US Futures, Oil Flat As Greenback Rises Despite Mnuchin's "Strong Dollar" Warning

London (Jan 24)  US equity futures were flat, European stocks rose and Asia was mixed after the dollar posted a modest rebound overnight despite Mnuchin's "strong dollar" comments, while oil was flat and gold fell, as investors focused on President Donald Trump’s plans to boost growth. The pound fell after a U.K. court ruled that Parliament must vote on triggering Brexit.

The dollar struggled in Asia on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump's focus on protectionism ahead of fiscal stimulus fueled suspicions his administration might be content to gain a competitive advantage through a weaker currency. However, early European trading saw modest gains in the USD, which rose to 113.4 in the USDJPY after dropping as low as 112.52, while the EURUSD declined to 1.73 after rising as high as 1.77 in Asian trading.  The talk of trade wars came even as more data pointed to a welcome revival in activity worldwide. A survey of Japanese manufacturing out Tuesday showed the fastest expansion in almost three years as export orders surged. Indeed, sentiment took an early knock when Mnuchin told senators that he would work to combat currency manipulation but would not give a clear answer on whether he views China as manipulating its yuan.

Still, the recent euphoria surrounding the Trumpflation trade now appears largely gone: "It's interesting that markets did not respond positively to a reaffirmation of lower taxes and looser regulation, reinforcing the impression that all the good news is discounted for now," wrote analysts at ANZ in a note. "As week one in office gets underway, there is a growing sense of scepticism, not helped by the tone of Friday's inaugural address and subsequent spat with the media."

Doubts about exactly how much fiscal stimulus might be forthcoming helped Treasuries rally. Yields on 10-year notes eased to 2.39 percent, having enjoyed the steepest single-day drop since Jan. 5 on Monday.  “The driver of a shift higher will be optimism that President Trump’s policies deliver more growth,” Juckes said. “If he starts tweeting about fiscal policy instead of trade policy maybe the bond bears can come out of hibernation again.” As the chart below shows, the dollar continues to trade in lockstep with 10Y TSY yields.

Source: ZeroHedge