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Flows Potential: Fund Managers Remain Under-Weight Japan
by Jeremy Schwartz of WisdomTree, Inc.,
The recent bout of aggressive monetary policy easing by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), combined with the direct purchases of equities by the Japanese Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), has brought on a new period of positive sentiment toward Japanese equities.
Japanese Recession and the Referendum on Abenomics
by Team of Northern Trust,
Early this week, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he will delay to April 2017 from October 2015 the next phase of his countrys consumption tax hike. In addition, he dissolved the lower house of Parliament and announced that elections will be held on December 14.
The "Other" Problem for Bond Investors
For a while now, my firm and I have been devout in alerting our clients and blog subscribers to the issues that will confront them as investors if/when the more than three decades of generally falling U.S. interest rates reverses itself. But what if they dont rise much for a while, and instead stay around where they are?
The U.S. Labor Market - Show Me the Money
The U.S. labor market data has improved in the last six months now that many measures have reached cyclical highs. For the Federal Reserve though, this is not enough. They want to see this data feed through to a broader rise in incomes and wages, and ultimately spending. This will be necessary to bend the economic trajectory toward sustainably higher growth.
Investment Implications for UK DC Schemes in Light of Tax and Regulatory Changes
by William Allport of PIMCO,
With greater flexibility and choices available to DC savers in the latter stages of their career, we believe DC schemes need to reconsider their traditional pre-retirement approach to providing low-risk, income-orientated and pre-retirement investment portfolios. The primary immediate challenge for UK DC schemes is navigating the need for capital stability versus a portfolio that can generate a sustainable income stream for DC savers in retirement.
Indonesian Optimism
Southeast Asia represents one of the fastest-growing regions in the world today, and is one that we are excited about as investors. The Templeton Emerging Markets Group held our semiannual analyst conference in Jakarta in September, and one of the key reasons for choosing that location was to observe and discuss the changes and challenges on the ground with the new regime of President Joko Widodo. Ive invited my colleague Tek Khoan Ong to pen some thoughts on the outlook and investment opportunities in Indonesia today.
A Yield Play Without Any Yield?
by Roger Nusbaum of AdvisorShares,
On Friday a recently launched IPO fell about 15% on an earnings report that was poorly received by markets leaving the stock down 39% since its first day of trading in June. Naming names becomes difficult for compliance reasons but as a hint it is an infrastructure name and you would probably need to read the name two or three times to figure out the word.
Global Economy Worsening, But America is on Top
With President Obama making controversial moves on several fronts this month, it is tempting to go all politics this week. The president is threatening to grant defacto amnesty to five or six million illegal aliens, via Executive Order, even though he knows this is unpopular among the American people. Its as if hes in full denial regarding the landslide midterm election results.
Credit Markets Signaling Near-Term Caution
by Chris Puplava of PFS Group,
Since the S&P 500 bottomed at 1820 on October 15th, it is up roughly 12.5% and has seen only 6 down days in the last month. According to trading desks, steady growth in the U.S. and China, better-than-feared European economic data, and accommodative global central banks are the main causes for driving the market higher. Other bullish supports are an increase in foreign buying of U.S. equities and corporate buybacks.
Crude Oil?
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Integrity, Websters dictionary defines it as, The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. Recently the voters of America sent the D.C. crowd a message that they want integrity back in government. Consequently, I viewed the midterm election as a turning point. And, a turning point approaches on December 21st of this year. Thats when the Winter Solstice arrives.
A Mixed Bag, But Optimistic on the Consumer
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Inflation-adjusted consumer spending growth, 70% of Gross Domestic Product, rose at a lackluster 1.8% annual rate in the advance estimate for 3Q14. That figure is likely to be revised higher, but the pace is expected to remain disappointing relative to job growth (this year, we are on track to post the largest increase in jobs since 2005). The main restraint on spending appears to be the weak trend in average wages. Until the job market tightens a lot more, were unlikely to see a significant pickup in wage growth.
Next 12 Month Sales Estimates For MSCI North America Lowest Since 2009
by Team of GaveKal Capital,
Last week we looked at how sales growth estimates for the next fiscal year are now negative for five of the 10 MSCI World Index sectors. Today, we are again looking at estimates but this time from a forward 12-month perspective. Sales for the MSCI World Index are only expected to grow by 3% over the next 12 months according to estimates (blue line below). This is about 2% lower than expected in July. EPS for the MSCI World Index are expected to grow by 9% over the next 12 months which is about 1.5% lower than expected in July.
Ben Bernanke: Too Big to Fail
by Liz Ann Sonders of Charles Schwab,
I shared the stage at Schwabs IMPACT conference recently with former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke (a goose-bumpy experience). He was remarkably funny; but also firm in his views about the merits of the Feds extraordinary efforts to stem the tide of the financial crisis. Notably, he strongly pushed back on the notion that QE is an inflation accident waiting to happen.
Examining the Divergence between Equities and Credit
by Bradley Krom of WisdomTree, Inc.,
Over the last year, U.S. equities rallied, and credit spread generally tightened. However, in recent months, this winning formula has started to diverge. Concerns about global growth, potential changes in monetary policy and uncertainty from geopolitical risk weighed on investor sentiment.
Has Europes Recovery Story Turned Back a Page?
The European economy at large had been moving forward in the wake of the 20072009 global financial crisis and subsequent sovereign debt crisis, spurred by European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghis pledge to do whatever it takes to save the euro in 2012 and the implementation of austerity measures in the eurozone periphery. In recent months, the recovery seemed to have stalled, with some countries, including the eurozones engine of growth- Germany - flirting with recession.
Tinkering with the Core Bond Recipe
by Alison Martier of AllianceBernstein,
This is the time of year when, in almost every American household, the tinkerer in the family eyes the recipe box. Certain venerable traditions will make it to the Thanksgiving table intact. A cousin or an in-law is sure to bring an entirely new dish. And some traditional plates could use some freshening up. Thats the case with core fixed income.
Is This Purgatory, Or Is It Hell?
GMO is often accused of being a glass half empty investor, and I admit that in a year that has seen the S&P 500 rise 8.3%, MSCI All-Country World rise 3.7%, and the Barclays U.S. Aggregate rise 4.1% through the third quarter, the words Purgatory and Hell are unlikely to come to mind to most investors when opening their brokerage statements. It has been a dull year, perhaps, but certainly not a hellish one. So what is bringing Danteesque visions of damnation into our slightly warped minds?
Bubble Watch Update
by Jeremy Grantham of GMO,
As you may remember, the January Rule serves as a kind of barometer for the behavior of the market in the coming year. Historically, when January was down, the rest of the year had over twice the declines than one would expect randomly, far more mediocre months, and a very sub average return. But it is far from perfect and it had the unusual problem this year of bumping into the positive signal from the Presidential third year, which started for us on October 1.
The Beginning of the End of the Fossil Fuel Revolution (From Golden Goose to Cooked Goose)
by Jeremy Grantham of GMO,
The quality of modern life owes almost everything to the existence of fossil fuels, a massive store of dense energy that for 200 years had become steadily cheaper as a fraction of income. Under that stimulus, the global economy grew ever larger, more complex, more inter-related and, I believe, more fragile. Then around the year 2000 the costs of finding oil start to rise at over 10% a year, and with the global economy growing at only 4% oil starts to fall behind in affordability.
Putins World: Why Russias Showdown with the West Will Worsen
I grew up hating America. I lived in the Soviet Union and was a child of the cold war. That hate went away in 1989, though, when the Berlin Wall fell and the cold war ended. By the time I left Russia in 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed, America was a country that Russians looked up to and wanted to emulate. Twenty-three years later, a new version of cold war is back, though we Americans haven't realized it yet
Tracking the Market with Social Media
by Blair Jensen of Trade Followers,
The Trade Followers Twitter Momentum indicator for the S&P 500 Index (SPX) continued to drift this week as the market posted a small gain. It is attempting to turn down, but lack of confidence from the bears on Twitter is holding 7 day momentum up. The StockTwits indicator moved up into what is normally an overbought condition that has caused the market to pause in the past. Both streams are indicating that we should see some consolidation or sideways movement over the next week.
On My Radar: Stocks Remain Richly Valued
Shortly after each month end (after the most recent reported earnings numbers are posted), I like to run through a few of my favorite valuation charts to gauge level, asses risk and to get a sense for what the probable forward return may be. Fortunately, there is a great deal of historical data that can help us.
Risk Parity: Comparing the Objections With Reality Part 1
Over the last several years, risk parity has gained prominence as a general asset allocation approach as well as a specific strategy. Rising adoption rates of the approach have invited scrutiny from both practitioners and academics. We agree with some of the challenges identified by critics and have addressed them over time through our research agenda. Others, however, either do not apply to our version of risk parity or, at least to our knowledge, the approach in general.
Economic Data Continues to Impress, Driving Equities Higher
Once again, a combination of solid economic data, decent earnings results and receding fears of global deflation pushed stock prices higher. The S&P 500 Index rose for a fourth consecutive week, gaining 0.4%. The telecommunications and technology sectors showed particular strength while utilities and energy lagged.
These Go to Eleven
by John Hussman of Hussman Funds,
We have entered an environment in which extraordinarily thin risk premiums have been joined in recent weeks by a subtle shift toward increasing risk aversion. Present conditions couple every essential component of historically extreme and vulnerable market environments. The market has been dodging boomerangs, not bullets, and they are likely to come back harder for it.
Weekly Market Summary
by Urban Carmel of The Fat Pitch,
SPX, DJIA and RUT ended the week nearly unchanged from last week. NDX, which was unchanged last week, gained 1.5%. It's hard to say trend is not bullish: SPX, DJIA and NDX all made new highs intra-week; RUT briefly traded above its early September high before closing lower.
Weighing the Week Ahead: Time to Buy Commodities?
It may not be the exact bottom for energy stocks, but they are among the cheapest on a P/E basis. There is a lot of bad future news in current commodity prices, so the risk/reward balance has shifted. Many seem to start with the commodity prices and infer future economic weakness. This method is unreliable with a lot of false signals. I prefer to begin with economic data and then find the most attractive stocks. I provide more detail in Circular Reasoning about Commodities, including why I favor ESV and FCX.
Hard to Hit Two Targets at Once: The ECB ABS Asset Purchase Programme
by Felix Blomenkamp of PIMCO,
We believe that reviving the asset-backed securities (ABS) market is a better near-term goal, and the primary target of the European Central Banks (ECB) buying programme should be the new issuance market. Sizeable purchases by the ECB in the European ABS market carry the possible risks of crowding out established investors and suppressing interest in this asset class. By not crowding out existing investors while making the asset class more attractive to issuers and investors alike, the ECB has an opportunity to reach its ultimate goal to spur lending.
Volatility and Risk
by Heather Rupp of AdvisorShares,
Volatility has seemed to be the trend in markets over the past couple months. It was just a few weeks ago that we saw equity markets getting crushed, only to roar back and actually finish up for the month of October and back near all-time highs. It makes no sense to us that investors have no problem dealing with volatility in stocks, investing for the long run, as the stock market has historically gone up, but with the high yield asset class, we often see the risk on or risk off mentality, meaning investors think they should either be fully invested
Where You Finish Could Depend on Where You Start
It helps to be aware of the many possible outcomes and adjust your strategy to sync with the current record price highs in this popular market benchmark. Doing so can help you be more successful, regardless of what the next five years may bring. In this sense, it is not where you finish, its where you start.
Reality Check
by Bob Rodriquez of FPA Funds,
As many of you know, and for those of you who dont, Ive been a harsh critic of the fiscal and monetary policies that have been deployed these past several years. Since returning from my 2010 sabbatical in 2011, Ive been very cautious about capital deployment, as many of my successors will confirm. In light of the stock markets astounding rise since 2009 and five years of near zero short-term rates, Ive reassessed and challenged my basic fundamental understanding of how the financial markets operate.
Explore and Discover the Winners When Gas Prices Fall
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil for December delivery is currently priced at $75 per barrel, Brent for January delivery at $78 per barrel. Many investors, publications and news sources focus only on the drawbacks to falling oil and gas prices-don't get me wrong, there are many-but today we're going to give the spotlight to the biggest winners and beneficiaries.
Contemplating Stocks without QE
by Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital,
Some influences on the stock market are casual, subtle or open to interpretation, but the catalyst behind the current stock market rally really shouldn't be controversial. As far as stocks go, we have lived by QE. The only question now is, whether we will die without it.
Global Investing: Are Foreign Stocks Attractive?
One of todays most glaring inter-market divergences is the relative performance of US versus non-US equities. For dollar-based investors, non-US stocks have underperformed US stocks by a whopping 40% over the past five years. But are foreign stocks attractive at current prices? And if so, how much of my portfolio should I allocate abroad?
Mean-Reverting Profits and Other Things Worth Thinking About
by Lance Roberts of Streettalk Live,
Earlier this week I discussed the growing detachment between the stock market and the "real" underlying economy. One of the areas I touched on was corporate earnings that have been elevated by an immense amount of accounting gimmackry, cost cutting, and productivity increases. The problem, as I stated, is that historically earnings have grown 6% peak-to-peak before a reversion. Notice, I said peak-to-peak. The issue is that the majority of analysts now estimate that earnings will rise unabated for the next five years.
High-Yield Bonds & Oil Prices
by Team of LPL Financial,
The decline in oil prices and its impact on the high-yield market has been cited as a concern for investors. This week we stay on the topic of high-yield bonds and take a closer look at the potential impact of oil prices on the high-yield bond market and whether recent concerns are justified.
How the Long Bond Stole the Trophy
The aggressive bet many investors made on long-end rates in 2014 was the equivalent of betting on a Hail Mary pass to win the game. It has been rewarding, but is it repeatable? Probably not. Janus Fixed Income CIO Gibson Smith reflects on why he believes consistency beats the long shot, in sports and in investing.
Tired of Being Scared Yet?
Bull markets are based on climbing the proverbial wall of worry, and this cycle has been no different. We have consistently argued over the past five years that the current bull market could be one of the biggest of our careers. Both investors and corporations continue to act conservatively because of the uncertainty caused by a litany of issues. Uncertainty is typically the engine of bull markets.
Investment Update October 2014
Coming off a strong second quarter, stocks turned in a mixed performance for the three months ending September 30. The fundamental backdrop for stocks remained relatively stable, with interest rates drifting slightly lower and generally supportive news flow around corporate earnings, economic growth, inflation and Fed policy. While this familiar combination of factors has been hospitable for stocks, this past quarter reflected a growing unease about the prospects of further upside.
Results 7,051–7,100
of 19,868 found.
