海外策略周报：9月若美联储降息，全球或“Risk”-20250819

Core Insights - The current US economic growth shows signs of comprehensive slowdown, with a cooling labor market and weak inflation reinforcing market expectations for a shift in Federal Reserve policy [2][6][14] - The anticipated interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve will significantly impact the US dollar and US Treasury markets, with historical trends indicating that Treasury yields typically decline ahead of policy shifts [2][7][30] - The impact of the Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts on global equity markets is structurally differentiated, primarily depending on the motivation behind the policy [2][8][30] Economic Indicators - Recent macroeconomic data from the US indicates a broad weakening, with key indicators falling below market expectations. Non-farm payrolls for July increased by only 73,000, significantly lower than the expected 104,000, marking the lowest monthly increase since October 2024 [6][14] - The unemployment rate has been on the rise, reaching 4.2% in July, further confirming the cooling labor market. Inflation data also shows weakness, with July's CPI growth at 2.7%, below the expected 2.8% [14][20] Interest Rate and Currency Dynamics - US Treasury yields are expected to decline ahead of the Federal Reserve's official interest rate cut, driven by the forward-looking nature of the bond market. Short-term Treasuries (e.g., 2-year) are more sensitive to interest rate changes compared to long-term Treasuries (e.g., 10-year) [7][22][29] - The US dollar index typically weakens during the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut cycles. For instance, during the 2001 rate cut cycle, the dollar index fell by 13.34%, while it has already decreased by 3.20% since the first cut in 2024 [30][33] Equity Market Reactions - The Federal Reserve's interest rate cuts have historically led to varied impacts on global equity markets, largely influenced by the underlying economic conditions. Passive easing in response to recession often results in significant declines in equity markets, while preemptive cuts in resilient economic conditions can support equity valuations [8][30][34] - In the context of the 2024 preemptive rate cuts, corporate earnings remain relatively robust, which has helped to improve market risk appetite and support equity markets [8][34] Recent Asset Movements - Major US stock indices have recently shown gains, with the Nasdaq, Dow Jones, and S&P 500 rising by 2.20%, 2.14%, and 2.03% respectively. The healthcare, financial, and consumer discretionary sectors led the gains [5][37] - In the commodities market, LME zinc, copper, and Brent crude oil have seen increases, while gold and rebar steel have declined [5][37]