- Mexican Peso tumbles following Trump’s appointments of Mike Waltz and Marco Rubio.
- Banxico expected to cut rates by 25 bps amid heightened US-Mexico tensions.
- Upcoming US inflation and Retail Sales data to impact USD/MXN currency pair.
The Mexican Peso extends its losses against the Greenback on Tuesday on risk aversion due to US President-elect Donald Trump’s first appointments to his cabinet. Trump’s campaign proposals of increasing tariffs and lowering taxes are inflation-prone, which would exert pressure on the Federal Reserve (Fed) to keep rates higher than otherwise. At the time of writing, the USD/MXN trades at 20.62, gaining 1.38%.
Risk aversion due to Trump’s naming Mike Waltz as National Security Advisor and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State hurt the prospects of the Mexican currency, which has tumbled over 2% since Monday. Waltz and Rubio are known for their tough stance on China, hinting that tariffs would likely be imposed.
Mexico’s economic schedule remains absent, though USD/MXN traders are eyeing the Bank of Mexico (Banxico) monetary policy decision on November 14. According to Reuters, 19 of 20 economists expect a 25-basis-point (bps) rate cut to the main interest reference rate, pushing it down to 10.25%.
On Monday, Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard suggested that the Mexican government could retaliate with its own tariffs on US imports. He stressed that tariffs would increase prices in the US.
Recently, Fed officials had crossed the wires. Governor Christopher Waller failed to comment on monetary policy. Contrarily, Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin stated that “Inflation might be coming under control or might risk getting stuck above the Fed’s 2% target.”
Ahead this week, Mexico’s economic docket will feature the Banxico policy decision. On the US front, Fed speakers, inflation on the consumer and producer sides, and Retail Sales will dictate the USD/MXN pair direction moving forward.
Daily digest market movers: Mexican Peso on the defensive ahead of US CPI
- The USD/MXN has risen as the US Dollar Index (DXY), which tracks the performance of the American currency against another six, climbs to a six-month high of 106.15, up by over 0.60%.
- Mexico October Consumer Confidence, revealed on Monday, shows that Mexicans are slightly more optimistic about the economy.
- Industrial Production figures for September were mixed as traders brace for Banxico’s monetary policy decision.
- The US Consumer Price Index (CPI), to be revealed on November 13, is expected to edge up from 2.4% to 2.6% YoY and is projected to remain unchanged on MoM figures at 0.2%.
- The Core CPI is projected to stall on annual and monthly figures, each at 3.3% and 0.3%.
- Data from the Chicago Board of Trade, via the December fed funds rate futures contract, shows investors estimate 23 bps of Fed easing by the end of 2024.
USD/MXN technical outlook: Mexican Peso plunges again as USD/MXN rises above 20.50
The USD/MXN uptrend remains intact, with the Greenback extending its gains sharply, threatening to challenge the year-to-date (YTD) high of 20.80 reached on November 6. If surpassed, the next resistance would be the psychological 21.00 figure, followed by the March 8, 2022 peak at 21.46.
Conversely, sellers must push the exchange rate to the 20.00 figure, if they would like to challenge the 50-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 19.70. On additional weakness, the USD/MXN next support would be the psychological figure at 19.50, followed by the October 14 low of 19.23.
Risk sentiment FAQs
In the world of financial jargon the two widely used terms “risk-on” and “risk off” refer to the level of risk that investors are willing to stomach during the period referenced. In a “risk-on” market, investors are optimistic about the future and more willing to buy risky assets. In a “risk-off” market investors start to ‘play it safe’ because they are worried about the future, and therefore buy less risky assets that are more certain of bringing a return, even if it is relatively modest.
Typically, during periods of “risk-on”, stock markets will rise, most commodities – except Gold – will also gain in value, since they benefit from a positive growth outlook. The currencies of nations that are heavy commodity exporters strengthen because of increased demand, and Cryptocurrencies rise. In a “risk-off” market, Bonds go up – especially major government Bonds – Gold shines, and safe-haven currencies such as the Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc and US Dollar all benefit.
The Australian Dollar (AUD), the Canadian Dollar (CAD), the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) and minor FX like the Ruble (RUB) and the South African Rand (ZAR), all tend to rise in markets that are “risk-on”. This is because the economies of these currencies are heavily reliant on commodity exports for growth, and commodities tend to rise in price during risk-on periods. This is because investors foresee greater demand for raw materials in the future due to heightened economic activity.
The major currencies that tend to rise during periods of “risk-off” are the US Dollar (USD), the Japanese Yen (JPY) and the Swiss Franc (CHF). The US Dollar, because it is the world’s reserve currency, and because in times of crisis investors buy US government debt, which is seen as safe because the largest economy in the world is unlikely to default. The Yen, from increased demand for Japanese government bonds, because a high proportion are held by domestic investors who are unlikely to dump them – even in a crisis. The Swiss Franc, because strict Swiss banking laws offer investors enhanced capital protection.
