17/11/18: Nine in Ten in the Red: Asset Markets YTD Returns Signal Risk Repricing

According to a recent research note from the Deutsche Bank, 89% of global macro assets are posting losses on year-to-date basis. This is the highest level of losses in more than a century.

Given the scale of financial risk mis-pricing in equities and bonds markets in the post-QE period, we are likely to witness more downward movement in the assets valuations in months to come. A gradual deleveraging that the market trends have been supporting so far remains highly incomplete and requires more pronounced re-pricing of assets to the downside.

Read more on this here: http://trueeconomics.blogspot.com/2018/11/161118-horsemen-of-financial-markets.html. 

16/11/18: The Horsemen of the Financial Markets Apocalypse

My column for the Manning Financial  is now available here: http://issuu.com/publicationire/docs/manning_financial_november_2018?e=16572344/65613030.

15/6/18: Italian High Yield Bonds and Markets Exuberance

Nothing illustrates the state of asset valuations today better than the junk bonds tale from Italy. Here is a prime example from the Fitch ratings note from June 7:

"...longstanding Italian HY issuer and mobile operator WindTre sequentially refinanced crisis-era unsecured notes at 12% coupons into 3% area coupons by January 2018, despite losing cumulative revenue and EBITDA of 30% and 25%, respectively, and re-leveraging from 4x to 6x."

Give this a thought, folks:

1. We expect rates to rise in the future on foot of ECB unwinding its QE, the Fed hiking rates and monetary conditions everywhere around the world getting 'gently' tighter;
2. Euro is set to weaken in the longer run on foot of Fed-ECB policies mismatch;
3. WindTre issues replacement debt, increasing its leverage risk by 50%, as its revenue falls almost by a thirds and its EBITDA falls by a quarter;
4. WindTre operates in the market that is highly exposed to political risks and in an economy that is posting downward revisions to growth forecasts.

And the investors are piling into the company bonds, cutting the cost of debt carry for the operator from 12 percent to 3 percent. 

Per FT (https://www.ft.com/content/31c635f4-64df-11e8-a39d-4df188287fff): "Lending to corporates rose 1.2 per cent in the year to February 2018, according to the Bank of Italy, and the average interest rate on new loans was 1.5 per cent — a historic low."

Say big, collective "Thanks!" to the folks at ECB, who worked hard to bring us this gem of a market, so skewed out of reality, one wonders what it will take for markets regulators to see build up of systemic risks.

5/3/18: S&P upgrade and Russian markets reaction

Belatedly, on the S&P upgrade for Russian Sovereign Debt, here is a good primer from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/gadfly/articles/2018-02-23/russia-bonds-are-poised-to-come-off-the-junk-heap.

Markets repricing was quick on the news, when S&P did upgrade country bonds from BB+ to BBB: Russian dollar- and euro-denominated bonds rose across the maturity curve. Russia’s 2043 eurobond was up 1.4 cents to 115 cents in the dollar the day after the upgrade, while 2026 issue was up 0.69 cents to 105 cents, and the 2027 issue was up 0.72 cents to 101 cents. 5 year CDS fell 5 bps to 103 bps.

This was not a watershed, however, as Russian bonds been rallying (with some volatility) for quite some time prior, shaking off completely end of January extension of the U.S. sanctions.

A neat chart via BOFIT shows the improvement in the state of Russian fiscal position:

Russia spent 3 years in 'junk rating' lock up, much of it down to the U.S. and EU sanctions, rather than to any adverse dynamic in Russian sovereign default risks.

As BOFIT noted, "S&P Global Ratings noted that Russia’s macroeconomic policy has allowed the economy to adjust to lower commodity prices and international sanctions. The outlook for the Russian economy is stable. S&P’s rating for Russian sovereign foreign bonds now matches that
of Fitch, while Moody’s continues to apply a junk rating (Ba1). ... The Russian government currently faces no compelling need to borrow from abroad as the current fiscal outlook is rather good thanks to the rise of oil prices and fiscal discipline."

In 2017, Russia witnessed an 18 percent rise in Federal revenues, and an 8 percent increase in allocations to the Social Reserve Funds (spending from the funds rose 6 percent).

Russia retains the position, rather rare for any country, to be able to pay off its entire external Government debt from its sovereign reserves.

7/11/17: 800 years of bond markets cycles

An interesting new working Paper from the BofE, titled “Eight centuries of the risk-free rate: bond market reversals from the Venetians to the ‘VaR shock’” (Bank of England, Staff Working Paper No. 686, October 2017) by Paul Schmelzing looks at new data for “the annual risk-free rate in both nominal  nd real terms going back to the 13th century.”

Such a long horizon allows the author to establish and define the existence of the long term “bond bull market”

Specifically, the author shows “that the global risk-free rate in July 2016 reached its lowest nominal level ever recorded. The current bond bull market in US Treasuries which originated in 1981 is currently the third longest on record, and the second most intense.”

And plotting real debt bull markets (shaded):

Finally, the extent of the current bond bull market (since 1981) relative to previous historical bull markets is reflected also in the extent of yield compression (annualized) that has been achieved during each bull market cycle:

While the rest of the paper goes through three specific case studies of bull markets corrections, it is the first section - the one based on historical long-term data series - that poses the starkest evidence of just how exceptional (and thus risk-loaded) the current markets environment is. Looking at historic averages, and potential for historical mean reversion for yields, the current yield on U.S. 10 year paper will have to double, effectively increasing long-term risk exposure to widening fiscal deficits by the tune of 2.5-2.75 percent of GDP. The cost of carrying this level of indebtedness, when yields run 1.5-1.7 times the upper envelope of the potential rate of economic growth is a function of simple arithmetic. Currently, this arithmetic suggests that the U.S. will either have to figure out how to live with above 5% annual deficits and ballooning debt, or how to live within its own means.

14/10/17: Happy Times in the Rational Markets

Two charts, both courtesy of Holger Zschaepitz @Schuldensuehner:

In simple terms, combined value of bond and stock markets is currently at around USD137 trillion or 179% of global GDP. Put slightly differently, that is 263% of global private sector GDP. There is no rational model on Earth that can explain these valuations. 

Since the start of this year, the two markets gained roughly USD15 trillion in value, just as the global economy is now forecast to gain USD3.93 trillion in GDP over the full year 2017. Based on the latest IMF forecasts, the first 9.5 months of stock markets and bonds markets appreciation are equivalent to to total global GDP growth for 2017, 2018, 2019 and a quarter of 2020. That is: nine and a half months of 'no bubbles anywhere' financial growth add up to thirty nine months of real economic activity.

Happy times, all.

31/12/15: 2016 Bonds Market Outlook

My take on 2016 outlook for bond markets for Manning Financial is available here: http://issuu.com/publicationire/docs/mf_newsletter_22122015_web?e=16572344/32155392 (see page 5)

Or you can click on the following images to enlarge

30/12/15: Blink by 25bps, chew through billions: U.S. rates 'normalization'

In a post yesterday, I mentioned USD3 trillion hole in global bonds markets looming on the horizon as the U.S. Fed embarks on its cautious tightening cycle. Now, couple more victims of that fabled 'normalization' that few in the markets expected.

First up, U.S. own bonds:

Source: @Schuldensuehner 

As noted, US 2-year yields are now at 1.09%, their highest level since April 2010 and roughly double January 2015 average. Now, estimated interest on U.S. federal debt in 2015 stood at around USD251 billion for publicly held debt of USD13,124 billion. Now, suppose we slap on another 0.55%-odd on that. That pushes interest payments on publicly held portion of U.S. debt pile to over USD323 billion. Not exactly chop change...

And another casualty of 'normalization' - global profit margins per BCA Research:
"Over the past two decades, the G7 yield curve has been an excellent leading indicator of global margins. Currently, not only are short-term borrowing costs becoming prohibitive, at the margin, but the incentive to raise debt and retire equity to boost EPS is diminishing. This suggests that profit margins have likely peaked for the cycle."

Here's a chart showing both:

Source: BCA Research

Now, absence of margins = absence of capex. And absence of margins = profits growth on scale alone. Both of which mean things are a not likely to be getting easier for global growth.

Now, take BCA conclusion: "Finally, global junk bonds are pointing to a drop in equities in the coming months, if the historical correlation holds. Indeed, we are heeding the bond market’s message, and are concerned about margin trouble and the potential for an EM non-financial corporate sector accident: remain defensively positioned."

In other words, given the leverage take on since the crisis, and given the prospects for organic growth, as well as the simple fact that advanced economies' corporates have been reliant for a good part of decade and a half on emerging markets to find growth opportunities, all this rates 'normalizing' ain't hitting the EMs alone but is bound to under the skin of the U.S. and European corporates too.

Good luck trading on current equity markets valuations for long...

1/12/15: Markets at a Lower Edge of Growth

During a number of recent financial conferences that I had an honour of contributing to, the repeated leitmotif of Q&As with the audiences has been: "Where's the value in today's markets?" This is hardly surprising, given the state of prime sovereign fixed income and equities markets (both overbought), corporate fixed income markets (closer to fair valuation, but with elevated spreads and volatility), and commodities markets (depressed by long running fundamentals of demand and supply). Short of investing in 17th century furniture futures or philately options, any investor today will be hard pressed to find a broader theme for a buy-and-hold allocation.

Now, the same anecdotal evidence is confirmed by the Morgan Stanley analysts:

Source: Bloomberg

So equities/fixed income allocations for traditionally structured neutral portfolio have converged in returns for both the U.S. and European markets and at levels not worth taking a punt at. Meanwhile, risk-adjusted returns have all but evaporated:

 Source: Bloomberg

A handful of quotes (all via Bloomberg):

"What is notable for 2016 is that, unlike past years, both our long- and short-term forecasts point to muted equity upside.”

"Having been positive on developed market equities in recent years, it is notable that all of our regional index targets now imply little upside for stocks in 2016. Morgan Stanley’s economists forecast that global GDP growth will nudge slightly higher next year (to 3.3 percent from 3.1 percent in 2015), but our regional earnings forecasts suggest companies are having a tougher time turning modest economic growth into decent profit growth."

"The flatness of the [efficiency] frontier means that the optimal portfolio will lie near the left-hand extreme of the red line for a variety of investor utility functions. Relative to prior later-cycle periods, growth looks weaker, central bank policy looks looser, and credit risk premiums are more elevated."

In summary, then: there is no story of growth and with this, there is no story of financial returns uplift. 

16/9/2013: A Liquidity Slush or an Equity Switch?

Three more charts from BIS Quarterly (http://www.bis.org/publ/qtrpdf/r_qt1309a.pdf), showing the switch of liquidity out of the Emerging Markets into Advanced Economies...

 And then from the Advanced Economies bonds into Advanced Economies equities with a small bounce up on Emerging Markets equities side too...

Two thoughts:

1. There is no yield-driven bounce anymore, so pricing is not a huge help in this process; and
2. Is this the end of the debt bubble and the start of the equities rise (structural, not nominal rise, driven by shift in corporate funding models) or is this a temporary slush of liquidity?

17/8/2013: Long-Term Great Unwinding for ECB?..

On foot of David Rosenberg's pressie on Long-Term Inflation strategy switch (link here), here's the ECB Monetary Policy dilemma illustrated.

First, the steep hill 'walking':

Per chart above, the wind-in-your-face breezing down the interest rates slopes for ECB is more severe than the Fed trip so far. And the duration of this episode is longer in the ECB-own historical context:

In fact, we are into 55th month now of staying away from the mean and that is for the euro era (already too-low by historical metrics) mean. Last two episodes of deviations lasted 30 and 33 months respectively. In severity terms: average overshooting post-revision in previous downward episode (June 2003 - June 2006) was -46 bps and in this period (since March 2009) it is currently running at -146 bps or 317% of the previous episode.

Good luck to anyone believing that ECB policy (repo) rate is not going to head for 3.75-4.0%...

16/8/2013: David Rosenberg Breaks Consensus on Long-Term Inflation

The most important note on the market written in the last 12 months, if not longer (and for those forward looking - the most important note written about the next 5 years plus):

http://www.gluskinsheff.com/Assets/Documents/Musings%20and%20Special%20Reports/Special%20Report%20-%20From%20Inflation%20to%20Deflation%20And%20Back%20-%20August%2014-2013.pdf

And 11 core snapshots from the ppt:

A must-read stuff!

12/6/2013: Bond Markets: Is Canary Kicking the Bucket?

I have written before about the prospect of the Fed starting unwinding of the QE operations. Here's my summary forward view.

Stage 1: the Fed will reduce the rate of QE print ('taper on'). This is inevitable and it is already driving 10-year Treasury yields up - in last 40 days, by some 50bps. The same is also inevitable for the Euro area, albeit via a different mechanism (unwinding of excess liquidity supply to the banks, plus scaling down of any expectations for OMT to kick in), driving the Bund up some 35bps.

In both cases, macro news-flows and inflationary pressures pointed to the opposite direction for yields. This is confirmed by the differences in risk pricing indices in the bond markets (MOVE index: Merrill Lynch Option Volatility Estimate (MOVE) Index on US Treasuries) as opposed to the equity market volatility index (VIX). MOVE has gone almost double from around 47-48 in early May to over 80 recently. Levels around 80 are consistent with the height of the peripheral euro area crisis back in 2012. Over the same period of time, VIX is up from around 13.0 to 16.0 and during the height of the euro area crisis it was averaging closer to 40.

Stage 2: In the follow up stage, the Fed will have to engage in more than simply scaling back new purchases. Here, the unwinding will begin in earnest and the Fed will have to sell longer-dated bonds into the market.

For now, we are just embarking on Stage 1. Emerging markets and corporate bonds, as well as euro periphery bonds are all signalling the same story: yields are pressured up. During May, US investment corporate bonds fell 2.7%, while junk bonds were down 2.3%.

Now, in the longer term,  when US gross interest rate rises relative to the euro area, forward exchange rate must rise relative to the spot and dollar will weaken forward. This covered parity relationship tends to hold over the longer periods of time under normal market conditions. In May-June so far, Dollar is 5% weaker than EUR, and over 2% weaker than CHF (linked to EUR). However, Dollar is stronger 22% than JPY and virtually unchanged on GBP, dollar strengthened with respect to the emerging currencies.

However, in the short run we are not in a normal economy. As US economy continues to improve, few things will happen:
1) The Fed will continue tapering on the QE in the short-term
2) Expected unwinding of QE (rising rates, instead of lower speed of purchasing of Treasuries as in (1)) will enter expectations in the market but in a longer term, rather than any time soon
3) Bond yields will continue rising and volatility will remain amplified. Long-term US equilibrium is for 10 years at 3.0-3.2% and short-term overshooting that range, for Bund - at current rates, around 2.5-2.8%.
4) Fed will be watching the speed of increases and manage unwinding process accordingly to keep yields from overshooting 3%-or-so target by a significant margin.

All of this means that news-flow will be crucial in months to come as it will be signalling both short-term and long-term changes to the Fed position (usual stuff about the rates), but also strategy (severity of (1) above, or switch to (2) from (1)).

In the short term, dollar will see pressures to appreciate as interest rates will remain intact at policy level and it will take time for higher Treasury yields to transmit into higher real interest rates in the US, inducing slowdown in the economy. Until that happens, economic recovery will be pushing up equities and USD.

In the longer run, however, this pattern will be altered: improved economic news will signal forward switch from (1) taper off to (2) unwinding. Yields will put pressure on real interest rates (3) and policy rates will move up. This will lead to subsequent devaluation of the USD toward equilibrium and a slamming of the breaks on the recovery.

The emerging markets and corporate bonds squeeze are not simple reallocations of liquidity. Truth be told, there is nowhere for liquidity to 'reallocate', given yields. Instead, these are early warning systems at work. Now, to see the underlying iceberg we are heading for, recall this http://trueeconomics.blogspot.ie/2013/04/2242013-who-funds-growth-in-europe.html


Updated: series of very interesting interviews on the issue of monetary exit: http://www.voxeu.org/article/exit-strategies-time-think-ahead

and an interesting post on term premia due to QE:
http://www.econbrowser.com/archives/2013/06/update_on_the_y.html