WEAK DOLLAR KEY
last Friday, China launched DCEP, ECB turned hawkish. Add rocketing US rates driven by huge NDP, AHE & CPI, Yet #Dollar down*. We know a weaker dollar is supportive 'risk'. IMV its driven by #PBOC selling dollars. China's #CFETS basket at 2 Year highs correlates
with $DXY strength. DCEP is now up & running and the $RMB strength necessary to its survival & credibility is no longer necessary, indeed its harmful. A strong $RMB was essential to avoid the loss of credibility endured by the only other reserve currency launched in the last 100
years. Long time FX people will remember the still born launch of the Euro, which crashed and required G7 intervention to stabilise it. This is a luxury China doesnt have, so it was essential to keep the currency strong before its launch to avoid a similar loss of credibility.
Ensuring a successful e-CNY delivery is why RMB has been extraordinarily strong in the face of Evergrande, Covid, Trade Tensions, Stakeholder/Shareholder pivot. Much of this strength coincides with a stronger dollar - (Chart). China will use rising US rates to unload dollars.
China's 1.0 Trio Dollar FX portfolio necissitates they act countercylically, selling Dollars while the Fed raises rates. The timing couldn't be better coinciding with China's new reserve alternate to the dollar. It also explain geo-political posturing by the CN/RU axis over
Ukraine/Taiwan. CN/RU misadveturism toward America is aimed at highlighting US military impotency. A key tenant in the dollar's store of value proposition is that its strong military backed up its value. With CN/RU testing hypersonic missiles and US seemingly powerless to prevent
the menacing threat to europe with russian troops parked on the Ukranian border and constant incursions into Taiwanese air - space, there is a case to be made to the E-CNY as a reserve alternate with its timely entrance to the market. CN/RU are pushing on an open door with
exploding twin US deficits and a world overweight dollars and underweight Chinese assets. As I've highlighted it was essential that China let the $RMB strengthen at a time of historic sifnificance and historic threats to the motherland and its e-Project.
In recent weeks, they've cut rates twice in succession, and adjusted weighting of euro and dollar in their FX basket- all dovish signals. A weaker dollar is a win/win as we know historically its it supports risk assets. A key driver of my bearish #BTC view since last Nov, was
China's experience with outflows in 2014/2017 gave them cause to worry about Yuan sovereignty, and so in the run up to DCEP launch, they were always going to hostile to the threat of outflows ( especially with historic theats to China I've highlighted above) while preparing for
E-CNY ''Go for Launch''. From here on in, expect to see a weakening in the FX basket, not through higher USD/CNY, but rather via the back door, where they sell dollars vs the basket. I think its good for stocks, and very good for #BTC which based on day DCEP launched.
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🛑.@NewYorkFed / @BIS_org Collaboration Huge
China is already out in front with its CBDC. Socialising its FinTech and layering onto DCEP is what I call an App Store Moment positively Intertwining The Fortunes Of China's Tech Sector and its new Digital Currency in one. @SecYellen
and @federalreserve Powell and many others didn't really care about a digital dollar 12 months ago, but policy stance has changed as has approach to #crypto broadly. @GaryGensler appeared hostile initially and then did a volte face. In recent days China has switched attention
from targetting #BTC as a vehicle for money laundering, switching its focus to DEfI etc. China wants its DCEP to offer the best of both worlds, A Sovereign Reserve Currency, underpinned by 1.3 Bio Digial consumers promoting Yuan adoption via its digital wallets with its tech
Crypto underestimates the vision of China's Digital Currency Ambition.
Its about inserting a digital RMB into the global reserve currency complex while upending
Dollar hegemony and supreamacy. The vision will allow China open its Capital A/c and fund the massive deficits accrued by semi state enterprises. I forsee the Yuan as a stable coin, leading to a collapse in FX volatility and a genuine use case for RMB mass adoption via its
customer wallet and digital currency as a vehicle for day to day transactions in the global payment system. Recent movement to emphasize stakeholders over shareholders in Chinese FinTech suggests that the tool that China used to play catch up with the west post joining WTO will
VOLTE FACE
18 months ago, not one member of FED gave a damn about the digital Dollar.
Why the change of heart. China launches it CBDC soon and despite the chaos im confident it will launch and fly well. 8% REER apprecaition since covid is a clear statment of intent by Chinese.
China began its DCEP project after 1.0 trio outflows from 2014/2017 with a large proportion of those outflows via stablecoins and #BTC. China's ambition is to upend Dollar hegemony, the evergrande bankruptcy is a perfect case in point with international capital markets concerned
she will make her offshore Dollar bond repayments.
China cannot hope to defend its borderss with a weak currency. Outflows have been for china and most other EMFX a true doom loop and the evolution of a CBDC is PBOC's attempt to stem that capital flow offshore.
be resisted. As Jens highlights, China's FX reserves collapsed in 2015/16/17, falling 1.0 Trio USD. PBOC MU, the head of the digital lab told us at HK blockchain week in 2019 that the popularity of #bitcoin during this period lead the PBOC to fear for sovereignty of the Yuan. So
China decided to launch it's digital Yuan project as all the outflows were leaving the country. They broke the dollar peg in aug 2015, which crushed US stocks, and pivoted to tracking the CFETS basket a precursor to DCEP. China has changed its FX regime on avg every 5 years.
Irreconsilable
US twin deficit's & Fed policy point to continued dollar weakness.
Fed adopted new inflation regime targeting 2.5% AIT.
China, tied No1 holder of $DXY reserves intend's to offer its DCEP/CBDC as a dollar alternative leading CB's to diversify away from $USD
Eurozone is caught in a pincer movement where HICP is collapsing and Project Digital and EU 750 Bio bond will if they are to be successful require tolerance of validating inflows. Increasing QE further risks zombification of EZ banks which are already in trouble.
Europe needs
a magic bullet. Talking down the Euro when @Lagarde and @Paschald highlight the urgent need to adopt a digital Euro and at the same time welcome europe's forthcoming 750 Bio 'Safe Asset' common bond which will inevitably lead much needed inflows if they are to validate Europe's
China Outflanked Trump. The Game Is Lost.
Trump is a flailing desperate drunk, swinging for China on Trade & Covid. WH went ''all-in'' on China trade purchases ( wont happen ), meanwhile Covid unwind has been a disaster ( x2 dip ?) leaving Trump 2020 chances almost negligible.
Contrast with China, now on road to recovery with monetary stimulus negligible vs FED which might do more (Clarida) & likely congress slow on more fiscal. Exploding dificits & easy Fed will weigh on dollar. Meanwhile China declared a war of its own, building a tech revolution &
then a ''call to arm's'' telling its people to get on board the stock market. yield differential & state sponsored tech explosion ( Nasdaq 95-00 ) will lift the Yuan driving a broad dollar drop. A weaker dollar boosts global growth ( NB 2009 it helped start a stock mkt rally