GLOBAL ECONOMICS AND POLITICS

Leo Haviland provides clients with original, provocative, cutting-edge fundamental supply/demand and technical research on major financial marketplaces and trends. He also offers independent consulting and risk management advice.

Haviland’s expertise is macro. He focuses on the intertwining of equity, debt, currency, and commodity arenas, including the political players, regulatory approaches, social factors, and rhetoric that affect them. In a changing and dynamic global economy, Haviland’s mission remains constant – to give timely, value-added marketplace insights and foresights.

Leo Haviland has three decades of experience in the Wall Street trading environment. He has worked for Goldman Sachs, Sempra Energy Trading, and other institutions. In his research and sales career in stock, interest rate, foreign exchange, and commodity battlefields, he has dealt with numerous and diverse financial institutions and individuals. Haviland is a graduate of the University of Chicago (Phi Beta Kappa) and the Cornell Law School.

 

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SHAKIN’ ALL OVER: MARKETPLACE FEARS © Leo Haviland August 13, 2015

China’s recent shocking currency devaluation underscores not only that country’s ongoing growth slowdown, but also its leaders’ fears that real GDP expansion rates will ebb further. China of course is not the only emerging/developing nation nervous about insufficient output or even recessions. Trends in the broad real trade-weighted US dollar, emerging stock marketplaces, and commodities “in general” signal (confirm) slowing growth in both emerging and OECD economies. Moreover, recent pronouncements by the International Monetary Fund regarding the central bank policies of key advanced countries manifest widespread worries about growth in these well-developed territories. Despite about seven years of highly accommodative monetary policies such as yield repression and money printing (and frequently bolstered by hefty deficit spending), the foundations of worldwide growth increasingly look shaky.

China’s devaluation assists the long-running bull charge in the broad real trade-weighted US dollar (“TWD”). China represents about 21.3 percent of the TWD (Federal Reserve, H.10).

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Are central banks and politicians always devoted to so-called “free markets”? To what extent do they restrict themselves from entering into and manipulating marketplaces?

In any case, the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, and Bank of England have long been married (roughly seven years) to highly accommodative monetary policies. They do not seem to be in a rush to change them substantially anytime soon. The Fed’s apparent willingness to make a minor (gradual) boost in the Federal Funds rate in the near term is not a dramatic shift in its highly accommodative policy.

Inflation (and interest rate) and unemployment targets are not divorced from opinions regarding what constitutes sufficient (appropriate; desirable) real GDP growth levels and trends. An economic boom currently does not exist in the OECD in general. So if substantial “normalization” of monetary policy is not imminent among key advanced nations, then arguably central bankers believe that prospective growth GDP probably will remain rather feeble for at least the near term.

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Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan coined the phrase, “irrational exuberance” (Speech, “The Challenge of Central Banking in a Democratic Society, 12/5/96). About two decades later, this financial guardian proclaimed (Bloomberg Television interview, 8/10/15): “I think we have a pending bond market bubble.” Of course, as in 1996, defining and identifying a bubble and predicting when (and why and how) it will pop and the consequences of such an event remains challenging.

Flights to quality can play a role in creating low interest rate yields, particularly in the safe haven government debt securities of countries such as the United States and Germany. However, sustained yield suppression by the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, and others, which motivates avid searches for yield (return) in assorted financial playgrounds (including stocks), surely encourages low interest rates in both government and many other debt arenas. Think of corporate bonds. In any case, suppose there is a bond price bubble (“too high” or “overvalued” bond prices; too depressed yields) in the United States. So presumably as various marketplaces interconnect in today’s global economy, if American bond prices are at bubble levels, then arguably prices in other realms, as in the S+P 500, some real estate sectors, or the art world (painting), consequently could be inflated.

Were the S+P 500, US real estate, and art at the end of the Goldilocks Era in 2007 rather lofty?

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Shakin' All Over- Marketplace Fears (8-13-15)

MARKETPLACE FIREWORKS © Leo Haviland July 6, 2015

Statistics and stories constantly bombard marketplaces. In today’s marketplace environment, and especially when an especially enthralling news item bursts into view, many gurus and coaches scream about current or prospective crises, panics, and bubbles (overvaluation).

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Recent debt-related troubles in Greece and Puerto Rico and the collapse in the Chinese stock battleground are not isolated or entirely unique (special) marketplace events. They are signs and symptoms of widespread and intertwined marketplace phenomena. They are examples of and interconnected with current problems and related (linked) marketplace price movements around the globe.

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It is a truism that times change, but that does not mean that times necessarily are entirely or substantially different. Some historians may hearken back to the 2007-09 worldwide economic disaster; the United States real estate catastrophe and the demise of Lehman Brothers were not mere flare-ups. They did not stand alone. Debt, leverage, and credit problems were worldwide, even if they varied to some extent from place to place; their consequences erupted around the globe.

The Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Bank of England, and China’s central bank have engaged for many years in highly accommodative monetary programs. Despite lax policies such as sustained yield repression and massive quantitative easing (money printing), international debt, leverage, and credit problems did not disappear. They persisted and have reappeared. These central bankers have provided cosmetic fixes, not permanent ones, to such difficulties. Remarkably easy money policies, aided by political deficit spending, have helped to spark and sustain worldwide GDP growth since around early 2009.

Yet that past success does not guarantee future triumphs. Is worldwide growth decelerating? Probably. Note the downward growth revisions in recent months for 2015 for the United States by the International Monetary Fund (Article IV Consultation, released 6/4/15) and the Fed (Economic Projections, 6/17/15). Indications of a Chinese slowdown preceded its recent stock tumble. There have been concerns about the property marketplace, shadow (and other) banking, and increasing debt. “China orders banks to keep lending to insolvent provincial projects” declares the front page of the Financial Times (5/16-17/15, p1). Note the continued bear marketplace trend in base metals in general. Through May 2015, China’s year-on-year electricity output was about flat, up only .2pc (National Bureau of Statistics).

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Some issues obviously matter more to some traders (and marketplace sectors) than others. But in today’s interconnected global marketplaces, various key stock, interest rate, currency, and commodity playgrounds intertwine in diverse and often-changing fashions. Moreover, these arenas are never separate from the “real” economy. So flashy economic stories about one marketplace or nation can spark or accelerate modest and sometimes even dramatic price travels in numerous venues.

And regardless of which exciting tales currently capture substantial trading and media attention, they usually reflect and interconnect with crucial (and so-called “underlying”) economic (financial, commercial) and political phenomena. These noteworthy variables, issues, trends, and opinions regarding them not only capture the attention of many marketplace players, but also necessarily remain major factors for Wall Street price action and Main Street prosperity.

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The debt and leverage (credit) problems in the United States and elsewhere which developed prior to yet culminated in the Goldilocks Era arguably remain unsolved, or have appeared in related forms. For example, America in general has a love affair with debt. The overall consumer debt burden has lightened somewhat since the darkest nights of the 2007-09 crisis. However, federal debt has jumped up. Thus America’s overall indebtedness remains quite significant. See the essay, “America’s Debt Culture” (4/6/15).

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Marketplace Fireworks (7-6-15)

MARKETPLACE PARTY TANTRUMS © Leo Haviland June 15, 2015

MARKETPLACE PARTIES

In action-packed Wall Street, whether in US stocks or another fascinating venue, winning money tends to attract attention. All else equal, and as a general rule, the more people in a given game there who capture and keep cash over time, the more likely it is that others will tend to join the particular party. Of course a gathering can get rather full, with “about everyone jammed into the room”. Or, for one or many reasons, the joyous event may become less fun, with the affair perhaps eventually ending, maybe even on a dismal note.
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The S+P 500’s long and monumental bull march following the dreary final days of the global economic disaster (major low 3/6/09 at 667) may persist, but it currently looks rather tired and seems to be ending. In any case, stock investors in general have enjoyed the engaging party (rally) in US equities. Interest rate bulls in key domains such as US and German government debt have celebrated substantial tumbles in yields relative to June 2007 heights. As the Goldilocks Era danced to its end, the 10 year US Treasury note peak was 5.32 percent on 6/13/07; the German 10 year government note top also occurred that day, at 4.70pc. During the worldwide economic recovery, many fortune seeking investors (and speculators) have raced after suitable returns by gobbling up lower-quality debt instruments.
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Competing coaches in Wall Street and Main Street assign a variety of reasons for the emergence, continuation, and ending of both general economic and specific marketplace bull and bear trends. Such wizards and their apostles advise and offer opportunities and warnings to eager audiences regarding marketplace phenomena, including important changes in central bank and fiscal policy. Guides and followers wonder and debate regarding what can spark, sustain, or alter the course of noteworthy price adventures within one or more stock, interest rate, currency, and commodity playgrounds.

Apparently dramatic price fluctuations and trend changes frequently inspire talk of volatility, spikes, mania, and panic. Colorful metaphors frequently punctuate descriptions and explanations. The Federal Reserve Board Chairman’s May and June 2013 tapering talk regarding potential reduction in quantitative easing (money printing) generated wordplay of a “taper tantrum”.

Sometimes preceding but often during or following particularly colorful displays of price patterns, marketplace and media ringleaders regale avid audiences with enthralling and excited language. Some speeches and arguments offer opinions regarding “fair (or true, real) value” (overvaluation and undervaluation; overshooting and undershooting; too high and too low, too rich/expensive or too cheap), natural (rational, reasonable, sensible) prices, and equilibrium.

Securities marketplaces in America and many other nations are of course very large and important to the so-called “real” economy, not merely the “financial” one. Assorted “investors” (buyers) own lots of stocks and interest rate instruments. Moreover, investment (especially in securities) has long been labeled as a reasonable, prudent, intelligent, logical, good, and praiseworthy practice. In general, selling of (or speculation in) securities (especially stocks) is less meritorious (and sometimes allegedly even bad); short-selling (especially of investment-grade equities) is often criticized as dangerous or bad.

Therefore, significant price declines in the S+P 500, and often in interest rate instruments (particularly in supposedly high-quality, investment grade government and corporate debt securities), generally inspires substantial dismay, including talk of “tantrums”. “Tantrum” language, when specifically applied to the stock and interest rate context, usually applies to price drops (bear trends). Bull moves in securities prices, even if they are of the same distance and duration as a bear trend, generally are not labeled as tantrums, for bull moves profit investors. Tantrums can ruin a wonderful party, right? Consequently, it pays to consider the potential regarding and to be on the lookout for the actual emergence of widespread and growing fears and talk about notable falls in securities prices.

Packs of Wall Street partygoers debate the definition, existence, causes, and cures of “overvaluation” phenomena such as “bubbles”. Recently, some players ask if the S+P 500, Chinese stocks, many key government bond playgrounds (picture those of the United States and Germany), and US home prices are bubbles (or overvalued and so on). Will a given bubble be burst or merely have some hot air taken out of it? To what extent will rising US Treasury and corporate debt rates dampen the United States (and international) recovery? Will climbing US government yields, or fears of them, pop a stock marketplace bubble?

This valuation rhetoric is particularly important when interpreted alongside rising nervousness regarding the worldwide economic recovery. After all, reduced GDP expansion may make it more challenging to generate corporate profits and therefore equity price gains.
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Frequent conversations nowadays regarding overvaluation and worries about international growth underline the merit of focusing on a handful of corners within several entangled marketplace scenes. That review may help money hunters to assess the risks of staying in or entering a particular marketplace ballpark. This brief survey indicates information regarding or price points within particular marketplace arenas that will not only may draw greater attention to and inflame action in them, but also likely will help trigger dramatic price moves in other playing fields.

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Marketplace Party Tantrums (6-15-15)

THE METALS MARKETPLACE GAME: TOUCHING BASE (c) Leo Haviland March 16, 2015

Base metals such as aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, and tin capture far fewer headlines than the alluring stars of the petroleum complex. Nevertheless, base metals play an important position in the global economic game. Base metals are very significant not only to the economies of emerging/developing countries (think of China), but also to numerous so-called advanced nations. Despite assorted twists and turns, base metals “in general” (use the London Metal Exchange’s base metal index, “LMEX”, as a benchmark) have been in a bear path since early 2011. The renewed price meltdown in base metals over the past several months underscores recent and probable future slowdowns in real GDP growth rates in developing nations such as China. However, as emerging and developed nations closely interconnect in today’s international economy, base metal weakness probably also points to reductions in future output rates for advanced nations.

In the 2007-09 global economic crisis era and its aftermath up to the present, many significant trend changes in base metals, gold, the broad Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (and the petroleum complex), and the emerging marketplace stocks arena “in general” have occurred around roughly the same time.

The broad real trade-weighted United States dollar’s trend does not lock base metals prices, or those of any other playground, into a particular pattern. Nevertheless, the gradual strengthening of the dollar since mid-2011 roughly intertwines with the large bear move in base metals, gold’s bloody stumble since its September 2011 peak, and monumental declines in the broad GSCI (and the petroleum complex).

Emerging marketplace stocks in general, like benchmarks for base metals and commodities in general, have slumped in recent months. Further declines in the LMEX and the broad GSCI, especially when accompanied by US dollar rallies, will be a bearish warning sign (confirmation) for emerging marketplace stocks. Further noteworthy erosion in emerging marketplace stock prices likewise will be ominous for stock marketplaces of advanced nations.

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The Metals Marketplace Game-Touching Base (March 16, 2015)