Fixed Income and Currency Strategist

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

FX & Rates

<ul>
<li>In an environment marked by uncertainty with regards to the dollar's next move, EM currencies have been stable and LatAm currencies have outperformed Asia and CEEMEA so far this year.</li>
<li>The strong start for LatAm currencies is partly to make up for their underperformance last year and partly supported by their high carry relative to other currencies.</li>
<li>If risk aversion remains low, this trend should persist but given the uncertainty, it is best to be selective and target relative-value trades to take advantage of differences across countries.</li>
</ul>


In an environment marked by uncertainty with regards to the dollar's next move, EM currencies have been stable and LatAm currencies have outperformed Asia and CEEMEA so far this year.
The strong start for LatAm currencies is partly to make up for their underperformance last year and partly supported by their high carry relative to other currencies.
If risk aversion remains low, this trend should persist but given the uncertainty, it is best to be selective and target relative-value trades to take advantage of differences across countries.


Will Latin American Currencies Continue to Outperform Against Asia and CEEMEA?

<ul>
<li>Brazil's rate curve has gone through significant transformations in the past few months, with the curve currently exhibiting a hump in the front end and a kink 3 years out.</li>
<li>The driver behind the hump has been the aggressive rate hikes and the kink is resulting from increasing risk premium in the long end arising from fiscal and election uncertainty.</li>
<li>I expect the kink to get pronounced as more rate cuts get priced with inflation coming off the peak and growth slowing, while risk premium increases heading into the election.</li>
</ul>


Brazil's rate curve has gone through significant transformations in the past few months, with the curve currently exhibiting a hump in the front end and a kink 3 years out.
The driver behind the hump has been the aggressive rate hikes and the kink is resulting from increasing risk premium in the long end arising from fiscal and election uncertainty.
I expect the kink to get pronounced as more rate cuts get priced with inflation coming off the peak and growth slowing, while risk premium increases heading into the election.


A Hump and a Kink in Brazil’s Yield Curve

<ul>
<li>Since the end of last year, the US dollar has persisted around its strongest level in two years on the back of rising US Treasury yields and risk aversion.</li>
<li>I expect the dollar to remain strong at least until the US rates volatility drops meaningfully and the headwinds to US equities, including geopolitical and domestic growth concerns, fade.</li>
<li>Once these risks pass, the dollar – which is expensive in valuation terms – should depreciate as the year progresses, creating a supportive environment for EM currencies.</li>
</ul>


Since the end of last year, the US dollar has persisted around its strongest level in two years on the back of rising US Treasury yields and risk aversion.
I expect the dollar to remain strong at least until the US rates volatility drops meaningfully and the headwinds to US equities, including geopolitical and domestic growth concerns, fade.
Once these risks pass, the dollar – which is expensive in valuation terms – should depreciate as the year progresses, creating a supportive environment for EM currencies.


The US Dollar View and Its Implications for EM Currencies

<ul>
<li>Given the strong performance of several Latin American currencies in recent days, it is fair to ask if these returns are being driven purely by their high carry.</li>
<li>To address this question, we compare the performance of each currency, adjusted by its beta, with its carry, adjusted for its volatility.</li>
<li>While there is some overlap between performance and carry, we find no strong correlation, leading us to conclude that we are currently not in a carry-trade environment.</li>
</ul>


Given the strong performance of several Latin American currencies in recent days, it is fair to ask if these returns are being driven purely by their high carry.
To address this question, we compare the performance of each currency, adjusted by its beta, with its carry, adjusted for its volatility.
While there is some overlap between performance and carry, we find no strong correlation, leading us to conclude that we are currently not in a carry-trade environment.


Is Carry Driving the Returns of EM Currencies?

<ul>
<li>The turnaround of Asian currencies is likely to continue with growth resurfacing in the region ex-China and the interest rate differential with the rest of emerging markets narrowing.</li>
<li>The main risks to watch are whether the slowdown in China worsens and weighs on the region as a whole and whether central banks embark on FX interventions again.</li>
<li>While the overall view on Asian currencies is constructive, I prefer cross-country trades to take advantage of differences arising from idiosyncratic drivers and to eliminate the dollar risk.</li>
</ul>


The turnaround of Asian currencies is likely to continue with growth resurfacing in the region ex-China and the interest rate differential with the rest of emerging markets narrowing.
The main risks to watch are whether the slowdown in China worsens and weighs on the region as a whole and whether central banks embark on FX interventions again.
While the overall view on Asian currencies is constructive, I prefer cross-country trades to take advantage of differences arising from idiosyncratic drivers and to eliminate the dollar risk.


Drivers Behind the Turnaround of Asian Currencies

Brazil

The Brazilian real is the official currency of the Federative Republic of Brazil.  

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Will Latin American Currencies Continue to Outperform Against Asia and CEEMEA?

If risk aversion remains low, LatAm currencies should continue to outperform but given the uncertainty, it is best to target relative-value trades...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

A Hump and a Kink in Brazil’s Yield Curve

I expect the hump and kink in Brazil's curve to get more pronounced as more rate cuts and a higher risk premium is priced, which should lead to a...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

The US Dollar View and Its Implications for EM Currencies

Although the dollar should remain strong in the near term at least until we get clarity on the Fed path, it should depreciate for the remainder of...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Is Carry Driving the Returns of EM Currencies?

The high carry of a few currencies appears to be one factor behind their recent strong performance, but on further examination, I conclude that we...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Drivers Behind the Turnaround of Asian Currencies

The turnaround of Asian currencies is likely to continue with growth resurfacing in the region ex-China and interest rate differential with the...

Gautam Jain, PhD, CFA

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)