from MacroScope:
Central bank balance sheets: Battle of the bulge
Central banks across the industrialized world responded aggressively to the global financial crisis that began in mid-2007 and in many ways remains with us today. Now, faced with sluggish recoveries, policymakers are reticent to embark on further unconventional monetary easing, fearing both internal criticism and political blowback. They are being forced to rely more on verbal guidance than actual stimulus to prevent markets from pricing in higher rates.
How do the world’s most prominent central banks stack up against each other? The Federal Reserve was extremely aggressive, more than tripling the size of its balance sheet from around $700-$800 billion pre-crisis to nearly 3 trillion today. Still, the ECB’s total asset holdings are actually larger than the Fed’s – it started from a higher base.
The Bank of England, for its part, went even deeper into uncharted territory, with its assets as a percentage of GDP surpassing the Fed’s. By the same measure, the ECB has overtaken the Bank of Japan, which has been grappling with deflation for some two decades and started from a much higher level.
Taken together, the expansion in reserves is impressive – and speaks to just how deep the global recession proved to be.
Emerging Markets: the love story
It is Valentine’s day and emerging markets are certainly feeling the love. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch‘s monthly investor survey shows a ‘stunning’ rise in allocations to emerging markets in February. Forty-four percent of asset allocators are now overweight emerging market equities this month, up from 20 percent in January — the second biggest monthly jump in the past 12 years. Emerging markets are once again investors’ favourite asset class.
Looking ahead, 36 percent of respondents said they would like to overweight emerging markets more than any other region, with investors saying they would underweight all other regions, including the United States. Meanwhile investor faith in China has rebounded with only 2 percent of investors believing the Chinese economy will weaken over the next year, down from 23 percent in January. China also regained its crown of most favoured emerging market in February.
Last year, the main EM index plummeted more than 20 percent as emerging assets fell from favour. So what is the reason for this renewed passion in 2012?
Firstly December’s LTRO — a multi-billion euro liquidity arrow from the cupids at the ECB has revived investor appetite for riskier emerging assets, boosting the index to around six-month highs since the start of the January. A second significant factor behind the resurgence in risk sentiment is that the market is daring once again to hope for an improvement in global growth, says Gary Baker, BofAML Global Research head of European equities strategy.
The big beneficiaries of all this have been emerging markets. It’s not just about liquidity. Clearly the actions of the ECB have been vitally important… but what you’ve also seen is an improvement in global growth optimism. If optimism over growth is improving then there may well be a more fundamental underpinning to the movement.
So is investors’ new-found love for emerging assets a passing flight of fancy or a true sign of commitment?
The significant monthly improvement in market sentiment towards emerging markets and the 44 percent level of investors overweight emerging markets are both events which have historically coincided with short-term underperformance by emerging equities, Baker says.
from Jeremy Gaunt:
The unsyncopated rhythm of central banks
The European Central Bank is off and running with its tightening cycle -- raising by 25 basis points last week and talking in tongues enough to persuade markets that another hike is coming by July. At the same time, the Fed -- despite some hawkish comments recently about QE -- isn't seen actually tightening for some time. Next year, actually.
Bank of America-Merrill Lynch is now wondering whether there is something wrong with this. " Surely one of these central banks is heading to a painful policy mistake? " it says.
Key to the question is the fact that U.S. and euro zone economics are not as far apart normally as one might think. Take growth, where there is a 0.6 positive correlation between the two across business cycles. Or inflation. The correlation there is even greater at a positive 0.75 over a whole economic cycle.
So the two economies are pretty correlated. But the United States is usually ahead in changing gears with monetary policy, with the ECB -- and its economy -- lagging.
BofA -Merrill notes that this pattern was shattered last week when the ECB went first. "Assuming both central banks continue to be as responsive to growth and inflation as they have been in the past," it writes, "the ECB’s sprint ahead of the Fed suggests something fundamental is no longer in sync."
from MacroScope:
The nuclear option for financial crises
They finally realised how serious it was. With stock markets tumbling, bond yields on vulnerable debt blowing out and the euro in danger of failing its first big stress test, the European Union and International Monetary Fund came out with a huge rescue plan.
At 750 billion euros (500 billion from the EU; 250 billion from the IMF), the rescue package is the equivalent of taking a huge mallet to a loose tent peg. Add to that an agreement among central banks to help out and the actual purchase of euro zone bonds by Europe's central banks and you turn the mallet into a pile driver.
That tent is not going anywhere for now.
Does this remind anyone of anything? How about a lot of small attempts to stop the subprime/Lehman crisis failing, only to be followed by the likes of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program in the United States?
Is the message here that markets are no longer going to respond to small, incremental attempts to stop crises building and that what they expect now is the nuclear option?
The Big Five: themes for the week ahead
Five things to think about this week:
APPETITE TO CHASE? - Equity bulls have managed to retain the upper hand so far and the MSCI world index is up almost 50 percent from its March lows. However, earnings may need to show signs of rebounding for the rally’s momentum to be sustained. Even those looking for further equity gains think the rise in stock prices will lag that in earnings once the earnings recovery gets underway, as was the case in past cycles. The symmetry/asymmetry of market reaction to data this week — as much from China as from the major developed economies — will show how much appetite there is to keep chasing the rally higher.
TAKING CONSUMERS’ PULSE - A better picture of the health of the consumer will emerge this week as U.S. retailers’ earnings coincides with the release of U.S. July retail sales data and the UK BRC retail survey comes out on the other side of the Atlantic. With joblessness still rising, the reports will show how willing households are to spend and whether deep discounts, which eat into retailers’ profit margins, are the only thing that will tempt them to shop — both key issues for the macroeconomic and corporate outlook.
CENTRAL BANK WATCH - After last week’s Bank of England surprise, all eyes turn to what sort of signals the U.S. Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan will send on the outlook for their respective economies and QE programmes. After the BOE’s expansion of its QE programme the short sterling strip repriced how soon UK rates would rise. But the broader trend recently in the U.S., euro zone and the UK has been to discount rate rises in 2010 — and possibly as soon as this year in Australia. Benchmark interbank euro rates have risen for the first time in two months, and central bankers everywhere, including China, face the delicate balancing act of managing monetary tightening expectations in the months ahead.
PRICE PROTECTION -This week’s inflation data (from Germany, France, Italy, euro zone, U.S.) is unlikely to contain any nasty surprises. But the U.S. Treasury’s willingness to consider bringing back the 30-year TIPS suggests that enough investors and reserve managers are looking beyond current subdued price data to future inflation risks from QE programmes, etc. That will ensure a close eye is kept on breakevens and whether the main issuers of inflation-linked products in the euro zone are inclined to increase issuance of such products.
TRADE - Official resistance to currency appreciation has been evident in some developed countries (Switzerland, RBA, RBNZ, among others) and there are suspicions that some Asian central banks may also be inclined to check such trends given the fierce competition among the world’s exporters to grab what orders there are. Trade data this week will show how trade flows are faringand the extent to which Chinese economic activity is driving them.
The Big Five: themes for the week ahead
Five things to think about this week
TUSSLE FOR DIRECTION - The tussle between bullish and bearish inclinations — with bears gaining a bit of ground so far this month — is being played out over both earnings and economic data. Alcoa got the U.S. earnings season off to a good start but a heavier results week lies ahead and could toss some banana skins into the market’s path. Key financials, technology bellwethers (IBM, Google, Intel), as well as big names like GE, Nokia, Johnson and Johnson will offer more food for thought for those looking past the simple defensive versus cyclical split to choices between early cylicals, such as consumer discretionaries, and late cyclicals, such as industrials, based on the short-term earnings momentum. Macroeconomic data will need to confirm the picture painted by last week’s unexpectedly German strong orders and production figures to give bulls the upper hand.
FINANCIAL FOCUS - The heavy financial results slate (Goldman, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Citi) will show the extent to which balance sheets are being cleansed of toxic assets and the health of, and outlook for margins, trading revenues, etc. The relative performance of the firms reporting could put the spotlight on the split between investment banking and retail exposure. In Europe, Swedbank’s results will be watched for Baltic exposure while clarity is still being sought on what banks plan to do with the large chunk of ECB one-year money which they continue to park back at the ECB in the form of overnight deposits.
JAPANESE DILEMMA - The BOJ’s policy meeting poses thorny questions on quantitative easing (QE), with the policy debate complicated by sharp gains in the yen. The yen has risen as much as 10.5 percent in three months against the dollar and is nearing the 90 threshold which is viewed by the foreign exchanges as the point at which the Japanese authorities start ratcheting up the rhetoric. Further sustained yen gains will fuel market debate about the fallout for carry trades and for exporters — and by extension economic activity.
HOOKED ON QE - The sharp jump in yields in gilts, euro zone debt, and Treasuries seen after the Bank of England deferred any decision on expanding its QE programme gave a good indication of how bond markets could react when central banks flag that the QE taps will finally be turned off for good. Implementation of exit strategies may be some way off and producer and consumer price data from both sides of the Atlantic this week are likely to be subdued. However, base effects from the oil price peaks of 2008 are expected to fade in the coming months, leaving a less supportive inflation backdrop.
CHINA - The FX reserve debate was aired by the highest-ranking Chinese politician to date at L’Aquila summit and U.S. TICs data this week should keep the reserve holdings issue on the boil. Attention is also on Chinese domestic/trade policy following violence in Xinjiang and strains in relations with Australia over Rio Tinto staff detention. Any escalation in either could prompt investors to review the potential for regional outperformance.
The Big Five: themes for the week ahead
Five things to think about this week:
STALLING RALLY - The global equity market rally has stalled in June and is threatening to go into reverse. With this week effectively the last full week of the second quarter, the temptation for many funds to book profits on such a lucrative quarter will be high. Any knock on boost to volatility would pose more risks for some of the trades that looked the most attractive in a lower volatility environment, such as cyclical versus defensives plays, emerging markets, and foreign exchange carry trades.
POLICY, SUPPLY RISKS FOR BONDS - How the U.S. Federal Reserve will respond to the interest rate market gyrations of the past month has been a key market talking point. Questions centre on whether it will expand the size of buybacks, whether there will be any change in the length of time the buyback programme lasts, whether the central bank makes any effort to unwind the rise in bond yields seen in the past months, and whether there will be any talk of an exit strategy. Another risk to the front end will be the Treasury refinancing, which resumes after a week of no supply and will be concentrating on the shorter end.
WHAT COLOUR ARE THE SHOOTS - This week’s data will show both whether the inventory rebuilding that was priced in over recent months is actually materialising and whether there are any other drivers of economic activity out there. The flash PMI in Europe and sentiment indicators will be particularly relevant in deciding on the latter issue, with consumer and income data out from both sides of the Atlantic providing an additional window on how domestic demand is shaping up.
CENTRAL BANK CASH - There is potential for significant take up at the ECB’s first one-year tender this week and some are speculating that the injection of large amounts of money into the market could drive down short end rates sharply. Most recent anecdotal evidence suggests firms are still facing tight credit conditions but confidence in financial stabilisation is a pre-requisite if banks are to lend on. This is leading to speculation of where else the money might be parked in the interest rate or fixed income universe. There are also question marks over whether any of the money might leak outside the euro zone — and what, if any, are the potential FX implications of such seepage.
EMERGING MARKET RISKS - Higher volatility spells underperformance in the emerging market universe and has raised questions over the risks in individual countries — e.g. Turkey’s IMF deal; Latvia’s political difficulties in winning acceptance for budget cuts; the possibility of the Iranian domestic upheaval gaining market attention; and ructions within the Saudi banking sector. The shifting sentiment suggests potential hurdles for heavy third quarter corporate and government refinancing needs, especially in central and eastern Europe, not least given that the heavy issuance plans of better-rated developed market sovereigns pose crowding out risks.
from MacroScope:
Big five
Five things to think about this week:
-- IS RATE OF ECONOMIC CONTRACTION SLOWING? Some economic reports have been pointing to a slowdown in the pace at which economic conditions are deteriorating -- eg U.S. home sales data; auto sales data; PMIs; UK lenders seeing improved credit availability in Q2, and PMI data. While job destruction is continuing apace, signs that inventories are being drawn down leave room for hope for those inclined to look for the silver lining, or even seek a bottom to the current downturn.
-- REBOUND MOMENTUM Investors are wondering whether equity markets can extend a solid Q2 start now that major fiscal stimulus announcements, rate cuts, QE (in most developed economies), the London G20 meeting, and other big milestones are largely behind them. A sustained narrowing of corporate spreads, the VIX clearly breaking out of ranges that have held post-Lehman, and any shift out of defensive stocks are just some of the signals that would suggest that the rebound has legs.
-- QE CLUB The European Central Bank opted to wait another month before deciding on whether to join the QE club and unexpectedly left itself room for a further refi cut. By contrast, curveballs are unlikely from Bank of England and Bank of Japan policy meetings given their quantitative easings are under way. The relative performance of their respective sovereign debt markets is in focus as a result, as are the inflation outlooks being priced in by index-linked paper at a time when some are pondering the longer-term fallout of QE policy. The Reserve Bank of Ausstralia also meets this week week but markets finding it tough to call the outcome.
-- EMERGING The MSCI emerging market index's year-to-date performance is in positive territory and investors' willingness to venture further into these waters could rise given the International Monetary Fund is ready for new business with a hefty increase in resources and has found its first client for the new credit line that doesn't impose conditionality for those strong economic track records. Just knowing such a backstop is there could foster confidence in well-run emerging economies and see their outperformance against less well-thought-of peers become even more pronounced.
-- FIXING BANK BALANCE SHEETS A drive to improve health of financial sector balance sheets is being pursued at regulatory/industry/firm levels. M&A activity, rights issues, and bond buybacks or exchanges are being deployed to improve health of bank capital. Relaxation of mark-to-market rules in the U.S. is expected to flatter Q1 earnings results -- and has already helped U.S. financials. Interest in how many U.S. banks plump for the option given not all European banks moved away from market-to-market rules when given the choice in 2008. Stock markets look more inclined to hope for a break in financial sector gloom.
from MacroScope:
Is the ECB driven by pride?
All the G7 countries outside the euro zone now have interest rates of 1 percent or less, prompting some grumbling in various financial quarters that the European Central Bank is being particularly stubborn in keeping its rates at 2 percent.
Now comes an interesting take on this from JPMorgan Asset Management which suggests the gap may have more to do with egg on the face than monetary policy.
"There is a school of thought," it writes in a new note "that the ECB has been in a state of denial ever since it decided to raise rates last July. An organisational behaviourist would observe a desire to preserve 'face' in the deliberate way by which the central bank has reversed its previous tightening stance."
Whether this is the case or not, it does not bode well for European equities or the euro itself, the firm says, arguing that equities are further away from being upgraded than U.S. stocks as one result of the higher rates. As for the euro , JPMorgan AM says there is plenty of scope for it to be punished.
