

Core Viewpoint - A significant strategy known as "hedging against the US" is emerging in global capital markets, characterized by a massive influx of international funds into the US while simultaneously a potential trillion-dollar wave of shorting the dollar is brewing [1][2]. Group 1: Market Dynamics - Major Wall Street banks, including State Street, Deutsche Bank, and BNP Paribas, predict that the ongoing hedging activities will significantly pressure the dollar's performance in the coming year [2][8]. - Deutsche Bank noted that since mid-year, inflows into "dollar-hedged" US asset ETFs have surpassed those into "non-dollar-hedged" funds for the first time in a decade, indicating an unprecedented speed of this shift [2][8]. Group 2: Scale of Hedging - The potential scale of this hedging wave is estimated at approximately $1 trillion, which would restore the hedging ratio of global investors holding over $30 trillion in US stocks and bonds to the average level of the past decade [5][6]. Group 3: Investor Behavior - Foreign investors currently hold about $20 trillion in US stocks and approximately $14 trillion in US bonds, with a noted decrease in their hedging ratios for fixed income and equities by about five and two percentage points, respectively, in recent years [11]. - A survey by Bank of America revealed that 38% of global fund managers are seeking to increase currency hedging to counter a weakening dollar, marking the highest level since June [13]. Group 4: Operational Strategies - One common hedging method employed by overseas investors is selling dollar forward contracts to lock in exchange rates, which typically translates into selling pressure on the dollar in the spot market [9]. - The current hedging ratio for foreign investors has stabilized around 56%, down from approximately 70% mid-year, indicating a strategic shift rather than a mass liquidation of US assets [11].