Currencies
Highlights Our leading indicator for China’s old economy continues to point to slower growth over the coming months, which is consistent with the bearish message from China’s housing market and forward-looking export indicators. We would caution investors against interpreting the recent relative outperformance of Chinese stocks as a basis to become cyclically bullish, as it has largely reflected a “catchup” selloff in global stocks. We remain tactically overweight, in recognition of the fact that investors may bid up Chinese stocks on positive signs that a trade deal may be in sight. Onshore corporate bond spreads remain wide relative to pre-2017 levels, suggesting that it is too early to expect easier liquidity conditions to significantly improve domestic economic conditions. Feature Tables 1 and 2 on pages 2 and 3 highlight key developments in China’s economy and its financial markets over the past month. On the growth front, the primary trend for China’s old economy remains down, although measures of freight remain supported by trade front-running activity (which will wane over the coming months). Our Li Keqiang leading indicator continues to suggest that economic activity will slow from current levels, a conclusion that is reinforced by recent developments in the housing market and December’s PMI release. Table 1The Trend In Domestic Demand, And The Outlook For Trade, Remains Negative Table 2Financial Market Performance Summary From an investment strategy perspective, we remain tactically overweight Chinese investable stocks versus the global benchmark in recognition of the fact that investors may bid up Chinese stocks on positive signs that a trade deal may be in sight. However, China’s recent outperformance has been passive in nature (i.e. reflecting declining global stocks), suggesting that Chinese stocks have simply been the winner of an “ugly contest” over the past few months. This is hardly a basis to be cyclically long, and we continue to recommend that investors remain neutral for now. In reference to Tables 1 and 2, we provide several detailed observations concerning developments in China’s macro and financial market data below: Bloomberg’s measure of the Li Keqiang index (LKI) fell in November for the third month in a row, although our Alternative LKI has risen due to a pickup in freight transport turnover. We showed in our December 5 Weekly Report that trade front-running has clearly boosted economic activity since Q1 of 2018,1 implying that freight volume growth is set to decelerate in the months ahead. Our Li Keqiang leading indicator ticked lower in December, after having risen non-trivially in the third quarter of 2018 (Chart 1). The December decline was caused by a pullback in the monetary conditions components of the indicator, which in turn was caused by the recent rise in CNY-USD. This echoes a point that we have made in previous reports, that the improvement in our leading indicator last year was not broad-based and that it does not yet herald a positive turning point for China’s old economy. Chart 1The Q3 Rise In Our Leading Indicator Was Not Broad-Based The October housing market slowdown that we highlighted in our November 21 Weekly Report continued into December,2 with floor space started and sold decelerating further (Chart 2). The latter, which typically leads the former, has returned to negative territory which, in conjunction with weaker Pledged Supplementary Lending from the PBOC, does not bode well for housing over the coming few months. House price appreciation remains strong outside of tier 1 cities, but a peak in our price diffusion indexes signals slower price gains are likely over the coming months. Chart 2China's Housing Market Activity Continues To Weaken On the trade front, nominal Chinese US$ import and export growth is now trending lower, confirming the negative signal provided by China’s manufacturing PMIs over the past few months. Notably, the new export orders components of both the official and Caixin PMIs declined in December, despite the tariff ceasefire that emerged during the G20 meeting at the end of November, suggesting that export growth is set to slow further in the first quarter of 2019. In relative US$ terms, Chinese investable stocks rose nearly 10% versus the global benchmark from mid-October until the end of 2018. However, as Chart 3 shows, this outperformance was entirely passive in nature, as Chinese stocks have not been trending higher in absolute terms. Chart 3Recent Equity Outperformance Has Been Passive, Not Active We remain tactically overweight Chinese investable stocks; the Chinese market remains deeply oversold in absolute terms, and signs of a potential trade deal over the coming few weeks may significantly improve global investor sentiment towards the country’s bourse. However, we would caution investors against interpreting the recent relative outperformance as a basis to become cyclically bullish, as it has largely reflected a “catchup” selloff in global stocks. The underperformance of Chinese health care stocks over the past two months has been stunning, with investable health care having fallen nearly 30% in relative terms since mid-November (Chart 4). However, this decline appears to have been caused by a sector-specific event (a massive profit margin squeeze due to a new government generic drug procurement program), and does not seem to imply anything about the outlook for Chinese consumers. Chart 4A Stunning, Idiosyncratic, Collapse In Health Care Stocks Despite the recent collapse in the health care sector, Chinese consumer discretionary (CD) stocks remain the largest losers within the investable universe, having declined over 40% in US$ terms over the past 12 months. The next twelve months may look quite different for CD, especially if China’s efforts to stimulate consumer spending succeed. The recent changes to the global industrial classification system (GICS) mean that Alibaba (China’s largest e-commerce retailer) is now included in the sector with a significant weight, overwhelming the heavy influence that auto producers used to wield. Auto stocks have struggled in the past due to China’s pollution controls, weak auto sales, and pledges to open up the auto sector (which would be negative for the market share of domestic firms). We will be watching over the coming several months for a pickup in retail goods spending combined with a technical breakout in relative performance as a sign to overweight Chinese consumer discretionary stocks relative to the investable index. Chinese interbank rates have fallen substantially over the past month (Chart 5), in response to additional efforts by the PBOC to boost liquidity in the financial system. Whether the additional liquidity (and lower borrowing rates) will feed into materially stronger credit growth remains to be seen, as we have presented evidence in past reports showing that China’s monetary policy transmission mechanism is impaired.2 Chart 5More Liquidity Has Lowered Interbank Rates Chinese onshore corporate bond spreads have creeped modestly higher since early-November, although by a small magnitude. While we remain optimistic that onshore defaults over the coming year will be less intense than many investors believe, onshore corporate bond spreads have been one of the more successful leading indicators of economic growth in China over the past two years, and remain wide by historical standards. This suggests that it is too early to expect easier liquidity conditions to significantly improve domestic economic conditions. While it is too early to call a durable bottom, the gap between CNY-USD and its 200-day moving average is steadily closing (Chart 6). The recent (modest) uptrend has been caused by two factors: 1) cautious optimism about the possibility of a durable trade deal with the U.S., and 2) retreating U.S. interest rate expectations. We would expect further weakness if the trade ceasefire collapses and President Trump moves forward with the previously-announced tariffs, but also a sizeable rally if a deal is negotiated. Chart 6A Tentative, But Noteworthy Improvement Jonathan LaBerge, CFA, Vice President Special Reports jonathanl@bcaresearch.com Footnotes 1 Please see China Investment Strategy Weekly Report “2019 Key Views: Four Themes For China In The Coming Year”, dated December 5, 2018, available at cis.bcaresearch.com. 2 Please see China Investment Strategy Weekly Report “Trade Is Not China's Only Problem”, dated November 21, 2018, available at cis.bcaresearch.com. Cyclical Investment Stance Equity Sector Recommendations
The JPY may be cheap, but Japan’s core inflation remains well below the Bank of Japan’s objective, and shows little sign of hitting 2% within a reasonable period (see chart). The recent strength in the yen only re-enforces the inability of the BoJ to hit its…
As we have been arguing, the yen should be strong in the current environment, especially against the euro, the Australian dollar and high-yielding EM currencies. When global growth weakens and safe heaven yields fall, the yen benefits. Not only do Japanese…
Highlights The yen’s sharp rally this week reflected a liquidation of carry trades. EUR/JPY has hit our target of 120, it is time to close our longstanding bearish recommendation on this pair. The downside in AUD/JPY is limited. The Bank of Japan will not stand idly by in front of the deflationary impact of a stronger yen. The coming weeks could witness some dollar softness, but this should prove temporary. Feature The FX market started the year with a bang. The yen rallied massively Thursday morning, during the so-called “witching hour” between the New York close and the Tokyo open. As is now usual, algorithms have been blamed. We agree that poor liquidity and automatized trading accentuated the speed of the move, but ultimately, the strength of the yen is rooted in fundamental reasons. As we have been arguing, the yen should be strong in the current environment, especially against the euro, the Australian dollar and high-yielding EM currencies. When global growth weakens and safe heaven yields fall, the yen benefits. Not only do Japanese domestic savers, who park their funds abroad in hope of higher yields, repatriate there money when growth slows, but also, carry-traders, who fund their purchases of high-yielding assets by selling the yen, buy back the JPY once volatility rises. The above-dynamics have driven the yen’s eye-catching move. The yen has been strong, but the AUD, the EUR, the TRY and the ZAR have also been weak, suggesting that investors who bought the yen also sold these currencies. This was a carry-trade reversal. What should we do with our long-held negative biases on EUR/JPY and AUD/JPY? Last night, EUR/JPY and AUD/JPY moved below 119 and 71, respectively. Our target for these pairs were EUR/JPY 120 and AUD/JPY 72. We are inclined to close these recommendations. As we have repeatedly highlighted, EUR/JPY is a function of global bond yields (Chart I-1). As a firm, BCA sees upward pressure on yields. Currently, the futures market is pricing in potential rate cuts in 2019 and 2020. We think that the U.S. economy is strong enough that the Fed will not cut rates over this timeframe. However, the Fed is likely to pause for one or two quarters, something made even more likely after the fall in the ISM manufacturing this week. Such a pause should create upward pressure on U.S. 10-year inflation breakevens, which currently trade at 1.7%, while also supporting risk asset prices. All these developments would be consistent with higher yields and thus, a stronger EUR/JPY. Chart I-1EUR/JPY Should Now Find Support Regarding AUD/JPY, this pair is now trading in line with the lows experienced in 2016, and at its worst Thursday morning, it traded at levels last recorded in the first half of 2009. We do anticipate continued weakness in the global economy, but not a recession. Hence, at current levels, the downside for AUD/JPY is limited. Beyond the global dynamics, we also need to take into account Japanese dynamics. The JPY may be cheap, but Japan’s core inflation remains well below the Bank of Japan’s objective, and shows little sign of hitting 2% within a reasonable period. The recent strength in the yen only re-enforces the inability of the BoJ to hit its target. In fact, the yen’s strength was met by a large rally in JGBs, with 10-year Japanese yields falling back to zero. We agree with the market’s assessment of the combined impact of a higher yen and slowing global growth: the BoJ will have to fight this deflationary impulse. How, though, is still unclear. The BoJ could cut rates while continuing to target a positive yield curve slope, something we think is likely. Also, Japan still sports a current account surplus as well as the largest positive net international investment position in the word. This means that this country has little to fear from a falling exchange rate. This raises the likelihood that the Ministry of Finance decides to intervene in the FX market in order to push the yen lower. The only constraint here is the U.S. Treasury, which could balk at such a move. Finally, the U.S. dollar has been losing momentum this December, and weaker U.S. economic data is likely to prompt the Fed to openly message that it will pause its hiking campaign for at least one quarter. This should cause a period of softness in the greenback. However, we continue to expect such softness to be temporary. The market anticipates rate cuts from the Fed, but this is not BCA’s baseline scenario. Thus, any pause along the hiking campaign should only have a transitory impact on the dollar, as the U.S. economy is likely to continue to grow above trend, preventing the need for lower rates. Bottom Line: Poor liquidity conditions may have facilitated the yen’s massive move this week, but its true driver was the weakness in global growth, which forced a massive liquidation of carry trades. As EUR/JPY has hit our 120 target, we are removing our long-standing negative bias on this pair. Staying short AUD/JPY at current levels does not make sense either, unless one expects a global recession, which is not our base case. Finally, the strength in the yen is hurting the Japanese economy, which will force the Bank of Japan to ease monetary conditions. Mathieu Savary, Vice President Foreign Exchange Strategy mathieu@bcaresearch.com
Feature No Recession – Add To Risk Again Markets have been notably weak and volatile since we published our 2019 Outlook1 in late November. Over the past couple of months, global equities have fallen by more than 10%, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield has dipped from above 3.2% to below 2.7%, and high-yield bond spreads have risen by more than 200 basis points. The market is sniffing out the risk of recession on the near-term horizon. We think the market has got this wrong, and so we move back to overweight global equities (from neutral, to where we lowered our recommendation last June). Recommendations Last year, U.S. growth was much stronger than growth in the rest of the world (Chart 1). Markets are implying that the global slowdown will soon infect the U.S., with the stock market pointing to the manufacturing ISM, currently at 59.3, falling back to 50 in very short order (Chart 2). Chart 1Will U.S. Growth Also Fall Back? Chart 2Stocks Imply ISM At 50 It is, indeed, probable that growth will slow this year: the FOMC’s median forecast suggests a slowdown in real GDP growth from 3.0% in 2018 to 2.3%. And it may take the market a little longer to digest that deceleration. However, growth is likely to remain above trend (currently estimated at 1.8%). Higher interest rates have begun to take their toll on the housing market (with a noticeable deterioration in new housing starts and builder confidence). But residential investment is now only 4% of GDP, compared to 7% in 2006, so the impact of the slowdown will be limited. Moreover, consumption is likely to remain buoyant, with wage growth accelerating, consumer confidence strong, and the savings rate with room to fall (Chart 3). Additionally, though fiscal stimulus will not be as powerful in 2019, the IMF estimates that it will add a further half of one percentage point to U.S. GDP growth. Chart 3Consumption Likely To Remian Buoyant The Fed is reacting very pragmatically to the evolving circumstances. Chair Jerome Powell emphasized in his post-FOMC press conference in December that “some cross currents have emerged” and that “policy decisions are not on a pre-set course”. The FOMC cut its forecast for hikes in 2019 from three to two and lowered its estimate of the terminal rate from 3.0% to 2.8% (currently the fed funds rate is at 2.4%). This implies that it will take approximately two more 25 basis point rate hikes before the Fed gets rates back to neutral. As we have often shown, risk assets tend to outperform bonds until monetary policy is restrictive (Chart 4). Meanwhile, market sentiment has turned excessively bearish. Our sentiment index is at a level that has historically pointed to a good buying opportunity (Chart 5). The AAII survey shows that recently only 25% of U.S. retail investors expect the market to rise over the next six months, compared to 47% who expect it to fall. Valuations are cheap again: the forward PE for the MSCI All Country World Index (ACWI) is now back to the range it traded at in 2013 (Chart 6). The classic indicators of recession, such as the yield curve, are not yet flashing warning signals: the 3-month/10-year curve, which we have shown has historically been the most reliable,2 remains at +20 basis points (Chart 7). It needs to invert to signal recession – and, typically, it does that as much as 18-24 months in advance. Chart 5Sentiment Is Very Bearish Chart 6Global PE Back To To 2013 Level Chart 7Yield Curve Has Not Inverted Certainly, there are risks (we would highlight a reignition of the trade war after March 1, Brexit, U.S. government shutdown, the possibility that falling stock and house prices hurt consumer and business sentiment, and China’s reluctance to implement a massive 2016-style reflationary stimulus). But our analysis suggests there is significantly more upside than downside risk for equities over the next 12 months. If earnings growth, particularly in the U.S., comes in close to our top-down forecasts (Chart 8), it is hard to imagine – given the current depressed multiples – equities underperforming bonds this year. Accordingly, we recommend raising global equities to overweight in a multi-asset portfolio on a 12-month horizon, and lowering cash to neutral. For now, we have not changed our other tilts, and continue to recommend an overweight on U.S. equities and defensive sectors, a preference for equities over credit, and a high degree of caution towards emerging market assets. Chart 8Earnings On Track To Grow Healthily In 2019 Currencies: With growth likely to remain stronger in the U.S. than in the rest of the world, we expect appreciation of the dollar over the next six months. BCA’s Central Bank Monitors point to the need for the Fed to tighten policy further, but for the ECB to remain dovish. The gap between these two monitors has done a good job at forecasting EUR/USD over the past 10 years (Chart 9). However, speculative positions are already quite long dollar (Chart 10) and so the upside might be limited to around 5% in trade-weighted terms. If global growth begins to reaccelerate midway through 2019, the dollar might weaken again. Chart 9Relative Policy Suggests Stronger USD Equities: We prefer DM equities over EM. Further rises in the dollar and long-term U.S. interest rates, combined with continuing slowdown in global trade and Chinese growth, will remain headwinds for EM equities even if the market moves into a more risk-on phase. Valuations in EM do not look attractive either, with forward PE relative to DM in line with recent averages, and earnings growth forecasts likely to be revised down into negative territory over the coming months given the challenges facing developing economies (Chart 11). Within DM, we have a preference for the U.S., given its stronger growth and likely currency appreciation, over the euro zone and Japan, which are more sensitive to the global manufacturing cycle. Europe, in particular, will continue to be held back by the travails of its banks, which have been a major determinant of relative equity market performance in recent years (Chart 12). In a recent Special Report, we concluded that the long-term outlook for euro zone bank profitability remains lackluster.3 Chart 11EM Equities Are Not Cheap Chart 12Banks Will Weigh On Euro Zone Stocks Fixed Income: We see further upside for long-term rates in 2019, driven by a combination of above-trend economic growth, more Fed hikes than the market is pricing in, a moderate pick-up in inflation, and the unwinding of the Fed’s balance-sheet. We do not see rates being an impediment to growth until they reach the level of trend nominal GDP growth, currently 3.8% (which was the crunch point in both 1999 and 2006 – Chart 13). Despite our more positive view on equities, we remain more cautious on credit. Spreads have widened recently to more attractive levels (Chart 14). However, we remain concerned about the high leverage of U.S. corporates, whose debt/assets ratio is on average higher now than in 2009 (Chart 15). Signs of strain are already showing in the junk bond market, with new issuance having largely dried up since early December. If this continues, borrowers may struggle to refinance maturing debt in early 2019. At this stage of the cycle, credit spreads are unlikely to tighten much, even with an equity market rally. Furthermore, given the high leverage, credit is an asset class that is likely to perform particularly poorly in the next recession. Chart 13Only At 3.8% Do Rates Become A Risk Chart 14Credit Spreads Not More Attractive Chart 15U.S. Corporate Leverage Is A Problem Commodities: The sell-off in crude oil over the past two months was due to short-term supply-side shocks, most notably the U.S.’s agreeing to 180-day exceptions on Iranian sanctions. But supply is likely to tighten in coming months (Chart 16). Saudi Arabia and Russia intend to reduce production by 1.2 million barrels/day, and U.S. shale oil supply growth is likely to slow since one-year forward WTI is now around $49, slightly below the average breakeven level for shale oil producers. With global oil demand set to remain strong, our energy strategists see Brent oil rebounding to around $80 a barrel in 2019, with WTI $6 below that.4 Industrial commodities will continue to face headwinds from a stronger dollar and slowing China. Only when the effects of China’s moderate reflation measures start to come through in 2H 2019 would we expect to see a recovery in metals prices. Chart 16Oil Supply Set To Tighten Garry Evans, Senior Vice President Global Asset Allocation garry@bcaresearch.com Footnotes 1 Please see “Outlook 2019: Late-Cycle Turbulence,” dated 27 November 2018, available at bca.bcaresearch.com 2 Please see Global Asset Allocation Special Report, “Can Asset Allocators Rely On Yield Curves?”, dated 15 June 2018, available at gaa.bcaresearch.com 3 Please see Global Asset Allocation Special Report, “Euro Area Banks: Value Play Or Value Trap?”, dated 14 December 2018, available at gaa.bcaresearch.com 4 For the detailed rationale of their forecast, please see Commodity & Energy Strategy Weekly Report, “2019 Key Views Policy-Induced Volatility Will Drive Markets,” dated 13 December 2018, available at ces.bcaresearch.com GAA Asset Allocation
Highlights Asset allocation: Start 2019 with an overweight to industrial commodities versus equities. Await an oversold sell-off signal on the 65-day fractal dimension to go tactically overweight equities versus cash. Equities: Start 2019 with a cyclical equity sector tilt, but become more defensive as the global economy inevitably flips into a down-oscillation later in 2019. Start tactically overweight Italy’s MIB versus the Eurostoxx. Bonds: Initiate a bond yield convergence play: long 10-year Italian BTPs versus Spanish Bonos. Currencies: Start 2019 short EUR/JPY combined with long EUR/USD. There will be a great opportunity to buy the GBP, but not yet. Alternatives: A compelling buying opportunity for the cryptocurrencies Litecoin and Ethereum. Feature 2019 will present investors a mirror-image pattern to 2018. Through most of 2018, global growth was decelerating while inflation was accelerating. Now this configuration is flipping: global growth is rebounding while inflation is set to collapse. Growth To Rebound, Then Fade Global growth has entered an up-oscillation, for which the evidence is irrefutable: Industrial (non-oil) commodities are strongly outperforming equities, and rising even in absolute terms (Chart of the Week and Chart 2). Emerging markets are strongly outperforming developed markets (Chart 3). Financials are outperforming the broad equity market (Chart 4). Sweden’s manufacturing PMI – a bellwether of global activity – is rebounding strongly (Chart 5). Perhaps most importantly, China’s 6-month credit impulse has gone vertical (Chart 6). Chart of the WeekNon-Oil Commodities Are Strongly Outperforming Equities Chart I-2Non-Oil Commodities Are Recovering In Absolute Terms Too Chart I-3Emerging Markets Are Strongly Outperforming Developed Markets Chart I-4Financials Are Outperforming Chart I-5Sweden’s Manufacturing PMI Is Up Sharply Chart I-6China’s 6-Month Credit Impulse Has Gone Vertical Taken together, this is compelling evidence of a growth rebound, even if it is modest. Crucially, such up-oscillations tend to last at least six to eight months. Hence, equity sector performances, which always take their cue from global growth, will follow a mirror-image pattern in 2019 to that in 2018. Bottom Line: Start the year with an overweight to industrial commodities versus equities and a cyclical equity sector tilt, but prepare to fade to a more defensive tilt as the global economy inevitably flips into a down-oscillation later in 2019. Inflation Is The Dog That Will Not Bark There are not many things that are certain in the economy, but a racing certainty for early 2019 is that headline inflation will collapse. This is because the plunge in the crude oil price – 40 percent so far and getting worse by the day – is about to feed through into headline consumer price indexes (Chart 7 and Chart 8). Inevitably, it will seep through into core inflation too, via the impact on energy dependent prices such as transport costs. Chart I-7Headline Inflation Will Collapse In Europe Chart I-8Headline Inflation Will Collapse In The U.S. Coming at a time that central banks have professed a much greater reliance on “incoming data”, we can deduce that central banks will find it hard to tighten policy in the face of weaker headline and core inflation prints. Crucially though, the ECB and BoJ were not planning on tightening policy anyway, so the plunge in reported inflation will be much more impactful on the Fed. This makes the dollar vulnerable, leaving us a choice between the euro and yen as our preferred major currency. And on this head-to-head the yen still beats the euro given its lower political risk: Bottom Line: Start 2019 short EUR/JPY combined with long EUR/USD. Use ‘The Rule Of 4’ And Fractals To Predict Tipping-Points For Equities Investment strategists are obsessed with timing the next recession. The thinking is that by predicting the next recession they can predict the next equity bear market. The logic sounds fine, except that the causality rarely runs from economic downturns to financial market instabilities. The causality almost always runs the other way. Paul Volcker, arguably the greatest central banker of the modern era, correctly points out that the danger to the economy almost always comes from systemic financial disturbances. The last three downturns, in 2000, 2007 and 2011, all resulted from financial disturbances: the bursting of the dot com bubble, the gross mispricing of U.S. sub-prime mortgages, and the distortion of euro area sovereign debt markets respectively. Instead of timing the next recession to predict financial market instability, the correct approach is to flip the logic around and ask: is there a glaring source of financial instability that could cause the next recession? To which the answer is yes. The current glaring instability is the hyper-vulnerability of elevated risk-asset valuations to the global bond yield. Near the lower bound of bond yields, bond prices develop the same unattractive negative asymmetry as equities, removing the need for an equity risk premium, and justifying sharply higher equity valuations. But when the 10-year global bond yield rises back to around 2 percent – or equivalently when the sum of the 10-year U.S. T-bond, German bund and Japanese government bond approaches 4 percent ‘the rule of 4’ – the process viciously reverses: bond prices lose their negative asymmetry, re-requiring an equity risk premium and sharply lower equity valuations (Chart 9 and Chart 10). Chart I-9Equities Plunged In February After A Spike In Bond Yields Chart I-10Equities Plunged In October After A Spike In Bond Yields In 2019, just as in 2018, investors should use this dynamic to allocate tactically to equities versus cash as follows: 1. When the rule of 4 approaches 4 and the market’s 65-day fractal dimension signals an overbought rally, go underweight equities. 2. When the rule of 4 approaches 3 and the market’s 65-day fractal dimension signals an oversold sell-off, go overweight equities. 3. At all other times stay neutral. Bottom Line: With the rule of 4 now approaching 3, await an oversold sell-off signal on the 65-day fractal dimension to go tactically overweight equities versus cash. Britain Escalates EU Tensions, Italy De-Escalates The two points of political tension in Europe, the U.K. and Italy, have a common theme: brinkmanship with the EU. The Brexit tension remains high and may even intensify in early 2019 before a resolution. Hence, while 2019 will offer a great opportunity to buy the pound, it might require a little patience. In contrast, Italy is de-escalating its brinkmanship with Brussels over its budget deficit. Meanwhile the crux of Italy’s long-standing woes – its banking system – is also showing signs of healing. The proportion of bank loans that are non-performing is plummeting, while the solvency of the banking system continues to improve (Chart 11 and Chart 12). Chart I-11Italian Banks’ NPLs Are Plummeting… Chart I-12…And Italian Banks’ Solvency Is Improving Bottom Line: Initiate a bond yield convergence play: long 10-year Italian BTPs versus Spanish Bonos. And tactically overweight Italy’s MIB versus the Eurostoxx. Cryptocurrencies Will Rebound 60 Percent Cryptocurrencies are here to stay, because the underlying technology, the blockchain, is here to stay. Just as the internet’s major innovation was to decentralise and democratise information, the blockchain’s major innovation is to decentralise and democratise trust. Until now, counterparties without an established trust relationship could only transact through an intermediary who could provide the necessary trust overlay. But once each participant in a transaction trusts the blockchain itself, they no longer need to use a conventional intermediary, like a bank or a law firm. One major argument against the blockchain is that it is energy intensive and therefore prohibitively costly. But conventional intermediation also exacts a significant cost. Let’s say that the stock of excess savings that the banks intermediate to borrowers conservatively equals global GDP. If the risk-adjusted interest rate spread that banks charge for their intermediation role conservatively equals 1 percent, it means that this conventional intermediation is costing 1 percent of global GDP. Against this, global energy consumption equals roughly 5 percent of global GDP. So even if the blockchain consumed a fifth of the world’s energy, its cost might still be comparable to conventional intermediation. The plunge in cryptocurrencies during 2018 was exacerbated by the recent ‘hard fork’ in bitcoin protocol. But such hard forks are a necessary part of the evolutionary process – being analogous to a Darwinian mutation which eliminates the weakest protocols while allowing the strongest and fittest to thrive. In the latest fork, the battle was between those who want cryptocurrencies to remain a speculative asset with low long-term survival prospects, and those who want them to become a stable means of payment with high long-term survival prospects. A year ago almost to the day, we recommended selling bitcoin at a price of $18,000. Our rationale was that excessive herding required a price gap down to normalise liquidity. The subsequent decline in the price to $3500 today has rewarded that recommendation handsomely. But today, Litecoin and Ethereum are approaching an opposite tipping-point where the price may have to gap up to normalise liquidity (Chart 13 and Chart 14). Chart I-13Litecoin Is Oversold On A 65-Day Horizon Chart I-14Litecoin Is Oversold On A 130-Day Horizon Bottom Line: A compelling buying opportunity for the cryptocurrencies Litecoin and Ethereum. For a 50:50 basket, target a return of 60 percent. And on that positive note, I am signing off for the year. I do hope that you have enjoyed reading this year’s reports, but more importantly that you have found value in them. This publication’s philosophy is to think out of the box, independently and unconstrained, never to shirk from challenging the received wisdom, and ultimately to provide successful investment ideas. We promise to continue this way in 2019! It just remains for me to wish you a very happy holiday season and a prosperous new year. Dhaval Joshi, Senior Vice President Chief European Investment Strategist dhaval@bcaresearch.com Fractal Trading Model* As discussed in the main body of this report, this week’s recommended trade is to buy a 50:50 combination of Litecoin and Ethereum. Set a profit target of 60 percent with a symmetrical stop-loss. As also discussed in the main body of this report, remain tactically overweight Italy’s MIB versus the Eurostoxx. For any investment, excessive trend following and groupthink can reach a natural point of instability, at which point the established trend is highly likely to break down with or without an external catalyst. An early warning sign is the investment’s fractal dimension approaching its natural lower bound. Encouragingly, this trigger has consistently identified countertrend moves of various magnitudes across all asset classes. * For more details please see the European Investment Strategy Special Report “Fractals, Liquidity & A Trading Model,” dated December 11, 2014, available at eis.bcaresearch.com. Fractal Trading Model Recommendations Asset Allocation Equity Regional and Country Allocation Equity Sector Allocation Bond and Interest Rate Allocation Currency and Other Allocation Closed Fractal Trades Trades Closed Trades Asset Performance Currency & Bond Equity Sector Country Equity Indicators Bond Yields Chart II-1 Chart II-2 Chart II-3 Chart II-4 Interest Rate Chart II-5 Chart II-6 Chart II-7 Chart II-8
Dear Client, This will be the last Global Investment Strategy report of 2018. Publication will resume on January 4th. On behalf of the entire Global Investment Strategy team, I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Healthy New Year! Best regards, Peter Berezin, Chief Global Strategist Feature 1. Will the Fed raise rates more or less than what is priced into the futures curve? Answer: More. The fed funds futures curve is pricing in less than one rate hike in 2019 and rate cuts beyond then. In contrast, we think the Fed will raise rates three or four times next year and continue hiking into 2020. For all the worries about a slowdown, U.S. real GDP growth is still tracking at 3% in Q4 according to the Atlanta Fed, while consumption is set to rise by 4.1%. Ongoing fiscal stimulus, decent credit growth, rising wages, and a decline in the savings rate should continue to support the economy in 2019. Housing construction should also stabilize thanks to a low vacancy rate and a pickup in household formation. The fact that mortgage applications for purchase have rebounded swiftly in recent weeks is evidence that the housing market is not as weak as many people believe (Chart 1). Chart 1U.S. Housing: No Oversupply Problem, While Demand Is Firming 2. Will U.S. 10-year Treasury yields rise more or less than expected? Answer: More. Treasurys almost always underperform cash when the Fed delivers more rate hikes than the market is discounting (Chart 2). We expect a modest bear flattening of the yield curve in 2019, with rising bond yields nearly offsetting the increase in short-term rates. Most of the flattening is likely to come in the next six months, as slower global growth and the disinflationary effects of lower oil prices keep bond yields contained. As we enter the second half of next year, global growth should reaccelerate as the effects of Chinese stimulus measures fully kick in and the drag on global growth from the recent tightening in financial conditions dissipates. By that time, the U.S. unemployment rate will be in the low 3% range, a level that could trigger material inflationary pressures. Chart 2Treasurys Will Underperform If The Fed Hikes Rates By More Than Expected 3. Will the yield spreads between U.S. Treasurys and other developed economy bond markets widen? Answer: Yes, particularly at the short end of the curve. The Fed is still the one central bank that is most likely to hike rates multiple times in 2019, which will support wider differentials between Treasurys and non-U.S. bond yields. The greatest potential for spread widening will be for Treasurys versus JGBs. With Japanese inflation still stubbornly low and fiscal policy set to tighten from a hike in the sales tax, the BoJ will be in no position to abandon its yield curve control regime. The 10-year Treasury-gilt spread could also widen if the Bank of England is forced to stay on the sidelines until Brexit uncertainty is resolved. Likewise, the U.S.-New Zealand spread will widen as the RBNZ stays on hold due to underwhelming growth and inflation momentum. The U.S.-Canada spread will be range-bound, with the Bank of Canada coming close to matching, but not surpassing, Fed tightening in 2019. While the ECB will refrain from raising rates next year, the U.S. Treasury-German bund spread should narrow marginally if the end of ECB QE lifts bund yields via a recovery in the German term premium. There is more (albeit still modest) scope for a narrowing in the 10-year U.S.-Australia and U.S.-Sweden spreads, as both the RBA and Riksbank begin a tightening cycle. 4. What will happen to U.S. corporate credit spreads? Answer: They are likely to finish 2019 close to current levels. As a rule of thumb, corporate bond returns are highest when the yield curve is very steep, and lowest when it is inverted (Table 1). The former generally corresponds to the early stages of business-cycle expansions, while the latter encompasses the period directly preceding recessions. We are still in the intermediate phase, when excess corporate bond returns (relative to cash) are positive but low. This conclusion is consistent with the observation that corporate balance-sheet leverage has increased over the past four years, but not by enough to instigate a major wave of defaults. Table 1Corporate Bond Performance Given The Slope Of The Yield Curve (1975-Present) 5. Will the U.S. dollar continue to strengthen? Answer: The dollar will strengthen until the middle of 2019 and then begin to weaken. Three main factors determine the short-to-medium term direction of the dollar: 1) momentum; 2) interest rate spreads between the U.S. and its trading partners; and 3) global growth. In general, the dollar does well when it is trending higher, spreads relative to the rest of the world are wide and getting wider, and global growth is slowing (Chart 3). For the time being, momentum continues to work in the greenback’s favor. Spreads have narrowed a bit recently, but the dollar still looks cheap relative to what one would expect based on the current level of spreads (Chart 4). As in 2017, the direction of global growth will likely be the key driver of the dollar next year. If growth bottoms in mid-2019, as we expect, the dollar will probably put in a top. Chart 3Dollar Returns Driven By Momentum, Rate Differentials, And Global Growth Chart 4Wider Spreads Bode Well For The Dollar 6. Will global equities rise or fall? Answer: Rise. Our tactical MacroQuant stock market timing model finally moved back into neutral territory on Monday after having successfully flagged the correction that began in October (Chart 5). Having downgraded global equities this past summer, we will return to overweight if the ACWI ETF drops to $64, which is only 2.4% below yesterday’s close. The cyclical backdrop for stocks is reasonably constructive. We expect the MSCI All-Country World Index to rise by about 10%-to-15% in dollar terms from current levels by the end of 2019. The higher end of this range would leave it slightly below its January 2018 peak (Chart 6). The index is currently trading at 13.3-times forward earnings, similar to where it was in early-2016. The U.S. accounts for over 50% of global stock market capitalization (Chart 7). As such, the U.S. equity market tends to influence non-U.S. stocks more than the other way around. Sustained U.S. equity bear markets are rare outside of recessions (Chart 8). With another U.S. recession unlikely to occur at least until late-2020, that gives global stocks enough room to rally. Indeed, history suggests that the late stages of business-cycle expansions are often the juiciest for equity investors (Table 2). Chart 5The MacroQuant Equity Score* Improves To Neutral Chart 6Global Stocks Have Cheapened Chart 7The U.S. Is The Dominant Equity Market Chart 8Recessions And Bear Markets Usually Overlap Table 2Too Soon To Get Out 7. Will cyclical stocks outperform defensives? Answer: Yes, although this is likely to be more of a phenomenon for the second half of 2019. Cyclicals typically outperform defensives when bond yields are climbing (Chart 9). Rising bond yields are usually a sign of stronger growth — manna from heaven for capital goods and commodity producers. As long as global growth is under pressure, cyclicals will struggle. But once growth bottoms in the middle of next year, cyclical stocks will have their day in the sun. Chart 9Cyclicals Tend To Outperform When Yields Rise 8. Will U.S. equities continue to outperform other global stock markets? Answer: Yes, but probably only until mid-2019. The U.S. stock market has less exposure to cyclical sectors such as industrials, materials, energy, and financials than the rest of the world (Table 3). Therefore, it stands to reason that an inflection point for cyclicals versus defensives will correspond to an inflection point for U.S. versus non-U.S. stocks. If this were to happen, it would resemble the period between October 1998 and April 2000, a time when bond yields rose, the dollar rally stalled, cyclicals outperformed defensives, and non-U.S. equities outperformed (Chart 10). Table 3Tech And Health Care Stocks Are Heavily Weighted In The U.S., While Financials And Materials Are Overrepresented In Markets Outside The U.S. Chart 10Will The Late-1990s Pattern Be Repeated? 9. Will oil prices rise more than expected? Answer: Yes. The December-2019 Brent futures contract is currently trading at $61/bbl (Chart 11). Our energy strategists expect Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut production by enough to push prices to an average of $82/bbl in 2019. Looking further out, the outlook for oil prices is less favorable. As every first-year economics student learns, prices in a competitive market eventually converge to average costs. Shale companies are now the swing producers in the global petroleum market. Their breakeven costs are in the low-$50 range, a number that has been trending lower due to productivity gains. If that is the long-term anchor for oil prices, it means that any major rally in oil is unlikely to extend deep into the next decade. Chart 11Oil Prices Will Recover 10. Will gold prices finally rally? Answer: Yes, but only in the second half of 2019. Gold prices typically fall when the dollar is strengthening (Chart 12). Given our view that the dollar will rally into mid-2019, now is not the time to be loading up on bullion. However, once the dollar peaks and U.S. inflation moves decidedly higher late next year, gold should become a star performer. Chart 12Gold Will Shine Bright After The Dollar Peaks Peter Berezin, Chief Global Strategist Global Investment Strategy peterb@bcaresearch.com Strategy & Market Trends Tactical Trades Strategic Recommendations Closed Trades
However, at this juncture, the global policy backdrop still favors remaining long the dollar and using any correction to build up larger long-dollar bets. Our BCA Fed Monitor continues to point to the need for tightening U.S. monetary policy. However, the…