ECB Closer To Grexit, Fed Closer To September Hike

 | Jun 29, 2015 07:51AM ET


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Pending Orders
EUR/USD: sell at 1.1180, target 1.0970, stop-loss 1.1250, risk factor ***
GBP/USD: sell at 1.5770, target 1.5500, stop-loss 1.5850, risk factor ***
USD/JPY: buy at 122.50, target 124.20, stop-loss 121.80, risk factor ***
USD/CHF: buy at 0.9280, target 0.9500, stop-loss 0.9195, risk factor ***
USD/CAD: buy at 1.2280, target 1.2460, stop-loss 1.2200, risk factor **
AUD/USD: sell at 0.7770, target 0.7580, stop-loss 0.7855, risk factor **
AUD/NZD: sell at 1.1295, target 1.1100, stop-loss 1.1350, risk factor **

EUR/USD: ECB Closer To Grexit, Fed Closer To September Hike
(sell at 1.1180)

  • Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras shocked markets after he decided to hold a referendum on bailout creditors' demands on July 5.
  • Greece closed its banks and imposed capital controls on Sunday to check the growing strains on its financial system. Banks will be closed and the stock market shut all week, and there will be a daily 60 EUR limit on cash withdrawals from ATMs, which will reopen on Tuesday. Capital controls are likely to last for many months at least. The failure to reach a deal with creditors leaves Greece set to default on EUR 1.6 billion of loans from the International Monetary Fund that fall due on Tuesday.
  • US President Barack Obama called German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and senior US officials including Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who spoke to Tsipras, urged Europe and the IMF to come up with a plan to hold the single currency together and keep Greece in the Eurozone. The German and French governments announced emergency political meetings. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is willing to engage in further talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras if he wishes to do so.
  • EU chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker said he still believed a Greek exit from the Eurozone was not an option but cautioned that he alone could not necessarily protect Athens from other leaders who may disagree.
  • IMF head Christine Lagarde has said that the referendum plans will be invalid once Greece’s current bailout expires on Tuesday, since the creditors’ proposals for a new deal will expire alongside it and Greece will have nothing to vote on. Another key issue is whether the ECB will continue to provide emergency liquidity assistance after Tuesday. The European Central Bank's council member Ewald Nowotny said that the governing council would meet on Wednesday to decide whether to increase emergency funding to Greek banks.
  • Opinion polls have consistently shown a majority of Greeks do not want to leave the Eurozone. If a majority votes to accept the creditors’ proposals this would almost certainly mean the end of the Syriza-led government. In this situation a technocratic government like that seen back in 2011 may be created.
  • Will Greece leave the Eurozone after a “No” vote wins? The precise mechanism of Grexit is uncertain, though a ceasing of ECB support for Greek banks would seem the most likely channel.
  • Financial markets may be volatile in the coming days. The ECB could stabilize bond markets by conducting more aggressive QE related bond purchases. In a statement Sunday the ECB has indicated its willingness to “use all the instruments available within its mandate”. This is a strong verbal intervention warning especially when combined with the statement that the ECB is “closely monitoring” the situation in financial markets for potential implications for the monetary policy stance.
  • New York Fed President William Dudley (dovish) said a September interest rate hike is “very much in play” if the US economy continues to strengthen, though the Federal Reserve could also wait until December to start tightening policy.
  • The markets expected a last-minute agreement and were shocked after Athens broke off negotiations unilaterally on Saturday. The EUR/USD opened on Monday significantly below Friday’s close. The EUR/USD came off its lows and filled the gap. We are looking to sell the EUR/USD at 1.1180 as we expect sound US macroeconomic figures this week. Moreover, tomorrow’s Eurozone inflation data may fuel bearish sentiment. We cannot rule out further hawkish comments from Fed policymakers that will be preparing the market for a rate hike in September. Dudley’s speech is quite emphatic in this context.
  • We will set the target above the 1.0955 low seen overnight, but a stronger corrective move to the May 27 1.0819 is also possible.
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