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Market Update

Tsys mildly higher over since early NA trade reversing declines in Asia, on heavy volume (650K TY1), longs underperforming with the 10Y 2.817 (-0.7). Tsys lagging the strong rally in bunds, gilts. EGBs underpinned by late day selloff in US equities, followed by weaker Euro equities (Stoxx -1.6%). GOCs higher before employment data – consensus is for only a 10K increase in employment for Jan after a Nov/Dec saw the strongest two month increase since 2012 (145k). The minimum wage increase in Ontario as well as colder weather also expected to hold down January’s increase.  Also worth watching will be the unemployment rate which fell to a new low 5.7% in Dec, while hourly earnings rose to a cycle high 2.9% and hours worked up 3.3%.

News headlines

Stocks Enter Correction as Rate-Hike Fears Return: Markets Wrap (Bloomberg) The dread that gripped equity markets earlier in the week re-emerged Thursday as U.S. stocks plunged into a correction on concern that rising interest rates will drag down economic growth. Selling accelerated in the final hour of trading as major indexes breached round-number milestones they blew past just weeks ago. The S&P 500 tumbled through 2,600 and the Dow failed to hold 24,000. Both are headed toward their average price for the past 200 days, a level that technical analysts say may act as a magnet and a floor.

Senate Passes Delayed Budget Deal in Bid to End U.S. Shutdown (Bloomberg) The Senate passed a two-year budget agreement early Friday that would boost federal spending by $300 billion and suspend the debt ceiling for a year, as lawmakers sought to end a partial government shutdown that began at midnight after Congress missed a funding deadline.

Never Compromise on U.K.’s Brexit Demands, May Tells Team (Bloomberg) After last year’s disastrous election result, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May was described as a dead woman walking. Yet despite numerous mishaps, she still refuses to accept she’s finished. Now May is taking the same determination that has kept her in office against the odds into the latest chapter in Brexit negotiations, according to officials who work closely with her.

China Ends 25-Year Wait as Yuan Oil Futures to Start Trading (Bloomberg) After a wait of about a quarter of a century, the world’s biggest oil buyer is finally getting its own crude-futures contract. In a challenge to the world’s dollar-denominated oil benchmarks Brent and West Texas Intermediate, China will list local-currency crude futures in Shanghai on March 26, according to the nation’s securities regulator. The start of trading, open to foreigners, will mark the end of years of delays and setbacks since China’s first attempt at a domestic contract in 1993.

Qualcomm Rejects Broadcom’s Higher $121 Billion Hostile Bid (Bloomberg) Broadcom Ltd. said its $121 billion acquisition proposal for Qualcomm Inc. is the “best and final” offer after the target’s board unanimously rejected the sweetened bid, likely leaving the future of the hostile takeover bid to be decided by shareholders next month. Broadcom Chief Executive Officer Hock Tan urged Qualcomm to meet this weekend to discuss the $82 a share offer and dangled the prospect of an $8 billion reverse termination fee in a letter to Paul Jacobs, chairman of the board. Tan said he was “astonished” the target wasn’t willing to meet until Tuesday, after the companies are scheduled to meet with proxy advisers Glass Lewis and ISS.

Canada says will clamp down on arms exports amid rights concerns (Reuters) Freeland told legislators that Canada would not allow the export of a weapon “if there were a substantial risk that it could be used to commit human rights violations.” She made her remarks a day after Ottawa said it was reviewing the sale of 16 helicopters to the Philippines amid concerns the aircraft could be used to fight rebels. Current regulations mean governments need only carry out a study of the general risks that might be involved in a sale.

Futures lower ahead of jobs report (Reuters) Stock futures pointed to a lower opening for Canada’s main stock index on Friday as investors awaited monthly jobs data, a week after a similar U.S. report sparked a week-long sell off. However, compared with a strong U.S. jobs market, Canadian employment growth is expected to have slowed in January, the report due at 8:30 a.m. ET is expected to show. Economists polled by Reuters expected that just 10,000 jobs were created last month, with the unemployment rate forecast to have increased 5.8 percent.

Expedia shares sink after disappointing 2018 forecast (BNN) Shares of U.S. online travel services company Expedia fell 19 per cent in premarket trading on Friday, after forecasting 2018 selling and marketing costs would outpace revenue growth as it battles rivals for market share. The company, which owns brands including Expedia.com and Hotels.com, reported equally disappointing previous quarter results in October partly due to underperformance by its Trivago hotel-search website.

Overnight markets

Overview: US 10yr note futures are up 0.116% at 121-01, S&P 500 futures are up 0.04% at 2594.5, Crude oil futures are down -1.34% at $60.33, Gold futures are down -0.08% at $1317.9, DXY is up 0.07% at 90.288, CAD/USD is down 0% at 0.7935.

US Economic Data

Canadian Economic Data

Disclosure and Disclaimer

The following sources of information have been, or may have been, used partially or in their entirety to compile the herein provided CTI Capital Securities Inc. (“CTI Capital”) ‘Morning Comments.’ CTI Capital believes these sources to be generally reliable, however, as said sources are varied and from third parties, CTI Capital cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of said information: Canadian Press (CP); Bloomberg News (BN); Wall Street Journal (WSJ); Stone & McCarthy Research Associates (SMRA); New York Times (NYT); Financial Times (FT); Market News International (MNI); Globe and Mail; Associated Press (AP); CNW Group (CNW); Reuters; Business News Network (BNN); Market Watch; and others.

Ivan Greenstein, Stephan Buu, Hugues Savard

Institutional Bond and Equity Desk
CTI Capital Valeurs Mobilières Inc.

Tel : (514)-861-0240
Fax: (514)-861-3230

Market Update Tsys trading lower, 10Y 2.855 (+2bps) , paring gains with UK hilts after BOE.  European equities lower, S&P futures +5, crude extending Wednesday’s losses down 0.53 @ 61.25. Tsys pressured by gilts after BOE MPC decision to leave rates unch thou the BOE members believed policy would have to be tightened earlier and to a greater degree than what was  projected in Nov – 5Y gilt taking the brunt of the selling ~7bps higher @ 1.07%, thou the 10Y @ 1.60% at a new high since Feb 2016. GOCs lower outperforming the pullback in tsys by ~1bp out to 10s, with the curve unch .

News headlines

Stocks’ Bumpy Ride Resumes as Bond Jitters Linger: Markets Wrap (Bloomberg) U.S. stocks remained on unsteady footing as the bout of volatility that’s gripped global financial markets persisted amid signs that the rise in Treasury yields has yet to run its course. Pressure Wednesday came from a weak 10-year note auction, sending the rate toward the four-year high that days ago sparked the biggest equity selloff in seven years. Stocks swung between gains and losses throughout the session before ending lower after heavy selling in the final 15 minutes of trading. Volume on U.S. exchanges topped 9 billion shares for a fourth straight day after surpassing that total just once in the past seven months.

Senate Deal Would Avoid Shutdown as Funding Fight Turns to House (Bloomberg) Senate leaders announced a bipartisan two-year budget agreement Wednesday that would provide nearly $300 billion in additional funding, a crucial step toward averting a Friday government shutdown and ending a months-long impasse on spending priorities. The plan would suspend the federal debt ceiling until March 1, 2019, and would provide almost $90 billion in hurricane and wildfire disaster aid. A Senate vote is expected Thursday, followed by the House.

The Bank of England’s Forecast Horizon Is Increasingly Clouded (Bloomberg) The Bank of England’s job of predicting the future is getting more and more difficult as Brexit increasingly dims its vision. The U.K. central bank will lay out how it expects the economy to perform over the next three years at noon on Thursday in London, and Governor Mark Carney will face questions on the topic from journalists. Yet two-thirds of its forecast period comes after the nation’s exit date from the European Union, and there is little clear indication yet as to what any alternate trading relationship might look like.

China’s Yuan Toppled From Two-Year High as Trade Data Surprises (Bloomberg) China’s yuan sank the most since the aftermath of its shock 2015 devaluation, after data showed the country’s trade surplus more than halved last month, and investors speculated controls on outward cash flows will be eased. The yuan weakened as much as 1.2 percent in Shanghai, touching as low as 6.3550 per dollar on Thursday. The slump marks a reversal for the managed currency, which acts as an anchor for the wider Asian region and has been rallying amid the dollar’s retreat.

Canada’s Telus reports higher fourth-quarter profit (Reuters) Telus Corp, one of Canada’s three big telecom providers, reported higher fourth-quarter earnings compared with a year earlier, helped by lower spending. Telus said on Thursday its net income rose to C$282 million ($224 million) or 47 Canadian cents per share in the quarter ended Dec. 31, from C$87 million or 14 Canadian cents per share, a year earlier. Operating revenue rose to C$3.48 billion from C$3.31 billion, the Vancouver-based company said.

Stock futures little changed, with earnings in focus (Reuters) March futures on the S&P TSX index SXFc1 were up 0.11 percent at 7:15 a.m. ET. New housing price index data is due at 8:30 a.m. ET ECONCA Canada’s main stock index closed lower on Wednesday, dragged down by energy companies and miners as oil and metal prices dropped. Dow Jones Industrial Average e-mini futures 1YMc1 were down 0.073 percent at 7:15 a.m. ET, while S&P 500 e-mini futures ESc1 were down 0.09 percent and Nasdaq 100 e-mini futures NQc1 were up 0.12 percent.

Canadian blockchain ETF launches, shrugging off bitcoin volatility (BNN) Canada’s first blockchain exchange-traded fund is shrugging off bitcoin’s bust and will launch Wednesday as planned. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.’s Blockchain Technologies ETF began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HBLK, amid extreme market volatility that saw the Dow swing more than 900 points in 25 minutes Tuesday after plummeting the most ever Monday.

Overnight markets

Overview: US 10yr note futures are down -0.103% at 120-28, S&P 500 futures are up 0.49% at 2681.25, Crude oil futures are down -1.08% at $61.12, Gold futures are up 0.12% at $1316.2, DXY is up 0.04% at 90.29, CAD/USD is down -0.05% at 0.7961.

US Economic Data

Canadian Economic Data

Disclosure and Disclaimer

The following sources of information have been, or may have been, used partially or in their entirety to compile the herein provided CTI Capital Securities Inc. (“CTI Capital”) ‘Morning Comments.’ CTI Capital believes these sources to be generally reliable, however, as said sources are varied and from third parties, CTI Capital cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of said information: Canadian Press (CP); Bloomberg News (BN); Wall Street Journal (WSJ); Stone & McCarthy Research Associates (SMRA); New York Times (NYT); Financial Times (FT); Market News International (MNI); Globe and Mail; Associated Press (AP); CNW Group (CNW); Reuters; Business News Network (BNN); Market Watch; and others.

Ivan Greenstein, Stephan Buu, Hugues Savard

Institutional Bond and Equity Desk
CTI Capital Valeurs Mobilières Inc.

Tel : (514)-861-0240
Fax: (514)-861-3230

Market Update

Tsys trading higher, yields 1.5-2.5bps lower, 10Y 2.78% (-2bps), S&P futures -10, gold firmer, crude down for a third day 63.20.  German bunds lower, trading close to the lows of the session with the 10Y bund 0.72% (+3.5bps) and the tsy/bund spd 6bps wider. Bunds reacting more to strength in European stocks, German 10Y bund auction which allotted E2.492bln vs. E3bln on sale.  The US will auction $24bln in 10Y notes at 1:00PM vs $20bln sold in Jan. GOCs higher, underperforming tsys in the short end with the 10Y 2.34 (-2.3bps). The BOC auctions $3.6bln in new 2Y notes at noon – May 1 2020s with the WI roll 4.6/4.4 (vs Feb 20s) – which looks 0.5-1bp cheap considering the 2Y roll (Feb20/Nov19) is closer to 4bps. 

News headlines 

Stocks Recover From Rout With Best Day Since 2016: Markets Wrap (Bloomberg) U.S. stocks rebounded from a violent selloff to post the biggest rally in 15 months as investors poured back into some of the most beaten-down sectors. Technology, materials and consumer shares paced a 1.7 percent gain in the S&P 500 Index, while DowDuPont and Home Depot led a 567 point surge in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the biggest gain in two years. The ride wasn’t straight up, though. The Dow plunged more than 500 points at the open, adding to anxiety after Monday’s rout — the worst in almost seven years. Stocks swung between gains and losses no fewer than a dozen times before a late-session rally.

Merkel Ends Deadlock in Coalition Deal With Social Democrats (Bloomberg) German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bloc has concluded a coalition agreement that hands a half-dozen ministries — including the key foreign and finance portfolios — to her Social Democratic allies, a move that will likely bolster the country’s commitment to greater European integration.

Congress Trying for Bigger Budget Deal While Avoiding Shutdown (Bloomberg) The short-term spending bill passed by the House to avoid a government shutdown this Friday may get replaced with a longer-term budget plan that raises spending caps for defense and domestic programs if congressional leaders can wrap up a deal in the next two days.

How Two Tiny Vol Products Helped Fuel Sudden Stock Slump (Bloomberg) Two days after a sudden spike in volatility sparked a stock-market crash, market participants are left to ponder the wreckage of the sell-off and the mysterious dynamics that caused it. One theory that’s emerging: the curious case of the tail wagging the dog.

Musk Sends a Tesla Into Space Atop World’s Most Powerful Rocket (Bloomberg) An elated Elon Musk pulled off another seemingly impossible feat Tuesday when SpaceX launched the world’s most powerful rocket in 45 years, then flew two of its spent boosters back to the Florida coast for a spectacular, simultaneous recovery on land.

TSX futures point to a lower start (Reuters) Stock futures suggested Canada’s main stock index could shed gains on Wednesday after rebounding in the previous session, as the recovery in share markets lost steam. March futures on the S&P TSX index were down 0.41 percent at 7:15 a.m. ET. Canadian building permits data for December is due at 8:30 a.m. ET Canada’s main stock index closed higher on Tuesday, reversing earlier falls as it followed a similar turnaround on Wall Street and benefited from gains among energy and industrial stocks.

Oil, water and wine: Escalating Alberta-B.C. feud threatens future of Trans Mountain pipeline (CBC) A clash between British Columbia and Alberta over the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was probably inevitable, but the surprisingly emotional nature of the conflict and its recent escalation makes a compromise less likely. In the week or so since B.C. proposed new restrictions on bitumen shipments that would flow through the expanded pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast, there have been threats of lawsuits and economic retaliation — and on Tuesday, a move by Alberta to block imports of B.C. wine.

Overnight markets

Overview: US 10yr note futures are down -0.039% at 121-14, S&P 500 futures are down -0.49% at 2681, Crude oil futures are down -0.33% at $63.18, Gold futures are down -0.24% at $1326.3, DXY is up 0.3% at 89.851, CAD/USD is up 0.26% at 0.7983.

US Economic Data

Canadian Economic Data

Disclosure and Disclaimer

The following sources of information have been, or may have been, used partially or in their entirety to compile the herein provided CTI Capital Securities Inc. (“CTI Capital”) ‘Morning Comments.’ CTI Capital believes these sources to be generally reliable, however, as said sources are varied and from third parties, CTI Capital cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of said information: Canadian Press (CP); Bloomberg News (BN); Wall Street Journal (WSJ); Stone & McCarthy Research Associates (SMRA); New York Times (NYT); Financial Times (FT); Market News International (MNI); Globe and Mail; Associated Press (AP); CNW Group (CNW); Reuters; Business News Network (BNN); Market Watch; and others.

Ivan Greenstein, Stephan Buu, Hugues Savard

Institutional Bond and Equity Desk
CTI Capital Valeurs Mobilières Inc.

Tel : (514)-861-0240
Fax: (514)-861-3230