Chief Economist & CIO
Summary: Big overnight action as Fed leads central banks in cutting interest rates by 75 bps to 0-25 bps target (Zero-bound) + an expansion of the balance sheet by USD 700 bln. Market however did not like the message and it limit-down until regular US open. ASX in Australia fell 10%, and we could see QE start later this week. Overall liquidity is extremely thin and solvency is the real issue.
What is our trading focus?
PHYS:arc – Physcial Gold ETF
LCOC:xlon – Cocoa close to go below 2003 low
US500.I – S&P500 CFD limit down – watch open
What is going on?
Policy makers is in total panic cutting rates and providing liquidity, governments are stepping up fiscal support, but remember there are three negative credit impulses: collapse of global demand and supply lines, plus energy war which is destructing capital in the energy sector. Policy makers can deal with one, maybe two fall-outs but not three right now.
China’s Jan-Feb data starting to come through: Retail Sales -20% YoY, Investment -13.5% YoY – this implies Q1 GDP of -10% YoY
Expect these numbers to be mirrored in Europe and the US.
Physical Gold trades at huge premium to paper gold. Check PHYS:arc vs. GDL;arc indicating ‘Dash for cash” still continues
Our US value model on MSCI USA Index is now back to average valuation. In 2008/09 it had to go to -2.5 standard deviation cheap before it turned. Goldman Sachs sees 15-20% drop in S&P500 earnings, we see 30% YoY drop.
EU Banks: -41%, Nikkei -29%, DAX -38%, NASDAQ -23% & S&P -24%.
Commodities: Deleveraging is and was the overriding theme among hedge funds. This was highlighted in the latest COT report covering the week to March 10. It showed that both long and short positions were being reduced. The biggest long reductions were seen in crude oil, gold, sugar, cocoa and cotton while short-covering was seen in natural gas, soybeans and corn.
Physical Gold has opened up a premium to paper gold and it highlights the current selling pressure in the futures market from funds in need to realise cash through the sale of liquid positions. Check PHYS:arc vs. GDL;arc indicating ‘Dash for cash” still continues
What we are watching next?
G-7 telephone conference @ 10.00 AM Eastern time (1500 CET)
The meeting is scheduled for 30 min only – Don’t expect major initiative, but it needs monitoring
Liquidity – S&P and NASDAQ limit-down into open at 14:30 CET. USDJPY Currency SWAPS (the price of $ funding for Japanese currency based investors) trades at 113 BPS vs. long average of 20 bps – This show global USD liquidity is very tight
US Mortgage market on the open as 30Y mortgage rates rose dramatically on Friday again indicating il-liquidity.
Calendar (times CET)
1500 – G-7 teleconference
EU Group meeting
Bond. Long Bond(s)
With real rates being too positive, we see three scenarios: Opportunity to lock in rates at cycle high, government overreach to keep the economy afloat or a complete reset of the economy.
Steen Jakobsen,
Chief Investment Officer
Is a bond bull market ahead? Inflation still poses a risk for investors, but the moment for increasing duration to your portfolio may be approaching towards the end of the year, when central banks might be forced to cut interest rates.
Althea Spinozzi,
Senior Fixed Income Strategist
The furious rate hike cycle has brought gains in the US dollar, but with stagflation risks in Europe and the UK and weakness in the Chinese economy, USD may have more room to run. But a strong dollar could also have repercussions for US growth, emerging markets and commodity prices.
Charu Chanana,
Market Strategist
With the cost of capital rising painfully, stagflation fears are back, illuminating the fragile state of the green transformation, while giving a tailwind to nuclear power, and threatening the growth of AI-related stocks.
Peter Garnry,
Head of Equity Strategy
With supply tightness not only in energy but all commodities, the momentum in commodity prices may continue, pressuring central banks to lower real rates. That could be a good setup for precious metals, including gold, silver and potentially platinum as well.
Ole S. Hansen,
Head of Commodity Strategy
As the pandemic showed, even the US Treasury can experience seismic shifts. With the government increasing the pace of issuing bonds to support fiscal spending, the complex Treasury market and regulatory constraints could spark a liquidity event.
Redmond Wong,
Market Strategist
The tide has turned for bonds. Given the current yields, bonds have become an attractive investment, with added benefits including lower risk than stocks, increased diversification and a steady stream of income unaffected by economic changes.
Peter Siks,
Investment Coach
