The U.S. Federal Reserve, the Bank of England, the Bank of Australia and New Zealand, as well as the European Central Bank and the Bank of Canada, are among others the central banks of the world's major economies that have already begun the cycle of interest rate hikes and are possibly to be close to completing it in the first or second quarter of 2023. In contrast, the situation seems to be different for the Bank of Japan and the Bank of Switzerland.
We could see quite well how monetary policy could affect currency rates in 2022. The Fed, by starting aggressive monetary tightening, was able to make the U.S. dollar more attractive thanks to the higher interest rates its holders received. The Fed started the cycle, and the European Central Bank followed suit with some time lag. For the moment, this lag is estimated to be about six months. This could mean that the ECB will not complete its monetary tightening until two quarters later, after the Fed has done so. The effects of this shift could be observed in the EUR/USD exchange rate.
Source: Conotoxia MT5, EURUSD, H4
The unprecedented pace of rate hikes in the U.S. may have helped the dollar until September, October, when discussions began about slowing the pace of USD interest rate increases. At that time, there was also discussion of what direction the European Central Bank should take, which for the moment is declaring hikes of 50 bps each and higher rates than the market had previously expected (>3%).
What about the CHF and JPY?
The above description may approximate the events in central banking in relation to the exchange rate where, if one theme ends (the near end of rate hikes in the US), the game begins for the next one (the later and higher end of the cycle in the Eurozone). According to data from the interest rate market, traders seem to assume that interest rates in Japan and Switzerland could go steadily upward in 2023. This, in turn, could mean that once the U.S. theme, then the eurozone, is over, the markets could move into the tightening game in countries with previously lowest interest rates in the world.
Change in rhetoric in Japan, how does the yen exchange rate react?
This morning, the Japanese yen strengthened 0.6% to 135.8 per USD after reports that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida plans to revise a 10-year agreement with the Bank of Japan, which says the central bank will reach a 2% inflation target "at the earliest possible time." The government is seeking to make the price target more flexible, which could broaden the BOJ's policy options for adjusting to economic developments.
BNP Paribas Japan's chief credit strategist Mana Nakazora, a potential candidate for deputy governor of the Bank of Japan next year, also told Reuters recently that the central bank should revise its statement to give itself more room to adjust interest rates, according to tradingeconomics.
The bottom line is that interest rate hike cycles seem to be staggered in different economies around the world. As a result, currency rates may also react accordingly with some time lag.
Daniel Kostecki, Director of the Polish branch of Conotoxia Ltd. (Conotoxia investment service)
Materials, analysis and opinions contained, referenced or provided herein are intended solely for informational and educational purposes. Personal opinion of the author does not represent and should not be constructed as a statement or an investment advice made by Conotoxia Ltd. All indiscriminate reliance on illustrative or informational materials may lead to losses. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
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