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Gavekal Research
Vincent Tsui
Dec 05th 2019
Carry Is Still King In Asia
With the Federal Reserve firmly set in easing mode and the US heading into an unpredictable election season, there are good reasons to think the US dollar could be set for a period of weakness. A key beneficiary could be Asian currencies, which as a group are down about -10% against the global reserve currency in the last five years.
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Gavekal Research
Udith Sikand, Tom Miller
Dec 04th 2019
India Macro Update: Stuck In A Rut
After India’s economic growth rate slumped to a six-year low in the third quarter, the government of Narendra Modi is throwing fiscal caution to the winds in an attempt to juice up growth. Some form of recovery is likely over the coming quarters, but any loss of confidence among the foreign investors will leave asset prices vulnerable to hefty losses in US dollar terms.
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Gavekal Research
Andrew Batson
Dec 04th 2019
The New Champion Of Monetary Conservatism
The People’s Bank of China and the Bundesbank have never been known to be close. But Yi Gang, the Chinese central bank governor, is starting to sound German in his views on monetary policy. He argues that negative interest rates and quantitative easing have been a failure, and China must stick with conventional policy and positive rates.
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Rosealea Yao
Dec 03rd 2019
The Back Door Is Still Closed
A slew of new government policies has boosted market expectations for China’s infrastructure spending in 2020. But Rosealea counsels caution: while new measures have opened the “front door” of approved funding a bit wider, more important is that the “back door” of shadow financing remains firmly closed. A big rebound in public works is unlikely.
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Gavekal Research
Nick Andrews, Cedric Gemehl
Dec 03rd 2019
The Long Slow Road To German Fiscal Expansion
To read the media headlines, you would either think that Germany’s coalition government is on the brink of collapse, or that Europe’s largest economy is on the eve of a massive fiscal expansion. The headlines are exaggerated. Yes, at the weekend the coalition’s SPD partner did elect a duo of free-spending leftists as its new leaders. But the government is likely to survive intact for its remaining two years. And although political thought in...
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Gavekal Research
Anatole Kaletsky
Dec 02nd 2019
Learn To Stop Worrying And Love The Pound
Sometimes, markets just get things wrong. Since early January investors have been panicking about a “no deal” Brexit, and I have been urging clients to buy sterling. Not because I became less gloomy about the damage that will be done to Britain by any form of Brexit, but because a “no deal” rupture is the one version of Brexit that can be confidently ruled out.
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Gavekal Research
Research Team, Tom Holland
Dec 02nd 2019
Strategy Monthly: Risk Assets In 2020
World stock markets have enjoyed a solid couple of months as geopolitical risks have abated and the manufacturing slowdown appears to have leveled off. With major central banks all printing money simultaneously for the first time since the financial crisis, and fiscal policy easing at the same time, there are good reasons to believe the rally will be sustained into 2020.
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Gavekal Research
Simon Pritchard
Nov 29th 2019
An American Intervention
After easily passing both houses of Congress, Donald Trump had little choice but to sign bills dictating the US government’s treatment of Hong Kong. Its significance will be determined by Beijing’s response, and for now that is likely to stay focused on achieving an interim trade deal that delivers a roll-back on US import tariffs.
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave, Will Denyer, Tom Miller, Anatole Kaletsky, Udith Sikand, Arthur Kroeber
Nov 28th 2019
Seminar Series Multimedia — Fall 2019
Partners and analysts present their core ideas for the big economic regions and global markets heading into the year-end and looking forward to 2020.
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Gavekal Research
Tan Kai Xian
Nov 28th 2019
The Earningless Equity Rally
In the third quarter, US macro-level domestic earnings fell -1.9% year-on-year. Behind this squeeze lies a weak sales picture tied to trading uncertainty and a rise in wages. In the near term, both factors could intensify. Yet there is nothing especially new in weak US profits and a ripping equity market. There are, in fact, three reasons to think this situation can be sustained.
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Thomas Gatley
Nov 27th 2019
How To Get Comfortable With Chinese Equities
The inclusion of Chinese onshore equities in global indexes has catalyzed a wave of interest from global investors. But for foreign investors to really get comfortable with Chinese stocks, Thomas argues, they need to grasp the many issues not addressed by index inclusion such as volatility, leverage, regulatory risk and corporate governance.
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Gavekal Research
Cedric Gemehl
Nov 27th 2019
The Upside Of Downing Tools
A year after the eruption of the gilet jaune protests forced Emmanuel Macron to scrap planned fuel tax increases, the French president is facing fresh opposition to his program of structural reforms.On December 5, a coalition of labor unions is promising to down tools in an “unlimited” strike against the government’s proposed overhaul of France’s state pension systems.
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave
Nov 26th 2019
The VIX, Fragility And Indexation
At the same time as US stock markets ascended to all-time highs on Monday, the VIX volatility index fell to its lowest close in more than a year. In and of itself, this decline in the VIX should hardly be a great surprise given the Fed's liquidity expansion. But as part of a longer term pattern, this policy-driven decline in stock market volatility is deeply troubling.
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Ernan Cui
Nov 25th 2019
The Chinese Consumer In 2019
In her annual review of the Chinese consumer, Ernan analyzes the trajectory of household spending and unearths thematic opportunities in consumer markets. After 2019’s slowdown, consumption should stabilize in 2020 as the labor market improves. Luxury goods and cosmetics are booming, but overseas tourism and traditional retail are weaker.
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Gavekal Research
Simon Pritchard
Nov 25th 2019
The Hong Kong People Speak
The last 15 years has seen pro-government parties in Hong Kong rely on voter apathy and division across the democratic camp to often rule the roost. That changed yesterday, with establishment parties getting thumped in local council elections as voters expressed anger at the government’s handling of violent street protests in the last six months.
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Gavekal Research
Charles Gave
Nov 22nd 2019
Musings On Trump And Powell
His detractors will never admit it, but Donald Trump has done much that is good for the US economy. Notably he has reduced corporate taxes and cut red tape, boosting returns on invested capital. But in calling on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates further, he is not only making a big mistake, he is courting disaster—though not for the reason his critics believe.
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Gavekal Research
Vincent Tsui
Nov 22nd 2019
Video: A Better Outlook For Asia?
Despite on-again, off-again talks, there are hopes that the US and China can reach an accommodation to avert a full-scale trade war that causes global production chains to be upended. Since the Federal Reserve is again in easing mode, leading to a weaker US dollar, Vincent explains what these developments mean for Asia.
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Gavekal Dragonomics
Rosealea Yao
Nov 21st 2019
The Crackdown On Developer Financing
China’s financial regulators are squeezing funding for property developers in order to discourage land speculation and cool down property prices. In this piece, Rosealea argues the crackdown has been fairly successful, and does not pose a big risk to construction. Slightly easier demand-side policies will help offset tough supply-side restrictions.
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Gavekal Research
Vincent Tsui
Nov 21st 2019
The Hong Kong Effect Means A Taiwan Opportunity
Taiwan's stock market has gained 18.6% year-to-date. This rally will be vulnerable to a heightening of bellicose rhetoric from Beijing prompted by the expected victory of the incumbent China-skeptic Tsai Ing-wen in January’s presidential election. But given the favorable structural and cyclical trends, any sell-off around the election should provide an attractive buying opportunity.
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Gavekal Research
Louis Gave
Nov 21st 2019
Questions On The Changes Of The Past Two Months
Recent weeks have seen a turn in the investment environment, with global equities outperforming those in the US, cyclicals outperforming growth stocks, a steepening US yield curve and a stall in the US dollar’s rally. Louis recently met with a lot of US clients and outlined his explanation for these shifts. He got some push-back and this report is the product of those deliberations.