CoreMacro
BCA’s flagship global macro and investment strategy platform, helping investors anticipate regime shifts, connect signals across regions and asset classes, and navigate the world’s most difficult macro questions.
A stronger yen is hampering efforts to revive the Japanese economy and the BoJ's failed NIRP experiment leaves open the option of direct currency intervention. Probability is also high that the April 2017 sales tax hike will be postponed, perhaps indefinitely. A major stimulus package, "helicopter drops" of money, and a 4% inflation target may be the only way to permanently overcome deflation. Near-term, further yen strength is likely, but the long-term path is down.
Chinese PPI deflation will likely continue to ease going forward. There are non-trivial odds that the PPI deflation may turn positive. Our models predict a sharp upturn in China's profit cycle. Meanwhile, Anti-corruption investigation cases have dropped substantially since the beginning of the year, a sign that the Communist Party may be reorienting priorities to boost economic growth.
We are confident that the reward/risk tradeoff to holding equities and high-yield corporate bonds is deteriorating and that rallies in these assets are high-risk affairs.
Risk assets will continue to edge higher over the next couple of months on improving economic data, notably from China. Longer term however, EMs - including China - are starting a prolonged deleveraging cycle, keeping commodities and cyclical stocks on the back foot. The dollar will likely follow the mirror image of commodities: down slightly the next two months, up substantially thereafter. A stronger dollar, in turn, will limit any rise in Treasury yields. Long-term investors should remain modestly overweight duration.
The ECB's intended purchases of corporate bonds will not sustainably lift the asset-class. But we have found a compelling long-term opportunity in the sovereign bond market, and a way to hedge Brexit risk.
Gold seems to be leading global share prices. Gold prices have rolled over since March 10. Hence, odds are that the U.S. dollar is about to bottom, and that global and EM stocks, as well as commodities prices, are about to relapse. We recommend two new trades in central Europe: Go long central European banks / short euro area banks and buy 10-year Polish domestic bonds.
Chinese GDP growth may have picked up slightly in the first quarter, and growth numbers will likely continue to exceed expectations in the coming months. The market is overly bearish on China's earnings outlook, and may be on the verge of reassessment. Stay positive on H shares.