Aforti Exchange

Market Summary by AFORTI: Interest rate cut by the Fed and stabilisation of inflation in Poland

23 September 2024

Macroeconomic Situation

Europe

·         Eurozone:

o    CPI inflation: in line with expectations. Inflation for August: current: 2.2%; forecast: 2.2%; previously: 2.6%.

·         Germany:  

o    PPI inflation: above expectations. Current: 0.2%; forecast: 0.0% m/m; previous: 0.2% m/m.

o    ZEW index: came in weaker than forecast. Value: 3.6; forecast: 17; previous: 19,2.

·         UK:

o    CPI inflation: in line with expectations. For August: 2.2% y/y (expected: 2.2% y/y; previous: 2.2% y/y).

o    Retail sales: above expectations. Underlying retail sales: actual 2.3% y/y; forecast 1.1% y/y; previous: 1.4% y/y;

o    As expected, the Bank of England kept interest rates unchanged. UK interest rate: current: 5%; forecast: 5%; previous: 5%.

·         Poland:

o    The final core inflation reading for August was 3.7% y/y, not significantly below expectations (3.8% y/y).

o    The surprise, however, was the higher-than-forecast data on wage growth in Poland. Wages: now: 11.1% y/y; 10.8% y/y was expected vs. 10.8% previously.

o    Industrial production, for August: now: -1.5% y/y; expected -0.2% y/y vs. 4.95% previously.

US

  • Retail sales: above expectations. Change in retail sales (m/m): value: 0.1%; forecast: -0.2%; previous: 1% (revision: 1.1%).

  • Industrial production: above expectations. August (m/m): current: 0.8%; expected: 0.2%; previous: -0,6%.

  • Monetary policy: the highlight of the week was the Fed's decision to cut interest rates by 50 bps, putting pressure on the dollar, which lost ground against most currencies. At the same time, the Fed presented strong economic projections, suggesting a further reduction in inflation.

Foreign exchange market

The zloty remained stable against the euro and strengthened against the US dollar between 16 and 20 September. On a weekly basis, the EUR/PLN exchange rate oscillated in the range of 4.2753 - 4.2779 and the USD/PLN exchange rate in the range of 3.8438 - 3.8317, basically strengthening steadily except on Thursday (19.09) when the zloty definitely strengthened to the level of 3.8249.

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Oil and gold market

Brent crude oil prices from 16 to 20 September remained in the USD 71.87-74.72 per barrel range, indicating an increase in prices. Gold prices rose from USD 2606.30 to USD 2647.20 per ounce.

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Stock market

The WIG from 16 to 20 September fell by around 325 points, ending the session at 81 760 points with a weekly turnover of 9 825 413 971 (almost 50% more than in recent weeks). It was a week of considerable volatility on the WSE, with the WIG reaching 83 513pct during the week (almost 2 000 points higher than at the close on 20 September).

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Summary

The week of 16 - 20 September 2024 brought mixed macroeconomic data. In Europe, surprisingly weak ZEW index data and higher PPI inflation in Germany may suggest greater economic challenges. In the US, on the other hand, better retail sales and industrial production data gave hope for the economy's resilience, although the Fed's decision to cut interest rates put pressure on the dollar. In Poland, inflation is stabilising, which could influence future MPC decisions. It was a week of decisions by the Fed, BOE and BOJ and a speech by Christine Lagarde, who stressed the need for the ECB to prepare for the coming era of greater inflation volatility. We are currently operating in an era of magnified risk and uncertainty surrounding the conduct of monetary policy. Hence, one of the objectives of central banks should now be to keep a close eye on developments in the economy and prepare for potential further challenges to monetary policy.

TREASURY DEPARTMENT

AFORTI.BIZ

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