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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand
May 10th 2018
Malaysia’s 92-Year-Old Populist
It is surely the most remarkable political comeback of recent history. At the tender age of 92, former prime minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad won a shock victory in Wednesday’s general election, ousting from power the coalition he himself headed for 22 of the 61 uninterrupted years it ruled the country—ever since independence in 1957.
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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand
May 04th 2018
EMs And The Oil Syndrome
Having fallen more than -10% from their late January peak, emerging markets are looking shaky. Higher yields, a stronger US dollar and rising oil prices have all contributed to a tough environment. In the face of big current account deficits, Turkey and Argentina look properly imperiled, with some saying that their troubles point to a bigger problem for emerging economies. I disagree. Not all headwinds are created equal, and what matters for EMs...
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Yanmei Xie
Apr 26th 2018
Constructive Make-Believe On The Korean Peninsula
With North Korea suddenly seeming happy to negotiate with its old adversaries, some analysts reckon the regime is buckling under US pressure. Yanmei says this is wishful thinking. Kim Jong-un probably believes he has achieved nuclear deterrence—and he is most unlikely to relinquish it. China and South Korea just want to avoid a US military strike.
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Gavekal Research
Tom Miller
Apr 25th 2018
Why India’s Growth Is Not Jobless
India desperately needs to create jobs if it is not to squander what may be the biggest “demographic dividend” in economic history. On the face of things, it looks to be blowing that opportunity, as in recent years the size of the workforce has actually shrunk. In this piece, Tom argues that the raw data obscures a picture that while not ideal, is far better than it looks.
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Gavekal Research
Will Denyer, Tan Kai Xian
Apr 25th 2018
Still Bond Bears
Matching its 2013 peak, the world’s most-watched interest rate—the US 10-year treasury yield—yesterday touched 3%. Concerns are now high that it will soon move higher, perhaps much higher. For perspective, the US 10-year hit 3.75% in 2011, 4% in 2010 and 5% in 2007. In this cycle, we think yields will break above 3% and then march upwards. In short, we remain bond bears and continue to recommend keeping duration short. Today, we want to...
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Apr 23rd 2018
Emerging Markets And Energy
We all know, don’t we, what defining characteristics the emerging markets have in common? Of course we do. Emerging markets are developing countries on course to become advanced economies, typically with the assistance of powerful demographic tailwinds. But although they enjoy rapid growth over the long term, their institutional architecture is still under construction. As a result, emerging equity markets are more volatile than those of the...
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Gavekal Research
Joyce Poon
Apr 20th 2018
A Japanese Sandwich
Shinzo Abe played a fair amount of golf with Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago, but unlike other US allies he got no trade concessions. The talk is again of the Japanese prime minister being a busted flush who may have to resign. Last month, I said such an outcome should not derail Japan’s recovery and corporate prospects (see Abenomics After Abe). The same logic applies to fears of escalating US-China trade tensions upending Japan’s recovery.
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Gavekal Research
Tom Miller
Apr 19th 2018
Dreaming Of A Better India
In a year’s time, 900 million Indians will be eligible to go to the polls in India’s general election. Two-thirds of them are likely to cast a vote, including 200 million aged under 30. Youth politics in India matters as nowhere else: the world’s biggest democracy has nearly as many young voters as the rest put together. So what do young Indians want, and who will they vote for?
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Gavekal Research
Arthur Kroeber
Apr 10th 2018
After Constructive Engagement
Separating signal from noise in the ongoing US-China trade dispute continues to be a thankless task. Trade war fears rose late last week thanks to an offhand threat from President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on another US$100bn of imports from China. They ebbed early this week when Trump reversed course and said a deal was likely soon, and Chinese president Xi Jinping delivered a speech promising a reduction in automobile tariffs and market...
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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand
Apr 06th 2018
Why To Buy India’s Battered Banks
India’s central bank surveyed the landscape and yesterday painted an upbeat picture. It argued that the investment cycle may be turning, while inflation, the sub-continent’s constant bugbear, is becalmed. With Indian equities off -6% in 2018, this would seem a decent reentry point. The problem is public sector banks, for even as a US$32bn recapitalization is rolled out and bad debt is cleaned up, investors remain spooked by an outlandish scandal.
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky
Apr 05th 2018
Reasons To Buy The Dip
After spending many years as Gavekal’s equity permabull, I joined Charles and Louis last December in warning of the risks to what was then a roaring, and accelerating, bull market. But my way of thinking about these risks was rooted in a different analytical framework, and so I have come to a different conclusion about how investors should respond to this latest sell-off (for Louis’ take, see Following Yesterday’s Pullback). With the lows of mid...
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Tom Miller
Apr 05th 2018
Video: Making Sense Of China's New Era
In this lively presentation from our recent London seminar, Tom Miller outlines the dramatic political changes that have been taking place in China. He explains what Xi Jinping’s new status means for economic policy and governance, and how the links between the Communist Party and the state are being strengthened.
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave
Apr 04th 2018
Ready For A Further P/E Derating
I see but through a glass darkly. Sometimes, however there are glimmers of light. Four months ago, in early December, I examined the signals being broadcast by the various investment rules I have long followed and concluded that: “While global markets have been stable for the past 18 months, we may soon be entering a period of greater instability.”
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Apr 03rd 2018
Following Yesterday’s Pullback
Two weeks ago I looked back at Enron’s collapse in 2001 and asked whether a crash-and-burn at Tesla or Uber would be this cycle’s catalyst for a fundamental re-assessment of business models. But perhaps my sights were set too low, as this roll-over was triggered not by a cash-burning profligate flaming out, but by turmoil engulfing the Facebook gorilla, and by extension the likes of Google and Snap, which rely on “the user being the product”.
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave, Anatole Kaletsky, Joyce Poon
Apr 03rd 2018
Strategy Monthly: Navigating In Choppy Waters
With its latest sell-off, the S&P 500 capped two months of volatility by moving officially into correction territory: down -10% from its January high, and below its 200-day moving average for the first time in two years. Is this the end of the long US equity bull market? In this edition of our Strategy Monthly, we offer three perspectives on how investors should position themselves in these more volatile times.
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Gavekal Research
Joyce Poon
Mar 29th 2018
Video: Can The EM Run Last?
In this video interview Joyce discusses why profits should drive a maturing cycle in EMs that increasingly favors commodity-focused markets outside of Asia, and the risks to such a benign scenario.
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Gavekal Research
Joyce Poon
Mar 29th 2018
Can EMs Survive A Trade War And Keep Thriving?
A US-China trade war would disrupt trade, likely drive up inflation and potentially spark a general risk-off move in markets. This scenario would be pretty terrible for emerging markets, but Joyce reckons it is a tail risk and the general outlook remains decent. In this chartbook, she reviews EMs' vulnerability to a trade bust and explains why profits should drive a maturing cycle that increasingly favors commodity-focused markets outside...
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Mar 26th 2018
Farewell My Lovely Bull Market
No doubt market pundits will go on discussing the trigger of last week’s sell-off in equity markets and debating its implications ad nauseam. But whatever the proximate cause of the latest risk-off, it is looking increasingly as if the uncomplicated, low volatility bull-market-in-everything that prevailed through much of last year is now no more than a pleasant memory. With markets apparently intent on retesting the lows set in early February,...
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave, Tom Miller, Cedric Gemehl, Anatole Kaletsky
Mar 23rd 2018
London Seminar — March 2018
In our seminar in London this week Charles pondered the investment consequences of the US moving back into an inflationary period. Tom discussed Chinese politics in light of Xi Jinping’s elevation. Cedric presented on how investors can best benefit from the diversity of the European economy. Anatole explained why the long-running global bull market is likely to continue, but also where the risks are buried.
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Gavekal Research
Will Denyer
Mar 16th 2018
Video: Fixing The Model
Earlier this week Will issued a mea culpa report that explained why he was revising his Wicksellian asset allocation model and substantially changing his recommendations for the US market. In this video interview he explains the story behind this revision.
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