Daily Market Outlook, January 16, 2023

Risk Appetite Remains Buoyant, As The Dollar Makes New Lows For 2023
Asian Equities once again took a positive impetus from the rally on Wall Street Friday, with the benchmark SP500 notching up a 0.4% gain confirming back to back positive weekly gains to kick off the new year. Overnight, however, Asian markets have turned a little more mixed, headlines out of China have confirmed 60,000 Covid related deaths reported since the removal of restrictions, while hospitalizations remain elevated, Chinese authorities believe the peak has passed. Elsewhere in the Asian region, investors are keenly eyeing this week's Bank of Japan meeting, with rising expectations that the BoJ will finally pivot from their ultra easy monetary policy. This belief in the markets has seen the Japanese Yen print seven month highs against the greenback.
Today’s economic data calendar has no tier one catalysts for markets, this combined with US markets offline for Martin Luther King day, suggests potential for lacklustre action this afternoon. Focus in the Uk will be on Bank of England Governor Bailey, who is due to appear before the Parliamentary Treasury Committee to testify on the banks Financial Stability Report, with Committee members eager to quiz the Governor on the ongoing financial impact of the UK cost of living crisis, which has been further exacerbated by rising borrowing rates.
Investors will be eyeing other data events of note later this week, China releases its Q4 GDP data Tuesday, market expectations are conservative with economists looking for a meagre 1.8% from the 3.9% print for Q3 2022, given that Covid restriction remained in place for much of Q4, commercial activity was handicapped and industrial output was likely depressed. Tuesday will also see the release of the UK employment report, market watchers are looking for further signs that employment conditions are cooling from record tightness, the concern is that any reduction in wage inflation likely appears some way off, with most pencilling in an elevated 6.1% for this metric. In the Eurozone the only data of note this week is Wednesday’s German inflation data and the ZEW investor survey. Investors will parse the data for further signs of sentiment improvement. Downunder in Australia, the only data release of note will be the Thursday's employment report, while headline data points have softened slightly they still remain elevated
Stateside, in the US, Wednesday’s Producer Prices, Retail Sales and Industrial production data are the key events, producer prices are deemed to remain elevated butting starting to pullback from peak levels, while retail sales are still thought to feel the pinch from elevated interest rates, while industrial production should remain hampered by weaker global and domestic demand.
Markets-wise, the Dollar trade remains front and centre, with the greenback inking new 2023 lows below 102 overnight testing 101.50, admittedly liquidity is reduced with US trading desk offline today. As London trading gets underway a decent Dollar bid appears to be developing with USD reclaiming to 102 handle heading for a 102.50 test, if the greenback can close towards 103 on the session this may encourage further short covering as US traders return to their desks tomorrow.