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Patrick Ceresna highlights that European financials rallied 57% off previous lows compared to only 27% for US financials, creating an unsustainable valuation disparity. Ceresna suggests an equal-dollar pair trade buying J.P. Morgan and short selling Deutsche Bank, adding optional out-of-the-money call protection on Deutsche Bank to cap upside risk against European policy bailouts.
J.P. Morgan maintains a constructive stance on the Eurodollar due to its asymmetric response to Fed pricing. The currency strengthens more when the Fed's terminal rate is priced lower but shows stickiness when it's priced higher, creating a favorable risk-reward profile for bullish positions despite lowered upside targets.
For the first time in a decade, European equities have broken out of their constantly widening valuation discount range compared to the US. Historically, such breakouts have signaled the beginning of a long-term upward trend where the valuation gap narrows significantly.
J.P. Morgan's systematic models now rank the Euro as the worst-performing currency across 27 liquid peers. While factors like carry and valuation have been weak, the recent underperformance of European equities versus the U.S. was the "missing piece" that solidified the quantitative bearish case, aligning it with the macro view.
A resurgence of "U.S. exceptionalism"—driven by strong inflation, labor data, and significant corporate earnings outperformance vs. Europe—is causing a major macro divergence. This has prompted J.P. Morgan to lower its EUR-USD targets and adopt a bearish outlook for the first time in a year, seeing any relief rallies as short-lived.
US banks are fundamentally strong, yet their senior bonds trade at a discount to industrials—a reversal of the historical norm. JPM Asset Management views this as a temporary dislocation caused by heavy issuance, creating a prime opportunity before spreads tighten and revert.
After nearly two decades of poor performance, European banks have become a compelling deep value opportunity. Pilecki highlights French banks trading at just 35-60% of tangible book value, viewing new CEO appointments as a key catalyst for a potential re-rating in the long-hated sector.
Despite high Euro risk reversals against the dollar, J.P. Morgan identifies a broad underperformance in Euro skew, particularly in LATAM crosses like EUR/BRL and EUR/MXN. This dislocation creates an attractive setup for volatility harvesting strategies, such as selling topside Euro calls through delta-hedged structures.
For the first time in a decade, European equities have broken out of their long-term trend of a widening valuation discount versus the US. Historically, such breakouts signal the beginning of a sustained, multi-year period where this valuation gap narrows significantly from its current 23%.
During crises, some emerging market central banks intervene to slow currency depreciation. This creates a divergence between currencies that react strongly to market shocks and those whose reactions are artificially suppressed. This asymmetry provides a basis for relative value trades, allowing investors to capitalize on the mismatched price action.
In a global "risk-on" environment, the Euro's low yield and relative overvaluation make it an ideal "funder." Strategists recommend shorting the Euro to finance long positions in higher-yielding currencies in both developed (Aussie) and emerging markets (Mexican Peso).