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- Mexican Peso recovers as carry-trade unwind fades
Mexican Peso recovers as carry-trade unwind fades
- The Mexican Peso is strengthening as the effects of the unwinding carry trade diminish.
- Gains may be capped by continued bets that Banxico will cut interest rates in August.
- The Peso gains a backlift as Trump loses his lead in opinion polls.
The Mexican Peso (MXN) recovers in its most traded pairs on Friday after an over-week-long sell-off. The Peso’s decline came on the back of a combination of an unwinding of the Peso-supportive “carry trade”, weaker Mexican macroeconomic data, and fears of the impact on trade with the US in the event of a former President Donald Trump’s victory at the US presidential elections in November.
At the time of writing, one US Dollar (USD) buys 18.35 Mexican Pesos, EUR/MXN trades at 19.92, and GBP/MXN at 23.61.
Mexican Peso recovers as carry trade effect dissipates
The Mexican Peso recovers on Friday as the factor that was pushing it lower – the unwinding of the carry trade – loses momentum. Carry trade involves investors borrowing in a currency with a low interest rate, such as the Japanese Yen (JPY), and investing in a currency with a higher interest rate, such as the Peso. However, with interest rates in Japan expected to rise after the release of higher Tokyo inflation data – and the Yen appreciating – the carry trade lost its luster. This led to the sudden unwinding of large positions built up in the Peso.
Thursday saw the Japanese Yen reverse its course, however, and begin weakening again, making the carry trade attractive once more. This capped the decline witnessed in the Mexican Peso which has steadied and recouped losses as a result.
Peso’s gains to be limited as Banxico expected to cut interest rates
However, the Mexican Peso’s gains are likely to be capped as investors continue expecting the Banco de México (Banxico) to lower interest rates, most probably in August. This will likely pressure the MXN since lower interest rates reduce foreign capital inflows.
Mexican 1st Half Month inflation data for July was mixed, but investors focused on the core figure which came out more or less in line with expectations and showed inflation moderating. The higher-than-expected headline inflation result was put down to temporary factors.
The divergence between core and headline inflation is something Banxico policymakers have been reiterating in their meetings, so it would have come as no surprise to investors. Despite the unexpected rise in headline inflation, it is unlikely to dissuade Banxico from cutting interest rates to stimulate moribund growth.
Peso supported by Kamala Harris’ performance in polls
Another factor weakening the Mexican Peso was the fear that former US President Donald Trump would win the US presidential election. Trump’s “America First” agenda and choice of known anti-China advocate J.D. Vance as his running mate were viewed as likely to impose restrictions on trade with Mexico that could hurt the Peso.
The recent success of Democrat nominee and Vice-President Kamala Harris in opinion polls, however, suggests it will be a close race, and Trump is by no means assured a victory. The latest poll by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center, on Wednesday, for example, places Harris ahead with 50% of the vote and Trump trailing with 44%. This has taken some pressure off the Peso.
Technical Analysis: USD/MXN retests resistance at June 28 high
USD/MXN has retested the June 28 high at 18.60 and pulled back. It has formed a bearish Shooting Star Japanese candlestick pattern. If Friday ends as a bearish red candlestick it will add confirmatory evidence to the Shooting Star and suggest more downside in the very near-term.
USD/MXN Daily Chart
Despite the bearish candlestick pattern, the trend appears to be bullish in the short term for USD/MXN, and given the “trend is your friend,” this still technically still favors bullish bets overall.
Thus, there is a risk the pair could simply recover and continue higher. A decisive break above the June 28 swing high at 18.60 will reconfirm the uptrending bias and suggest a continuation up to the next target at 19.00 (June 12 high).
A decisive break would be one accompanied by a long green candlestick that breaks cleanly above the resistance level and closes near its high or three green candlesticks that break above the level in a row.
Meanwhile, the direction of the medium and long-term trends remain in doubt.
Mexican Peso FAQs
The Mexican Peso (MXN) is the most traded currency among its Latin American peers. Its value is broadly determined by the performance of the Mexican economy, the country’s central bank’s policy, the amount of foreign investment in the country and even the levels of remittances sent by Mexicans who live abroad, particularly in the United States. Geopolitical trends can also move MXN: for example, the process of nearshoring – or the decision by some firms to relocate manufacturing capacity and supply chains closer to their home countries – is also seen as a catalyst for the Mexican currency as the country is considered a key manufacturing hub in the American continent. Another catalyst for MXN is Oil prices as Mexico is a key exporter of the commodity.
The main objective of Mexico’s central bank, also known as Banxico, is to maintain inflation at low and stable levels (at or close to its target of 3%, the midpoint in a tolerance band of between 2% and 4%). To this end, the bank sets an appropriate level of interest rates. When inflation is too high, Banxico will attempt to tame it by raising interest rates, making it more expensive for households and businesses to borrow money, thus cooling demand and the overall economy. Higher interest rates are generally positive for the Mexican Peso (MXN) as they lead to higher yields, making the country a more attractive place for investors. On the contrary, lower interest rates tend to weaken MXN.
Macroeconomic data releases are key to assess the state of the economy and can have an impact on the Mexican Peso (MXN) valuation. A strong Mexican economy, based on high economic growth, low unemployment and high confidence is good for MXN. Not only does it attract more foreign investment but it may encourage the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) to increase interest rates, particularly if this strength comes together with elevated inflation. However, if economic data is weak, MXN is likely to depreciate.
As an emerging-market currency, the Mexican Peso (MXN) tends to strive during risk-on periods, or when investors perceive that broader market risks are low and thus are eager to engage with investments that carry a higher risk. Conversely, MXN tends to weaken at times of market turbulence or economic uncertainty as investors tend to sell higher-risk assets and flee to the more-stable safe havens.
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