Fx

The 2016 Triennial Central Bank Survey of foreign exchange (FX) and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets activity shows a decline in FX spot trading for the first time since 2001, even as activity in FX derivatives continued to increase.

According to James Butterfill, Head of Research and Investment Strategy at ETF Securities, most investors believe that the greatest short-term impact - of fear of Brexit rather than Brexit itself - will be on sterling and consequently he has seen a big rise in short positions in our short-GBP ETFs...

According to James Butterfill, Head of Research at ETF Securities comments, Brexit is the mother of all market uncertainties: legal, political, economic, polling and currency risk combining to make any confidence about the short-term outlook foolhardy...

JPY and Japanese equities were the outcast of the rally, in diffidence of Abenomics’ and BoJ’s chances of success. They bear a risk of a reversal ahead of the coming BoJ meetings (April 28 & June 16) and the July Upper House election.

The first few days of the year were particularly challenging for capital markets. Further incertitude regarding the strength of the US cycle and the possibility that the Chinese economy is weathering a heavy depression drove risky assets lower, bucking the traditional early-year trend.