's meeting. The ECB's rate decision is due out at 1315 GMT, followed by Lagarde's news conference at 1345 GMT. Having borrowed at zero or even negative rates, banks can now simply park this cash back at the ECB for a positive, risk-free return, which rises with each deposit rate hike. The ECB would also be justified on monetary policy grounds to act, as abundant liquidity is keeping interest rates too low - money market rates are still slightly below the central bank's deposit rate. The bank is likely to decide to change the bank loan terms, but the devil will be in the detail as only imperfect options are available to it.

☆ Markets look for answers from the European Central Bank as it preps for a jumbo rate hike
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

While the European Central Bank is largely expected to announce another rate hike Thursday, market players are seemingly more concentrated on two other policy tools as the region edges toward a recession. The central bank has been contemplating inflation being at record highs but an economy that is slowing, with many economists predicting a recession before the end of the year. Amid this context, the ECB is widely seen raising rates by 75 basis points later this week. This would be the second consecutive jumbo hike and the third increase this year. Given the inflationary pressures — the September inflation rate came in at 10% — analysts are pricing in at least another 50 basis point hike in December.

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