Dollar Turns to FOMC Meeting to Confirm or Counter New Bear Trend

Dollar Turns to FOMC Meeting to Confirm or Counter New Bear Trend

Fundamental Outlook for US Dollar: Bullish

• US Dollar marks a critical break as speculation of a new round of Fed stimulus grows
• Consumer confidence stumbles and retail sales slips as the economy’s primary engine stalls
• IF the dollar can curb its tumble against the euro, the rest of the majors could follow

The benchmark dollar put in for a critical bearish break this past week. Though, the odd thing about this slip is that the complimentary speculative markets weren’t following the risk appetite track that would normally have catalyzed this move. In fact, it seems the greenback’s sudden drop would develop completely outside of the risk arena. Has the dollar broken free of its overbearing (negative) correlation to investor optimism? The answer to this question is the essential first step to reasonably projecting the dollar’s future. If the currency’s appeal as a liquid harbor for capital diminishes, its primary fundamental driver will be open to interpretation and therefore lacking the necessary influence to develop a meaningful trend.

So, our first question heading into next week is whether the dollar has indeed made the break from risk appetite trends. The rationale behind this scenario was the sharp, bearish for the single currency whilst other speculative-sensitive markets held steady. However, if we ignore the technical implications of this move for a second, we can see more clearly that this was a decline after a month-long period of congestion. In the first two weeks of the month, when the dollar was still holding to its range, the S&P 500 was actually putting in for a marked advance. Perhaps the surge by the dollar this past week was merely an overdue reconciliation between currency and market theme? This makes sense in the context that when the fundamental force behind the capital markets eases, well-established correlations weaken. If this is indeed the case, a lack of a clear trend in risk will keep the dollar from developing its own bear trend. At the same time, should optimism or pessimism unify traders, the dollar will tumble or rally correspondingly.

At the same time, there is a chance that the dollar could permanently lose its appeal as a safe haven and turn to a longer-term deterioration in its fundamental health that has to this point been ignored. In the government’s effort to encourage growth, the expansion of stimulus in turn boosts the money supply. This is a natural burden on the value of the domestic currency. However, to this point, the role of safe haven has been more important to traders. Now, in this period of respite for risk, investors can be shaken in their confidence as the Federal Reserve has the ability to abruptly increase stimulus. Last week, speculation that the central bank will increase its lending program ushered the dollar lower. The Fed will actually have this chance this week at the policy meeting. Will they increase stimulus beyond the $2 trillion floor? Unlikely. And, such an outcome would solidify the correlation and perhaps lower speculative confidence.

Aside from this big ticket event risk, it is worthwhile to keep a close eye on the factory and housing related data due through the week. The former has proven a sieve for consumer confidence and the latter is the last hope for a recovery that is quickly deflating. - JK

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