CAD Consolidates Post-CPI, China GDP In Focus

 | Oct 20, 2014 07:08AM ET

Forex News and Events

The week started with sustained risk appetite in Asia yet European traders failed to follow the equities rally: FTSE is down 0.52% in London, DAX, CAC 40 and IBEX 35 trade 1.0% lower at the time of writing. We are heading into an event-full week in China, the 3Q GDP growth data will be critical to CNY traders from Tuesday. In Canada, the slight cool-down in September should keep the CAD-doves in charge. The BoC meets on October 22nd and is expected to maintain the status quo.

CNY will find direction with 3Q GDP & PBoC

As USD/CNY consolidates at seven-month lows, traders are sidelined before the critical growth data. The release of 3Q GDP combined to September retail sales, industrial production and fixed assets (ex-rural) should give fresh direction to Yuan as soon as Tuesday. The consensus is a slower GDP growth of 7.2% in Q3 (vs. 7.5% in 2Q), sluggish expansion of fixed assets and subdued retail sales in September. The industrial production data is mixed. HSBC’s October preliminary manufacturing PMI is due on October 23rd.

Soft macroeconomic data will likely cap the recent Yuan strength or at least slow down the pace of Yuan appreciation. The PBoC plans for more liquidity injection should favor a higher USD/CNY in the coming weeks, though decent option barriers below 6.18 should be a challenge for upside attempts. A correction towards the descending daily Ichimoku cloud cover (today at 6.1419/6.1720) is not ruled out. We had no official announcement, yet some officials familiar with the matter informed the international media that the PBoC will provide 200 billion Yuan to several national and regional, joint-stock lenders to avoid year-end liquidity necessities. The operation can be seen as complementary to 500 billion Yuan injection to nation’s five biggest banks in September.

The PBoC takes advantage of the soft inflation figures to boost monetary easing. Over the past month, the 14-day repo rate has been cut twice in addition to 500bn Yuan injection. More stimuli are underway as Governor Zhou Xiaochuan pushes the market-based interest rate reforms.

Canada: soft inflation buys time for the BoC

The Canadian inflation figures confirmed the expectations of slight cool-off in September. The headline CPI eased from 2.1% to 2.0% on year to September. The decline in gasoline and automobile prices counterweighted higher food and housing prices. The core CPI y/y – on which the BoC decisions are based – remained stable at 2.1%, slightly exceeding BoC’s 2.0% target for the second consecutive month. The BoC could be obliged to revise its accommodative monetary policy should the overheating in consumer prices continue. According to the BoC however, the recent surge in consumer prices is only temporary. Moreover, the recent drop in oil prices will perhaps push the headline CPI further down before the year-end. Therefore, the central bank is in position to keep its benchmark rate unchanged at 1.0% on October 22nd meeting. Markets do not predict a BoC rate hike anytime earlier than 2Q, 2015. USD/CAD consolidates above 1.1255 this Monday. Trend and momentum indicators are marginally positive, yet the recovery in oil prices help limiting losses in CAD-complex.

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