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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Feb 24th 2021
Beautiful In Heaven
Like the players on a rugby team, assets in a portfolio should both be all-rounders and excel at a specific job. For four decades, US treasuries both offered a stream of positive real yields and provided an anti-fragile portfolio hedge in times of market turbulence. Now however, Louis argues that US treasuries are at risk of falling from the position of anti-fragile favor.
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Gavekal Research
Cedric Gemehl
Feb 23rd 2021
No Exit
“We are not here to close spreads,” proclaimed European Central Bank president Christine Lagarde last March. “This is not the function or the mission of the ECB.” After the market took her at her word, Lagarde hastily back-tracked, and the ECB duly spent the following months doing exactly what Lagarde had said it would not.
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Andrew Batson
Feb 23rd 2021
To Hold Back The Tide Of De-Industrialization
China’s government is focusing on a new economic metric: the manufacturing share of GDP, which looks to feature in the next five-year plan. Rather than accept de-industrialization, it wants “stability” in manufacturing. In this piece, Andrew explains why China is worried about the fall in the manufacturing share, and whether it can be stopped.
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky
Feb 22nd 2021
Can Covid Vaccines Cure The Pound?
The British pound has been the strongest major currency so far this year, contrary to Anatole’s expectations at the end of 2020. In this piece he outlines three reasons for sterling’s outperformance, but maintains that in the long term the pound will be forced lower.
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Gavekal Research
Tan Kai Xian
Feb 22nd 2021
The Changing Composition Of US Inflation
Investors are all in a tizz about US inflation as the economy begins to normalize and the effect of a huge fiscal stimulus is factored into calculations. Inflation expectations are above the Federal Reserve’s target at 2.2% and energy base effects mean the personal consumption expenditure reading is sure to rise from December’s 1.3%. So far, market action has been focused in the bond market (see A Discussion On Treasury Yields) but equity...
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Gavekal Research
Cedric Gemehl, Nick Andrews
Feb 19th 2021
Draghi’s Reform Plan And Asset Prices
Newly installed as Italy’s prime minister at the head of a broad coalition, on Wednesday Mario Draghi outlined an ambitious agenda of structural reforms. Notably, the former European Central Bank chief wants to oversee a root-and-branch overhaul of Italy’s tax system, while investing in the education system and streamlining public administration. His first task will be to steer Italy through the pandemic. But beyond that, Draghi’s plans could...
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky, Louis Gave
Feb 19th 2021
A Discussion On Treasury Yields
In recent days, long-dated US treasury yields have made a clear move higher. Unless there’s a violent turnaround in the coming days, February will mark the seventh consecutive month of flat-to-negative returns for treasuries This is an important development, with potentially far-reaching investment implications. Anatole and Louis discuss the outlook for yields, and the consequences for asset prices.
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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand, Vincent Tsui, Tom Miller
Feb 19th 2021
Webinar: Emerging Markets In The Next Phase Of The Pandemic
Emerging markets have had a strong run, fueled by floods of stimulus in developed markets. Much of that money has flowed to Asia, where export sectors have thrived on rich-world consumers’ demand for electronics and other goods. The question is whether Asian EMs will be able to keep up this outperformance as they lag far behind in the vaccination race. Our team addressed these issues, and considered whether commodity-based EMs can again have...
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Ernan Cui
Feb 19th 2021
Stuck At Home For The Holidays
China spent the Lunar New Year indoors and online. Travel over the seven days of the holiday declined 77% from 2019 levels, but sales of major retailers increased by 4.9%. In this Quick Take, Ernan explains how holiday restrictions and the January Covid outbreak in north-eastern China has depressed services and boosted retail sales.
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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand
Feb 18th 2021
Geared To Global Recovery
Since the global recovery trade got going at the beginning of November, Japanese equities have performed respectably, returning some 24% in US dollar terms. But they have not outperformed. This is disappointing. With high operating leverage—the ratio of fixed to variable costs—and more than half their revenues generated overseas, Japanese corporates should be a clear play on global recovery. Indeed, the consensus-beating 3% QoQ rise in Japan’s...
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Feb 17th 2021
Optimization And Fragility
I have played rugby for most of my life, but in recent years I have seldom been injured. This is because I have grown heavier and slower. It is the guys who are fast and agile that tear knee ligaments and strain hamstrings. Why do I bring this up? Because investors need to ask whether the global economy is a slow but resistant lumbering beast of burden. Or is it a finely-tuned machine in danger of spinning off its axis? Gavekal has touched on...
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Gavekal Research
Tom Miller
Feb 17th 2021
China Versus The Anglosphere
Beijing’s ability to weaponize its global trade power is concentrating minds from Washington to Canberra. On Tuesday it was reported that China has proposed controls on the production and export of rare earths. This threat is the latest example of why reducing critical dependence on Chinese trade is now a strategic priority for many countries, in particular those in the Anglosphere.
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Wei He
Feb 16th 2021
The Next Steps On Hidden Local Debt
In 2021, China’s central government is gearing up to once again tackle the hidden debts of local authorities, toughening its stance after a couple of lax years. As Wei explains in this piece, the solution is likely to be a mixed one, combining limits on new borrowing, partial bailouts of some debt, and a lot of kicking the can down the road.
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Gavekal Research
Nick Andrews
Feb 16th 2021
The Long Bond Bait And Switch
Ultra-long bond issuance is back in vogue in Europe. This month Spain has sold €5bn of 50-year bonds at a yield of 1.45%, while Belgium snapped out a 50-year issue at 0.69%. In January it was France, which sold a 50-year at 0.59%. Next up is likely to be Italy, which is expected to take advantage of the tightening in spreads following the appointment of Mario Draghi as prime minister (see Draghi’s Return) to come to market with a 50-year of its...
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Gavekal Research
Vincent Tsui
Feb 15th 2021
The Importance Of Taiwan
Across Europe and the US, car plants are getting shuttered because of a shortage of microchips from Asia. This storm is centered on Taiwan, which for decades has been an unsung contract supplier of electronics and chemicals. For those who had not noticed, its firms now dominate high-end global chip production and current industry dynamics mean this grip is only likely to intensify.
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Gavekal Research
Tom Holland
Feb 15th 2021
Game Theory, With Complications
Devotees of game theory are set to enjoy a rare drama playing out in front of their eyes in the oil market over the coming months. Since April last year the price of Brent crude has more than tripled. Now, with production constrained, inventories being drawn down, and vaccines promoting hopes of a return towards normal economic activity, expectations are high of further near-term price gains.
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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand
Feb 12th 2021
A New Super-Cycle?
A surge in commodity prices has led to hopes for a new “super-cycle”. Bulls say that commodities have been in the doghouse for a decade, ensuring limited new capacity additions, yet demand is now getting supercharged globally by easy monetary and fiscal policies. Bears retort that commodity investors have a case of the vapors, as the next phase of global growth, especially in China, will be less resource-intensive.
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Gavekal Research
Yanmei Xie
Feb 11th 2021
The Trouble With Biden's Climate Plan
In a frothy market, few sectors are as pumped up as green plays. Since US markets bottomed last March, the Nasdaq composite has generated total returns of 105%. Over the same period the Nasdaq Clean Edge green energy index has returned 403%. Moreover, the outperformance has accelerated since early November, which suggests the green sector’s gains are being driven in part by hopes of a favorable policy environment under Joe Biden’s administration...
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Gavekal Research
Arthur Kroeber
Feb 11th 2021
Vaccines, Efficacy And Variants
Despite volumes of new information and the lightning creation of vaccines promising a path out of the pandemic, uncertainty remains. Almost daily we are bombarded with a mix of good news (the vaccines work really well!) and bad (new mutations resist vaccines!) that make it hard to know whether we should rejoice or despair. This note provides a framework for assessing these persistent uncertainties.
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Gavekal Research
Yanmei Xie, Will Denyer, Tan Kai Xian
Feb 10th 2021
Webinar: The Economic Impact Of A New Era
Vaccines, fiscal stimulus and cheap money are working together to bolster the outlook for growth and inflation in the United States. The US is also under new leadership with new priorities. Our US team of analysts explained what this all means for the economy and asset markets.
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