Pla2na/iStock via Getty Images The US dollar ( DXY ) is trading in narrow trading ranges against the G10 currencies today, but the calm in the foreign exchange market belies stress in other parts of the capital markets. Equities and bonds have been sold. The hope that an end to the Middle East conflict has faltered amid the conflicting signals from the US, which is sending thousands of more troops...
Pla2na/iStock via Getty Images The US dollar ( DXY ) is trading in narrow trading ranges against the G10 currencies today, but the calm in the foreign exchange market belies stress in other parts of the capital markets. Equities and bonds have been sold. The hope that an end to the Middle East conflict has faltered amid the conflicting signals from the US, which is sending thousands of more troops to the region, fanning fears of a ground invasion of some time, while Tehran countered US proposals with a set of their own conditions. Front-month WTI and Brent oil futures are trading at new highs for the week. President Trump’s initial 48-hour ultimatum was replaced with a five-day grace period, which ostensibly ends tomorrow. The uncertainty hangs heavy and can be expected to dampen risk appetites today and tomorrow barring constructive developments. The conflict can be on the edge of significant escalation or a resolution. Prices G10 • The euro was already struggling to sustain the upside momentum after stalling near $1.1630 yesterday in front of Monday’s high (~$1.1640), but the Iranian news agency rejection of the US ceasefire proposal was a buzzkill. The single currency subsequently was sold briefly through Tuesday’s low, slightly below $1.1560. It spent most of the North American afternoon trading in a narrow range below $1.1580. The euro is in a narrow range today, unable to make much headway above $1.1570, and hovering near a three-day low, slightly below $1.1550. A convincing break may target $1.1525 ahead of Monday’s low (~$1.1485). There are almost 2.6 bln euros of options at $1.15 and nearly 2 bln euros of options at $1.16 expiring today. • Even without the benefit of higher US yields, the dollar crept higher against the Japanese yen yesterday. The session high was recorded in the NY afternoon near JPY159.50. This was marginally above Tuesday’s high (~JPY159.20) but below Monday’s high (~JPY159.65). The dollar remains firm but trading choppily between about ...
primeimages/iStock via Getty Images The benefits of diversifying across asset classes as a risk management tool are widely accepted, but what’s easily overlooked is that the relative benefits wax and wane over time. That doesn’t invalidate global asset allocation, but it does serve as a reminder that your mileage will vary. There are several ways to measure asset allocation’s value for portfolio d...
primeimages/iStock via Getty Images The benefits of diversifying across asset classes as a risk management tool are widely accepted, but what’s easily overlooked is that the relative benefits wax and wane over time. That doesn’t invalidate global asset allocation, but it does serve as a reminder that your mileage will vary. There are several ways to measure asset allocation’s value for portfolio design and management. A useful first step is tracking how return correlations vary through time. In contrast with the popular approach of looking at a single snapshot and calling it a day, reviewing rolling numbers offers a more realistic profile of the dynamic nature of correlations, which in turn helps manage expectations for how global asset allocation will perform. Let’s start with a top-down review of the median correlation for all major asset classes using a rolling 1-year window of daily data. The current reading is 0.42 (see chart below). As a recap, correlations range from –1.0 (perfect negative correlation) to +1.0 (perfect positive correlation). The latest value indicates a moderately low degree of positive correlation, which has fallen substantially from above 0.65 a few years ago. In other words, the implied benefits of diversification across major asset classes have strengthened. One could say that investors are getting more bang for the asset allocation buck lately. Keep in mind that a range of correlations is the basis for holding multiple asset classes. If everything was perfectly correlated, there would be no point in holding more than one asset. Back in the real world, the next chart focuses on how correlations have changed from the viewpoint of a US stock fund—in this case, Vanguard’s Total Stock Market ETF ( VTI ). The three lines compare VTI with equities in developed markets ex-U.S. ( VEA ), emerging markets ( VWO ), and U.S. bonds ( BND ). Drilling down further, the table below summarizes how correlations stack up over the trailing 5-year window for ...
Ghana will sell its first local-currency bond next week for the first time since its 2022 debt default, returning to the market to help finance its budget. The sale of seven-year securities will start on March 30 with an initial pricing guidance, and close on April 1, bond bookrunners said in an emailed statement. President John Mahama ’s government is banking on its success in slowing inflation t...
Ghana will sell its first local-currency bond next week for the first time since its 2022 debt default, returning to the market to help finance its budget. The sale of seven-year securities will start on March 30 with an initial pricing guidance, and close on April 1, bond bookrunners said in an emailed statement. President John Mahama ’s government is banking on its success in slowing inflation to a near three-decade low of 3.3% and the central bank’s move to cut interest rates by 14 percentage points since July to 14% to attract investors. “With market rates having fallen materially and Ghana’s external buffers and fiscal metrics having improved significantly, the yield on the new bond,” may not be very attractive for foreign investors, said Samir Gadio , head of Africa strategy at Standard Chartered Plc . Still, for overseas investors, Ghana is good because of “diversification factors,” he said. The government of Africa’s biggest gold producer has been spurred by a rally in bullion prices that helped the central bank build foreign exchange reserves and stabilize the cedi. Resumption of local debt offerings is aimed at “re-establishing a domestic funding program,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement. It’s targeted at “rebuilding a sovereign yield curve, providing investment opportunities and restoring market confidence for retail and institutional investors.” Ghana Targets $1.9 Billion as It Returns to Local Debt Market Goldman Team Backs Ghana Cedi With Bond Market Set to Reopen Ghana Cuts Rates Even as War in Iran Poses Inflation Threats The amount to be raised will be decided when the sale starts, said the bond bookrunners Absa Bank Ghana Ltd. , CalBank Plc , Fincap Securities Ltd., GCB Bank Plc, One Africa Securities Ltd. and Stanbic Bank Ghana Ltd. The country targets to raise 20.2 billion cedis ($1.8 billion) this year in seven to 10-year securities, Bloomberg reported earlier this month. Ghana unilaterally suspended most debt payments in December 2022 ...