Macro Trades You Must Know: Opportunities In Stagflation
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Stagflationary risks loom large as raw materials prices keep rising while the yield curve keeps flattening. If this continues the world will find itself between a rock and a hard place.
- USD bulls continued to take a breather but the overall trend remains one of USD strength, which is a cause for concern
- Demand for USDs is clearly increasing around the world, which implies that global USD funding conditions are getting tighter – not a good sign for the world economy
- Commodities aren’t broadly weaker, but commodity currencies, AUD and CAD, are not doing well. Especially CAD which can’t rally vs the USD, even as WTI stays ~$90 a barrel
- Interest rates keep pushing higher, BUT:
- The US yield curve keeps flattening, and US breakevens aren’t rising
- Both simply aren’t pricing in much potential for long term growth-driven inflation
- WTI hits $90, and base metals have finally started to join in
- Copper remains locked in a broad range, but Iron Ore is starting to look more bullish, and Aluminum has blasted off to new highs
- High energy prices feed into high base metals prices (via high production costs). This dynamic, combined with the flattening US yield curve, is very stagflationary
Trading Ideas – Performance
Entry | 9 Feb Close | Return | ||
SHORT | EURUSD | 1.1438 | 1.1422 | +0.14% |
SHORT | AUDUSD | 0.7140 | 0.7178 | -0.53% |
LONG | USDCAD | 1.2676 | 1.2670 | -0.05% |
LONG | TLT Jun 22 141 Call | 5.20 | 4.00 | -23.08% |
LONG | TLT Jun 22 141 Put | 5.80 | 6.83 | +17.76% |
Trading Ideas
- Long USD:
- Well established trend, in place for >6 months in most major currency pairs
- If global economic growth does take a turn for the worse in the near future, global USD funding markets will tighten, driving the USD even higher
- The potential for this downturn is currently underestimated, especially in the mainstream media
- The flattening US yield curve (even as the Fed turns hawkish) and poor Chinese economic data provide clear warning signs
- Look for USDCNY to turn higher, i.e change its trend, for an indication of worsening conditions
- Serves as a broad hedge against other “risk” assets in your portfolio, like stocks. BUT:
- Don’t think of the USD trade as “only” a hedge
- It is entirely possible, and normal, for the USD to strengthen as equities rise. The past 6 months provide a good example of this, where US equities rallied even as the Dollar broadly strengthened
- USD longs in general should do well, but of the G7 currencies, look to go long the USD vs:
- EUR
- AUD
- CAD
- Straddle US 30y rates:
- 30y yields look poised for either a break above 2.17% towards 2.5%, or to fall back and test 1.67%
- This strategy will also profit from a fake out/bull trap, i.e if the 30y breaks above 2.17% but quickly falls back down
- Downside comes from 30y yields trading sideways for a prolonged period of time; and straddles are expensive strategies since they involve purchasing puts and calls
- Trade can be executed:
- With options on US T Bond futures, or options on the TLT ETF
- Or going long in the spot market, either with actual T Bonds or the TLT, and hedging the other direction with puts/calls; which would be a less aggressive strategy
- Long Oil:
- Strong trend and sustained levels of bullishness makes WTI an attractive long
- This view has been expressed with a long position in XLE, as detailed in ETF Edge
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