Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 3: Shaw Capital Management

The recent State of the Union message to Congress by President Obama included a request for the approval of a further fiscal stimulus package this year amounting to around $100 billion to help to tackle the unemployment problem, and he has also presented a $3.8 trillion budget for fiscal 2011 that is likely to maintain the overall deficit around the $1.35 trillion level expected this year.

Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 3: Shaw Capital Management - Much will depend on the attitude of overseas holders, and especially on the attitude of the Chinese and Japanese authorities. For the present they seem to be prepared to maintain and even increase their dollar exposure; and if this continues, and the problems of other major currencies remain unresolved, it should be enough to allow the dollar to improve. The euro struggled to recover in the early part of January from the big fall that occurred in December; but the recovery did not last very long, and it has subsequently fallen sharply again, to leave it value against the dollar around 10% below the level in early- December.

There has been no significant change in the underlying economic background, although there is some evidence that the fragile recovery that was developing is losing some momentum.

Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 3: Shaw Capital Management Korea - But there has been a serious deterioration in the financial background as the fears have increased that Greece and some other periphery countries in the euro-zone may be unable to fund their massive fiscal deficits, and service their sovereign debts. There is also considerable uncertainty about the intentions of the European Central Bank and the stronger countries if conditions continue to worsen, and so overseas holders have started to withdraw funds from the European capital markets to await developments.

The present lack of urgency at the central bank and amongst the key politicians suggests that this trend will continue, and that the euro will fall still further; but there is still some hope that the seriousness of the situation will finally produce a support operation that will ease the situation.

Shaw Capital Management News - All the available evidence continues to point to a slow, two-speed recovery in the euro-zone economy. Germany and France appear to be performing reasonably well, although there are some signs of slowdown in Germany; but Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and even Italy are struggling to escape from recession, and are expected to keep overall output in the euro-zone this year around the 1% level.

Shaw Capital Management News - There is also considerable uncertainty about the intentions of the European Central Bank and the stronger countries if conditions continue to worsen, and so overseas holders have started to withdraw funds from the European capital markets to await developments.

Retail sales remain depressed, and fell by 1.2% between October and November to reflect the continuing caution of consumers; and industrial orders in Germany rose by much less than expected in November, after a very disappointing result in October, to indicate some weakness in export prospects that had been expected to provide significant momentum to the economy.

Lack Of Raw Material And The World Economy: Shaw Capital Management Article

Shaw Capital Management Korea News Release - We have seen major developing economies like China and India apply the brakes earlier this year, as inflation grew on the back of commodity shortages. World growth was running at 4.5%, only 1% or so below the record growth rates of the mid-2000s. This was too fast for raw material supplies to accommodate with current technology.

Lack of Raw Material and the World Economy: Shaw Capital Management Article - World productivity growth has been slowed down by this raw material shortage this in our view was the cause of the sharp slowdown in 2006 which in its turn caused the collapse of demand for houses in the US and so the sub-prime crisis.

It will take a decade for new technology and possibly new supplies to allow renewed productivity growth; with plentiful supplies of raw materials this was the era of computer-led growth in productivity.

As growth has been slowed worldwide, so already slow growth in developed countries has slowed even further. This is inevitable.

Lack of Raw Material and the World Economy: Shaw Capital Management Article - If these countries were to speed up, demand for commodities would rise faster, spurring sharp price rises, which in turn would force them to slow back down.

It is convenient to focus on shortage of credit and excess debt post-banking crisis. But the fundamentals would not permit much growth even if there were plenty of credit and no debt; if the latter situation were the case, then monetary policy would need to tighten. As it is monetary policy can remain easy with the banks in endless disarray. 

Seen against this background, the slowdown is natural and should not surprise us. Equally natural is that equity markets are settling, while bond yields fall, with inflation being held down and return on capital depressed by slow productivity growth.

Shaw Capital Management Korea: However, none of this implies a return to recession in OECD countries. This would be prevented by a return to quantitative easing and even a deferral of fiscal tightening. Governments and central banks in the OECD are under no pressure from inflation to force down activity. Debt/GDP ratios are rising and this is forcing fiscal tightening. But the pace of this is a matter of choice.

Shaw Capital Management Korea: As far as monetary policy is concerned, the need remains to stimulate recovery of the banks since they remain the primary channel of intermediation

Furthermore there are investment opportunities in the present environment: high returns to technological advance in commodity use, for example, and to exploration for new sources of supply.

Exports are growing well, as capital goods flow to the fast-growing developing world. Consumption is no longer depressed but rather beginning to grow.

As far as monetary policy is concerned, the need remains to stimulate recovery of the banks since they remain the primary channel of intermediation, despite all the ways in which firms and individuals have managed to find alternative finance sources since the banking crisis.
This points to further quantitative easing. Interest rate policy has become irrelevant; the rates at which private loans are being made bear little relation any more to the rates of interest on government short-term loans.

Lack of Raw Material and the World Economy: Shaw Capital Management Newsletter - The very low rates central banks are charging banks for loans are merely a subsidy to banks; better instead to release banks from the neurotic demands currently being made by regulators for much more capital, for greater caution in loan-making and so on.

Meanwhile it is time to restore official interest rates to their proper function as regulators of the private rate of interest; they should now be raised towards more normal rates.

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Monday, October 18, 2010

Government bond Markets Part 2 of 3, Shaw Capital Management Newsletter

(1888PressRelease) June 25, 2010 - Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Article two of three - Bond markets in mainland Europe have also fallen back towards year-end. There are signs of a modest improvement in the background economic situation in the euro-zone; and this seems to be persuading the European Central Bank to withdraw some of the liquidity measures that it introduced to counter the recession as part of a general tightening of monetary policy that might soon include higher short-term interest rates. 

Government bond Markets: Shaw Capital Management February Newsletter


Government bond Markets: Shaw Capital Management February Newsletter

Government bond markets have ended 2009 on a very disappointing note. A further improvement in sentiment about the prospects for the global economic recovery, 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 08, 2010 – Government bond markets have ended 2009 on a very disappointing note. A further improvement in sentiment about the prospects for the global 
economic recovery, and indications that some central banks might be preparing to introduce early “exit strategies” from the measures that had been introduced to counter the recession, have been important factors in producing a more cautious attitude amongst bond investors. But a further significant consideration towards year-end has been the fear of possible defaults on sovereign debts after the decision by Dubai World, a government-owned company, to seek a moratorium on the servicing of its debts, and the downgrade in the credit rating of Greece because of its 
deteriorating fiscal situation. 

Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: There was always the risk that the funding requirements resulting from recent policies, and particularly from the measures to counter the latest recession, would prove to be a massive burden for the global bond markets, and this has now proved to be the case. The Dubai government appears to have been rescued by help from Abu Dhabi; but it is still not clear whether there will be help for Greece and other periphery countries of the euro-zone that are in difficulties, and doubts have also been expressed about countries outside the euro-zone, including the UK, if central banks do not implement “exit strategies” carefully, and credible plans to reduce the massive fiscal deficits are not introduced fairly quickly. 

Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: There was always the risk that the funding requirements resulting from recent policies 
would prove to be a massive burden for the global bond markets. 

These doubts have already led to a significant widening of yield spreads on bonds of member countries of the euro-zone, with Greek bond yields now more than 2.5% higher than German bond yields; and even 10-year yields on US bonds and UK gilts have risen to the 4% level as investors have reduced their exposure. 

Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Our position on the prospects for the bond markets remains unchanged. We still expect that the recovery in the global economy will only develop at a very slow pace, and that “exit strategies” will only be introduced very 
gradually. The background situation will therefore continue to provide some support for bond markets. 

But the timescale for the implementation of “exit strategies” is shortening; and the massive fiscal deficits are already placing great strains on the 
markets. The fears of defaults on sovereign debt may well be an overreaction; we expect, for example, that the weaker members of the eurozone 
will receive support from the stronger members to prevent defaults; but higher bond yields appear unavoidable. Prospects for all the major bond 
markets are therefore very unattractive. 

Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: The performance of the US economy remains a critical factor in assessing those prospects, and the latest evidence has become more positive. The growth rate in the third quarter of the year has been revised down again; but since then there has been a lower-than-expected fall in non-far payrolls, and an improvement in consumer sentiment that is reflected in a reasonable level of retail sales in the run-up to Christmas. Weaknesses remain, especially in manufacturing, and new house sales fell sharply in 
November; but a growth rate around 2% is expected this year. The Fed appears to agree with this more optimistic view, arguing in the statement after the latest meeting of its Open Market Committee that economic activity is continuing to pick up, and that the deterioration in the labour market is abating; but it is remaining very cautious. Interest rates are likely to be at low levels “for an extended period”, and the quantitative easing programme has been maintained, although some of the emergency liquidity measures will be withdrawn. It is clearly anxious to avoid doing anything that might harm the economic recovery. This should continue to provide some support for the bond market, even though the Fed will no longer be buying Treasuries and other corporate bonds; but it does appear that this will not be enough to offset the effects of the massive fiscal deficit, which is expected to reach $1.5 trillion this year, and to remain high well into the future. 

Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Debt issuance rose to over $2 trillion in 2009 to finance this deficit, and to replace maturing bonds; and the latest decision to take advantage of the unexpected windfall from the repayment of bank bail-out funds that are no longer needed to provide new resources for job creation is a clear indication that there are no plans to take early action to reduce the deficit. 

It is not surprising therefore that bond investors have been reducing their exposure to the market, and that the yield curve has continued to steepen. In the absence of any change in policy, this process is likely to continue, and push overall yield levels even higher. 

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Shaw Capital Management News -Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 4


Prospects therefore remain disappointing, and are being made worse by the differences that exist between member countries. The European Central Bank therefore faces a difficult situation. It continues to forecast “moderate” growth and “moderate” inflation; but it is being severely criticised for failing to address the problems of a two-speed economy, and for its unwillingness so far to face the threat that the deteriorating situation in Greece could quickly begin to destabilise other member countries and have serious consequences for the financial stability and growth prospects of the entire area. 

It is not surprising therefore that investors and speculators have started to reduce their exposure to the euro.

Shaw Capital Management News - Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 4: - The critical question therefore is whether the fall of the euro is now over. Since the currency is unlikely to receive any real support from the general background situation in the euro-zone, everything depends on the developing debt situation, and particularly on the situation in Greece; and also on the possibility of support operations from stronger member countries and from the European Central Bank, and the European Commission. The situation remains uncertain. The central bank appears to be reluctant to offer help, and the German government, which might have been expected to become involved, has also made no response so far. 

Shaw Capital Management News - But the European Commission has endorsed the latest plans by the Greek government to introduce an across-the-board freeze on public sector wages and cuts in allowances that are expected to reduce the overall public sector wage bill by around 4%. 

This may encourage support from elsewhere; however the Commission has warned that it will not tolerate any slippage from the target and will if necessary demand tougher action from the government to ensure that it stays on course.

But it is far from clear that the Greek government can obtain the necessary support in parliament even for the present proposed measures, and so the uncertainty will continue. 

It is therefore likely that there will be further falls in the euro over the coming weeks. 

Sterling has improved slightly over the past month, helped by the weakness of the euro. 

Shaw Capital Management News - The background situation in the UK remains unattractive, and there have already been threats that its AAA credit rating is at risk unless there are credible measures to reduce the massive fiscal deficit after the forthcoming general election is over.

Shaw Capital Management News - Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 4: - The European Central Bank therefore faces a difficult situation. It continues to forecast “moderate” growth and “moderate” inflation; but it is being severely criticised for failing to address the problems of a two-speed economy, and for its unwillingness so far to face the threat that the deteriorating situation in Greece could quickly begin to destabilize other member countries and have serious consequences for the financial stability and growth prospects of the entire area. 

But the UK is not constrained by membership of the European single currency system, and so there is no immediate risk of a default on its sovereign debts. 

It has therefore been able to benefit from the problems affecting some other European countries.

Shaw Capital Management News - Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 4: - The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics indicate that the UK just managed to move out of recession in the final quarter of last year. The estimate of growth of only 0.1% in the quarter was a considerable disappointment, and it is expected that it will be revised higher; but clearly the economy is not performing very well. 

Government spending remains strong, and there was a surge in retail sales in the run-up to Christmas; but the anecdotal evidence suggests that consumers became much more cautious again in January. 

The latest meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England was concerned by the poor reaction so far to the dramatic measures that have been introduced to counter the recession, and reacted to this situation by leaving UK base rates unchanged once again at 0.5%.

Shaw Capital Management News - Foreign Exchange Markets 2010 Part 4: - It clearly has no intention of moving to an “exit strategy” until there is convincing evidence that a sustainable recovery in the economy is underway. 

It did announce that purchases of market securities under the quantitative easing programme would now be discontinued after the £200 billion target has been reached; but its main priority is to continue to provide support for the fragile economic recovery. 

Fiscal policy is also likely to remain unchanged until after the election, because the necessary measures to reduce the huge deficit will be unpopular, and might influenc

Shaw Capital Management February Newsletter: Government bond Markets 3 of 3

Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Article three of three - The markets are assuming that the more powerful members of the eurozone will support the weaker members in order to prevent defaults that might threaten the single currency structure; but the yield spreads have widened considerably to reflect the increased risks.Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Article three of three - The markets are assuming that the more powerful members of the eurozone will support the weaker members in order to prevent defaults that might threaten the single currency structure; but the yield spreads have widened considerably to reflect the increased risks.Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Article three of three - The markets are assuming that the more powerful members of the eurozone will support the weaker members in order to prevent defaults that might threaten the single currency structure; but the yield spreads have widened considerably to reflect the increased risks.Shaw Capital Management Korea February Newsletter: Article three of three - The markets are assuming that the more powerful members of the eurozone will support the weaker members in order to prevent defaults that might threaten the single currency structure; but the yield spreads have widened considerably to reflect the increased risks.