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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave
Sep 19th 2019
The Industrial Disease (II)
Last week, Charles examined the decline of the US industrial sector, introducing his “industrial Wicksellian spread” as an indicator of environmental conditions for industry. Now he looks at the probable causes of industrial deterioration, explains why neither monetary nor fiscal policy can help, and uses his toolkit to draw some important conclusions for portfolio investors.
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Gavekal Research
Tom Miller
Sep 18th 2019
The Cost Of Cleaner Shipping
Right now, investors concerned about energy prices are focused on the attacks on Saudi Arabia’s processing facilities. But a possible conflict in the Gulf will not be the only emergent factor likely to affect oil prices over the coming months. New rules for cleaner shipping fuels, known as “IMO 2020,” also have the potential to roil global petroleum markets.
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Gavekal Research
Cedric Gemehl
Sep 13th 2019
Draghi's Fiscal Gift
As he pushed interest rates still further into negative territory and announced the resumption of quantitative easing on Thursday, outgoing European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi made clear that he was passing on the baton of policy stimulus—not so much to his successor, but rather to Europe’s finance ministries.
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave
Sep 13th 2019
The Industrial Disease (I)
Something ails the industrial sector. Since the 2008 crisis, the growth of US industrial production has failed to keep pace with the growth of the overall US economy. In this paper, Charles examines the industrial sector’s malaise using tools derived from the theories of 19th century Swedish economist Knut Wicksell. His conclusions are disturbing.
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Sep 12th 2019
The Three Waves Of Capitalism
Three great forces drive capitalism and markets: the Schumpeterian, the Ricardian, and the Malthusian. Usually only one dominates at any one time. The flood of capital into tech indicates investors believe that Schumpeterian creative destruction will continue to drive returns over the coming years. But Louis argues that a new wave may be about to take over.
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Gavekal Research
Nick Andrews
Sep 11th 2019
Up Against The Limit With The ECB
German savers face “custody fees” when depositing big sums at the bank, or get clipped 50bp when buying a euro-denominated money market fund. Such outcomes explain why a growing number of economists oppose calls for the European Central Bank to cut rates further and restart quantitative easing when it meets tomorrow.
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Sep 10th 2019
The Danger Of A Dumbbell Portfolio
Both bond and equity markets are signaling investors' belief that monetary policy will not only stay easy for as far as the eye can see, but actually get easier in the coming weeks and months. But what if they end up getting wrong-footed in their expectations of another wave of interest rate cuts, quantitative easing and other uber-dovish monetary policy measures?
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Gavekal Research
Nick Andrews
Sep 06th 2019
Video: Italian Politics Favors Bonds
Yesterday Italy’s new government took office, the 66th since 1946. Meanwhile, Italian bond yields have reached record lows. Nick attributes this to two factors. First the global bond rally. Second, the shifting winds of Italian politics away from the Euroskeptics to the Europhiles, which bodes well for Italian-European budget negotiations.
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky, Will Denyer, Louis Gave
Sep 05th 2019
Audio & Transcript — Gavekal Research Call September 2019
In yesterday’s conference call, Anatole Kaletsky, Will Denyer and Louis-Vincent Gave outlined reasons for recent dramatic moves in bond markets and made arguments for what comes next. Anatole also addressed Brexit developments and Louis discussed the situation in Hong Kong.
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Gavekal Research
Cedric Gemehl
Sep 04th 2019
Italian Politics And The Bond Market
On Tuesday, members of Italy’s left wing populist 5-Star Movement lent their support to the formation of a new coalition government with the Democratic Party. The new government, to be led by Giuseppe Conte, technocrat prime minister in the previous coalition, still has to secure a confidence vote in Parliament. But that should go through in the next couple of weeks. If it does, right wing populist Matteo Salvini—Italy’s most prominent...
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky, Will Denyer, Charles Gave, Nick Andrews
Sep 03rd 2019
Strategy Monthly: The Message From Bonds
Record low bond yields point to a deflationary catastrophe in the making. Yet growth data in the world’s two biggest economies remain decent. Could investors be reacting to a rupture in the international order? Gavekal analysts are not persuaded by such arguments and offer four alternative explanations for the “bond bubble”.
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky
Sep 02nd 2019
‘Do Or Die’ Boris Is Bullish For Sterling
Considering the political chaos that will descend this week on the UK, it may seem surprising that the pound has bounced back to its trade-weighted level just before Boris Johnson became prime minister. Or maybe it is not too surprising—if a “No Deal Brexit” is the only possible scenario that would justify a further weakening of sterling and other UK assets.
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Gavekal Research
Tom Holland
Aug 29th 2019
The Importance Of Oil
The world’s fixed income markets are priced for a severe bout of demand destruction and deflation. Yet, outside Europe at least, growth in the world’s major economies continues to tick over. However, could a sudden oil price rise spark an uptick in inflation pressure that triggers an abrupt repricing in which bond yields spike sharply higher?
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky
Aug 26th 2019
Europe’s Victimhood Culture
The biggest threat to world economic growth today is not the US-China trade war, but German exceptionalism. Even as Germany has suffered the greatest growth downgrades of any major economy, its politicians have obstinately rejected any Keynesian fiscal expansion. Now calls are mounting for a policy U-turn, but Anatole isn’t holding his breath.
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Aug 23rd 2019
Video: The Anatomy Of The August Panic
As more and more government bonds around the world slide into negative yield, investors can draw one of two conclusions: either the world faces an economic meltdown, or there is a buying panic in safe assets. But although there is indeed a synchronous global slowdown in growth, Louis favors the latter explanation.
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Gavekal Research
Nick Andrews
Aug 22nd 2019
Germany’s Fiscal Firepower
Uniquely among the world’s big economies, Germany runs a budget surplus, in accordance with the “debt brake” written into its constitution following the 2008-09 financial crisis. This means Berlin could, in theory, deploy considerable fiscal firepower even within the current rules, and a great deal more if it chose to bend or rewrite them.
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave
Aug 21st 2019
German Banks And The Dollar
I am certainly no technical analyst, but I do have a good memory. The story of major financial crises can be told with reference to the US dollar’s movements against the euro (and its antecedents). It now looks to have reached a significant juncture, especially with Italy moving toward another period of political instability.
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Gavekal Research
Tan Kai Xian
Aug 19th 2019
The Diminishing Market Impact Of Tariffs
After the US imposed its first major round of tariffs on Chinese goods last September, the S&P 500 sold off by -20%. After the second round went into force, it fell -6.8%. And since President Trump announced a third round, it has sold off by -6.1%. It seems each successive escalation in the trade war is having a smaller impact on the US stock market.
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky
Aug 19th 2019
When The World Goes To Hell
Anatole has previously argued that the correlation between inverted yield curves and recessions has very little predictive significance. In this piece he updates that view to argue that inverted yield curves have no predictive significance whatsoever. For this reason, he thinks that equity investors have gotten their reaction to recent developments about right, while bond investors are all in a muddle.
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Aug 14th 2019
The Surge In Anti-Fragile Assets
The latest round of data releases appears to confirm fears that the world is facing another synchronous global downturn. If so, it will be different from other slowdowns, in that it will not have been caused by rising interest rates or higher energy prices. What’s more, it will be setting in when there is little prospect of a globally coordinated response, when monetary policy appears to have lost traction, and when asset prices are looking...
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