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Alternative Investments

Highlights China's high-profile jawboning draws attention to tightness in metals markets, and raises the odds the State Reserve Board (SRB) will release some of its massive copper and aluminum stockpiles in the near future. Over the medium- to long-term, the lack of major new greenfield capex raises red flags for the IEA's ambitious low-carbon pathway released last week, which foresees the need for a dramatic increase in renewable energy output and a halt in future oil and gas investment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Copper demand is expected to exceed mined supply by 2028, according to an analysis by S&P, which, in line with our view, also sees refined-copper consumption exceeding production this year (Chart of the Week). A constitution re-write in Chile and elections in Peru threaten to usher in higher taxes and royalties on mining in these metals producers, placing future capex at risk. Chile's state-owned Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, fears a bill to limit mining near glaciers could put as much as 40% of its copper production at risk. We remain bullish copper and look to get long on politically induced sell-offs as the USD weakens. Feature Politicians are inserting themselves in the metals markets' supply-demand evolutions to a greater degree than in the past, which is complicating the short- and medium-term analysis of prices. This adds to an already-difficult process of assessing markets, given the opacity of metals fundamentals – particularly inventories, which are notoriously difficult to assess. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) jawboning of market participants in iron ore, steel, copper and aluminum markets over the past two weeks has weakened prices, but, with the exception of steel rebar futures in Shanghai – down ~ 17% from recent highs, and now trading at ~ 4911 RMB/MT –  the other markets remain close to records.  Benchmark 62% Fe iron ore at the port of Tianjin was trading ~ 4% lower at $211/MT, while copper and aluminum were trading ~ 5.5% and 6.5% off their recent records at $4.535/lb and $2,350/MT, respectively. In addition to copper, aluminum markets are particularly tight (Chart 2). Jawboning aside, if fundamentals continue to keep prices elevated – or if we see a new leg up – China's high-profile jawboning could presage a release by the State Reserve Board (SRB) of some of its massive copper and aluminum stockpiles in the near term. In the case of copper, market guesses on the size of this stockpile are ~ 2mm to 2.7mm MT. On the aluminum side, Bloomberg reported CCP officials were considering the release of 500k MT to quell the market's demand for the metal. Chart of the WeekContinue Tightening In Copper Expected Chart 2Aluminum Remains Tight Brownfield Development Not Sufficient Our balances assessments continue to indicate key base metals markets are tight and will remain so over the short term (2-3 years). Economies ex-China are entering their post-COVID-19 recovery phase. This will be followed by higher demand from renewable generation and grid build-outs that will put them in direct competition with China for scarce metals supplies for decades to come. Markets will continue to tighten. In the bellwether copper market, we expect this tightness to remain a persistent feature of the market over the medium term – 3 to 5 years out – given the dearth of new supply coming to market. Copper prices are highly correlated with the other base metals (Chart 3) – the coefficient of correlation with the other base metals making up the LME's metals index is ~ 0.86 post-GFC – and provide a useful indicator of systematic trends in these markets. Chart 3Copper Correlation With LME Index Ex-Copper Copper ore quality has been falling for years, as miners focused on brownfield development to extend the life of mines (Chart 4). In Chart 5, we show the ratio of capex (in billion USD) to ore quality increases when capex growth is expanding faster than ore quality, and decreases when capex weakens and/or ore quality degradation is increasing. Chart 4Copper Capex, Ore Quality Declines Chart 5Capex-to-Ore-Quality Decline Set Market Up For Higher Prices Falling prices over the 2012-19 interval coincide with copper ore quality remaining on a downward trend, likely the result of previous higher prices that set off the capex boom pre-GFC. The lower prices favored brownfield over greenfield development. Goehring and Rozencwajg found in their analysis of 24 mines, about 80% of gross new reserves booked between 2001-2014 were due not to new mine discoveries but to companies reclassifying what was once considered to be waste-rock into minable reserves, lowering the cut-off grade for development.1 This is consistent with the most recent datapoints in Chart 5, due to falling ore grade values, as companies inject less capex into their operations and use it to expand on brownfield projects. Higher prices will be needed to incentivize more greenfield projects. A new report from S&P Global Market Intelligence shows copper reserves in the ground are falling along with new discoveries.2 According to the S&P analysts, copper demand is expected to exceed mined supply by 2028, which, in line with our view, sees refined-copper consumption exceeding production this year. Renewables Push At Risk Just last week, the IEA produced an ambitious and narrow path for governments to collectively reach a net-zero emissions (NZE) goal by 2050.3 Among its many recommendations, the IEA singled out the overhaul of the global electric grid, which will be required to accommodate the massive renewable-generation buildout the agency forecasts will be needed to achieve its NZE goals. The IEA forecasts annual investment in transmission and distribution grids will need to increase from $260 billion to $820 billion p.a. by 2030. This is easier said than done. Consider the build-out of China's grid, which is the largest grid in the world. To become carbon neutral by 2060, per its stated goals, investment in China’s grid and associated infrastructure is expected to approach ~ $900 billion, maybe more, over the next 5 years.4 The world’s largest fossil-fuel importer is looking to pivot away from coal and plans to more than double solar and wind power capacity to 1200 GW by 2030. Weening China off coal and rebuilding its grid to achieve these goals will be a herculean lift. It comes as no surprise that IEA member states have pushed back on the agency's NZE-by-2050 plan. This primarily is because of its requirement to completely halt fossil-fuel exploration and spending on new projects. Japan and Australia have pushed back against this plan, citing energy security concerns. Officials from both countries have stated that they will continue developing fossil fuel projects, as a back-up to renewables. Japan has been falling behind on renewable electricity generation (Chart 6). Expensive renewables and the unpopularity of nuclear fuel could make it harder for the world’s fifth largest fossil fuels consumer to move away from fossil fuels. Around the same time the IEA released its report, Australia committed $464 million to build a new gas-fired power station as a backup to renewables. Chart 6Japan Will Continue Building Fossil-Fuel Back-Up Generation Just days after the IEA report was published, the G7 nations agreed to stop overseas coal financing. This could have devastating effects for emerging and developing nations‘ electricity grids which are highly dependent on coal. In 2020 70% and 60% of India and China’s electricity respectively were produced by coal (Chart 7).5 Chart 7EM Economies Remain Reliant On Coal-Fired Generation Near-Term Copper Supply Risks Rise Even though inventories appear to be rebuilding, mounting political risks keep us bullish copper (Chart 8). Lawmakers in Chile and Peru are in the process of re-writing their constitutions to, among other things, raise royalties and taxes on mining activities in their respective countries. This could usher in higher taxes and royalties on mining for these metals producers, placing future capex at risk. In addition, Chile's state-owned Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, fears a bill to limit mining near glaciers could put as much as 40% of its copper production at risk.6 None of these events is certain to occur. Peruvian elections, for one thing, are too close to call at this point, and Chile has a history of pro-business government. However, these are non-trivial odds – i.e., greater than Russian roulette odds of 1:6 – and if any or all of these outcomes are realized, higher costs in copper and lithium prices would result, and miners would have to pass those costs on to buyers. Bottom Line: We remain bullish base metals, especially copper. Another leg up in copper would pull base metals higher with it. We would look to get long on politically induced sell-offs, particularly with the USD weakening, as expected Chart 8Global Copper Inventories Rebuilding But Still Down Y/Y   Robert P. Ryan Chief Commodity & Energy Strategist rryan@bcaresearch.com Ashwin Shyam Research Associate Commodity & Energy Strategy ashwin.shyam@bcaresearch.com     Commodities Round-Up Energy: Bullish Next Tuesday's OPEC 2.0 meeting appears to be a fairly staid affair, with little of the drama attending previous gatherings. Russian minister Novak observed the coalition would be jointly "calculating the balances" when it meets, taking into account the likely official return of Iran as an exporter, according to reuters.com. We expect a mid-year deal on allowing Iran to return to resume exports under the nuclear deal abrogated by the Trump administration in 2019, and reckon Iran has ~ 1.5mm b/d of production it can bring back on line, which likely would return its crude oil production to something above 3.8mm b/d by year-end. We are maintaining our forecast for Brent to average $64.45/bbl in 2H21; $75 and $78/bbl, in 2022 and 2023, respectively. By end 2023, prices trade to $80/bbl. Our forecast is premised on a wider global recovery going into 2H21, and continued production discipline from OPEC 2.0 (Chart 9). Base Metals: Bullish Our stop-losses was elected on our long Dec21 copper position on May 21, which means we closed the position with 48.2% return. The stop loss on our long 2022 vs short 2023 COMEX copper futures backwardation recommendation also was elected on May 20, leaving us with a return of 305%. We will be looking for an opportunity to re-establish these positions. Precious Metals: Bullish We expect the collapse in bitcoin prices, the US Fed’s decision to not raise interest rates, and a weakening US dollar to keep gold prices well bid (Chart 10). China’s ban on cryptocurrency services and Musk’s acknowledgment of the energy intensity of Bitcoin mining sent Bitcoin prices crashing. The Fed’s decision to keep interest rates constant, despite rising inflation and inflation expectations will reduce the opportunity cost of holding gold. According to our colleagues at USBS, the Fed will make its first interest rate hike only after the US economy has reached "maximum employment". The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey reported that job openings rose nearly 8% in March to 8.1 million jobs, however, overall hiring was little changed, rising by less than 4% to 6 million. As prices in the US rise and the dollar depreciates, gold will be favored as a store of value. On the back of these factors, we expect gold to hit $2,000/oz. Ags/Softs: Neutral Corn futures were trading close to 20% below recent highs earlier in the week at ~ $6.27/bu, on the back of much faster-than-expected plantings. Chart 9 Chart 10     Footnotes 1     Please refer to Goehring & Rozencwajg’s Q1 2021 market commentary. 2     Please see Copper cupboard remains bare as discoveries dwindle — S&P study published by mining.com 20 May 2021. 3    Please see Net Zero by 2050 – A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector, published by the IEA. 4    Please see China’s climate goal: Overhauling its electricity grid, published by Aljazeera.  5    We discuss this in detail in Surging Metals Prices And The Case For Carbon-Capture published 13 May 2021, and Renewables ESG Risks Grow With Demand, which was published 29 April 2021.  Both are available at ces.bcaresearch.com. 6    Please see A game of chicken is clouding tax debate in top copper nation, Fujimori looks to speed up projects to tap copper riches in Peru and Codelco says 40% of its copper output at risk if glacier bill passes published by mining.com 24, 23 and 20 May 2021, respectively.    Investment Views and Themes Strategic Recommendations Tactical Trades Commodity Prices and Plays Reference Table Trades Closed in 2021 Summary of Closed Trades
特別レポヌト Highlights The selloff in crypto-currencies on May 19 may be overblown but the risk of government intervention is a rising headwind for this asset class. While environmental concerns are a threat to Bitcoin, the entire crypto-currency complex faces a looming confrontation over governance. Digital currencies are a natural evolution of money following coinage and paper. Moreover a sizable body of consumers is skeptical of governments and traditional banking. Loose monetary conditions are fueling a speculative mania. However, governments fought for centuries to gain a monopoly over money. As crypto-currencies become more popular, governments will step in to regulate and restrict them. Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) threaten to remove the speed and transactional advantage of crypto-currencies, leaving privacy/anonymity as their main use-case. Feature The prefix “crypto” derives from the Greek kruptos or “hidden.” This etymology highlights one of the biggest problems confronting the crypto-currency craze in financial markets today. Speed and anonymity are the greatest assets of the digital tokens. But the former advantage is being eroded by competitors while the latter is becoming a political liability. In the 2020s, governments are growing stronger and more interventionist, not weaker and more laissez faire. Chart 1Loose Money Fuels Crypto Mania Bitcoin and rival crypto-currency Ethereum fell by 29.5% and 43.2% in intra-day trading on May 19, only to finish the day down by 13.8% and 27.2%, respectively. The market panicked on news that China’s central bank had banned firms from handling transactions in crypto-currencies. What really happened was that China’s National Internet Finance Association, China Banking Association, and Payment and Clearing Association issued a statement merely reiterating a 2013 and 2017 policy that already banned firms from handling transactions in crypto-currencies. These three institutions also warned about financial speculation regarding crypto-currencies.1 The crypto market suffered a spike in volatility because it is in the midst of a speculative mania. In the last five years, total market capitalization of crypto-currencies has risen from around $7 billion to $2.3 trillion,2 recording a 34,000% gain. Some crypto-currencies have even recorded returns in excess of that number over a shorter horizon. Price gains have been driven by retail buyers who may or may not know much about this new asset class (Chart 1). Prior to the May 19 selloff, prices had grown overextended and recent concerns over the environment, sustainability, and governance (ESG) had shaken confidence in Bitcoin and its peers. Chinese authorities have already banned financial firms from providing crypto services in a bid to deter ownership of crypto-currencies. And China is not alone. The latest market jitters are a warning sign that government interference in the crypto-currency market is a real threat. Regulation and sovereign-issued digital currencies are starting to enter the fray. While ultra-dovish central bank policies are not changing soon, and therefore crypto-currency price bubbles can continue to grow, crypto-currencies will remain subject to extreme volatility and precipitous crashes. In this report we argue that the fundamental problem with crypto-currencies is that they threaten the economic sovereignty of nation-states. Environmental degradation, financial instability, and black market crime, and other concerns about cryptos have varying degrees of merit. But they provide governments with ample motivation to pursue a much deeper interest in regulating a technological innovation that has the power to undermine state influence over the economy and society. Government scrutiny is a legitimate reason for crypto buyers to turn sellers. Does The World Need Crypto-Currencies? Broadly speaking, there are two primary justifications for crypto-currencies, centered on a transactional basis: speed and privacy/anonymity. The crux of crypto-currency creation rests on these two use cases.3 The speed of crypto-currencies comes from their ability to increase efficiency in local and global payment systems by facilitating financial transactions without the need of a third party (e.g. a financial institution). Cross-border settlement of traditional (fiat) currency transactions processed through the standard SWIFT communications system takes up to two business days. Most transactions involving crypto-currencies over a blockchain network are realized in less than an hour, cross-border or not.4 The fees involved with third-party payments are often more expensive than transacting with crypto-currencies. Simply put, excluding the “middleman” can save money. This is a selling point in a global market that expects to see retail cross-border transactions reach $3.5 trillion by the end of 2021, of which up to 5% are associated with transaction-based fees.5 But this breakthrough in payment system technology can be overstated and is not the main reason for using crypto-currency. Speculation drives current use, especially given that there is speculative behavior even among those who believe that cryptos are safe-haven assets or promising long-term investments (Chart 2). Chart 2Crypto-Currency Use Driven By Speculation Chart 3Consumers Growing Skeptical Of Banking Regulation If a person wants to buy an item from a company in a distant country, that person could use a crypto-currency just as he or she could use a credit card. Both parties would have a secure medium of exchange but, unlike with a credit card, both would avoid using fiat currencies. Neither party could conduct the same transaction using gold or silver. The crucial premise is the existence of an online community of individuals and firms who for one reason or another want to avoid fiat currencies. From a descriptive point of view, the crypto-currency phenomenon implies a lack of trust in modern governments, or at least their monetary systems, and an assertion of individual property rights. The list of crypto-currencies continues to grow. To date, there are approximately 9,800 of them. Some are trying to prove their economic value or use, while others have been created with no intended purpose or problem to solve. Even so, there has yet to be a crypto-currency that overwhelms the use of slower fiat money. In a recent Special Report, BCA Research’s Foreign Exchange Strategist Chester Ntonifor showed that crypto-currencies still have a long way to go to have a chance at replacing fiat monies. While crypto-currencies are showing signs of significant improvement as mediums of exchange, they still fall short as stores of value and units of account. The other primary case for crypto-currencies is privacy or anonymity. The bypassing of intermediaries implies a greater control of funds by the two parties of a transaction. Crypto-currencies are said to be more “private” compared to fiat money. Fiat money is controlled by governments and banks while crypto-currencies have only “owners.” Crypto-currencies are anonymous because they are stored in digital wallets with alphanumeric sequences – there is a limited personal data trail that follows crypto-currency compared to those of electronic fiat currency transactions. In a post-9/11, post-GFC, post-COVID world where a sizable body of consumers is growing more skeptical of government surveillance and regulation and banking industry practices (Chart 3), crypto-currencies give users more than just a means to transact with. However, privacy is not the same as security. Hacking and fraud can affect cryptos as well as other forms of money and attacks will increase with the value of the currencies. Bitcoin At The Helm Of Crypto-Currency Market Chart 4Bitcoin Slows Bitcoin has cemented its status as the number one currency in the crypto-verse.6 It is considered to be the first crypto-currency created, it is the most widely accepted, it is touted as a store of value or “digital gold,” and it is the most featured in quoting alternative crypto-currency pairs across crypto exchanges. As it stands, Bitcoin accounts for around 42% of total crypto-currency market capitalization.7 This share has declined from around 65% at the start of 2021 on the back of the frenzied rise of several alternative coins.8 But rising risks to Bitcoin’s standing will cause the entire crypto-market to retreat. In a Special Report penned in February, BCA Research’s Chief Global Strategist Peter Berezin argued that Bitcoin is more of a trend than a solution and that its usefulness is diminishing. Bitcoin’s transaction speed is slowing and its transaction cost is rising (Chart 4). Slowing speed and rising cost on the Bitcoin network are linked to a scalability problem. The crypto-currency’s network has a limited rate at which it can process transactions related to the fact that records (or “blocks”) in the Bitcoin blockchain are limited in size and frequency. This means that one of its fundamental justifications, transactional speed, will become less attractive over time, should the network not address these issues. Bitcoin also consumes a significant amount of energy, a controversy that is gaining traction in the crypto-currency market after Elon Musk, the “techno-king” of Tesla, cited environmental concerns in reversing his decision to accept Bitcoin payment for his company’s electric vehicles. Energy consumption rises as more coins are mined, since mining each new Bitcoin becomes more computer-power intensive. The need for computing power and energy will continue to increase until all 21 million Bitcoins (total supply) are mined, which is currently estimated to occur by the year 2140. Strikingly, the energy needed to mine Bitcoin over a year are comparable to a small country’s annual power consumption, such as Sweden or Argentina (Chart 5). Chart 5Bitcoin Consumes More Energy Than A Small Country 
 Bitcoin also generates significant quantities of electronic waste (Chart 6). Chart 6
 And Generates A Lot Of Electronic Waste Bitcoin mining is heavily domiciled in China, which accounts for 65% of global mining activity (Figure 1). China’s energy mix is dominated by coal power, which makes up approximately 65% of the country’s total energy mix even after a decade of aggressive state-led efforts to reduce coal reliance. Of this, coal powered energy makes up approximately 60% of Bitcoin’s energy mix in China.9 With several countries aiming to minimize carbon emissions, and with approximately 60% of Bitcoin mining powered by coal-fired energy globally,10 Bitcoin imposes a major negative environmental impact. Figure 1Bitcoin Mining Well Anchored In Asia Bitcoin does not shape up well when compared to gold’s energy intensity either. Bitcoin mining now consumes more energy than gold mining over a single year. While the energy difference is not large, the economic value is. Gold’s energy consumption to economic value trade-off is lower than that of Bitcoin. The production value of gold in 2020 was close to $200 billion, while Bitcoin was measured at less than $25 billion (Chart 7A). On a one-to-one basis, gold even has a lower carbon footprint than Bitcoin (Chart 7B). Chart 7AGold Outshines Bitcoin On Production Value And Carbon Footprint Chart 7BGold Outshines Bitcoin On Production Value And Carbon Footprint Crypto-currency energy consumption and carbon footprint will attract the attention of government regulators. Of course, not all crypto-currencies are heavy polluters. But if the supply of cryptos is constrained by mining difficulties then they will require a lot of energy. If the supply is not constrained then the price will be low. Government Regulation Is Coming Environmental concerns point to the single greatest threat to crypto-currencies – the Leviathan, i.e. the state. In this sense the crypto market’s wild fluctuations on May 19, at the mere whiff of tougher Chinese regulation, are a sign of what is to come. Governments around the world have so far left crypto-currencies largely unregulated but this laissez-faire attitude is already changing. Environmental regulation has already been mentioned. Governments will also be eager to expand their regulatory powers to “protect” consumers, businesses, and banks from extreme volatility in crypto markets. But investors will underrate the regulatory threat if they focus on these issues. At the most basic level, governments around the world will not sit idly by and lose what could become significant control of their monetary systems. The ability to establish and control legal tender is a critical part of economic sovereignty. Governments won control of the printing press over centuries and will not cede that control lightly. If crypto-currencies are adopted widely, then finance ministries and central banks will lose their ability to manipulate the money supply and the general level of prices effectively. Politicians will lose the ability to stimulate the economy or keep inflation in check. Most importantly, while one may view such threats as overblown, it is governments, not other organizations, that will make the critical judgment on whether crypto-currencies threaten their sovereignty. Throughout the world, most crypto-currency exchanges are regulated to prevent money laundering. Crypto-currencies are not legal tender and, aside from Bitcoin, their use is mostly banned in China (Table 1). However, more specialized regulation that targets energy and economic use has yet to be brought into law across the world. Table 1World Governments Will Not Relinquish Hard-Fought Monopolies Over Money Supply In China, initial coin offerings (ICOs – the equivalent of an initial public offering on the stock market) and trading platforms are banned from engaging in exchanges between the yuan and crypto-currencies or tokens. In fact, China recognizes crypto-currencies only as virtual commodities or virtual property. India is another country where exchanges and ICOs are banned. While crypto-currencies are not banned, they are not legal tender. Indian policymakers have recently proposed banning crypto-currencies, however. The proposed legislation is one of the world’s strictest policies against crypto-currencies. It would criminalize possession, issuance, mining, trading, and transferring crypto-assets. If the ban becomes law, India would be the first major economy to make holding crypto-currency illegal. Even China, which has banned mining and trading, does not penalize possession. In the US, Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen has already expressed concerns regarding the illicit use of cryptos for supposed criminal gain.11 She is in alignment with European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. Because of the anonymity of crypto-currencies, identifying users behind illicit transactions is difficult. This means regulators face headwinds in identifying transactions that are made for criminal gain, as compared to fiat transactions. Governments have long dealt with the anonymity of cash but they have ways of monitoring bank accounts and paper bills. Crypto-currencies are beyond their immediate sight of control and therefore will attract growing scrutiny and legislative action in this regard. The Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack on May 7, which temporarily shuttered about 45% of the fuel supply line for the eastern United States, illustrates the point. The DarkSide group of hackers who orchestrated the attack demanded a ransom payment of $4.4 million worth of Bitcoin, which Colonial Pipeline paid them on May 7. Shortly thereafter, unspecified “law enforcement agencies” clawed back the $4.4 million from the hackers’ account (transferring it to an unknown address) and DarkSide lost access to its payment server, DOS servers, and blog. This episode should not be underrated. It was a successful, large-scale cyber-attack on critical infrastructure in the world’s most powerful country. It highlighted the illicit uses to which crypto-currencies can be put. True, criminals demand ransoms in fiat money as well – and many crypto-currency operators will distance themselves from the criminal underworld. Nevertheless governments will give little slack to an emerging technology that presents big new law enforcement challenges and is not widely used by the general public. Ultimately governments will pursue their sovereign interests in controlling money, the economy, and trade, listening to their banking lobby, expanding their remit to “protect” consumers, and cracking down on illicit activity. Governments are not capable of abolishing crypto-currencies altogether, or the underlying technology of blockchain. But they will play a large and growing role in regulating them. Central Banks Advancing On Digital Currencies Central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) will leave crypto-currencies in the realm of speculative assets. CBDCs are a form of digital money denominated in a country’s national unit of account and represent a liability on a central bank’s balance sheet. This is different from current e-money that represents a claim on a private financial institution’s balance sheet. It is also different from crypto-currencies, because there is a central authority behind a CBDC, unlike with crypto-currencies due to their decentralized nature. In China, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) has suggested its rollout of a digital yuan is “ready” despite no release to date. Beta testing is ongoing in several provinces. The PBoC’s justification for a digital yuan comes from China’s growing cashless economy. The transition away from cash is largely thanks to mobile payment platforms like Alibaba’s Alipay and Tencent’s WeChat Pay, which, between the two of them, control almost the entire mobile payments market of some 850 million users. There is a significant amount of systemic risk in this system – one reason why Chinese authorities have recently subjected these companies to new scrutiny and regulation. Should Alibaba or Tencent go bankrupt, the local payment system will crash. The PBoC’s efforts will increase competition in the local payments space and reduce this systemic risk. Policymakers are also concerned that as Chinese citizens choose to hold their money in digital wallets provided by Alibaba and Tencent instead of bank accounts, liquidity is being drained from the traditional banking system, putting deposit levels at banks under strain, and posing risks to liability matching. The digital yuan will still involve a third party, unlike crypto-currencies which do not. Doing away with commercial banks is not a reality – indeed the Chinese Communist Party seeks to buttress the state-owned commercial banks in order to maintain control of the economy. What the digital yuan does, and other CBDCs will do too, is utilize blockchain technology, which is faster and more secure than traditional payment networks. In the US, the Fed has been studying the viability of a CBDC US dollar. The Fed has stated that it is carefully exploring whether a CBDC will lead to “safer, less expensive, faster, or otherwise more efficient payments.” While the Fed has yet to find a single standout case for a CBDC US Dollar, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said last year that the US has a “competitive payments market” with “fast and cheap services, particularly in comparison to other nations exploring a CBDC.” To date, the Fed’s observation is that many of the challenges that CBDCs hope to address do not apply to the US, including disuse of physical cash, narrow reach or high concentration of banking, and weak infrastructure for payment systems. Rather, the Fed is more focused on developing the FedNow real-time payment system for private banks. This is much the same as in Europe, where physical cash still plays a major role in day-to-day economic activity and where local payment systems are fast and secure. But central banks around the world continue to engage in work centered around CBDCs (Charts 8A and 8B) – and China’s progress will encourage others to move faster. Advanced economies are mostly interested in creating a safer and more efficient payment system, while emerging and developed economies have interest across several areas such as financial stability, monetary policy setting, and inclusiveness of banking, as well as efficiency and safety (Chart 9). CBDCs are especially attractive to emerging market policy makers at targeting those who lack access to traditional banking. Chart 8ACentral Banks Advancing On CBDC Work Chart 8BCentral Banks Advancing On CBDC Work Chart 9Central Banks CBDC Interest Areas In remote areas, access to banking is scarce and expensive. CBDCs can help solve this problem. Individuals would have CBDC accounts directly on a central bank ledger. They could then access their money and transact through a digital wallet application that is linked to the CBDC account. Giving people access to digital currency would allow them to transact quickly, in remote settings, without the need of hard currency. Monetary policy transmission is also better in advanced economies. In emerging markets, there are bottlenecks in local financial markets. Looser central monetary policy does not always translate into cheaper financing across the economy. In remote and poverty stricken areas, monetary policy transmission is sticky, meaning high costs of borrowing can persist even through accommodative policy cycles. This is a smaller issue in advanced economies. Payment systems in advanced economies are due an overhaul in security and efficiency, and CBDCs and blockchain technology will provide this. CBDCs will prove to be just as efficient to transact with as any crypto-currencies available today. CBDCs will also be legal tender and accepted by all vendors. The anonymity factor will be lost but this will not be a problem for most users (whereas legal issues will become a problem for crypto-currencies). The probability of central banks issuing CBDCs in both the short and medium term, both in the retail and wholesale space, is rising. If advanced economies like those of the G7 issue CBDCs soon, policy makers will undoubtedly ensure the use of it over the currently circulating and partially accepted crypto-currencies. The endgame will leave crypto-currencies in the highly speculative asset class, perhaps even in the black market where anonymity is valued for transactions that wish not to be tracked. Investment Takeaways Prices of crypto-currencies may continue to rise given sky-high fiat money creation amid the COVID pandemic and ultra-low interest rates. Digitalization is the natural next step in the evolution of money from precious metals to paper banknotes to electronic coin. But the market leader, Bitcoin, is encountering more headwinds. The primary case for the use of Bitcoin is challenged due to slowing transaction speeds and rising transaction costs. The virtual currency is primarily mined using coal-powered energy, resulting in growing scrutiny from governments and consumers. Government regulation is entering the ring and policymakers will take an increasingly heavy-handed role in trying to ensure that cryptos do not undermine economic sovereignty, financial stability, and law and order. When central banks begin to rollout digital currencies, especially those domiciled in advanced economies, crypto-currencies as medium of exchange will lose much of their allure. Crypto-currencies will remain as anti-fiat currencies and speculative assets. Risks To The View Given the controversy surrounding crypto-currencies, it is only fair to state outright the risks to our view. We would also recommend clients read our colleague Dhaval Joshi’s latest bullish take on Bitcoin. First, scaling up Bitcoin’s network and processing transactions in batches instead of single transactions will resolve transaction time and cost risks, restoring efficiency. This is a clear solution to efficiency concerns. However, scaling and batching transactions are not on the immediate horizon of Bitcoin developers. Bitcoin’s network will still need to undergo another “halving” in order for this risk to subside and for the network to scale. A halving of the network will only occur again in 2024.12 Second, on the environment: Bitcoin mining is not solely dependent on fossil fuel energy that gives it a “dirty” footprint. Renewables already make up some 25% of Bitcoin mining. Increasing the use of renewables in Bitcoin’s energy mix will help lower its environmental impact. However, this is easier said than done. Global renewable energy has yet to scale up to a point where it can consistently out-supply existing fossil-fuel energy. Mining hardware also has its associated carbon footprint that would need to be addressed. And location matters too. Crypto-currency mining farms are large-scale projects. Simply uprooting operations to a country that could lower the carbon footprint of a mining farm or two is not viable due to the costs involved. Hence crypto-currency mining will probably continue to be a “dirty” operation but a rapid shift to renewables would challenge our thesis. Bitcoin’s network is also based off a “proof of work” protocol. Miners must prove that a certain amount of computational effort has been expended for confirming blocks on the network, allowing transactions to be processed. Proof of work is energy intensive. Other crypto-currencies, like Ethereum, will adopt a “proof of stake” protocol. Simply put, transactions are confirmed by users and their stake in the associated crypto-currency. Proof of stake is less energy intensive compared to proof of work. Third, as to government regulation, the longer policymakers take to enact legislation targeting crypto-currencies, the larger their market will grow. Regulation in China and India may set a benchmark for major economies but not all will follow in the Asian giants’ footsteps. Some governments have been slow to study crypto-currencies, meaning legislation aimed at governing or regulating them may still be long in coming. Innovation is a good thing and free economies will not wish to restrain crypto-currencies or blockchain technology unduly, for fear of missing out. Fourth, on CBDCs, some central banks may only adopt them based on their respective economic needs. However, rising crypto-currency populism drives associated economic risks which can force the hands of central banks to adopt CBDCs in lieu of said needs. Each country faces unique challenges. Some central banks may not want to be left behind even if they believe their policy framework is facilitating economic activity efficiently. While the Fed has stated that it will not adopt a CBDC for the primary reason of ensuring payment security since it believes it already has a safe system in place, this view will change. The Fed could justify a move to a CBDC US dollar on the single basis of transitioning to a more sophisticated technology for the future. The Fed will not want to be caught behind the curve considering the PBoC is priming its digital yuan for release soon. Technological leadership is a strategic imperative of the United States and that imperative applies to financial technology as well as other areas.   Guy Russell Research Analyst GuyR@bcaresearch.com Matt Gertken Vice President Geopolitical Strategy mattg@bcaresearch.com Footnotes 1 Muyao Shen, “China Reiterates Crypto Bans From 2013 and 2017”, coindesk, May 18, 2021, coindesk.com. 2 As of May 11, 2021. 3 There are several other reasons or “problems” that crypto-currencies are created for or to solve, but speed and privacy form the basis of crypto-currencies first coming into existence. 4 Not all crypto-currencies transact in less than an hour. But there are many that transact in several minutes and in some cases, mere seconds. As the leading crypto-currency, Bitcoin takes approximately one hour for a transaction to be fully verified over its network. 5 “McKinsey’s Global Banking Annual Review”, McKinsey, Dec. 9, 2020, mckinsey.com. 6 We use Bitcoin as an example to understand the risk and impact of forthcoming government regulation and competition. Because of Bitcoin’s status, any significant risks that threaten the crypto-currency’s standing as the number one currency will threaten the entire market. 7 As of May 20, 2021. Figure varies daily. See www.coinmarketcap.com for more information. 8 Alternative currencies such as Ethereum, Ripple, Binance Coin, Dogecoin, and Cardano have chipped away at Bitcoin’s crypto-market dominance through 2021. 9 According to The Center For Alternative Finance, The University Of Cambridge. 10 According to The Center For Alternative Finance, The University Of Cambridge. 11 Data on the use of crypto-currencies for illicit activitiessays otherwise. Of all crypto-currency transactions, it is estimated that only 2.1% are used for illicit activities. See “2021 Crypto Crime Report”, Chainalysis, chainalysis.com. 12 A Bitcoin halving is when the reward for mining Bitcoin transactions is cut in half. This event also cuts Bitcoin's inflation rate and the rate at which new Bitcoins enter circulation, in half. Bitcoin last halved on May 11, 2020.
Highlights Global oil markets will remain balanced this year with OPEC 2.0's production-management strategy geared toward maintaining the level of supply just below demand.  This will keep inventories on a downward trajectory, despite short-term upticks due to COVID-19-induced demand hits in EM economies and marginal supply additions from Iran and Libya over the near term. Our 2021 oil demand growth is lower – ~ 5.3mm b/d y/y, down ~ 800k from last month's estimate – given persistent weakness in realized consumption.  We have lifted our demand expectation for 2022 and 2023, however, expecting wider global vaccine distribution and increased travel toward year-end. The next few months are critical for OPEC 2.0: The trajectory for EM demand recovery will remain uncertain until vaccines are more widely distributed, and supply from Iran and Libya likely will increase this year.  This will lead to a slight bump in inventories this year, incentivizing KSA and Russia to maintain the status quo on the supply side. We are raising our 2021 Brent forecast back to $63/bbl from $60/bbl, and lifting our 2022 and 2023 forecasts to $75 and $78/bbl, respectively, given our expectation for a wider global recovery (Chart of the Week). Feature A number of evolving fundamental factors on both sides of the oil market – i.e., lingering uncertainty over the return of Iranian and Libyan exports and the strength of the global demand recovery – will test what we believe to be OPEC 2.0's production-management strategy in the next few months. Briefly, our maintained hypothesis views OPEC 2.0 as the dominant supplier in the global oil market. This is due to the low-cost production of its core members (i.e., those states able to attract capital and grow production), and its overwhelming advantage in spare capacity, which we reckon will average in excess of 7mm b/d this year, owing to the massive production cuts undertaken to drain inventories during the COVID-19 pandemic. Formidable storage assets globally – positioned in or near refining centers – and well-developed transportation infrastructures also support this position. We estimate core OPEC 2.0 production will average 26.58mm b/d this year and 29.43mm b/d in 2022 (Chart 2). Chart of the WeekBrent Prices Likely Correct Then Move Higher in 2022-23 Chart 2OPEC 2.0 Will Maintain Status Quo The putative leaders of the OPEC 2.0 coalition – the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Russia – have distinctly different goals. KSA's preference is for higher prices – ~ $70-$75/bbl (basis Brent) to the end of 2022. Higher prices are needed to fund the Kingdom's diversification away from oil. Russia's goal is to keep prices closer to the marginal cost of the US shale-oil producers, who we characterize as the exemplar of the price-taking cohort outside OPEC 2.0, which produces whatever the market allows. This range is ~ $50-$55/bbl. The sweet spot that accommodates these divergent goals is on either side of $65/bbl for this year. OPEC 2.0 June 1 Meeting Will Maintain Status Quo With Brent trading close to $70/bbl, discussions in the run-up to OPEC 2.0's June 1 meeting likely are focused on the necessity to increase the 2.1mm b/d being returned to the market over the May-July period. At present, we do not believe this will be necessary: Iran likely will be returning to the market beginning in 3Q21, and will top up its production from ~ 2.4mm b/d in April to ~ 3.85mm b/d by year-end, in our estimation. Any volumes returned to the market by core OPEC 2.0 in excess of what's already been agreed going into the June 1 meeting likely will come out of storage on an as-needed basis. Libya will likely lift its current production of ~ 1.3mm b/d close to 1.5mm b/d by year end as well. We are expecting the price-taking cohort ex-OPEC 2.0 to increase production from 53.78mm b/d in April to 53.86mm b/d in December, led by a 860k b/d increase in US output, which will take average Lower 48 output in the US (ex-GOM) to 9.15mm b/d by the end of this year (Chart 3). When we model shale output, our expectation is driven by the level of prompt WTI prices and the shape of the forward curve. The backwardation in the WTI forward curve will limit hedged revenues at the margin, which will limit the volume growth of the marginal producer. We expect global production to slowly increase next year, and the year after that, with supply averaging 101.07mm b/d in 2022 and 103mm b/d in 2023.  Chart 3US Crude Output Recovers, Then Tapers in 2023 Demand Should Lift, But Uncertainties Persist We expect the slowdown in realized DM demand to reverse in 2H21, and for oil demand to continue to recover in 2H21 as the US and EU re-open and travel picks up. This can be seen in our expectation for DM demand, which we proxy with OECD oil consumption (Chart 4). EM demand – proxied by non-OECD oil consumption – is expected to revive over 2022-23 as vaccine distribution globally picks up. As a result, demand growth shifts to EM, while DM levels off. China's refinery throughput in April came within 100k b/d of the record 14.2mm b/d posted in November 2020 (Chart 5). The marginal draw in April stockpiles could also signify that as crude prices have risen higher, the world’s largest oil importer may have hit the brakes on bringing oil in. In the chart, oil stored or drawn is calculated as the difference between what is imported and produced with what is processed in refineries. With refinery maintenance in high gear until the end of this month, we expect product-stock draws to remain strong on the back of domestic and export demand. This will draw inventories while maintenance continues. Chart 4EM Demand Will Recovery Accelerates in 2022-23 Chart 8China Refinery Runs Remain Strong COVID-19-induced demand destruction remains a persistent risk, particularly in India, Brazil and Japan. This is visible in the continued shortfall in realized demand vs our expectation so far this year. We lowered our 2021 oil demand growth estimate to ~ 5.3mm b/d y/y, which is down ~ 800k from last month's estimate, given persistent weakness in realized consumption. Our demand forecast for 2022 and 2023 is higher, however, based on our expectation for stronger GDP growth in EM economies, following the DM's outperformance this year, on the back of wider global vaccine distribution year-end (Table 1). Table 1BCA Global Oil Supply - Demand Balances (MMb/d, Base Case Balances) Our supply-demand estimates continue to point to a balanced market this year and into 2022-23 (Chart 6). Given our expectation OPEC 2.0's production-management strategy will remain effective, we expect inventories to continue to draw (Chart 7). Chart 6Markets Remained Balanced Chart 7Inventories Continue To Draw CAPEX Cuts Bite In 2023 In 2023, we are expecting Brent to end the year closer to $80/bbl than not, which will put prices outside the current range we believe OPEC 2.0 is managing its production around (Chart 8). We have noted in the past continued weakness in capex over the 2015-2022 period threatens to leave the global market exposed to higher prices (Chart 9). Over time, a reluctance to invest in oil and gas exploration and production prices in 2024 and beyond could begin to take off as demand – which does not have to grow more than 1% p.a. – continues to expand and supply remains flat or declines. Chart 8By 2023 Brent Trades to /bbl Chart 9Low Capex Likely Results In Higher Prices After 2023 Bottom Line: We are raising our 2021 forecast back to an average of $63/bbl, and our forecasts for 2022 and 2023 to $75 and $78/bbl. We expect DM demand to lead the recovery this year, and for EM to take over next year, and resume its role as the growth engine for oil demand. Longer term, parsimonious capex allocations likely result in tighter supply meeting slowly growing demand. At present, markets appear to be placing a large bet on the buildout of renewable electricity generation and electric vehicles (EVs). If this does not occur along the trajectory of rapid expansion apparently being priced by markets – i.e., the demand for oil continues to expand, however slowly – oil prices likely would push through $80/bbl in 2024 and beyond.   Robert P. Ryan Chief Commodity & Energy Strategist rryan@bcaresearch.com Ashwin Shyam Research Associate Commodity & Energy Strategy ashwin.shyam@bcaresearch.com   Commodities Round-Up Energy: Bullish The Colonial Pipeline outage pushed average retail gasoline prices in the US to $3.03/gal earlier this week, according to the EIA. This was the highest level for regular-grade gasoline in the US since 27 October 2014. According to reuters.com, the cyberattack that shut down the 5,500-mile pipeline was the most disruptive on record, shutting down thousands of retail service stations in the US southeast. Millions of barrels of refined products – gasoline, diesel and jet fuel – were unable to flow between the US Gulf and the NY Harbor because of the attack, which was launched 7 May 2021 (Chart 10). While most of the system is up and running, problems with the pipeline's scheduling system earlier this week prevented a return to full operation. Base Metals: Bullish Spot copper prices remained on either side of $4.55/lb (~ $10,000/MT) by mid-week following a dip from the $4.80/lb level (Chart 11). We remain bullish copper, particularly as political risk in Chile rises going into a constitutional convention. According to press reports, the country's constitution will be re-written, a process that likely will pave the way for higher taxes and royalties on copper producers.1 In addition, unions in BHP mines rejected a proposed labor agreement, with close to 100% of members voting to strike. In Peru, a socialist presidential candidate is campaigning on a platform to raise taxes and royalties. Precious Metals: Bullish According to the World Platinum Investment Council, platinum is expected to run a deficit for the third consecutive year in 2021, which will amount to 158k oz, on the back of strong demand. Refined production is projected to increase this year, with South Africa driving this growth as mines return to full operational capacity after COVID-19 related shutdowns. Automotive demand is leading the charge in higher metal consumption, as car makers switch out more expensive palladium for platinum to make autocatalysts in internal-combustion vehicles. Ags/Softs: Neutral Corn prices continued to be better-offered following last week's WASDE report, which contained the department's first look at the 2021-22 crop year. Corn production is expected to be up close to 6% over the 2020-21 crop year, at just under 15 billion bushels. On the week, corn prices are down ~ 15.3%. Chart 10 Chart 11     Footnotes 1     Please see Copper price rises as Chile fuels long-term supply concerns published 18 May 2021 by mining.com. Investment Views and Themes Strategic Recommendations Tactical Trades Commodity Prices and Plays Reference Table Trades Closed in 2021 Summary of Closed Trades
ハむラむト 継続䞭か぀予想される財政・金融刺激策ずCOVID-19察策の進展を受けた䞖界成長の匷たりは、䞻芁デヌタ提䟛者による今幎の石油需芁前提を抌し䞊げおいたす。 圓瀟は本月の需絊バランスで2021幎の䞖界需芁芋積りを64侇b/d匕き䞊げお98.25mm b/dずし、OPEC 2.0が脆匱な回埩を乱さないようにブレント䟡栌を$60/bbl付近に保぀ための必芁な調敎を行うず想定しおいたす。 圓瀟の2022幎および2023幎のブレント予枬はそれぞれ$65/bbl、$75/bblで維持したす。 コモディティ垂堎は、米囜、ロシア、䞭囜およびそれらの関係囜・同盟囜を巻き蟌む歊力衝突の高たる確率を無芖しおいたす。ロシアはりクラむナ囜境に軍を集結させ、米囜に干枉するなず譊告したした。䞭囜はフィリピン沖に戊艊を集結させ、台湟の防空識別圏ぞの䟵入を続けおおり、米軍を緊匵させおいたす。意図的あるいは偶発的な亀戊が発生すれば石油䟡栌は急隰したす。 䟡栌は䞊䞋双方にリスクがあふれおいたす。歊力衝突のリスクに加え、ワクチン配垃の加速は回埩を前倒しし、圓瀟予枬を超える䟡栌䞊昇をもたらす可胜性がありたす。䞀方で、ブラゞル、むンド、欧州での死亡者数および入院者数の䞊昇が瀺すように、COVID-19によるロックダりン再発の䞋振れリスクは䟝然ずしお存圚したす今週のチャヌト。 特集 石油需芁掚蚈—圓瀟の掚蚈も含め—は、䞻芁経枈におけるCOVID-19の抑制に向けた枬定可胜な進展ず、特に米囜発の最沢な財政・金融刺激策を受けお回埩しおいたす。1 IMFのGDP䞊方修正を受け、本月の需絊バランスで圓瀟は2021幎の䞖界需芁芋積りを64侇b/d匕き䞊げお98.25mm b/dずしたした。圓瀟のモデリングでは、脆匱な回埩を損なわないようにブレント䟡栌を$60/bbl付近に保぀ために、サりゞアラビア王囜KSAずロシアが䞻導する生産者連合であるOPEC 2.0が必芁な調敎を行うず想定しおいたす。 通垞ずは異なり、石油需芁回埩の初期段階は先進囜垂堎DMがけん匕するず芋おいたす。先進囜の代理ずしおOECDの石油消費を甚いおいたすチャヌト2。その埌、来幎以降は新興垂堎EM経枈が再び成長を䞻導し、2023幎にかけお続きたす。 今週のチャヌト COVID-19の死者数・入院者数が䞖界的回埩を脅かす 原油䟡栌の䞊振れリスクが高たっおいる 原油䟡栌の䞊振れリスクが高たっおいる チャヌト2 先進囜DMの需芁が今幎急増 DMの需芁が今幎急増 DMの需芁が今幎急増 OPEC 2.0の䜙剰生産胜力の吞収 圓瀟はサりゞアラビア王囜KSAずロシアが䞻導する生産者連合であるOPEC 2.0を垂堎で支配的な生産者ずしおモデリングし続けおいたす。今幎予想する成長はOPEC 2.0の䜙剰生産胜力のかなりの郚分を吞収する芋蟌みであり、その倧半—玄8mm b/dのうち玄6mm b/d—がKSAにありたすチャヌト3。 䞻芁生産囜の䜙剰生産胜力は、米囜のシェヌル生産者がリグず人員を動員しお新芏生産を集積ラむンや䞻芁パむプラむンに導入するよりも速く、回埩する需芁に察応するこずを可胜にしたす。 圓瀟は米囜のシェヌル生産者を垂堎䟡栌を受け入れるコホヌト䟡栌受容矀ずしおモデル化しおおり、垂堎が蚱す限り生産するず想定しおいたす。2020幎に9.22mm b/dたで萜ち蟌んだ米囜生産は、今幎9.56mm b/d、2022幎に10.65mm b/d、2023幎に11.18mm b/dたで回埩するず芋おいたすチャヌト4。米囜内コンチネンタル産Lower 48の生産成長はシェヌルが䞻導し、各幎ずも米囜総生産の玄80%を占める芋蟌みです。 チャヌト3 コアOPEC 2.0の䜙剰生産胜力がたず需芁増に反応する OPEC 2.0のコア予備生産胜力は需芁の増加に最初に反応する OPEC 2.0のコア予備生産胜力は需芁の増加に最初に反応する チャヌト4 シェヌルは䟡栌受容矀における限界䟛絊源 シェヌルは䟡栌受容矀における限界バレルである シェヌルは䟡栌受容矀における限界バレルである 䟛絊面でのOPEC 2.0の支配的地䜍は、䜙剰生産胜力が枯枇するたでは非連合生産者に経枈的地代を奪われるこずを蚱さず、非連合生産者にずっおは抑制芁因ずなりたす。その埌、䟡栌受容矀は資本を呌び蟌む胜力が限られおいるため、内郚留保から倚くの探査・生産E+P掻動を賄う可胜性が高いず考えられたす。株䞻は配圓の維持・成長、あるいは株匏買戻しによる資本還元を芁求し続けるでしょう。これが収益性のある䌁業に生産成長を限定する芁因になりたす。 圓瀟はOPEC 2.0連合の生産芏埋が䟛絊を需芁のわずか䞋にずどめ、圚庫が枛少し続けるようにするだろうず芋おいたす。これはCOVID-19パンデミックで需芁が砎壊されたにもかかわらず実際に起きたこずですチャヌト5。これらのモデリング前提から、圓瀟は䟛絊ず需芁が2023幎にかけお均衡ぞ向かっお動き続けるず予想しおいたす衚1。 チャヌト5 2021幎の需絊バランス 2021幎の需絊バランス 2021幎の需絊バランス 衚1 BCA 䞖界原油 需絊バランスMMb/d、ベヌスケヌス 原油䟡栌の䞊方リスクが高たっおいる 原油䟡栌の䞊方リスクが高たっおいる 圓瀟はこの需絊均衡化が恒垞的な物理的䞍足を誘発し、圚庫は2023幎にかけお枛少し続けるず予想しおいたすチャヌト6。圚庫が取り厩されるに぀れお、OPEC 2.0の支配的な生産者地䜍はブレントおよびWTIのフォワヌドカヌブをバックワヌデヌションに保぀こずを可胜にしたすチャヌト7。2 圓瀟は2022幎および2023幎のブレント予枬をそれぞれ$65/bbl、$75/bblで維持しおいたすチャヌト8。 チャヌト6 OPEC 2.0の政策は䟛絊を需芁の䞋に眮き続ける... OPEC 2.0政策は䟛絊を需芁より䞋回る氎準に保ち続けおいる  OPEC 2.0政策は䟛絊を需芁より䞋回る氎準に保ち続けおいる  チャヌト7 OECD圚庫は2023幎たでに枛少 OECD Inventories Fall to 2023 OECD Inventories Fall to 2023 チャヌト8 䞖界経枈回埩に䌎いブレント予枬は䞊昇 䞖界経枈の回埩に䌎い、ブレントは䞊昇が予想される 䞖界経枈の回埩に䌎い、ブレントは䞊昇が予想される 䟡栌の䞡方向リスクが充満 圓瀟芋解には䞊振れおよび䞋振れのリスクが数倚くありたす。 䞊振れの䟋ずしお、英囜ず米囜のワクチン配垃の立ち䞊げ方が瀺唆に富みたす。 䞡囜ずも圓初は぀たづきたした。特に米囜は1月時点でも戊略が敎っおいないように芋えたした。米囜が調達ず配垃を本栌化させるず接皮率は急䞊昇し、珟圚では米囜内で「通垞の」独立蚘念日Fourth of Julyを迎える芋通しにあるようです。英囜は今週再開を開始したした。䞡囜は2021幎第3四半期に集団免疫を達成するず予想されおいたす。3 調達ず配垃を誀ったEUは、英囜ず米囜の教蚓から利益を埗お2021幎第4四半期に集団免疫を達成するずマッキンれヌの調査は瀺しおいたす。このスケゞュヌルの前倒しは、より匷い成長ず圓瀟予枬を䞊回る石油䟡栌に぀ながるでしょう。 次の倧きな課題は、パンデミックが加速し倉異株の発生・拡散に理想的な環境を提䟛しおいる新興経枈地域特にそのような地域にワクチンを䟛絊するこずです。ブラゞル、むンド、欧州での死亡者数・入院者数の䞊昇が瀺すように、倧芏暡なCOVID-19によるロックダりンの再発リスクは䟝然ずしお残りたす。 戊の狌煙Cry Havoc 圓瀟が芋るもう䞀぀の倧きな䞊振れリスクは、米囜、ロシア、䞭囜およびそれらの関係囜・同盟囜を巻き蟌む歊力衝突です。 珟時点でコモディティ垂堎はこれらのリスクを無芖しおいたす。戊争のレベルには達しおいないにせよ、機動的な亀戊―航空機が撃墜されたり南シナ海で艊船が亀戊するような事態―の確率は日々高たっおいたす。 これは驚くべきこずではなく、圓瀟の同僚であるBCAリサヌチの地政孊ストラテゞヌGeopolitical Strategyが最近指摘した通りです。4 実際、マット・ガヌトケンMatt Gertkenが率いる圓該サヌビスは、バむデン政暩が就任盎埌からロシアず䞭囜によっおこの皮の詊緎にさらされるだろうず譊告しおいたした。 ロシアはりクラむナ囜境に軍を集結させ、米囜に干枉するなず譊告しおいたす。䞭囜はフィリピン沿岞に軍艊を集結させ、台湟の防空識別圏ぞの䟵入を続けおおり、米軍を緊匵させおいたす。米露、米䞭間の政治察話はたすたす激しくなっおおり、近い将来に和らぐ兆しは芋えたせん。意図的であれ偶発的であれ亀戊が発生すれば戊争の遁走を蚱し、石油䟡栌は䞀時的に急隰する可胜性がありたす。 最埌に、圓瀟が想定するようにむランが栞合意すなわち共同包括的行動蚈画JCPOAを西偎諞囜ず再締結できれば、むランは「正匏な」石油茞出囜ずしおの埩垰を䜙儀なくされ、OPEC 2.0はこれを受け入れざるを埗なくなりたす。JCPOAは2018幎に圓時のトランプ倧統領によっお砎棄されたした。 これは困難を䌎う可胜性がありたす。圓瀟は2014–16幎の石油䟡栌厩壊が、サりゞが垂堎シェア戊争を仕掛けお䟡栌を暎萜させ、2010幎末から2014幎半ばにかけお続いた1バレル圓たり$100超の䟡栌をむランに蚱さないための行動だったず考えおいたす。OPEC 2.0、特にKSAは米囜–むラン亀枉に公には関䞎しおいたせん。しかし2014幎に開始された壊滅的な垂堎シェア戊争の埌、KSAおよびOPEC 2.0はJCPOA埌にむランの垂堎埩垰を受け入れたこずを想起する䟡倀がありたす。   ロバヌト・P・ラむアン チヌフ コモディティ゚ネルギヌ・ストラテゞスト rryan@bcaresearch.com アシュりィン・シャむアム リサヌチア゜シ゚むト コモディティ゚ネルギヌ戊略 ashwin.shyam@bcaresearch.com   コモディティ抂況 ゚ネルギヌ 匷気 ブレントずWTI䟡栌は、EIAの週間石油圚庫報告が2021幎4月9週終わりで米囜の原油・補品圚庫が910䞇バレル枛少したこずを瀺した埌に急隰したした。これは商業甚原油ず蒞留油圚庫の倧幅な取り厩しそれぞれ590䞇バレル、210䞇バレルが䞻導したした。これらの取り厩しは過去䞀週間に䞻芁デヌタ機関EIA、IEA、OPECによる䞖界需芁の抂ね匷気な䞊方修正を背景ずしおいたす。これらの評䟡は、粟補補品需芁、すなわち「product supplied」が4月9週終わりで日量110侇b/d跳ね䞊がったずいうEIAデヌタに裏付けられおいたす。ゞョン゜ンゞョン゜ンの接皮問題ずいう挫折があったにもかかわらずワクチン配垃が勢いを増しおおり、圚庫の取り厩しず需芁改善が䞊昇の觊媒ずなったようです。米ドルの匱含みや米囜の実質金利䜎䞋も远い颚になりたした。 ベヌスメタル 匷気 今週初めニッケル䟡栌は䞋萜したした。䞭囜の囜営新華瀟通信が䞭囜の李克匷銖盞が䞊昇するコモディティ䟡栌の䞭で原材料垂堎の芏制匷化の必芁性を匷調したず報じ、䌁業の業瞟に圧力がかかっおいるずのこずでしたチャヌト9。この発蚀は䞭囜のトップ経枈顧問である劉鶎が先週コモディティ䟡栌の远跡を圓局に求めた埌に出たものです。ニッケル䟡栌はこの報を受けお今週初めにトン圓たり玄$500䞋萜し、ロンドン金属取匕所の取匕で火曜日終倀時点で$16,114.5/MTで取匕されおいたした。他のベヌスメタルはこのニュヌスの圱響を受けたせんでした。 貎金属 匷気 今週初めに発衚された3月の米囜むンフレデヌタを受けお米ドルず10幎物米囜債利回りは䜎䞋したした。米囜の消費者物䟡は玄9幎ぶりの倧幅䞊昇を蚘録したした。むンフレヘッゞ需芁ず米ドル・債利回りの䜎䞋が金の賌入における機䌚費甚を䞋げたこずが金䟡栌を抌し䞊げたしたチャヌト10。この䞍確実性ず米囜の財政刺激策によるむンフレ圧力の高たりが金需芁を増加させたす。スポットのCOMEX金は火曜日終倀で$1,746.20/ozで取匕されおいたした。 穀物・゜フトコモディティ äž­ç«‹ USDAの報告によるず、米囜のトりモロコシ期末圚庫は13.5億ブッシェルで、垂堎予想の13.9億ブッシェルや先月の省の1.50億ブッシェル掚定を䞋回っおいたすagriculture.comの集蚈。䞖界のトりモロコシ圚庫は2.839億トンで、垂堎予想の2.845億トンおよび省の掚定2.876億トンを䞋回りたした。 チャヌト9 ベヌスメタルは匷気に動く ベヌスメタルは匷気になっおいる ベヌスメタルは匷気になっおいる チャヌト10 金䟡栌の䞊昇 金䟡栌が䞊昇ぞ 金䟡栌が䞊昇ぞ   脚泚 1     圓瀟が2021幎4月8日に発衚したUS-Russia Pipeline Standoff Could Push LNG Prices Higherをご芧ください。簡単に蚀えば、IMFは今幎および来幎の成長率芋通しをそれぞれ6%ず4.4%に匕き䞊げ、2021幎1月の曎新時点ず比べおほが1ポむントの䞊方修正を行いたした。 2     バックワヌデヌションのフォワヌドカヌブ—先物の期近䟡栌が期先䟡栌を䞊回る状態—は需絊タむトさを瀺す垂堎のシグナルです。粟補業者が将来よりも今の原油の入手を高く評䟡しおいるこずを意味したす。これはちょうど投資家が明日匕き枡される1ドル札に察しお1ドルを支払うこずを奜み、1幎埌に匕き枡される同じ1ドル札には今日98セントしか払わないかもしれないのず同じダむナミクスです。 3    マッキンれヌ・アンド・カンパニヌが2021幎3月26日に発衚したWhen will the COVID-19 pandemic end?をご参照ください。 4    BCAの地政孊ストラテゞヌが2021幎4月2日に発衚した先芋的な分析The Arsenal Of Democracyをご芧ください。同レポヌトは、バむデン政暩は䞭囜/台湟、ロシア、むラン、さらには北朝鮮に関する初期のストレス・テストに盎面しおいるず指摘しおいたす。ゲヌム理論は金融垂堎が台湟海峡での危機の60%の確率を無芖できない理由を説明するのに圹立ちたす。党面戊争の確率は䟝然䜎いものの、台湟は䞖界で最も重芁な地政孊的リスクであり続けたす。   投資芋解ずテヌマ 掚奚事項 戊略的掚奚 タクティカルトレヌド コモディティ䟡栌ずプレむ参考衚 2021幎にクロヌズしたトレヌド クロヌズしたトレヌドの抂芁 より高いむンフレが到来 より高いむンフレが到来
Highlights Continued upgrades to global economic growth – most recently by the IMF this week –will support higher natgas prices.  In our estimation, gas for delivery at Henry Hub, LA, in the coming withdrawal season (November – March) is undervalued at current levels at ~ $2.90/MMBtu. Inventory demand will remain strong during the current April-October injection season, following the blast of colder-than-normal weather in 1Q21 that pulled inventories lower in the US, Europe and Northeast Asia. The odds the US will succeed in halting completion of the final leg of the Russian Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline into Germany are higher than the consensus expectation.  Our odds the pipeline will not be completed this year stand at 50%, which translates into higher upside risk for natural gas prices.  We are getting long 1Q22 calls on CME/NYMEX Henry Hub-delivered natgas futures struck at $3.50/MMBtu vs. short 1Q22 $3.75/MMBtu calls at tonight's close.  The probability of Nord Stream 2 cancellation is underpriced, which means European TTF and Asian JKM prices will have to move higher to attract LNG cargoes next winter from the US, if the pipeline is cancelled (Chart of the Week). Feature As major forecasting agencies continue to upgrade global growth prospects, expectations for industrial-commodity demand – energy, bulks, and base metals – also are moving higher. This week, the IMF raised its growth expectations for this year and next to 6% and 4.4%, respectively, nearly a full percentage-point increase versus its January forecast update for 2021.1 This upgrade follows a similar move by the OECD last month.2 In the US, the EIA is expecting industrial demand for natural gas to rise 1.35 Bcf/d this year to 23.9 Bcf/d; versus 2019 levels, industrial demand will be 0.84 Bcf/d higher in 2021. For 2022, industrial demand is expected to be 24.2 Bcf/d. US industrial demand likely will recover faster than the EU's, given the expectation of a stronger recovery on the back of massive fiscal and monetary stimulus. Overall natgas demand in the US likely will move lower this year, given higher natgas prices expected this year and next will incentivize electricity generators to switch to coal at the margin, according to the EIA. Total demand is expected to be 82.9 Bcf/d in the US this year vs. 83.3 Bcf/d last year, owing to lower generator demand. Pipeline-quality gas output in the US – known as dry gas, since its liquids have been removed for other uses – is expected to average 91.4 Bcf/d this year, essentially unchanged. Lower consumption by the generators and flat production will allow US gas inventories to return to their five-year average levels of 3.7 Tcf by the end of October, in the EIA's estimation (Chart 2). Chart of the WeekUS-Russia Geopolitical Risk Underpriced Chart 2US Natgas Inventories Return To Five-Year Average US Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) exports are likely to expand, as Asian and European demand grows (Chart 3). Prior to the boost in US LNG demand from colder weather, exports set monthly records of 9.4 Bcf/d and 9.8 Bcf/d in November and December of last year, respectively, with Asia accounting for the largest share of exports (Chart 4). This also marked the first time LNG exports exceeded US pipeline exports to Mexico and Canada. The EIA is forecasting US LNG exports will be 8.5 bcf/d and 9.2 Bcf/d this year and next, versus pipeline exports of 8.8 Bcf/d and 8.9 Bcf/d in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Chart 3US LNG Exports Continue Growing Chart 4US LNG Exports Set Records In November And December 2020 US LNG exports – and export potential given the size of the resource base at just over 500 Tcf – now are of a sufficient magnitude to be a formidable force in global markets, particularly in Europe. This puts it in direct conflict with Russia, which has targeted Europe as a key market for its pipeline natural gas exports. US-Russia Standoff Looming Over Nord Stream 2 Given the size and distribution of global oil and gas production and consumption, it comes as no surprise national interests can, at times, become as important to pricing these commodities as supply-demand fundamentals. This is particularly true in oil, and increasingly is becoming the case in natural gas. That the same dramatis personae – the US and Russia – should feature in geopolitical contests in oil and gas markets also should not come as a surprise. In an attempt to circumvent transporting its natural gas through Ukraine, Russia is building a 1,230 km underwater pipeline from Narva Bay in the Kingisepp district of the Leningrad region of Russia to Lubmin, near Greifswald, in Germany (Map 1). The Biden administration, like the Trump administration and US Congress, is officially attempting to halt the final leg of the pipeline from being built, although Biden has not yet put America’s full weight into stopping it. Biden claims it will be up to the Europeans to decide what to do. At the same time, any major Russian or Russian-backed military operation in Ukraine could trigger an American action to halt the pipeline in retaliation. Map 1Nord Stream 2 Route In our estimation, there is a 50% chance that the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline will not be completed this year or go into operation as planned given substantial geopolitical risks. The $11 billion pipeline would connect Russia directly to Germany with a capacity of about 55 billion cubic meters, which, combined with the existing Nord Stream One pipeline, would equal 110 BCM in offshore capacity, or 55% of Russia's natural gas exports to Europe in 2019. The pipeline’s construction is 94% complete, with the Russian ship Akademik Cherskiy entering Danish waters in late March to begin laying pipes to finish the final 138-kilometer stretch, according to Reuters. The pipeline could be finished in early August at the pace of 1 kilometer per day.3 The Russian and German governments are speeding up the project to finish it before US-Russia tensions, or the German elections in September, interrupt the construction process again. It is not too late for the US to try to halt the pipeline through sanctions. But for the Americans to succeed, the Biden administration would have to make an aggressive effort. Notably the Biden administration took office with a desire to sharpen US policy toward Russia.4 While Biden seeks Russian engagement on arms reduction treaties and the Iranian nuclear negotiations, he mainly aims to counter Russia, expand sanctions, provide weapons to Ukraine, and promote democracy in Russia’s sphere of influence. The result will almost inevitably be a new US-Russia confrontation, which is already taking shape over Russia’s buildup of troops on the border with Ukraine, where US and Russian meddling could cause civil war to reignite (Map 2). Map 2Russia’s Military Tensions With The West Escalate In Wake Of Biden’s Election And Ukraine’s Renewed Bid To Join NATO Tensions in Ukraine are directly tied to US military cooperation with Ukraine and any possibility that Ukraine will join the NATO military alliance, a red line for Putin. Nord Stream 2 is Russia’s way of bypassing Ukraine but a new US-Russia conflict, especially a Russian attack on Ukraine, would halt the pipeline. The pipeline’s completion would improve Russo-German strategic relations, undercut US liquefied natural gas exports to Germany and the EU, and reduce the US’s and eastern Europe’s leverage over Russia (and Germany). Biden says his administration is planning to impose new sanctions on firms that oversee, construct, or insure the pipeline, and such sanctions are required under American law.5 Yet Biden also wants a strong alliance with Germany, which favors the pipeline and does not want to escalate the conflict with Russia. The American laws against Nord Stream have big loopholes and give the president discretion regarding the use of sanctions, which means Biden would have to make a deliberate decision to override Germany and impose maximum sanctions if he truly wanted to halt construction.6 This would most likely occur if Russia committed a major new act of aggression in Ukraine or against other European democracies. The German policy, under the current ruling coalition led by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, is to finish the pipeline despite Russia’s conflicts with the West and political repression at home. Russia provides more than a third of Germany’s natural gas imports and this pipeline would bypass eastern Europe’s pipeline network and thus secure Germany’s (and Austria’s and the EU’s) natural gas supply whenever Russia cuts off the flow to Ukraine (through which roughly 40% of Russian natural gas still must pass to reach Europe). Germany's Election And Natgas Politics Germany wants to use natural gas as a bridge while it phases out nuclear energy and coal. Natural gas has grown 2.2 percentage points as a share of Germany’s total energy mix since the Fukushima disaster of 2011, and renewable energy has grown 7.7ppt, while coal has fallen 7.3ppt and nuclear has fallen 2.5ppt (Chart 5). The German federal election on September 26 complicates matters because Merkel and the Christian Democrats are likely to underperform their opinion polls and could even fall from power. They do not want to suffer a major foreign policy humiliation at the hands of the Americans or a strategic crisis with Russia right before the election. They will insist that Biden leave the pipeline alone and will offer other forms of cooperation against Russia in compensation. Therefore, the current German government could push through the pipeline and complete the project even in the face of US objections. But this outcome is not guaranteed. The German Greens are likely to gain influence in the Bundestag after the elections and could even lead the German government for the first time – and they are opposed to a new fossil fuel pipeline that increases Russia’s influence. Chart 5Germany Sees Nord Stream 2 Gas As Bridge To Low-Carbon Economy Hence there is a fair chance that the pipeline does not become operational: either Americans halt it out of strategic interest, or the German Greens halt it out of environmental and strategic interest, or both. True, there is a roughly equal chance that Merkel’s policy status quo survives in Germany, which would result in an operational pipeline. The best case for Germany might be that the current government completes the pipeline physically but the next government has optionality on whether to make it operational. But 50/50 odds of cancellation is a much higher risk than the consensus holds. The Russian policy is to finish Nord Stream 2 while also making an aggressive military stance against the West’s and NATO’s influence in Ukraine. This would expand Russian commodity and energy exports and undercut Ukraine’s natgas transit income. It would also increase Russian leverage over Germany – and it would divide Germany from the eastern Europeans and Americans. A preemptive American intervention would elicit Russian retaliation. The Russians could respond in the strategic sphere or the economic sphere. Economically they could react by cutting off natural gas to Europe, but that would undermine their diplomatic goals, so they would more likely respond by increasing production of natural gas or crude oil to steal American market share. In any scenario Russian retaliation would likely cause global price volatility in one or more energy markets, in addition to whatever volatility is induced by the cancellation of Nord Stream 2 itself. US-Russia tensions are likely to escalate but only Ukraine and Nord Stream 2, or the separate Iranian negotiations, have a direct impact on global energy supply. If Germany goes forward with the pipeline, then Russia would need to be countered by other means. The Americans, not the Germans, would provide these “other means,” such as military support to ensure the integrity of Ukraine and other nations’ borders. The Russians may gain a victory for their energy export strategy but they will never compromise on Ukraine and they will still need to focus on the broader global shift to renewable energy, which threatens their economic model and hence ultimately their regime stability. So, the risk of a market-moving US-Russia conflict can be delayed but probably not prevented (Chart 6). Chart 6US-Russia Conflit Likely Bottom Line: The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not guaranteed to be completed this year as planned. The US is more likely to force a halt to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline than the consensus holds, especially if Russia attacks Ukraine. If the US fails to do so, then the German election will become the next signpost for whether the pipeline will become operational. If the Americans halt the pipeline, then US-Russian conflict either already erupted or will occur sooner rather than later and will likely impact global oil or natural gas prices. Investment Implications Our subjective assessment of 50% odds the US will succeed in halting completion of the final leg of Nord Stream 2 are higher than the consensus expectation. This translates directly into higher upside risk for natural gas prices in the US and Europe later this year and next. Given our view, we are getting long 1Q22 calls on CME/NYMEX Henry Hub-delivered natgas futures struck at $3.50/MMBtu vs. short 1Q22 $3.75/MMBtu calls at tonight's close. The probability of Nord Stream 2 cancellation is underpriced, which means the odds of higher prices in the LNG market are underpriced (Chart 7). The immediate implication of our view is European TTF prices will have to move higher to attract LNG cargoes next winter from the US, if the Nord Stream 2 pipeline's final leg is cancelled. This also would tighten the Asian markets, causing the JKM to move higher as well (Chart 8). Any indication of colder-than-normal weather in the US, Europe or Asian markets would mean a sharper move higher. Chart 7Natgas Tails Are Too Narrow For Next Winter Chart 8Nord Stream 2 Cancellation Would Boost JKM Prices   Robert P. Ryan Chief Commodity & Energy Strategist rryan@bcaresearch.com Matt Gertken Vice President Geopolitical Strategy mattg@bcaresearch.com Commodities Round-Up Energy: Bullish The US and Iran began indirect talks earlier this week in Vienna aimed at restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the "Iran nuclear deal." All of the other parties of the deal – Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – are in favor of restoring the deal. BCA Research believes this is most likely to occur prior to the inauguration of a new president who is expected to be a hardliner willing to escalate Iran’s demands. US President Biden can unilaterally ease sanctions and bring the US into compliance with the deal, and Iran could then reciprocate. If a deal is not reached by August it could take years to resolve US-Iran tensions. China could offer to cooperate on sanctions and help to broker negotiations following the signing of its 25-year trade deal with Iran last week. Russia likely would demand the US not pressure its allies to cancel the Nord Stream 2 deal, in return for its assistance in brokering a deal. Base Metals: Bullish Iron ore prices continue to be supported by record steel prices in China, trading at more than $173/MT earlier this week. Even though steel production reportedly is falling in the top steel-producer in China, Tangshan, as a result of anti-pollution measures, for iron ore remains stout. As we have previously noted, we use steel prices as a leading indicator for copper prices. We remain long Dec21 copper and will be looking for a sell-off to get long Sep21 copper vs. short Sep21 copper if the market trades below $4/lb on the CME/COMEX futures market (Chart 9). Precious Metals: Bullish Gold held support ~ $1,680/oz at the end of March, following an earlier test in the month. We remain long the yellow metal, despite coming close to being stopped out last week (Chart 10). The earlier sell-off appeared to be caused by a need to raise liquidity to us. We continue to expect the Fed to hold firm to its stated intent to wait for actual inflation to become manifest before raising rates, and, therefore, continue to expect real rates to weaken. This will be supportive of gold and commodities generally (Chart 10). Ags/Softs: Neutral Corn continues to be well supported above $5.50/bu, following last week's USDA report showing farmers intend to increase acreage planted to just over 91mm acres, which is less than 1% above last year's level. Chart 9 Chart 10       Footnotes 1     Please see the Fund's April 2021 forecast Managing Divergent Recoveries. 2     We noted last week these higher growth expectations generally are bullish for industrial commodities – energy, metals, and bulks.  Please see Fundamentals Support Oil, Bulks, And Metals, which we published 1 April 2021.  It is available at ces.bcaresearch.com. 3    For the rate of construction see Margarita Assenova, “Clouds Darkening Over Nord Stream Two Pipeline,” Eurasia Daily Monitor 18: 17 (February 1, 2021), Jamestown Foundation, jamestown.org. For the current status, see Robin Emmott, “At NATO, Blinken warns Germany over Nord Stream 2 pipeline,” Reuters, March 23, 2021, reuters.com. 4    The Democratic Party blames Russia for what it sees as a campaign to undermine the democratic West and recreate the Soviet sphere of influence. See for example the 2008 invasion of Georgia, the failure of the Obama administration’s 2009-11 diplomatic “reset,” the Edward Snowden affair, the seizure of Crimea and civil war in Ukraine, the survival of Syria’s dictator, and Russian interference in US elections in 2016 and 2020. 5    The Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017, and the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019/2020, contain provisions requiring sanctions on firms that have contributed in any way a minimum of $1 million to the project, or provide pipe-laying services or insurance. There are exceptions for services provided by the governments of the EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, or the UK. The president has discretion over the implementation of sanctions as usual. 6    The German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is creating a shell foundation to enable the completion of the pipeline. It can shield companies from American sanctions aimed at private companies, not sovereigns.    Investment Views and Themes Recommendations Strategic Recommendations Tactical Trades Commodity Prices and Plays Reference Table Summary of Closed Trades
特別レポヌト Highlights ESG-related equities have outperformed global benchmarks over the past two years, as well as during the recent equity selloff. Investor demand and institutional pressure will drive the financial industry to analyze nonfinancial disclosures more closely and take them more into account. The pathway to achieving that is not simple: Unification of reporting standards and improvement in the quality of disclosure are required. Governments can play a role by enforcing climate and sustainability disclosure for firms wanting bailout support. Key stakeholders in the financial system – especially asset managers and other providers of capital – will look to incorporate more sophisticated ESG analysis into their traditional frameworks. Introduction This report is an update to our Special Report published in late 2018 on the benefits of ESG investing. In that report we concluded that ESG indices have performed at least in line with, and may even have slightly outperformed, broad-market indices, while providing societal and environmental benefits.1 We can now also answer one of the questions we raised in that report: Whether ESG investing provides protection during recessions and bear markets. Since we published that report, the ESG space has continued to grow, with the number of new US “sustainable” fund launches, as tracked by Morningstar, increasing – albeit at a lower rate than in the previous two years (Chart 1).2  This can be attributed to an ever-increasing investor demand, predominantly from Europe, but growing rapidly in both the US and Asia, too. The Global Sustainable Investment Review estimates that ESG assets under management (using a relatively broad definition of ESG) totaled $30 trillion as of 2018.3 Chart 1The Industry Is Catering To Increasing Investor Demand Our earlier report highlighted the increasing demand from investors to allocate capital based on environmental, social, and governance standards, or ESG. Simply put, we defined ESG investing as any investment activity that recognizes a certain set of principles, and screens securities based on those factors. While the term itself might be new, the core concept behind it is not. It encompasses a philosophy dating back hundreds of years, beginning with faith-based investing, to the more recent increased awareness of climate and governance issues. The COVID-19 pandemic – also considered an ESG risk – illustrated how quickly a health and environmental threat can turn into a social issue, as unemployment rates surged to new highs and economic activity came to a halt. In this report, we analyze how the performance of ESG indices has evolved since our last report, and in particular, during the recent February-March equity selloff. Additionally, we discuss the opportunities that governments, investors, and corporations can seize in the future. We also assess the various risks facing ESG investing, given that it is no longer a niche space. Performance Update Since we published our report in late 2018, ESG indices in most countries (with the exception of the US and Canada) have outperformed the broad market benchmarks.4  The global ESG index has outperformed the All-Country World (ACW) broad market index by 1% since (Chart 2). While this might not count as a remarkable outperformance, it answers some of the doubts cast on the merits of ESG investing. However, it is critical for investors to realize that ESG indices are not necessarily just another vehicle to invest in to try to outperform the market; rather, they are a sustainable alternative to traditional indices that do not detract from performance. Importantly, ESG indices either performed in line with or better than broad market indices during the equity selloff between February-March 2020. ESG indices in all major countries and regions, with the exception of the US, outperformed the benchmark during this period (Chart 2). Research by MSCI breaks down the active returns of various ESG country and region indices versus their corresponding broad market indices in Q1 2020. This analysis showed that the outperformance predominantly came from equity style tilts, followed by ESG-related factors and sector/industry tilts (Chart 3). Chart 2ESG Indices Outperformed Broad-Market Benchmarks In Most Regions During The Equity Selloff ESG indices tilt towards higher-quality, low-beta, and high-yielding stocks relative to their benchmarks. As part of the index construction, some ESG indices exclude stocks not meeting the indices’ ESG eligibility criteria.  This would include various names in the oil & gas industry, for example (for environmental criteria), as well as some tech giants (for social and governance reasons). The exclusion of some tech names partly explains the US index’s underperformance. Chart 3 shows that stock selection for the US MSCI ESG Leaders index – the one shown in Chart 2 – had a negative contribution to active returns over the first quarter. Chart 3Breaking Down ESG Performance Index methodology plays a big role in determining expected performance. The methodology of the MSCI ESG index suite generally aims to reduce sector differences relative to the broad indices, thereby limiting systematic risk. However, even within the MSCI ESG suite, methodologies differ between indices (Tables 1 & 2).5 Table 1Index Methodology Determines Sector Tilts Table 2Methodology Differences Matter However, it is critical for investors to realize that ESG indices are not necessarily just another vehicle to invest in to try to outperform the market; rather, they are a sustainable alternative to traditional indices that do not detract from performance. It is also important for investors to understand that sustainability is a long-term issue. For example, as economies shut down when COVID-19 infections and deaths rose, investors rushed to sell their risky exposures: The five largest “traditional” US equity ETFs saw cumulative net equity outflows of as high as $22 billion during the three-week period between February 19 and March 13. By contrast, the five largest ESG equity funds experienced small, yet positive, inflows over the same period (Chart 4). This was also true globally, where sustainable funds tracked by Morningstar recorded inflows close to $45 billion dollars during this period, whereas equity funds overall recorded over $380 billion of outflows.6 The most likely reason for this is that investors see ESG investing as a defensive play, given its sector and factor tilts. Chart 4Small, Yet Steady Inflows During The Equity Selloff Institutional Pressure Chart 5Analyzing Nonfinancial Disclosures Is A Must... Investors – particularly those with longer investment horizons, such as pension funds and endowments – are becoming more committed to evaluating their investments more rigorously from an ESG standpoint. This means putting pressure on asset managers to screen and assess company performance using ESG factors. A survey by EY in June 2020 shows that only 2% of respondents conduct little-to-no review of nonfinancial disclosures relating to a company’s environmental and social performance, down from 36% in 2013 (Chart 5). However, absent a formal governing body, standardized reporting, and proper regulation regarding what should be labeled ESG, as well as how metrics are evaluated, asset managers struggle to comply. One of the key points we highlighted in our previous report is that consideration of ESG factors in investment decisions must go beyond simple reliance on ESG scores. The various ESG rating agencies rely on different metrics, factors, and datasets to rank companies and therefore produce very different benchmarks and funds, even though they may have the same objectives. This means that different investors using different ESG indices could end up with different allocations to the same universe of stocks. Therefore, analysis and inclusion based on ESG scores may be misleading and yield dissimilar results. A research paper by the MIT Sloan School of Management showed that the sources of differentiation of ESG rankings by ratings agencies stem from: 1) Scope Divergence: Ratings rely on different attributes to capture ESG performance; 2) Measurement Divergence: Relying on different indicators to measure the same attribute; and 3) Weight Divergence: Ranking the attributes differently in terms of importance. Of these, the paper found that the measurement divergence was the most important.7  Chart 6...With More Companies Now Reporting Asset managers are not necessarily to blame. They simply lack adequate tools. The problem is not the dearth of disclosure, but rather its quality and comparability. In fact, over the past few years, more companies have begun reporting on their sustainability and social performance (Chart 6). However, the fact that reporting is voluntary, and companies rely on different reporting frameworks and standards, makes cross-country and inter-firm comparisons difficult. On the bright side however, there is a growing pressure for collaboration between the various reporting frameworks in order to bring about a single reporting standard. For example, a recently announced partnership between the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) – two of the many organizations responsible for creating sustainability reports and reporting on governance data – is an important step in bringing the various standard-setters together. This should promote greater reporting consistency, and highlight the importance of key non financial disclosures. Improved reporting will affect not only investors, but also providers of capital, including banks. Incorporating ESG factors into conventional investing frameworks will become a core step in assessing risk for asset allocators. Providers of capital will have to assess not only borrowers’ fundamentals and growth prospects, but also understand their governance policies and environmental footprint. A recently published report by the Bank of England (BoE) highlighted the potential impact of climate change – both through transition8 and physical risks9 – on UK banks, insurers, and the entire financial system. To highlight the extent of “climate-related exposure,” the analysis found that almost 10% of England’s mortgage value is on properties in flood-risk zones, and that loan exposures to high emission-intensive sectors represent almost 70% of the common equity Tier 1 capital of the UK’s largest banks.10 If a climate event occurs, or new regulations are implemented, the impact will be severe. Incorporating ESG factors into conventional investing frameworks will become a core step in assessing risk for asset allocators. Governments can play a role. As COVID-19 stimulus plans are rolled out – mainly in developed economies – governments are requiring companies in need of support or bailouts to improve their environmental and climate disclosures. This will make it easier for private-sector investors to incorporate ESG analysis. Large Canadian firms, for example, that apply for government loans, must now publish annual climate disclosure reports as well as other releases relating to environmental and sustainability goals. Additionally, further rounds of stimulus could be given to those investing in ESG-related areas – known as “green stimulus.” Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, G20 countries have committed over $300 billion to support various energy initiatives, of which approximately $150 billion was aimed at clean energy policies and renewable energy programs.11 This could set a precedent for future government support to aid the transition to a greener economy. It can perhaps also serve as an indicator of which areas can present opportunities for investment. Monetary policy is set to remain accommodative for the next few years. It is not unimaginable, then, that central banks’ unconventional monetary easing methods could involve purchasing green bonds,12 issued by both corporations and governments. This is something ECB president Christine Lagarde has hinted at, to aid in the world’s fight against climate change.13 Chart 7The Green Bond Market Is Growing The green bond market continues to grow, with bond issuance in 2019 up over 55% year-on-year. This growth, however, has fallen somewhat in 2020 due to the economic slowdown (Chart 7), despite overall bond issuance increasing in the second quarter of the year, as companies rushed to raise cash and refinance at lower rates.14 The fact that proceeds issued by green bonds must explicitly be used for environmental projects is the most likely reason for the decline. Green bond issuance, in 2020, has totaled $112 billion as of July, with the US, Germany, France, and the Netherlands being the top four issuers. China, the top issuer in 2018 and 2019, slipped to sixth place in 2020, with its green bond issuance shrinking from $27 billion in 2019 to $6 billion year-to-date. Risks & Headwinds Investors should be wary of various short-to-medium term risks to ESG investment. In the short-term, a delay of climate-change targets is possible. A second wave of COVID-19 infections that would trigger further lockdowns might lead to a rollback in environmental regulation and a refocus of stimulus packages on all-out growth rather than on ESG and climate initiatives. Over the coming years, as ESG investing becomes more mainstream, investors will need to take greater care to spot “greenwashing.”15 For example, this includes funds labeled as “sustainable”, but which hold securities that do not fit under that umbrella. It would also include companies taking advantage of the absence of reporting regulations to report misleading or incomplete information. Such care will be crucial until a unified reporting framework is established. According to calculations by Morningstar, over 500 funds expanded their prospectuses to include ESG factors in their investment analysis in 2019, up from the roughly 50 funds which did so in 2018.16,17 Indeed, this is a sign that funds are responding to investor demand and adding appropriate ESG analysis. However, whether these funds use sustainability as a core factor in their investing is unclear. Therefore, investors should continue to undertake their own proper due diligence. Conclusions The path to fully incorporating ESG analyses into a traditional investing framework is heading in the right direction, but is not yet clear-cut. A unified framework that allows for consistent and comparable disclosures would fix one of the biggest hurdles that investors face. ESG-related equity indices have outperformed in most countries and regions since late 2018, as well as during the recent equity selloff. The full advantage to be derived from incorporating ESG factors should be unlocked as more accurate and comprehensive data becomes available. Investor demand for ESG-related investments will remain the dominant force in driving the shift to integrating ESG disclosures into traditional financial analysis. Amr Hanafy Senior Analyst amrh@bcaresearch.com Footnotes 1  Please see Global Asset Allocation Special Report, “ESG Investing: No Harm, Some Benefit,” dated November 21, 2018 available at gaa.bcaresearch.com. 2 Please see https://www.morningstar.com/articles/989209/esg-funds-setting-a-record-pace-for-launches-in-2020 3 "Global Sustainable Investment Review 2018," Global Sustainable Investment Alliance, gsi-alliance.org. 4 For the purpose of this analysis, we use the MSCI ESG Leaders index suite. 5 "MSCI ESG Indexes," MSCI, msci.com. 6 Please see https://www.morningstar.com/articles/984776/theres-ample-room-for-sustainable-investing-to-grow-in-the-us 7 Florian Bergand, Julian F Kölbel, and Roberto Rigobon, "Aggregate Confusion: The Divergence of ESG Ratings," May 17, 2020. 8 Transition risks can be defined as the risks of economic dislocation and financial losses associated with the transition to a lower-carbon economy. 9 Physicals risks can be defined as those arising from the interaction between climate-related events and human and natural systems. 10"The Bank of England’s climate-related financial disclosure 2020," Bank Of England. 11 "G20," energypolicytracker.org. 12 Green bonds are fixed income securities in which the proceeds are exclusively and explicitly assigned to projects or activities to finance and combat environmental issues – such as those relating to climate change and depletion of biodiversity and natural resources. 13 "Lagarde Puts Green Policy Top Of Agenda in ECB Bond Buying," Financial Times, July 8, 2020. 14 "Credit Trends: Global Financing Conditions: Bond Issuance Is Expected To Finish 2020 Up 6% After A Strong Second Quarter," S&P Global Ratings, July 27, 2020. 15Greenwashing is the process of relying on false claims and impressions to provide misleading information about how certain activities, investments, services, products, etc., are environmentally sound and friendly. 16 https://www.morningstar.com/articles/973432/the-number-of-funds-considering-esg-explodes-in-2019 17 As of March 2020, data by Morningstar show that 3,297 global sustainable funds exist.
Highlights Recommended Allocation The coronavirus pandemic is not over. Enormous fiscal and monetary stimulus will soften the blow to the global economy, but there remain significant risks to growth over the next 12 months. The P/E ratio for global equities is near a record high. This suggests that the market is pricing in a V-shaped recovery, and ignoring the risks. We can, therefore, recommend no more than a neutral position on global equities. But government bonds are even more expensive, with yields having largely hit their lower bound. Stay underweight government bonds, and hedge downside risk via cash. The US dollar is likely to depreciate further: It is expensive, US liquidity has risen faster than elsewhere, interest-rate differentials no longer favor it, and momentum has swung against it. A weakening dollar – plus accelerating Chinese credit growth – should help commodities. We raise the Materials equity sector to neutral, and put Emerging Market equities on watch to upgrade from neutral. Corporate credit selectively remains attractive where central banks are providing a backstop. We prefer A-, Baa-, and Ba-rated credits, especially in the Financials and Energy sectors. Defensive illiquid alternative assets, such as macro hedge funds, have done well this year. But investors should start to think about rotating into private equity and distressed debt, where allocations are best made mid-recession. Overview Cash Injections Vs. COVID Infections The key to where markets will move over the next six-to-nine months is (1) whether there will be a second wave of COVID-19 cases and how serious it will be, and (2) how much appetite there is among central banks and fiscal authorities to ramp up stimulus to offset the damage the global economy will suffer even without a new spike in cases. A new wave of COVID-19 in the northern hemisphere this fall and winter is probable. It is not surprising, after such a sudden stop in global activity between February and May, that economic data is beginning to return to some sort of normality. PMIs have generally recovered to around 50, and in some cases moved above it (Chart 1). Economic data has surprised enormously to the upside in the US, although it is lagging in the euro zone and Japan (Chart 2). Chart 1Data Is Rebounding Sharply Chart 2US Data Well Above Expectations     New COVID-19 cases continue to rise alarmingly in some emerging economies and in parts of the US, but in Europe and Asia the pandemic is largely over (for now) and lockdown regulations are being eased, allowing economic activity to resume (Chart 3). Nonetheless, consumers remain cautious. Even where economies have reopened, people remain reluctant to eat in restaurants, to go on vacation, or to visit shopping malls (Chart 4). While shopping and entertainment activities are now no longer 70-80% below their pre-pandemic levels, as they were in April and May, they remain down 20% or more (Chart 5). Chart 3Few COVID-19 Cases Now In Europe And Asia Chart 4Consumers Still Reluctant To Go Out Chart 5Spending Well Below Pre-Pandemic Levels So how big is the risk of further spikes in COVID-19 cases? Speaking on a recent BCA Research webcast, the conclusion of Professor Peter Doherty, a Nobel prize-winning immunologist connected to the University of Melbourne, was that, “It’s not unlikely we’ll see a second wave.”1 But experts can’t be sure. It seems that the virus spreads most easily when people group together indoors. That is why US states where it is hot at this time of the year, such as Arizona, have seen rising infections. This suggests that a new wave in the northern hemisphere this fall and winter is probable. Offsetting the economic damage caused by the coronavirus has been the staggering amount of liquidity injected by central banks, and huge extra fiscal spending. Major central bank balance-sheets have grown by around 5% of global GDP since March, causing a spike in broad money growth everywhere (Chart 6). Fiscal spending programs also add up to around 5% of global GDP (Chart 7), with a further 5% or so in the form of loans and guarantees. Chart 6Remarkable Growth In Money Supply... Chart 7...And Unprecedented Fiscal Spending   But is it enough? Considerable damage has been done by the collapse in activity. Bankruptcies are rising (Chart 8) and, with activity still down 20% in consuming-facing sectors, pressure on companies’ business models will not ease soon – particularly given evidence that banks are tightening lending conditions. Household income has been buoyed by government wage-replacement schemes, handout checks, and more generous unemployment benefits (Chart 9). But, when these run out, households will struggle if the programs are not topped up. Central banks are clearly willing to inject more liquidity if need be. But the US Congress is prevaricating on a second fiscal program, and the Merkel/Macron proposed EUR750 billion spending package in the EU is making little progress. It will probably take a wake-up call from a sinking stock market to push both to take action. Chart 8Companies Feeling The Pressure Considerable damage has been done by the collapse in activity. We lowered our recommendation for global equities to neutral from overweight in May. We are still comfortable with that position. Given the high degree of uncertainty, this is not a market in which to take bold positioning in a portfolio. When you have a high conviction, position your portfolio accordingly; but when you are unsure, stay close to benchmark. With stocks up by 36% since their bottom on March 23rd, the market is pricing in a V-shaped recovery and not, in our view, sufficiently taking into account the potential downside risks. P/E ratios for global stocks are at very stretched levels (Chart 10). Chart 9Households Dependent On Handouts Chart 10Global Equities Are Expensive...   Nonetheless, we would not bet against equities. Simply, there is no alternative. Most government bond yields are close to their effective lower bound. Gold looks overbought (in the absence of a significant spike in inflation which, while possible, is unlikely for at least 12 months). No sensible investor in, say, Germany would want to hold 10-year government bonds yielding -50 basis points. Assuming 1.5% average annual inflation over the next decade, that guarantees an 18% real loss over 10 years. The only investors who hold such positions have them because their regulators force them to. Chart 11...But They Are Cheap Against Bonds The Sharpe ratio on 10-year US Treasurys, which currently yield 70 BPs, will be 0.16 (assuming volatility of 4.5%) over the next 10 years. A simple calculation of the likely Sharpe ratio for US equities (earnings yield of 4.5% and volatility of 16%) comes to 0.28. One would need to assume a disastrous outlook for the global economy to believe that stocks will underperform bonds in the long run. Though equities are expensive, bonds are even more so. The equity risk premium in most markets is close to a record high (Chart 11). With such mathematics, it is hard for a long-term oriented investor to be underweight equities. Garry Evans, Senior Vice President Chief Global Asset Allocation Strategist garry@bcaresearch.com   What Our Clients Are Asking Chart 12Premature Opening Of The Economy Is Risky COVID-19: How Risky Is Reopening? Countries around the world are rushing to reopen their economies, claiming victory over the pandemic. It is hard to be sure whether a second wave of COVID-19 will hit. What is certain, however, is that a premature relaxation of measures is as risky as a tardy initial response. That was the lesson from our Special Report analyzing the Spanish Flu of 1918. The risk is certainly still there: Herd immunity will require around 70% of the population to get sick, and a drug or vaccine will (even in an optimistic scenario) not be available until early next year. China and South Korea, for example, after reporting only a handful of daily new cases in early May, were forced to impose new restrictions over the past few weeks as COVID-19 cases spiked again (Chart 12, panel 1). We await to see if other European countries, such as Italy, Spain, and France will be forced to follow. Some argue that even if a second wave hits, policy makers – to avoid a further hit to economic output – will favor the “Swedish model”: Relying on people’s awareness to limit the spread of the virus, without imposing additional lockdowns and restrictions. This logic, however, is risky since Sweden suffered a much higher number of infections and deaths than its neighboring countries (panel 2). The US faces a similar fate. States such as Florida, Arizona, and Texas are recording a sharp rise in new infections as lockdowns are eased. In panel 3, we show the daily number of new infections during the stay-at-home orders (the solid lines) and after they were lifted (dashed lines). To an extent, increases in infections are a function of mass testing. However, what is obvious is that the percentage of positive cases per tests conducted has started trending upwards as lockdown measures were eased (panel 4). Our base case remains that new clusters of infections will emerge. Eager citizens and rushed policy decisions will fuel further contagion. If the Swedish model is implemented, lives lost are likely to be larger than during the first wave. Chart 13W Or U, Says The OECD What Shape Will The Recovery Be: U, V, W, Or Swoosh? The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Business Cycle Dating Committee has already declared that the US recession began in March. The economists’ consensus is that Q2 US GDP shrank by 35% QoQ annualized. But, after such a momentous collapse and with a moderate move back towards normalcy, it is almost mathematically certain that Q3 GDP will show positive quarter-on-quarter growth. So does this mean that the recession lasted only one quarter, i.e. a sharp V-shape? And does this matter for risk assets? The latest OECD Economic Outlook has sensible forecasts, using two “equally probable” scenarios: One in which a second wave of coronavirus infections hits before year-end, requiring new lockdowns, and one in which another major outbreak is avoided.2 The second-wave scenario would trigger a renewed decline in activity around the turn of 2020-21: a W-shape. The second scenario looks more like a U-shape or swoosh, with an initial rebound but then only a slow drawn-out recovery, with OECD GDP not returning to its Q4 2019 level before the end of 2021 (Chart 13). Chart 14Unemployment Will Take A Long Time To Come Down Why is it likely that, in even the absence of a renewed outbreak of the pandemic, recovery would be faltering? After an initial period in which many furloughed workers return to their jobs, and pent-up demand is fulfilled, the damage from the sudden stop to the global economy would kick in. Typically, unemployment rises rapidly in a recession, but recovers only over many years back to its previous low (Chart 14). This time, many firms, especially in hospitality and travel, will have gone bust. Capex plans are also likely to be delayed. Chart 15Sub-Potential Output Can Be Good For Risk Assets However, a slow recovery is not necessarily bad for risk assets. Periods when the economy is recovering but remains well below potential (such as 2009-2015) are typically non-inflationary, which allows central banks to continue accommodation (Chart 15). Is This Sharp Equity Rebound A Retail Investor Frenzy? The answer to this question is both Yes and No. From a macro fundamental perspective, the answer is No, because coordinated global reflationary policies and medical developments to fight the coronavirus have been the key drivers underpinning this equity rebound. “COVID-on” and “COVID-off” have been the main determinants for equity rotations. Chart 16Active Retail Participation Lately But at the individual stock level, the answer is Yes. Some of the unusual action in beaten-down stocks over the past few weeks may have its origin in an upsurge of active retail participation (Chart 16). Retail investors on their own are not large enough to influence the market direction. Many online brokerages do not charge any commission for trades, but make money by selling order flows to hedge funds. As such, the momentum set in motion by retail investors may have been amplified by fast-money pools of capital. Retail participation in some beaten-down stocks has also provided an opportunity for institutions to exit. BCA’s US Investment Strategy examined the change in institutional ownership of 12 stocks in three stressed groups between February 23 and June 14, as shown in Table 1. In the case of these stocks, retail investors have served as liquidity providers to institutional sellers seeking to exit their holdings. The redeployment of capital by institutions into large-cap and quality names may have pushed up the overall equity index level. Table 1Individuals Have Replaced Institutions How Will Inflation Behave After COVID? Some clients have asked us about the behavior of inflation following the COVID epidemic. Over the very short term, inflation could have more downside. However, this trend is likely to reverse rapidly. Headline inflation is mainly driven by changes in the oil price and not by its level. Thus, even if oil prices were to stay at current low levels, the violent recovery of crude from its April lows could bring headline inflation near pre-COVID levels by the beginning of 2021 (Chart 17, top panel). This effect could become even larger if our Commodity strategist price target of 65$/barrel on average in 2021 comes to fruition. Chart 17Rising Oil Prices And Fiscal Stimulus Will Boost Inflation But will this change in inflation be transitory or will it prove to be sustainable? We believe it will be the latter. The COVID crisis may have dramatically accelerated the shift to the left in US fiscal policy. Specifically, programs such as universal basic income may now be within the Overton window3 of acceptable fiscal policy, thanks to the success of the CARES Act in propping up incomes amid Depression-like levels of unemployment (middle panel). Meanwhile there is evidence that this stimulus is helping demand to recover rapidly: Data on credit and debit card trends show that consumer spending in the US has staged a furious rally, particularly among low-income groups, where spending has almost completely recovered (bottom panel). With entire industries like travel, restaurants and lodging destroyed for the foreseeable future, the political will to unwind these programs completely is likely to be very low, given that most policymakers will be queasy about an economic relapse, even after the worst of the crisis has passed. Such aggressive fiscal stimulus, coupled with extremely easy monetary policy will likely keep inflation robust on a cyclical basis. Global Economy Overview: March-May 2020 will probably prove to be the worst period for the global economy since the 1930s, as a result of the sudden stop caused by the coronavirus pandemic and government-imposed restrictions on movement. As the world slowly emerges from the pandemic, data has started to improve. But there remain many risks, and global activity is unlikely to return to its end-2019 level for at least another two years. That means that further fiscal and monetary stimulus will be required. The speed of the recovery will be partly determined by how much more aggressively central banks can act, and by how much appetite there is among fiscal authorities to continue to bail out households and companies which have suffered a catastrophic loss of income. US: The economy has shown signs of a strong rebound from the coronavirus slump in March and April. Q2 GDP probably fell around 35% quarter-on-quarter annualized, but Q3 will almost certainly show positive growth. The Economic Surprise Index (Chart 18, panel 1) has bounced to a record high, after stronger-than expected May data, for example the 16% month-on-month growth in durable goods orders, and 18% in retail sales. But the next stage of the recovery will be harder: continuing unemployment claims in late June were still 19.5 million. Bankruptcies are rising, and banks are tightening lending conditions. One key will be whether Congress can pass a further fiscal program before the emergency spending runs out in July. Euro Area: Although pandemic lockdowns ended in Europe earlier than in the US, recovery has been somewhat slower. The euro zone PMI rebounded to close to 50 in June but, given that activity had collapsed in February-May, it is surprising (since the PMI measures month-on-month change) that it is not well above 50 (Chart 19, panel 1). Fiscal and monetary stimulus, while large, has not been as aggressive as in the US. The ECB remains circumscribed (as least psychologically) by the German constitutional court’s questioning the justification for previous QE. Germany and France have agreed a EUR750 billion additional package to help the periphery, but this has still to be finalized, due to the opposition of some smaller northern EU members. Chart 18Economic Data Has Started To Surprise To The Upside... Chart 19...But From Dramatically Low Levels   Japan: Although Japan escaped relatively easily from pandemic deaths and lockdowns, its economy remains notably weak. New machinery orders in April were still falling 18% YoY, and exports in May were down 28% YoY. The poor economic performance is due to its dependence on overseas demand, distrust in the government, the lingering effects of the ill-timed consumption tax rise last October, and limited room for manoeuvre by the Bank of Japan. The government has announced fiscal stimulus equal to a barely credible 40% of GDP, but much of this is double-counting, and less than half of the household and small-company income-replacement handouts announced in March have so far been paid out. Emerging Markets: India, Brazil, and other Latin American countries are now bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. Economies throughout Emerging Markets have weakened dramatically as a result. Two factors may come to their aid, though. China is again ramping up monetary stimulus, with a notable acceleration of credit growth over the past three months. Its economy has stabilized as a result, as PMIs show (panel 3). And the US dollar has begun to depreciate, which will take pressure off EM borrowers in foreign currencies, and boost commodities prices. The biggest risk is that many EM central banks have now resorted to printing money, which could result in currency weakness and inflation at a later stage. Interest Rates: Central banks in advanced economies have lowered policy rates to their effective lower bound. It is unlikely the Fed will cut into negative territory, having seen the nefarious effects of this on the banking systems in Japan and the euro zone, and particularly due to the large money-market fund industry in the US, which is unviable with negative rates. Reported inflation everywhere, both headline and core, has fallen sharply, but this is somewhat misleading since the price of items that households in lockdown have actually been buying has risen sharply. Markets have started to sniff out the possibility of inflation once the pandemic is over, and inflation expectations have begun to rise (panel 4). For now, deflation is likely to be the bigger worry and so we do not expect long-term rates to rise much this year. But a sharp pickup in inflation is a definite risk on the 18-24 month time horizon. Global Equities Chart 20Stretched Valuation Valuation Concern: Global equities staged an impressive rebound of 18% in Q2 after the violent selloff in Q1, thanks to the “whatever-it-takes” support from central banks, and massive fiscal stimulus packages around the globe. Within equities, our country allocation worked well, as the US outperformed both the euro Area and Japan. Our sector performance was mixed: The overweight in Info Tech and underweight in Utilities and Real Estate generated good profits, but the overweights in Industrials and Healthcare and the underweight in Materials suffered losses. As shown in Chart 20, even before the pandemic-induced profit contraction, forward earnings were already only flattish in 2019. The sharp selloff in Q1 brought the valuation multiple back down only to the same level as at the end of 2018. Currently, this valuation measure stands at the highest level since the Great Financial Crisis after a 37% increase in Q2 2020 alone. Such a rapid multiple expansion was one of the key reasons why we downgraded equities to Neutral in May at the asset-class level. Going forward, BCA’s house view is that easy monetary policies and stimulative fiscal policies globally will help to revive economic activity, and that a weakening US dollar will give an additional boost to the global economy, especially Emerging Markets. Consequently, we upgrade global Materials to neutral from underweight and put Emerging Market equities (currently neutral) on an upgrade watch (see next page). Warming To Reflation Plays Chart 21EM On Upgrade Watch Taking risk where risks will most likely be rewarded has been GAA’s philosophy in portfolio construction. As equity valuation reaches an extreme level, the natural thing to do is to rotate into less expensive areas within the equity portfolio. As shown in panel 2 of Chart 21, EM equities are trading at a 31% discount to DM equities based on forward P/E, which is 2 standard deviations below the average discount of past three years. Valuation is not a good timing tool in general, but when it reaches an extreme, it’s time to pay attention and check the fundamental and technical indicators. We are putting EM on upgrade watch (from our current neutral stance, and also closing the underweight in Materials given the close correlation of the two (Chart 21, panel 1). Three factors are on our radar screen: First, reflation efforts in China. The change in China’s total social financing as a % of GDP has been on the rise and BCA’s China Investment Strategy Team expects it to increase further. This bodes well for the momentum of the EM/DM performance, which is improving, albeit still in negative territory (panel 3). Second, a weakening USD is another key driver for EM/DM and the Materials sector relative performance as shown in panel 4. According to BCA’s Foreign Exchange Strategy, the US dollar is likely to churn on recent weakness before a cyclical bear market fully unfolds.4 Last but not least, the recent surge in the number of the coronavirus infections in EM economies, especially Brazil and India, has increased the likelihood of a second wave of lockdowns. Government Bonds Chart 22Bottoming Bond Yields Maintain Neutral Duration. Global bond yields barely moved in Q2 as the global economy rebounded from the COVID-induced recession low (Chart 22, panel 1). The upside surprise in economic data releases implies that global bond yields will likely go up in the near term (panel 2). For the next 9-12 months, however, the upside in global bond yields might be limited given the increasing likelihood of a new set of COVID-19 lockdowns due to the recent surge in new infections globally, especially in the US, Brazil, and India. As such, a neutral duration stance is still appropriate (Chart 22). Chart 23Inflation Expectations On The Rise Favor Linkers Vs. Nominal Bonds. To fight off the risk of an extended recession, policymakers around the world are determined to continue to use aggressive monetary and fiscal stimulus to boost the global economy. The combined effect of extremely accommodative policy settings and the rebound in global commodity prices, especially oil prices, will push up inflation expectations (Chart 23). Higher inflation expectations will no doubt push up nominal bond yields somewhat, but according to BCA’s Global Fixed Income Strategy (GFIS), positioning for wider inflation breakevens remains the “cleaner” way to profit for the initial impact of policy reflation.5 According to GFIS valuation models, inflation-linked bonds in Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia, France, and Japan should be favored over their respective nominal bonds. Corporate Bonds Chart 24Better Value In A-rated and Baa-rated Credit Investment-grade: Since we moved to overweight on investment-grade credit within the fixed-income category, it has produced 8.8% in excess returns over duration-matched government bonds. We remain overweight, given that the Federal Reserve has guaranteed to rollover debt for investment-grade issuers, essentially eliminating the left tail of returns. Moreover, the Fed has begun buying both ETFs and individual bond issues, in an effort to keep financial stress contained during the pandemic. However, there are some sectors within the investment-grade space that are more attractive than others. Specifically, our Global Fixed Income Strategy team has shown that A-rated and Baa-rated bonds are more attractive than higher-rated credits (Chart 24). Meanwhile, our fixed-income strategist are overweight Energy and Financials at the sector level.6 High-yield: High-yield bonds – where we have a neutral position - have delivered 11.5% of excess return since April. We are maintaining our neutral position. At current levels, spreads no longer offer enough value to justify an overweight position, specially if one considers that defaults in junk credits could be severe, since the Fed doesn’t offer the same level of support that it provides for investment-grade issuers. Within the high-yield space, we prefer Ba-rated credit. Fallen angels (i.e. bonds which fell to junk status) are particularly attractive given that most qualify for the Fed’s corporate buying program, since issuers which held at least a Baa3 rating as of March 22 are eligible for the Fed’s lending facilities.7  Commodities Chart 25Commodity Prices Will Rise As Growth Revives Energy (Overweight): A near-complete lack of storage led WTI prices to go into freefall and trade at -$40 in mid-April: The largest drawdown in oil prices over the past 30 years (Chart 25, panel 1). Since then, oil prices have picked up, reaching their pre-“sudden stop” levels, as the OPEC 2.0 coalition slashed production. Nevertheless, excess supply remains a key issue. Crude inventories have been on the rise as global crude demand weakens. Year-to-date inventories have increased by over 100 million barrels, and current inventories cover over 40 days of supply (panel 2). As long as the OPEC supply cuts hold and demand picks up over the coming quarters, the excess inventories are likely to be worked off. BCA’s oil strategists expect Brent crude to rise back above $60 by year-end. Industrial Metals (Neutral): Last quarter, we flagged that industrial metals face tailwinds as fiscal packages get rolled out globally – particularly in China where infrastructure spending is expected to increase by 10% in the latter half of the year. Major industrial metals have yet to recover to their pre-pandemic levels but, as lockdown measures are lifted and activity is restored, prices are likely to start to rise strongly (panel 3). Precious Metals (Neutral): The merits of holding gold were not obvious during the first phase of the equity sell-off in February and March. Gold prices tumbled as much as 13%, along with the decline in risk assets. Since the beginning of March, however, there have been as many positive return days as there has been negative (panel 4). However, given the uncertainty regarding a second wave of the pandemic, and the rise in geopolitical tensions between the US and China, as well as between India and China, we continue to recommend holding gold as a hedge against tail risks. Currencies Chart 26Momentum For The Dollar Has Turned Negative US Dollar: The DXY has depreciated by almost 3% since the beginning of April. Currently, there are multiple forces pushing the dollar lower: first, interest-rate differentials no longer favor the dollar Second, liquidity conditions have improved substantially thanks to the unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus, as well as coordinated swap lines between the Fed and other central banks to keep USD funding costs contained. Third, momentum in the DXY – one of the most reliable indicators for the dollar – has turned negative (Chart 26– top & middle panel). Taking all these factors into account, we are downgrading the USD from neutral to underweight. Euro: The euro should benefit in an environment where the dollar weakens, and global growth starts to rebound. Moreover, outperformance by cyclical sectors as well as concerns about over-valuation in US markets should bring portfolio flows to the Euro area. Therefore, we are upgrading the euro from neutral to overweight. Australian dollar: Last quarter we upgraded the Australian dollar to overweight due to its attractive valuations, as well as the effect of the monetary stimulus coming out of China. This proved to be the correct approach: AUD/USD has appreciated by a staggering 13% since our upgrade – the best performance of any G10 currency versus the dollar this quarter (bottom panel). Overall, while we believe that Chinese stimulus should continue to prop up the Aussie dollar, valuations are no longer attractive with AUD/USD hovering around PPP fair value. This means that the risk-reward profile of this currency no longer warrants an overweight position. Thus, we are downgrading the AUD to neutral. Alternatives Chart 27Opportunities Will Emerge In Private Equity Return Enhancers: Over the past year, we have flagged that hedge funds, particularly macro funds, will outperform other risk assets during recessions and periods of high market stress. This played out as we expected: macro hedge funds’ drawdown from January to March 2020 was a mere 1.4%, whereas other hedge funds’ drawdown ranged between 9% and 19% and global equities fell as much as 35% from their February 2020 peak. (Chart 27, panel 1). However, unlike other recessions, the unprecedented sum of stimulus should place a floor under global growth. Given the time it takes to move allocations in the illiquid space, investors should prepare for new opportunities within private equity as global growth bottoms in the latter half of this year. In an earlier Special Report, we stressed that funds raised in late-cycle bull markets tend to underperform given their high entry valuations. If previous recessions are to provide any guidance, funds raised during recession years had a higher median net IRR than those raised in the latter year of the preceding bull market (panel 2). Inflation Hedges: Over the past few quarters, we have been highlighting commodity futures as a better inflation hedge relative to other assets (e.g. real estate). Within the asset class, assuming a moderate rise in inflation over the next 12-18 months as we expect, energy-related commodities should fare best (panel 3). This corroborates with our overweight stance on oil over the next 12 months (see commodities section). Volatility Dampeners: We have been favoring farmland and timberland since Q1 2016. While both have an excel track record of reducing volatility, farmland’s inelastic demand during slowdowns will be more beneficial. Investors should therefore allocate more to farmland over timberland (panel 4). Risks To Our View The risks are skewed to the downside. After such a big economic shock, damage could appear in unexpected places. Banking systems in Europe, Japan, and the Emerging Markets (but probably not the US) remain fragile. Defaults are growing in sub-investment grade debt; mortgage-backed securities are experiencing rising delinquencies; student debt and auto loans are at risk. Emerging Market borrowers, with $4 trn of foreign-currency debt, are particularly vulnerable. The length and depth of recessions and bear markets are determined by how serious are the second-round effects of a cyclical slowdown. If the current recession really lasted only from March to July, and the bear market from February to March, this will be very unusual by historical standards (Chart 28). Chart 28Can The Recession And Bear Market Really Be All Over Already? Upside surprises are not impossible. A vaccine could be developed earlier than the mid-2021 that most specialists predict. But this is unlikely since the US Food and Drug Administration will not fast-track approval given the need for proper safety testing. If economies continue to improve and newsflow generally remains positive over the coming months, more conservative investors could be sucked into the rally. Evidence suggests that the rebound in stocks since March was propelled largely by hedge funds and individual day-traders. More conservative institutions and most retail investors remain pessimistic and have so far missed the run-up (Chart 29). One key, as so often, is the direction of US dollar. Further weakness in the currency would be a positive indicator for risk assets, particularly Emerging Market equities and commodities. In this Quarterly, we have moved to bearish from neutral on the dollar (see Currency section for details). Momentum has turned negative, and both valuation and relative interest rates suggest further downside. But it should be remembered that the dollar is a safe-haven, counter-cyclical currency (Chart 30). Any rebound in the currency would not only signal that markets are entering a risk-off period, but would cause problems for Emerging Market borrowers that need to service debt in an appreciating currency. Chart 29Many Investors Are Still Pessimistic Chart 30Dollar Direction Is Key     Footnotes 1  Please see BCA Webcast, "The Way Ahead For COVID-19: An Expert's Views," available at bcaresearch.com. 2  OECD Economic Outlook, June 2020, available at https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/oecd-economic-outlook/volume-2020/issue-1_0d1d1e2e-en 3  The Overton window, named after Joseph P. Overton, is the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time. It frames the range of policies that a politician can espouse without appearing extreme. 4  Please see Foreign Exchange Strategy Weekly Report, “DXY: False Breakdown Or Cyclical Bear Market?” dated June 5, 2020 available at fes.bcaresearch.com 5  Please see Global Fixed Income Strategy Weekly Report, “How To Play The Revival Of Global Inflation Expectations” dated June 23, 2020 available at gfis.bcaresearch.com 6 Please see Global Fixed Income Strategy, "Hunting For Alpha In The Global Corporate Bond Jungle," dated May 27, 2020, available at gfis.bcaresearch.com. 7  Fallen angels also outperform during economic recoveries. Please see Global Asset Allocation Special Report, "Even Fallen Angels Have A Place In Heaven," dated November 15, 2020, available at gaa.bcaresearch.com.   GAA Asset Allocation
Highlights Recommended Allocation The outlook for markets over the next few months is highly uncertain. On the optimistic side, new COVID-19 cases are probably close to peaking (for now), and so equities could continue to rally. But there are many risks too. Growth numbers will be horrendous for some months. Second-round effects (corporate defaults, problems in EM and with euro zone banks, for example) will emerge. We recommend a balanced portfolio, robust both for risk-on rallies and a further sell-off. We stay overweight equities versus bonds. Government bonds will not provide significantly positive returns even in a severe recession. Thus, over the next 12-months, equities are likely to outperform them. But we leaven the equity overweight with a “minimum volatility” strategy, overweight the low-beta US market, and more stable sectors such as Healthcare and Technology. Within bonds, we stay underweight government bonds, and raise Investment Grade credit to overweight, given the Fed’s backstop. Even in a risk-on rally, government yields will not rise quickly so we recommend a neutral stance on duration. The massive stimulus will eventually be inflationary, so we recommend TIPS, which are very cheaply valued. We are overweight cash and gold as hedges against further market turbulence. Among alternatives, macro hedge funds and farmland look attractively defensive now. We would start to look for opportunities in private debt (especially distressed debt) as the recession advances. Commodity futures are attractive as an inflation hedge. Overview Playing The Optionality From the start of the crisis, we argued that markets would bottom around the time when new cases of COVID-19 peaked. At the end of March, there were clear signs that this would happen in April, with Italy and Spain having probably already peaked and the US, if it follows the same trajectory, being only two or three weeks away (Chart 1). Chart 1Close To A Peak In New Cases? But what happens next? A relief rally is likely, as often happens in bear markets – and indeed one probably started with the three-day 18% rise in US equities in the last week of March. Note, for example, the strong rallies in spring 2008 and summer 2000 before the second leg down in those bear markets (Chart 2). Chart 2Mid Bear Market Rallies Are Common However, there is still a lot of potential bad news for markets to digest. Global growth has collapsed, as a result of people in many countries being forced to stay at home. US GDP growth in Q2 could fall by as much as 10% quarter-on-quarter (unannualized). Horrendously bad data will come as a shock to investors over the coming months. Despite the unprecedented stimulus measures from central banks and governments worldwide (Chart 3), nasty second-round effects are inevitable. Given the high level of corporate debt in the US, defaults will rise, to perhaps above the level of 2008-9 (Chart 4). EM borrowers have almost $4 trillion of foreign-currency debt outstanding, and will struggle to service this after the rise in the dollar and wider credit spreads. Euro area banks are poorly capitalized and have high non-performing debt levels left over from the last recession; they will be hit by a new wave of bankruptcies. Undoubtedly, there are some banks and hedge funds sitting on big trading losses after the drastic sell-off and stomach-churning volatility. Mid-East sovereign wealth funds will unload more assets to fill fiscal holes left by the collapsed oil price. Chart 3Massive Stimulus Everywhere Chart 4Possible Second-Round Effects     There is also the question of when the pandemic will end. We are not epidemiologists, so find this hard to judge (but please refer to the answers from an authority in our recent Special Report1). The coronavirus will disappear only when either enough people in a community have had the disease to produce “herd immunity,” or there is a vaccine – which is probably 18 months away.  Some epidemiologists argue that in the UK and Italy 40%-60% of the population may have already had COVID-19 and are therefore immune.2 But an influential paper from researchers at Imperial College suggested that repeated periods of lockdown will be necessary each time a new wave of cases emerges3 (Chart 5). Chart 5More Waves Of The Pandemic To Come? At the end of March, global equities were only 23% off their mid-February record high – and were down only 34% even at their low point. That doesn’t seem like enough to fully discount all the potential pitfalls over coming months. This sort of highly uncertain environment is where portfolio construction comes in. We recommend that clients position their portfolios with optionality to remain robust in any likely outcome. There are likely to be rallies in risk assets over coming months, particularly when the coronavirus shows signs of petering out. There is significant asymmetric career risk for portfolio managers here. No portfolio manager will be fired for missing the pandemic and underperforming year-to-date (though some may because their firms go out of business or retrench). But a PM who misses a V-shaped rebound in risk assets over the rest of the year could lose their job.  This will provide a strong incentive to try to pick the bottom. Chart 6Bond Yields Can't Go Much Lower Government bond yields are close to their theoretical lows. The 10-year US Treasury yield is 0.6% and it unlikely to fall below 0% even in a severe recession (since the Fed has stated that it will not cut short-term rates below 0%). In other countries, the low for yields has turned out to be around -0.3% to -0.9% (Chart 6). The total return from risk-free bonds, therefore, will be close to zero even in a dire economic environment (Table 1). This means that the call between bonds and equities comes down to whether equity prices will be higher or lower in 12-months. Quite likely, they will be higher. Given this, and the optionality of participating in rebounds, we maintain our overweight on equities versus bonds. We would, however, be inclined to lower our equity weighting in the event of a big rally in stocks over the next few months.   Table 1Not Much Room For Upside From Bonds Table 2Bear Markets Are Often Much Worse But there are also many downside risks. In the past two recessions, global equities fell by 50%-60% (Table 2). Despite the much worse economic environment this time, the peak-to-trough decline is so far much more limited. Moreover, valuations are not particularly compelling yet (Chart 7). To leaven our overall overweight on equities, we recommend a “minimum volatility” strategy, with tilts towards the low-beta US market, and some more defensive sectors such as Healthcare and Technology. China and China-related stocks also look somewhat attractive, since that country got over the coronavirus first, and is responding with a big increase in infrastructure spending (Chart 8). To hedge against downside risk, we also leave in place our overweights in cash and gold. Chart 7Equities Are Not Yet Super Cheap Chart 8China Infra Spending To Rise Garry Evans, Senior Vice President Chief Global Asset Allocation Strategist garry@bcaresearch.com What Our Clients Are Asking – About The Coronavirus Have We Seen The Bottom In Equity Markets?  Chart 9Watch Closely COVID-19 After hitting a low on March 23, global equities have recovered more than one-third of their loss during this particularly rapid bear market, in response to the massive monetary and fiscal stimulus around the globe. It’s very hard to pinpoint the exact bottom of any equity bear market.  The current one is particularly difficult in two ways: First, it was largely due to the exogenous shock from the COVID-19 pandemic. If history is any guide, we will first need to see a peak in infected cases globally before we can call a true bottom in equities (Chart 9). Second, the massive and coordinated response from central banks and governments around the world is unprecedented, as the global “lockdown” freezes the global economy. It’s encouraging to see the Chinese PMI bouncing back to 52 in March after a sharp drop to deep contraction level in February. However, the bounce back was mostly from production. Both export orders and imports remain weak. US initial jobless claims have skyrocketed to 3.3 million. If the peak of infection in the US follows similar patterns in China and Italy, then it would be another encouraging sign even if the US economic data continued to get worse. BCA Research’s base-case is for this recession to have a U-shaped recovery. This means that equity markets are likely to be range bound until we have a better handle on the future course of the pandemic. As such, we suggest investors actively manage risk by adding to positions when the S&P 500 gets close to 2250 and reducing risk when it gets close to 2750 during the bottoming process. What Will Be The Long-Term Consequences? Maybe it seems too early to think about this, but the coronavirus pandemic will change the world at least as profoundly as did the 1970s inflation, 9/11, and the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Here are some things that might change: Chart 10Government Debt Will Rise Significantly Government debt levels will rise dramatically, as a result of the huge fiscal packages being (rightly) implemented by many countries. In the US, after the $2 trillion spending increase and a fall in tax revenues, the annual fiscal deficit will rise from 6% of GDP to 15%-20%. Government debt/GDP could exceed the 122% reached at the end of WW2 (Chart 10). Ultimately, central banks will have to monetize this debt, perhaps by capping long-term rates or by buying a substantial part of issuance. This could prove to be inflationary. Households and companies may want to build in greater cushions and no longer live “on the edge”. US households have repaired their balance-sheets since 2009, raising the savings rate to 8% (Chart 11). But surveys suggest that almost one-third of US households have less than $1,000 in savings. They may, therefore, now save more. This could depress consumption further in coming years. Companies have maximized profitability over the past decades, under pressure from shareholders, by keeping inventories, spare cash, and excess workers to a minimum. Given the sudden stop caused by the pandemic (and who is to say that there will not be more pandemics in future), companies may want to protect themselves from future shocks. The inventory/sales ratio, which had been falling for decades, has picked up a little since the GFC (Chart 12). Inventory levels are likely to be raised further. Companies may also run less leveraged balance-sheets, rather than hold the maximum amount of debt their targeted credit rating can bear. This is all likely to reduce long-term profit growth. Chart 11Households May Become Even More Cautious Chart 12Companies Will Run With Higher Inventories The pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of healthcare systems. China still spends only 5% of GDP on health, compared to 9% in Brazil and 8% in South Africa (Chart 13). The lack of intensive care beds and woefully inadequate epidemic plans in the US and other developed countries will also need to be tackled. Healthcare stocks should benefit. Chart 13Healthcare Spending Will Need To Rise How Risky Are Euro Area Banks? Chart 14Euro Area Banks Are Quite Fragile Banks in the euro area have underperformed their developed market peers by over 65% since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) (Chart 14, panel 1). Their structural issues – many of which we highlighted in a previous Special Report – remain unsolved.  Euro area banks remain highly leveraged compared to their US counterparts (panel 2). Their exposure to emerging economies is high (panel 3), and they continue to be a major provider of European corporate funding. US corporates, by contrast, are mainly funded through capital markets. The sector is also highly fragmented with both outward and inward M&A activity declining post the GFC. Profitability continues to be a key long-term concern, despite having recently stabilized (panel 4). The ECB’s ultra-dovish monetary stance and negative policy rates do not help banks’ performance either.  Banks’ relative return has been correlated to the ECB policy rate since the GFC (panel 5). Following the coronavirus outbreak, the ECB is likely to remain dovish for a prolonged period. The ECB’s recently announced measures should, however, provide banks with ample liquidity to hold and spur economic activity through increased lending to households and corporates. Absent consolidation in the European banking sector, competition is likely to dampen banks’ profits. Additionally, the severity of the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus outbreak will determine if their significant exposure to emerging economies, the energy sector, and domestic corporates will hurt them further. For now, we would recommend investors underweight euro area banks. Where Can I Get Income In This Low-Yield World? Chart 15The Bear Market Has Unveiled Attractive Income Opportunities For long-term investors who can tolerate price volatility, there is currently an opportunity to invest in high-income securities at relatively cheap prices. Below we list three of our favorite assets to obtain income returns: Dividend Aristocrats: The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index is composed of S&P 500 companies which have increased dividend payouts for 25 consecutive years or more. In order to provide such a steady stream of income through a such long timeframe, and even provide dividend increases in recessions, the companies in this index need to have a track record of running cashflow-rich businesses. Thus, the risk of dividend cuts is relatively low in these companies. Currently, the Dividend Aristocrat Index has a trailing dividend yield of 3.2% (Chart 15 – top panel). Fallen Angels: As we discussed in our November Special Report, fallen angels have attractive characteristics that separate them from the rest of the junk market. They tend to have longer maturities as well as a higher credit quality than the overall index. Crucially, fallen angels often enter the high-yield index at a discount, since certain institutional investors are forced to sell them when they are no longer IG-rated (middle panel). Thus, selected fallen angels which are not at a substantial risk of default could be a tremendous income opportunity. Currently fallen angels have a yield to worst of 10.65%. Sovereign US dollar EM debt: Our Emerging Markets Strategy service has argued that most EM sovereigns are unlikely to default on their debts, and instead will use their currencies as a release valve to ease financial conditions in their economies. Thus, hard-currency sovereign issues could prove to be attractive income investments if held to maturity. The bottom panel of Chart 15 (panel 3) shows the current yield-to-worst of the EM sovereign hard currency debt that has an overweight rating by our Emerging Markets service. Global Economy Chart 16The Collapse Begins Overview: The global economy in early January looked on the cusp of a strong manufacturing pickup, driven by the natural cycle and by moderate fiscal stimulus out of China. The coronavirus changed all that. We now face a recession of a severity unseen since the 1930s. The fiscal and monetary response has been similarly rapid and radical. This will tackle immediate liquidity and even solvency risks. But, with consumers in many countries confined to their homes, a recovery is entirely dependent on when the number of new cases of COVID-19 peaks. In an optimistic scenario, this might be in late April or May. On a pessimistic one, the pandemic will continue in waves for several quarters.  US: It is highly likely that the NBER will eventually declare that the US entered recession in March 2020. With many states in lockdown, consumption (which comprises 70% of GDP) will slump: only half of consumption is non-discretionary (rent, food, utility bills etc.); the other half is likely to shrink significantly while lockdowns continue. Judged by the 3.3 million initial claims in the week of March 16-21, unemployment will jump from its February level of 3.5% very rapidly towards 10%. Fiscal and monetary stimulus measures will cushion the downside (enabling households to pay rent and companies to service debt). But whether the recession is V-shaped or prolonged will be dependent on the length of the pandemic. Euro Area: European manufacturing growth was showing clear signs of picking up before the coronavirus pandemic hit (Chart 16 panel 1). But lockdowns in Italy, Spain and other countries will clearly push growth way into negative territory. The severity is clear from the first datapoints to reflect March activity, such as the ZEW survey. The ECB, after an initially disappointing response, has promised EUR750 billion (and more if needed) in bond purchases. The fiscal response so far has been more lukewarm, although Germany has now scrapped its requirement to run a budget surplus. One key question: will the stronger nothern European economies agree to “euro bonds”, joint and severally guaranteed, to finance fiscal spending in the weaker periphery?   Chart 17...With Chinese Data Leading The Way Japan: Japan’s economy was performing poorly even before the coronavirus pandemic, mainly because of the side-effects of last October’s consumption tax hike, and the slowdown in China (Chart 17, panel 2). So far, Japan has seen fewer cases of COIVD-19 than other large countries, but this may just reflect a lack of testing. Japan also has less room for policy response. Government debt is already 250% of GDP. The Bank of Japan has moderately increased purchases of equity ETFs and remains committed to maintaining government bonds yields around 0%. But Japan seems culturally and institutionally unable to roll out the sort of ultra-radical measures taken in other developed economies. Emerging Markets: China’s economy was severely disrupted in January and February, as reflected in an unprecedented collapse of the Caixin Services PMI to 26.5 (Chart 17, panel 3). However, big data (such as traffic congestion) suggest that in March people were gradually returning to work and companies restarting manufacturing operations. Q1 GDP growth will clearly be negative, and growth for the year may be barely above 0%. The authorities are ramping up infrastructure spending, which BCA expects to grow by 6-8% this year.4 Interest rates have also fallen below their 2015 levels, but not yet to their 2009 lows. Both fiscal and monetary policy are likely to be eased further. Elsewhere in Emerging Markets, the key question is whether central banks will cut rates to support rapidly weakening economies, or keep rates steady to prop up collapsing currencies. This is not an easy choice. Interest Rates: Central banks in developed markets have cut rates to their lowest possible levels with the Fed, for example, slashing from 1.25%-1.5% to 0%-0.25% within just 10 days in March. The Fed has signalled that it will not go below zero. Short-term policy rates globally, therefore, have essentially hit their lower bounds. Long-term rates have been volatile, with the 10-year US Treasury yield swinging down to 0.6% before jumping to 1.2%. While uncertainty continues, long-term risk-free rates are unlikely to rise substantially and, in the event of a prolonged severe recession, we would see the US 10-year yield falling to zero – but no lower. Global Equities Chart 18Is The V-Shaped Recovery Sustainable? What’s Next?  Global equities lost 32.8% year-to-date as of March 23, 2020. All countries and sectors in our coverage were in the red. Even the best performing country (Japan) and the best performing global sector (Consumer Staples) lost 26.7% and 23.2% respectively.  From March 24 to March 26, however, equities made the best three-day gains since the Great Depression, recouping about one-third of the loss,  even though US initial jobless claims came in at 3.3 million and also the US reported a higher number of cumulative infected people than China, with a much higher number of deaths per million people (Chart 18). So have we reached the bottom of the bear market? Is this “V-shaped” recovery sustainable? How should an investor construct a multi-asset global portfolio that’s sound for the next 9-12 months given the uncertainty associated with COVID-19 and the massive monetary and fiscal stimulus around the world? Based on our long-held philosophy of taking risks where risks will most likely be rewarded, we are most comfortable taking risk at the asset class level, by overweighting equities versus bonds, together with overweights in cash and gold as hedges. Within the equity portfolio, we are reducing risk by making the following adjustments: Upgrade US to overweight from underweight financed by downgrading the euro zone to underweight from overweight. Upgrade Tech to overweight, while closing two overweight bets on Financials and Energy and one underweight on consumer staples to benchmark weighting.   Country Allocation: Becoming More Defensive Chart 19US And Euro Area: Trading Places In December 2019 we added risk by upgrading the euro area to overweight and Emerging Markets to neutral based on our macro view that the global economy was on its way to recovery.  Data releases in January did show signs of recovery in the global economy. However, the COVID-19 outbreak has changed the global landscape, and we are clearly in a recession now.  When conditions change, we change our recommendations. We must make a judgment call because the economic data will not give us any timely, useful readings for some time to come. Back in December, the key reason to upgrade the euro area was the recovery of China which flows into the exports of the euro area. We think China will continue to stimulate its economy. However, given the global growth collapse, the “flow through” effect to the euro area will be delayed for some time. We prefer to play the China effect directly rather than indirectly. That’s why we maintain the neutral weighting of EM versus DM, but downgrade the euro area to underweight, and upgrade US to overweight. We also note the two following factors: First, as shown in Chart 19, panel 1, the relative performance between the euro area and the US is highly correlated with the relative performance between global Financials and Technology. This is not surprising given the sector composition of the two region’s equity indices. As such, this country adjustment is in line with our sector adjustment of upgrading Technology and downgrading Financials. Second, with a lower beta, US equities provide a better defense when economic uncertainty and financial market volatility are high. The risk to this adjustment, however, is valuation. As shown in panel 4, euro area valuation is extremely cheap compared to the US. However, PMI releases as well as forward earnings estimates are likely to get worse again before they get better, given the region’s reliance on exports to China and the structural issues in its banking system. Global Sector Allocation: Getting Closer To Benchmark Chart 20Reducing Sector Bets We make four changes in the global sector portfolio to reduce sector bets, since we do not have a high conviction given market volatility and our house view that recovery out of this recession will be U-shaped. These are downgrading Financials to neutral, while upgrading Technology to overweight. We also close the overweight in Energy and underweight in Consumer Staples, leaving them both at benchmark weighting. Financials: We upgraded Financials in October last year as an upside hedge. This move did not pan out as bond yields plummeted. BCA Research’s US Bond Strategy service upgraded duration to neutral from underweight on March 10 as they do not see a high likelihood for yields to move significantly higher over the next 9-12 months. This does not bode well for Financials’ performance (Chart 20, panel 1). Even though the Fed and other central banks have come in as the lenders of last resort, loan growth could be weak going forward and non-performing loans could increase, especially in the euro area. Valuation, however, is very attractive. Technology: DRAM prices started to improve even before the COVID-19 outbreak. The global lockdown to fight against the pandemic is further spurring demand for both software and hardware, which should support better earnings growth (panel 2). The risk is that relative valuation is still not cheap, even though absolute valuation has come down after the recent selloff. Energy:  The outlook for oil prices is too uncertain. The fight between Saudi Arabia and Russia is weighing on the supply side, while the global lockdown is denting demand prospect. The earnings outlook for energy companies is dire, while valuations are very attractive (panel 3). Consumer Staples: This is a classic defensive sector that does well in recessions. In addition, its relative valuation has improved to neutral from very expensive (panel 4).   Government Bonds Chart 21Stay Aside On Duration Upgrade Duration To Neutral. Global bond yields had a wild ride in Q1 as equities plummeted into bear market territory. The 10-year US Treasury yield made an historical low of 0.32% overnight on March 9, then quickly reversed back up to 1.27% on March 18, closing the quarter at 0.67%, compared to 1.88% at the beginning of the quarter (Chart 21). We are already in a recession and BCA’s house view is for a U-shaped recovery. This implies that global bond yields will likely follow a bottoming process similar to global equities, as new infections peak and high-frequency economic data start to recover. As such, we upgrade our duration call to neutral, to be in line with the position of BCA Research’s US Bond Strategy (USBS) service. Favor Linkers Vs. Nominal Bonds.  The combined effect of the plummet in oil prices and the coronavirus outbreak has crushed inflation expectation to an extremely low level. As shown in Chart 22, the 10-year breakeven inflation rate is currently at 0.95%, 88 bps lower than its fair value. The fair value is estimated based on USBS’s Adaptive Expectations Model.  Investors with a 12-month investment horizon should continue to favor TIPS over nominal Treasuries, but those with shorter horizons may be advised to stand aside and wait for the daily number of new COVID-19 cases to reach zero before re-initiating the position. Chart 22TIPS Offer A Ton Of Long-Run Value Extremely Cheap Inflation Protection   Corporate Bonds Chart 23High Quality Junk It is undeniable that the dearth of cashflow caused by the lockdowns will spur a ferocious wave of defaults, particularly in the high-yield sector. It also is not clear that this risk is adequately compensated for. Currently, our US bond strategist believes that spreads are pricing an 11% default rate – in line with the default rate of the 2000/2001 recession. While it is not our base case, a default cycle like 2008, where 14% of companies in the index defaulted is a very clear possibility, as revenues have ground to a halt. However, several positive factors in the junk space must also be considered. Roughly 1% of the high-yield index matures in less than one year, which means that refinancing risk for junk credits should remain relatively subdued (Chart 23, top panel). Moreover, the quality of junk bonds is relatively high compared to previous periods of stress: when the market peaked in 2000 and 2007, Ba-rated credit (the highest quality of high yield) stood at 30% and 37% of the overall index respectively (middle panel). Today this credit quality stands at 49% of the high yield market, indicating a relatively healthier credit profile for junk. Additionally, the high-risk energy sector, which is likely to experience a substantial amount of defaults given the collapse in oil prices, now represents less than 8% of the market capitalization of the whole index (bottom panel). Taking these positive factors into consideration, we believe that a downgrade to underweight is not warranted, and instead we are downgrading high-yield credit from overweight to neutral. What about the investment-grade space? the massive stimulus package announced by the Fed, which effectively allows IG issuers to roll over their entire stock of debt, should provide a backstop to this market. One valid concern is that credit agencies can still downgrade a large number of issuers, making them ineligible to receive support. However, it seems that the credit agencies are aware of how much hinges on their ratings, and are communicating that they will factor the measures taken by various government programs into their credit analysis.5 Thus, considering that spreads are already extended, the Fed is providing unprecedent support and credit agencies are unlikely to knock out many companies out of investment-grade ratings, we are upgrading investment-grade credit from neutral to overweight.   Commodities Chart 24Oil Prices & Politics Do Not Mix Energy (Overweight): Oil markets were driven by supply/demand dynamics until a third factor, politics, shifted the market equilibrium. The recent clash between Saudi Arabia and Russia led to the breakdown of the OPEC 2.0 coalition and to Brent prices tanking by over 60% to $26 in March. The length of this breakdown is unknown. However, we believe the parties are likely to return to the negotiation table within the next months as the damage to countries which are dependent on oil begins to appear. The fiscal budget breakeven point remains much higher than the current oil price – it is around $83 for Saudi Arabia and $47 for Russia. Weakness in global crude demand will continue to put further downward pressure on prices, until economic activity recovers from the COVID-19 slowdown. Our Commodity & Energy Strategists expect the Brent crude oil price to average $36/bbl, with WTI trading some $3-$4 below that, in 2020 (Chart 24, panels 1 & 2). Industrial Metals (Neutral): Industrial metals prices were on track to pick up until the coronavirus hit global activity at the beginning of the year. Prices face further short-term headwinds as global manufacturing remains suppressed. Once the global social distancing ends and activity resumes, industrial metal prices should pick up as fiscal stimulus and infrastructure spending, especially in China, is implemented (panel 3). Precious Metals (Neutral):  As the coronavirus spread, global risk assets have tumbled. Over the past 12 months, we have recommended investors increase their allocation to gold as both an inflation hedge and a beneficiary of accommodative monetary policy globally. However, we also recently highlighted that gold was reaching overbought territory and that a pullback was possible in the short-term. Nevertheless, investors should continue to maintain gold exposure to hedge against the eventuality that the pandemic is not contained within the coming weeks (panels 4 & 5).   Currencies Chart 25Competing Forces Pushing The US Dollar In Different Directions The USD has gone through a rollercoaster during the coronavirus crisis. Initially, the DXY fell by 4.8%, as rate differentials moved violently against the dollar when the Fed cut rates to zero. But this fall didn’t last long: as liquidity dried up, the cost for dollar funding surged, causing the dollar to skyrocket by almost 8.3%. Since then, the liquidity measures taken by monetary authorities have made the dollar reverse course once more. At this point there are multiple forces pulling the greenback in opposing directions. On the one hand, the collapse in global growth caused by the shutdowns should push the dollar higher. Moreover, momentum – one of the most reliable directional indicators for the dollar – continues to point to further upside (Chart 25, panels 1 and 2). However, the Fed’s generous USD swap lines with other major central banks as well as the massive pool of liquidity deployed have already stabilized funding costs in European and British currency markets, and look poised to do the same in others (Chart 25, panel 3). Thus, since there is no clarity on which force will prevail in this tug of war, we are remaining neutral on the US dollar. That being said, long-term investors can begin to buy some of the most depressed currencies, such as AUD/USD. This cross is currently trading at a 12% discount to PPP according to the OECD – the steepest discount that this currency has had in 17 years. Additionally, our China Investment Strategy projects that China will accelerate infrastructure investment this year to counteract the negative economic effects of the lockdown. This pick up in investment should increase base-metal demand, proving a boost to the Australian dollar in the process.   Alternatives Chart 26Favor Macro Hedge Funds Over Private Equity During Recessions Intro: The coronavirus outbreak caused tremendous market volatility and huge declines in liquid assets. Many clients have asked over the past few weeks which illiquid assets make sense in the current environment. To answer that, we stick to our usual recommendation framework, dividing illiquid assets into three buckets: Return Enhancers: Over the past year, we have been recommending clients to pare back private-equity exposure and increase allocation to hedge funds – particularly macro hedge funds, which often outperform other risky alternative assets during economic slowdowns and recessions (Chart 26, panel 1). Private debt – particularly distressed debt – could become a beneficiary of the current environment. The market turmoil will leave some assets heavily discounted, which can provide an opportunity for nimble funds to make investments at attractive valuations. In a previous Special Report, we highlighted Business Development Companies (BDCs) as a liquid alternative to direct private lending.6 They have taken a hit over the past month, even compared to equities and junk bonds. However, their recovery as markets bottom is usually significant (panels 2 & 3). Inflation Hedges: The coordinated “whatever-it-takes” stance implemented by global governments and central banks to mitigate the coronavirus crisis is likely to have inflationary consequences in the long-term. In that environment, investors should favor commodity futures over real estate (panel 4). As global growth reaccelerates in response to stimulus and resumed manufacturing activity over the next 12 months, the USD should weaken, and commodity prices should rise. Volatility Dampeners: Timberland and farmland remain our long-time favorite assets within this bucket. We have previously shown that both assets outperform other traditional and alternative assets during recessions and equity bear markets (panel 5). Farmland particularly should fare well in this environment, being more insulated from the economy, given food’s inelastic demand Risks To Our View Chart 27Dollar Would Fall In A Strong Recovery Since our recommendations are based on a middle course, hedging both upside and downside risks, we need to consider how extreme these two eventualities could be. On the upside, the most optimistic scenario would be one in which the coronavirus largely disappears after April or May. The massive amount of fiscal and monetary stimulus would produce a jet-fuelled rally in risk assets. The dollar has soared over the past few weeks, as a risk-off currency (Chart 27), and would likely fall sharply. This would be very positive for commodities and Emerging Markets assets. The strong cyclical recovery would also help euro zone and Japanese equities relative to the more defensive US. Value stocks and small caps would outperform. Chart 28Could It Get Worse Than 2008 - Or Even 1932? Downside risks are less easy to forecast. As Warren Buffet wrote in 2002: “you only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” The shock to the system caused by the coronavirus is certainly larger than the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-9 and could approach that caused by the Great Depression (Chart 28), though hopefully without the egregious policy errors of the latter. It is hard, therefore, to know where problems will emerge: US corporate debt, EM borrowers, and euro zone banks would be our most likely candidates. But there could be others. The oil price is another key uncertainty. Demand could collapse by at least 10% as a result of the severe recession. The breakdown of the production agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia could produce a supply increase of 4-5%.  Given this, Brent crude would fall to $20 a barrel. That would represent a strong tailwind to global recovery (Chart 29). On the other hand, a rapprochement between Saudi and Russia (and even with regulators in Texas) could push oil prices back up again – a positive for markets such as Canada and Mexico. Chart 29Cheap Oil Boosts Growth   Footnotes 1   Please see BCA Special Report, "Questions On The Coronavirus: An Expert Answers," dated 31 March 2020, available at bcaresearch.com 2   https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.24.20042291v1 3    https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf 4    Please see China Investment Strategy Weekly Report, “Chinese Economic Stimulus: How Much For Infrastructure And The Property Market,” dated 25th March 2020, available at cis.bcaresarch.com 5    A release by Moody’s on March 25 stated that their actions “will be more tempered for higher-rated companies that are likely to benefit from policy intervention or extraordinary government support.” 6    Please see Global Asset Allocation Special Report, “Private Debt: An Investment Primer,” dated June 6, 2018, available at gaa.bcaresearch.com GAA Asset Allocation  
特別レポヌト Highlights Rising recession risk, shaky economic fundamentals, and absence of positive yielding assets motivate us to reexamine which assets can be counted on to protect a portfolio in the future. We analyze 10 safe havens on four different dimensions: consistency, versatility, efficiency, and costs. Using this framework, we examine the historical performance of each safe haven and provide an outlook on their likely effectiveness over the next decade. We conclude that U.S. TIPS and farmland should provide the best portfolio protection. Cash, U.S. Treasuries and gold are other good alternatives. Meanwhile, U.S. investment-grade bonds, global ex-U.S. bonds, silver, and currency futures are likely to be poor protection choices. Feature For most investors, capital preservation is the most important goal when managing money. However, how to go about it remains a difficult question.  Investing in safe havens can be painful during bull markets, as their returns are usually lower than those of equities. Moreover, economic, political, and financial regimes change over time, which means that an asset that protected your portfolio in the past might not do so in the future. Therefore, it becomes good practice to review one’s safety measures periodically, even if one does not think that a crash is imminent. The current environment in particular, is a propitious time to review safe havens given that: Chart I-1A Great Time To Review Safety Measures A key recession signal is flashing red: The yield curve inverted in the United States in August (Chart I-1 – top panel). An inversion of the yield curve does not necessarily imply a recession, but historically it has been a very reliable signal of one, given that it indicates that monetary policy is too tight for the economy. Structural risks are rising: Rich equity valuations in the U.S. and high leverage levels elsewhere are signs that the pillars supporting this bull market might be fragile (Chart I-1 – middle panel). In addition, protectionism and populism, forces that BCA has long argued are here to stay, threaten to upend the regime of free trade that has benefited equities since the 1950s.1 Yields are near all-time lows: Historically, investors have been able to endure bear markets by hiding in safe assets with positive yield, as these assets will normally provide a reliable cash flow regardless of the economic situation. However, these type of assets are increasingly hard to find, particularly in the government bond space, where 50% of developed country bonds have negative yields (Chart I-1 – bottom panel). Considering these factors, how should investors protect their portfolios in the next decade? To answer this question, we analyze 10 safe havens divided into five broad asset classes: Nominal government bonds: U.S. Treasuries and global ex-U.S. government bonds. Other fixed income: U.S. investment-grade credit and U.S. TIPS.2 Currencies: yen futures and Swiss franc futures. Precious metals: gold futures and silver futures. Other assets: farmland and U.S. cash. We look at historical performance since 1973 for all safe havens except for global ex-U.S. bonds and farmland. For these assets, we look at performance since 1991 due to limited data availability. We mainly look at quarterly returns in order to compare illiquid assets to publicly traded ones. We do not consider each safe haven in isolation, but rather as an addition to equities within a portfolio. Specifically, we explore our safe haven universe relative to the MSCI All Country World equity index from the perspective of a U.S. investor. For our non-U.S. clients, we will release a report from the perspective of other countries if there is sufficient interest. Importantly, we do not look only at historical performance. We also examine whether there is a reason to believe that future returns will be different from past ones, by analyzing how the properties of each safe haven might have changed. When evaluating each safe haven, we focus on four properties: Consistency: a safe haven should generate consistent positive returns during periods of negative equity performance, with returns increasing with the severity of the equity drawdown. Versatility: safe havens should perform well across different types of crises. Efficiency: a safe haven should produce enough upside during crises, so only a small allocation to the safe haven is necessary to reduce losses. Costs: drag to portfolio overall performance (opportunity costs) should be as small as possible. Readers who wish to see just our overall conclusions should read our Summary Of Results section below. For our analysis of how safe havens have performed in the past, please see the Historical Performance section. Finally, for our analysis of how we expect the performance of safe havens to change, please see our Outlook section. Summary Of Results The Best Safe Havens U.S. TIPS should be an excellent safe haven to protect a portfolio in the next decade. While TIPS might not be as cheap to hold as they have been in the past, upside potential remains strong, which means that a moderate allocation can provide substantial protection to an equity portfolio. Moreover, U.S. TIPS are one of the best hedges against crises triggered by rising rates and inflation, which in our view are the biggest structural risks that asset allocators face. Farmland could also be a great safe haven for investors who have the ability to allocate to illiquid assets given that it is the cheapest safe haven in terms of portfolio drag. However, investors should be aware that the current low yield could potentially affect its performance during crises. Good Alternatives Cash can be a good alternative to protect an equity portfolio, given its outstanding performance during equity drawdowns caused by inflation. Moreover, its opportunity costs should decrease relative to the past. However, investors should take into account that the efficiency of cash at the current juncture is poor, which means that a relatively large allocation is needed in order to achieve meaningful portfolio protection. A portfolio with a 30% allocation to Treasuries historically provided the same downside protection as a portfolio with a 44% allocation to gold. We also like gold futures as a safe haven since they offer some of the most attractive opportunity costs. In addition, their upside is greater than that of most safe havens due to their negative correlations with real rates. However, gold’s volatility makes it an unreliable asset, which prevents us from placing it higher in the safe haven hierarchy. Historically, U.S. Treasuries have been one of the best safe havens to hedge an equity portfolio. Will this performance continue in the future? We do not think so. While yields are still high enough to provide plenty of upside potential, they have fallen to the point where they have increased the opportunity costs of U.S. Treasuries and reduced their consistency. The Rest Global ex-U.S. bonds have very limited upside due to their low yields. Meanwhile U.S. investment-grade credit remains at risk from poor corporate balance sheets, compounded by the fact that credit no longer has an attractive yield cushion. Currencies like the yen and the Swiss franc will continue to be unreliable and very expensive safe havens. Finally, while silver’s costs and reliability could improve, its high cyclicality relative to other safe havens will make silver a poor protection choice. Historical performance Consistency How did safe havens perform when equities lost money? To assess consistency, we plot the performance of each safe haven during all quarters when global equities had losses (Chart I-2). Cash and farmland were the only assets to have positive returns during every equity drawdown. U.S. Treasuries and U.S. TIPS were also very consistent, and had the additional advantage that their returns tended to increase as equity losses worsened. Global ex-U.S. bonds, while not as consistent, generated positive returns most of the time. Chart I-2Safe Haven Returns During Drawdowns In Global Equities On the other hand, investment-grade bonds, the yen, the Swiss franc, gold, and silver were much more inconsistent. In general, even though these assets had larger positive returns than other assets, they were prone to deep selloffs concurrent with equity drawdowns. Silver was the worst of all safe havens, being mostly a negative return asset during quarters of negative equity performance. Versatility How did the type of crisis affect the performance of safe havens? We classify crises according to their catalyst into the following four categories: bursts of U.S. asset bubbles (tech bubble, 2008 housing crisis), ex-U.S. crises (1998 EM crisis, European debt crisis), flash crashes/political events (1987 Black Monday, 9/11 terrorist attack),  rate/inflation shocks (1974 oil crisis, 1980 Fed shock) and others (every other equity drawdown we could not classify).3  We look at the performance of seven safe havens since 1973 (Chart I-3A) and of all 10 since 19914 (Chart I-3B): Chart I-3ASafe Haven Return During Different Type Of Crisis (1973 - Present) Chart I-3BSafe Haven Return During Different Type Of Crisis (1991 - Present)   During bursts of U.S. asset bubbles, U.S. Treasuries were the most effective hedge in both sample periods, followed by U.S. TIPS and farmland. Corporate bonds, cash, gold, and the Swiss franc also had positive returns, though they were small. Finally, the yen and silver had negative returns. During crises happening outside of the U.S., U.S. Treasuries were once again the best option. U.S. TIPS, yen futures, farmland, gold, and U.S. investment-grade bonds also provided strong returns.  Meanwhile, global ex-U.S. bonds and cash provided relatively weak returns, while both the Swiss franc and silver accrued losses. During flash crashes/political events, the Swiss franc had the best performance followed by global ex-U.S. bonds, though in general all safe havens but silver provided positive returns. Rate/inflation shocks were the most difficult type of crisis to hedge. Cash and U.S. TIPS were by far the best performers. Moreover, while U.S. Treasuries were able to eke out a small positive return, all other safe havens lost money during these crises. Efficiency How much allocation to each safe haven was needed to protect an equity portfolio? Chart I-4 show how adding incremental amounts of each safe haven5 to an equity portfolio reduced the overall portfolio’s 10% conditional VaR (the average of the bottom decile of returns).6 Since 1973, U.S. TIPS and U.S. nominal government bonds were the most efficient safe havens, providing the most protection per unit of allocation (Chart I-4 – top panel). Conditional VaR was reduced by almost half when allocating 40% to either Treasuries or TIPS. Cash, U.S. investment-grade, the yen, the Swiss franc, gold, and silver followed in that order. The difference between the safe havens was significant. As an example, a portfolio with a 30% allocation to U.S. Treasuries historically provided the same downside protection as a portfolio with a 36% allocation to U.S. IG credit, a 39% allocation to the yen or a 44% allocation to gold. Meanwhile, there was no allocation to silver which would have provided the same level of protection. When using a sample from 1991, the main difference was the reduced efficiency of cash – the result of lower average interest rates when using a more recent sample. Other than cash, the efficiency of most safe havens remained unchanged: U.S. Treasuries were the best option, followed by U.S. TIPS, farmland, U.S. investment-grade bonds, global ex-U.S. government bonds, cash, the yen, gold, the Swiss franc, and silver in that order (Chart I-4 – bottom panel). Chart I-4Historically, Fixed-Income Assets Were The Most Efficient Safe Havens Costs How do safe haven returns compare to equities? To evaluate opportunity costs, we compare the difference of the historical return of each safe haven versus global equities. Overall, hedging with currencies was extremely costly, as their return was well below that of equities in both samples (Chart I-5). Cash was also an expensive safe haven to hedge with, particularly in the most recent sample. On the other hand, fixed-income assets like U.S Treasuries, investment-grade credit, and U.S. TIPS had very low costs (global ex-U.S. bonds also had cost of around 2% in a limited sample).  Farmland had negative opportunity costs because it outperformed equities during the sample period.7 Chart I-5Historically Fixed Income Assets And Farmland Had The Lowest Opportunity Cost Outlook Chart I-6No More Yield Cushion Chart I-7Silver Has Become Less Cyclical For our outlook, we assess how the four traits under study have changed for all safe havens: Consistency: Will safe havens continue to be reliable in the absence of high coupons? Many of the safe havens in our sample were effective at hedging equities due to their high yield. Even if they had negative capital appreciation, total returns stayed positive thanks to the offsetting effect of the yield return. However, as rates have declined, yield return has also decreased substantially (Chart I-6). Therefore, safe havens, like cash, government bonds, and even farmland will not be as consistent as they were in the past. Credit could be even more vulnerable: the combination of a low yield, and unhealthy fundamentals will turn U.S. corporate bonds into a negative-return asset in the next crisis. Silver might be the lone safe haven to improve its consistency. Industrial use for silver has fallen substantially in the past 10 years, decreasing its cyclical nature (Chart I-7). Thus, while silver might still be an erratic safe haven, it should be more consistent in the future than its historical performance would suggest.   Versatility: What will the next crisis look like? Chart I-8Inflation and Political Crisis Will Plague The 2020s Determining what the next crisis will look like is crucial for safe haven selection. Below we rank the types of crises in order of how likely and severe we think they will be in the future: Inflation/rate shock: We expect inflation to be significantly higher over the next decade. This will be the highest risk for asset allocators in the future. As we explained in our May 2019 report, a change in monetary policy framework, procyclical fiscal policy, waning Fed independence, declining globalization, and demographic forces are all conspiring to lift inflation in the next decade.8 Importantly, we believe that the Fed will be dovish initially, as it cannot let inflation continue to underperform its target after missing the mark for the last 10 years (Chart I-8 – top panel). However, this will cause an inflationary cycle, which will eventually lead the Fed to raise rates significantly and trigger a recession. Political events/flash crashes: Political events will also pose a risk to the markets on a structural basis. The rise of China as a superpower has shifted the world into a paradigm of multipolarity, which historically has resulted in military conflict. Moreover, animus for conflict is not dependent on President Trump. The American public in general feels that the economic relationship with China is detrimental to the United States (Chart I-8 – bottom panel). This means that any president, Democrat or Republican will have a political incentive to jostle with China for economic and political supremacy for years to come. Ex-U.S. crises: We expect Emerging Markets in general, and China in particular, to be among the most vulnerable parts of the global economy as we enter the next decade. Over the last 10 years, China’s money supply has increased four-fold, becoming larger than the money supply of the U.S. and the euro area combined. In addition, corporate debt as a % of GDP stands at 155%, higher than Japan at the peak of its bubble and higher than any country in recorded history (Chart I-9). We rank this type of crisis slightly below the first two because Emerging Market assets are depressed already. Thus, while we believe that there is further downside to come for these economies, some weakness has already been priced in. U.S. asset bubble burst: We believe that there are no systemic excesses in the U.S. economy, making a U.S. asset bubble burst a lesser risk than other types of crises. Although it is true that U.S. corporate debt stands at all-time highs, it is still at a much lower level than in other countries. Moreover, weakness of corporate credit is not likely to have systemic consequences on the economy, given that leveraged institutions like banks and households hold only a small amount of outstanding corporate debt (Chart I-10). Chart I-9EM crises Are Also A Risk Chart I-10A U.S. Corporate Debt Deblacle Will Not Have Systemic Consequences What does this ranking mean in terms of safe haven performance? U.S. TIPS and cash should be held in high regard as they will be some of the only assets that will perform well during an inflation/rate shock. The Swiss franc and global ex-U.S. bonds should be best performers during political crises, although U.S. TIPS could also provide adequate protection. Efficiency: Is there any upside left for safe havens when interest rates are near zero? As yields go below the zero bound it becomes harder for bonds to generate large positive returns. European or Japanese government bonds in particular would need their yields to go deep into negative territory to counteract a large selloff in equities (Table I-1). But can interest rates go that low? We do not think so. The recent auction of German bunds, where a 0%-yielding 30-year bond attracted the weakest demand since 2011, suggests that interest rates in these countries might be close to their lower bound.  On the other hand, though U.S. yields are low, they are still high enough for U.S. Treasuries to provide high returns in case of a crisis. Table I-1No Room For Positive Returns In The Government Bond Space Outside Of The U.S. Low rates also have an effect on the efficiency of U.S. investment-grade bonds, cash, and farmland because their upside during crises does not come from capital appreciation but rather from their yield, (the price of IG credit actually declines during most crisis). As mentioned earlier, their yield has declined substantially compared to the past, which means that a larger allocation will be necessary to counteract a selloff. Chart I-11Switzerland Has A High Incentive To Prevent The Franc From Appreciating The upside of the yen could also be compromised. The Bank of Japan is likely to intervene aggressively in the currency market to prevent the Japanese economy from falling into a deflationary spiral, since it is very difficult for it to lower Japanese rates further. The Swiss franc is even more vulnerable. In contrast to Japan, Switzerland is a small open economy that has to import most of its products (Chart I-11). This means that the Swiss National Bank has a very high incentive to intervene in currency markets during a crisis, given that a rally in the franc could depress inflation severely. What about U.S. TIPS? In contrast to nominal government bond yields or even yields on corporate debt, U.S. real rates are not limited by the zero bound (Chart I-12).  This makes TIPS a more attractive option than other fixed-income assets, since real rates can have much more room for further downside than nominal ones. To be clear, this will only be the case if our forecast of an inflationary crisis materializes. Likewise, since gold is heavily influenced by real rates, it should also offer significant upside during the next crisis.9 Chart I-12Real Rates Have More Downside Potential Than Nominal Ones Costs: Can I afford to hold safe havens in a world of low returns? To provide an outlook for the expected cost of each safe haven, we use the return assumptions from our June Special Report.10 We subtract the expected return on global equities from the expected return for each safe haven to reach an expected cost value. However, three of the safe havens (global ex-U.S. government bonds, the Swiss franc and silver) did not have a return estimate. We compute their expected returns as follows: For the Swiss franc we use the methodology we used for all other currencies in our report. We base the expected return on the current divergence from the IMF PPP value, as well as the IMF inflation estimates. In addition, we add the relative cash rate assumed return for both our yen and Swiss franc estimates, as futures take into account carry return. For global ex-U.S. bonds we take the weighted average of the expected return of the euro area, Japan, U.K., Canada, and Australia government bonds. We weight the returns according to their market capitalization in the Bloomberg/Barclays government bond index. Due to silver’s dual role as an inflation hedge and industrial metal, silver prices are a function of both gold prices and global growth. To obtain a return estimate we run a regression on silver against these two variables and use our growth and gold return estimate to arrive at an assumed return for silver. Chart I-13 shows our results: while their cost will improve, currency futures remain the most expensive hedge. The opportunity cost of precious metals and cash will decrease, making them more attractive options than in the past. Meanwhile, low yields will increase the opportunity costs of most fixed-income assets. Finally, farmland will remain the cheapest safe haven, even with decreased performance. Chart I-13Oportunity Cost For Fixed Income Safe Havens Will Be Higher Than In The Past Juan Manuel Correa Ossa Senior Analyst juanc@bcaresearch.com Appendix A Footnotes 1 Please see Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "The Apex Of Globalization – All Downhill From Here, " dated November 12, 2014, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 2 We use a synthetic TIPS series for data prior to 1997. For details on the methodology, please see: Kothari, S.P. and Shanken, Jay A., “Asset Allocation with Inflation-Protected Bonds,” Financial Analysts Journal, Vol. 60, No. 1, pp. 54-70, January/February 2004. 3 For a detailed list of how we classified each equity drawdown, please see Appendix A. 4 The only crises caused by a rate/inflation shock occurred in 1974 and 1980. Thus we have this type of drawdown only in Chart 3A and not in Chart 3B. 5 For yen, Swiss franc, silver and gold futures we assume an allocation to an ETF which follows their performance. Since futures have zero initial costs they cannot be directly compared to traditional assets in terms of percentage allocation. 6 We prefer this measure over VaR given that it captures the properties of the left tail of returns more accurately. 7  While the farmland index subtracts management fees, we recognize that there are costs involved in holding these illiquid assets which are not necessarily captured by the return indices. Thus, the real historical cost of holding farmland was not negative but likely close to zero. 8 Please see Global Asset Allocation Strategy Special Report "Investors’ Guide To Inflation Hedging: How To Invest When Inflation Rises," dated May 22, 2019, available at gaa.bcaresearch.com. 9 Please see Commodity & Energy Strategy Special Report "All that Glitters
And Then Some" dated July 25, 2019, available at ces.bcaresearch.com. 10 Please see Global Asset Allocation Strategy Special Report "Return Assumptions - Refreshed and Refined" dated June 25, 2019,  
ハむラむト 䞖界の補造業サむクルはたもなくボトムに達する公算が倧きく、消費ずサヌビスは䟝然ずしお堅調です。今埌12か月の景気埌退リスクは䜎く、これは株匏が債刞より匕き続きアりトパフォヌムするこずを瀺唆しおいたす。 しかし、この楜芳的なシナリオに察するリスクは高たっおいたす。消費者信頌感の䜎䞋や地政孊的緊匵の悪化はリスク資産に打撃を䞎える可胜性がありたす。我々はこれをヘッゞするためにキャッシュをオヌバヌりェむトしおいたす。 䞭囜は珟時点では積極的な金融緩和の䜿甚に及び腰です。䞭囜が動くたでは、景気埪環性が䜎い米囜株匏垂堎がアりトパフォヌムするはずです。 䞭囜が景気刺激を本栌化させ、補造業サむクルが明確にボトムを打ったずきに、新興垂堎EMおよび欧州株ぞシフトする可胜性がありたす。この䞊振れリスクをヘッゞするために、我々はファむナンシャルズを戊術的にオヌバヌりェむトずし、たたむンダストリアルズのオヌバヌりェむトずオヌストラリアのニュヌトラルを再確認したす。 債刞利回りはリバりンドを継続するはずです。デュレヌションをアンダヌりェむトずし、TIPSを優先したす。クレゞットは景気埪環の芖点ではアりトパフォヌムするはずですが、䌁業の高負債はリスクですのでニュヌトラルを掚奚したす。 掚奚 四半期ポヌトフォリオ芋通し党面的なヘッゞ 四半期ポヌトフォリオ芋通し党面的なヘッゞ   特集 抂芁 䞇党のヘッゞ 䞖界経枈にずっお特に䞍確実な時期であり、資産配分担圓者にずっおは悩たしい局面です。補造業の掻動はたもなく底打ちするのか、それずもサヌビス郚門や消費を巻き蟌んで䞋抌しするのか。債刞利回りは匷いリバりンドを続けるのか。米連邊準備制床理事䌚Fedは利䞋げを終了したのか。䞭囜は今や積極的に金融刺激を拡倧するのか。むランはサりゞアラビアずの察立を激化させるのか。トランプ倧統領は次に䜕をツむヌトするのか。 こうした環境ではポヌトフォリオ構築の手腕が詊されたす。我々はこれらすべおの問いに぀いお芋解を持っおいたすが、確信床は通垞よりやや䜎めです。投資家が取るべき察応は、最も起こりそうなシナリオすべおにおいおポヌトフォリオが匷靭であるように資産配分を蚈画するこずです。 我々は䞖界の補造業サむクルがたもなくボトムに達するず予想しおいたす。グロヌバル先行経枈指暙はすでに回埩しおおり、グロヌバルPMIも底打ちの兆候を瀺しおいたすチャヌト 1。最短期の先行指暙であるシティグルヌプ経枈サプラむズ指数は、欧州を陀くすべおの地域で最近急䞊昇したしたチャヌト 2。サむクル底のより颚倉わりな指暙に぀いおは、7ペヌゞのクラむアントが尋ねおいるこずも参照しおください。底打ちの芁因は、この9か月間の金融環境の緩和、 䞭囜成長の安定化、そしお単玔に時間の経過です。補造業サむクルの䞋萜局面は兞型的に18か月続き、このサむクルは2018幎䞊半期にピヌクを぀けたした。 チャヌト 1底打ちの最初の兆候 底打ちの最初の兆し 底打ちの最初の兆し チャヌト 2予想倖に匷いサプラむズ 驚くほど匷いサプラむズ 驚くほど匷いサプラむズ     同時に、囜債利回りはさらに䞊昇䜙地があるはずです。Fedはあず䞀床利䞋げする可胜性がありたすが、米囜経枈の堅調さを螏たえるずそれ以䞊にはならないでしょう。これはフェドファンド先物が織り蟌んでいる今埌12か月の59ベヌシスポむントの利䞋げよりも小さい幅です。最近の経枈サプラむズの持ち盎しは、米10幎囜債利回りが少なくずも6か月前の氎準である2.32.4に戻るこずを瀺唆しおいたすチャヌト 3。ただし、䟋えば米䞭貿易協議の砎綻のような政治的緊匵の高たりがあるず、この動きは遅れる可胜性がありたすチャヌト 4。 チャヌト 3長期金利はさらにリバりンドぞ... 長期金利、さらに反発ぞ... 長期金利、さらに反発ぞ... チャヌト 4...しかし地政孊的緊匵は䟝然リスク ...しかし地政孊的緊匵は䟝然ずしおリスクである ...しかし地政孊的緊匵は䟝然ずしおリスクである これは、今埌数四半期にわたり株匏が債刞をアりトパフォヌムし続ける可胜性が高いこずを意味し、我々は12か月の投資期間でグロヌバル株匏をオヌバヌりェむト、グロヌバル債刞をアンダヌりェむトの立堎を維持しおいたす。ただし、この明るいシナリオに察するリスクは増しおいたす。我々は第二次䞖界倧戊以降、ほが18か月前にほがすべおの景気埌退を的䞭させおきたむヌルドカヌブの逆むヌルド化を䟝然ずしお懞念しおいたすチャヌト 5。3か月/10幎のカヌブは今幎䞭頃に逆むヌルド化したした。たた、補造業郚門の匱さが消費者信頌感を損なうこずを懞念しおいたす。これは欧州ず日本にいく぀かの兆候がありたすが、米囜ではただ顕著ではありたせんチャヌト 6。したがっお先月、景気埌退に察するヘッゞずしお我々はキャッシュをオヌバヌりェむトしたした。リスクリワヌドの芳点から、債刞よりもキャッシュをより魅力的なヘッゞずみなしおいたす。 チャヌト 5むヌルドカヌブのメッセヌゞを無芖できたすか むヌルド・カヌブからのメッセヌゞを無芖できたすか むヌルド・カヌブからのメッセヌゞを無芖できたすか チャヌト 6消費者信頌感の匱さのいく぀かの兆候 消費者信頌感の匱たりを瀺すいく぀かの兆候 消費者信頌感の匱たりを瀺すいく぀かの兆候     我々はたた、ベヌタが䜎く他地域の株匏ほど構造的逆颚が少ない米囜株匏を匕き続きオヌバヌりェむトしたす。ただし、䞭囜のより倧胆な刺激策の恩恵を受けるであろう、より景気埪環性の高い株匏垂堎ぞの参入ポむントを匕き続き探しおいたす。䞭囜の金融緩和はこれたでの景気刺激局面に比べおなお慎重です。囜内掻動を安定化させるにはおそらく十分でしたチャヌト 7が、2016幎のように工業甚コモディティ䟡栌や新興垂堎資産、ナヌロ圏株匏のラリヌを匕き起こすほどではありたせん。グロヌバルPMIの䞊昇ず䞭囜の信甚成長の匷たりの兆候は、明らかに新興垂堎ず欧州を助けるでしょうチャヌト 8が、我々が実際にそれらが起きおいるずより高い確信を持぀たではその動きを取るこずはしたせん。その間、欧州株がアりトパフォヌムし始めた堎合に有利になるはずのため、我々は䞊振れリスクをヘッゞする目的でグロヌバルの金融セクタヌを戊術的にオヌバヌりェむトに匕き䞊げおいたす。今幎初めには、より積極的な䞭囜刺激による䞊振れリスクをヘッゞするためにむンダストリアルズをオヌバヌりェむト、オヌストラリア株匏をニュヌトラルに匕き䞊げたした。 チャヌト 7䞭囜の刺激は成長を単に安定化させただけ 䞭囜の景気刺激策は成長を単に安定させただけに過ぎない 䞭囜の景気刺激策は成長を単に安定させただけに過ぎない チャヌト 8欧州ず新興垂堎は最も景気埪環的な垂堎 欧州ず新興垂堎は最も景気埪環性の高い垂堎だ 欧州ず新興垂堎は最も景気埪環性の高い垂堎だ     チャヌト 9原油䟡栌の急隰はしばしば景気埌退に先行する 原油䟡栌の急隰は景気埌退に先行するこずが倚い。 原油䟡栌の急隰は景気埌退に先行するこずが倚い。 我々の楜芳的なシナリオに察する最倧の地政孊的リスクは、サりゞの石油粟補斜蚭ぞの攻撃埌の䞭東情勢です。過去50幎のすべおの景気埌退は、原油䟡栌の前幎同月比100の急隰に先行されおきたしたただし、この事態が珟実ずなるにはブレントが幎末たでに珟圚の61ドルから100ドル超ぞ䞊昇する必芁がありたすチャヌト 9   チャヌト 10原油のリスクプレミアムは䜎すぎるのか 四半期ポヌトフォリオ芋通し党方䜍のヘッゞ 四半期ポヌトフォリオ芋通し党方䜍のヘッゞ   ギャリヌ・゚ノァンス、シニア・バむス・プレゞデント チヌフ・グロヌバル・アセット・アロケヌション・ストラテゞスト garry@bcaresearch.com     クラむアントが尋ねおいるこず 䞖界成長の反発のタむミングを図るために投資家はどの先行指暙を泚芖すべきか チャヌト 11䞖界成長に関するポゞティブなシグナル ナヌロ圏の補造業は底打ちに近いか 䞖界経枈の成長に察するポゞティブなシグナル ナヌロ圏の補造業は底打ちに近いか 䞖界経枈の成長に察するポゞティブなシグナル 2019幎の䞖界的な成長鈍化は、債刞ラリヌずディフェンシブ資産のアりトパフォヌマンスの䞻芁因でした。したがっお、この䞋萜がい぀反転するかのタむミングを芋極めるこずは極めお重芁です。反転はディフェンシブから景気埪環性の資産ぞのリヌダヌシップの亀代ももたらすからです。では、どのようにしおこれを行うか。以䞋に、過去に䞖界経枈に関する信頌できる先行シグナルを提䟛しおきた我々のお気に入りの指暙を䞉぀挙げたす。 キャリヌトレヌドのパフォヌマンス非垞に高いキャリヌを持぀新興囜通貚の察円でのパフォヌマンスは、䞖界成長の先行指暙ずなる傟向がありたすチャヌト 11, パネル1。䞀般に、キャリヌトレヌドは資金が豊富だが利回りが䜎い囜日本のようなから、貯蓄䞍足でリスクは高いが芋蟌み収益が高い囜ぞ流動性を分配したす。これらの通貚のポゞティブなパフォヌマンスは、䞖界的な流動性の改善を瀺す傟向があり、通垞は䞖界成長を埌抌ししたす。 スりェヌデンの圚庫サむクルスりェヌデンの受泚圚庫比率は䞖界の補造業サむクルの先行指暙ですパネル2。なぜか。スりェヌデンは小さな開攟経枈であり、䞖界成長のダむナミクスに非垞に敏感です。さらに、スりェヌデンの茞出は䞭間財に重心が眮かれおおり、これはグロヌバルなサプラむチェヌンの早い段階に䜍眮したす。これによりスりェヌデンの圚庫サむクルは䞖界の補造業サむクルの良い早期のバロメヌタヌずなりたす。 G3のマネタリヌトレンドG3の実質的なマネヌサプラむ超過マネヌサプラむ成長率ず貞出成長率の差ずしお枬定は、䞖界の工業生産の先行指暙ですパネル3。ベヌスマネヌず預金が既存の貞出プヌルに察しお銀行システム内でより豊富になるず、商業銀行の流動性ポゞションは改善したす。これにより銀行はより倚くの貞出成長を生み出す燃料を埗られ、最終的に経枈掻動に远い颚を提䟛したす。 重芁なのは、これらすべおの先行指暙が䞖界経枈に察しおポゞティブなシグナルを送っおいるこずです。これは、䞖界成長が匷たるに぀れお金利は䞊昇すべきだずいう我々の芋解を裏付けたす。したがっお、投資家はポヌトフォリオで株匏をオヌバヌりェむト、債刞をアンダヌりェむトのたたにしおおくべきです。   ナヌロ圏の銀行を買う時期か 2018幎12月のナヌロ圏の銀行に関するスペシャルレポヌトでは、「歎史的に、盞察P/Bディスカりントが䞋限バンドに達し、盞察配圓利回りが䞊限バンドに達したずき、盞察リタヌンの反発が期埅できる」ず指摘したした。1 圓時の我々の掚奚は「長期投資家はこの地域の銀行を避けるべきだが、より戊術的な暩限を持ち、機動的なスタむルの投資家は評䟡指暙を利甚しお銀行ぞの出入りを短期トレヌドずしお『タむミング』できる」ずいうものでした。 それ以降、銀行は垂堎党䜓を10以䞊アりトパフォヌムできずに匕き続きアンダヌパフォヌムし、盞察的な評䟡指暙をさらに抌し䞋げたした。珟圚、盞察P/Bず盞察配圓利回りはずもに、歎史的に少なくずも短期的な反発を予告しおきた極端な氎準にありたす。 ナヌロ圏のPMIはただ50を䞋回っおいたすが、ナヌロ圏経枈が今幎埌半に持ち盎す兆候があり、これは銀行の盞察的な収益にずっおポゞティブになるはずです。すでに、フォワヌドの1株圓たり利益EPS成長は幅広い垂堎に察しお安定化しおいたすチャヌト 12、パネル4。 さらに、2018幎12月圓時の䞻芁な懞念材料の二぀はむタリア政府債務ず量的緩和QEの巻き戻しでした。珟圚、むタリア債務はもはや危機的な状況にはなく、ECBはQEを再開しおいたす。 したがっお、戊術的な暩限を持ち機動的に運甚できる投資家はナヌロ圏の銀行を買うオヌバヌりェむトべきです。長期投資家は構造的な問題が残っおいるため、䟝然ずしおこのような短期トレヌドは避けるべきです。 チャヌト 12戊術的にナヌロ圏の銀行をアップグレヌド 戊術的にナヌロ圏の銀行を栌䞊げ 戊術的にナヌロ圏の銀行を栌䞊げ  é‡‘盞堎の䞊昇は終わったのか スポット金䟡栌は幎初来で17%䞊昇しおおり、その背景には䞖界的な成長鈍化、ハト掟に傟いた䞭倮銀行、そしお高たる政治的緊匵がある。投資家は今、金の゚クスポヌゞャヌを削枛すべきだろうか。垞識的にはそうすべきだろう。しかし、今回は通垞の時期ではない。 短期的には、テクニカル面での買われ過ぎず行き過ぎたポゞティブなセンチメントのために䞀郚利益確定が入り、金䟡栌は䞋抌しを受ける可胜性があるチャヌト13、パネル1。さらに、今幎の金䟡栌の動きは䞭倮銀行の緩和期埅の高たりによるずころが倧きいパネル2。今埌、垂堎は利䞋げが限定的にずどたるこずに倱望する可胜性があり、それが金の䞋萜圧力ずなり埗るず予想する。 他方で、珟圚䞖界の債務の玄27%、すなわち14.9兆ドルがマむナス利回りであるため、投資家は次善の資産である利回りれロの金ぞ匕き続きシフトしおいくだろうパネル3。䞭倮銀行ず投資家の双方によるここ数幎の金保有増加パネル4・5からもこれが明らかである。投資家がマむナス利回りを回避し資本保党に重点を眮く動きが続く限り、この傟向は持続するず芋おいる。 幎初以来、地政孊的緊匵は匷たっおいる米䞭間の継続するが決定的でない貿易亀枉、さらなる関皎の実斜、ブレグゞットの䞍確実性、そしお䞭東での最近の軍事攻撃パネル6。このような環境は金䟡栌を抌し䞊げ続けるはずだ。 我々は匕き続き、今埌12か月で加速するず芋おいるむンフレに察するヘッゞずしお、たた䞖界成長や地政孊的状況のさらなる悪化に察するヘッゞずしお金を掚奚する。 Chart 13Gold: Sell Or Hold? ゎヌルド売华か保有か ゎヌルド売华か保有か 楜芳的シナリオぞのリスクは高たっおいる。我々は䟝然ずしお逆むヌルド曲線を懞念しおいる。逆むヌルド曲線は第二次䞖界倧戊以降のすべおの景気埌退を正確に予枬しおきた。 金利はどこたで䞋がり埗るか れロ䞋限は過去のものだ。先月、デンマヌク䞭倮銀行は金利を-0.75%に匕き䞋げ、スむスの10幎囜債は䞻芁囜ずしお歎史的最䜎氎準の-1.12%に達した。次の景気埌退においお、理論䞊金利はさらにどこたで䞋萜し埗るだろうか 個人にずっお、玙幣の保管コストが珟金金利の䞋限を制玄する可胜性がある。玙幣自䜓は利回りれロだからだ政府が珟金を犁止する方法や幎䌚費を課す方法を芋出さない限り。銀行の貞金庫は幎間玄300ドル、たた100䞇ドルを保管するのに十分なプロ甚金庫100ドル札の山で31 x 55 cm、重さ玄10kgは蚭眮費を含め玄2,000ドルである。埌者を10幎で償华すれば、100䞇ドルの保管コストは幎率玄0.2%〜0.3%になる。スむスフラン玙幣最高額面CHF1,000は保管コストがより䜎くなるだろう。しかし、珟物金の保管コストは幎率玄2%である。 金利がこれを䞋回っおいる堎合、他の制玄が存圚するはずだ。個人が珟金を保管するこずは危険であり、確実に非垞に䞍䟿である皎金の支払いのために珟金を銀行に運ばなければならないこずを想像しおみおほしい。たた、䟋えば10億ドル重さ10トンを保管する個人や䌁業のコストははるかに高くなるだろう。䜎金利囜の歎史を螏たえるずチャヌト14、パネル1、珟金保有者が政府短期債の銀行預金の代替を暡玢し始める氎準は抂ね-1%前埌だず我々は考えおいる。 Chart 14How Low Can They Go? どこたで䞋がるのか どこたで䞋がるのか Chart 15Yield Curves When Rates Are At Zero Or Below 金利がれロ以䞋のずきのむヌルドカヌブ 金利がれロ以䞋のずきのむヌルドカヌブ   長期偎では、短期金利がれロたたはマむナスのずきにむヌルドカヌブが倧きく逆転するこずは通垞ないチャヌト15。今幎初めにスむスで芳枬された3か月/10幎の最倧逆むヌルドは-0.05%だった。 したがっお、どこであれ10幎債の絶察的な最䜎氎準は、たずえ厳しい景気埌退の只䞭であっおも抂ね-1.1%付近であろうずいう瀺唆になる。 これは資産配分担圓者にずっおの懞念材料だ。珟圚の氎準スむス-0.8%からスむス囜債が取り埗る数孊的最倧䞊昇幅は3%であり、ドむツ囜債珟-0.5%では5%である。これはあたり有効なヘッゞずは蚀えない。米囜だけが盞察的に有利に芋える10幎物米囜債利回りが0%に䜎䞋した堎合、トヌタルリタヌンは18%になる。   䞖界経枈 Chart 16U.S. Growth Remains Solid 米囜の成長は堅調を維持 米囜の成長は堅調を維持 抂芳䞖界的に産業郚門の成長は匱く、倚くの囜で補造業PMIが50を䞋回っおいる。しかし、消費ずサヌビスはほがすべおの地域で持ち堪えおおり、補造業比重の高いナヌロ圏でも䟋倖ではない。補造業の底打ちの兆しが断続的に芋られるが、本栌的な回埩は䞭囜におけるさらなる金融緩和の芏暡に䟝存するだろう。䞭囜圓局は2016幎に行ったほどの倧芏暡な緩和を展開するこずには慎重な姿勢を厩しおいないようだ。 米囜米囜の補造業は既に䞖界の他地域に続いお収瞮局面に入っおおり、ISM補造業景況指数は8月に50を䞋回ったチャヌト16、パネル2。しかし、消費ずサヌビスは抂ね奜調を維持しおいる。雇甚は拡倧を続けおいるただし昚幎よりやや鈍いペヌスで、求職者䞍足が䞀因かもしれない、解雇の増加は芋られず、消費者信頌感は䟝然ずしお歎史的高氎準に近い9月にわずかに䜎䞋した。䜏宅は昚幎の枛速埌に回埩しおおり、最近の議䌚での予算合意により今埌12か月は財政政策がやや拡匵的になる芋蟌みだ。蚭備投資パネル5のみが、貿易戊争を巡る䞍確実性のために䌁業が投資刀断を先送りしおいる圱響で鈍化しおいる。コンセンサスは今幎の米囜実質GDP成長率を2.2%ず芋蟌んでおり、倚くの朜圚成長率の掚定を䞊回っおいる。 ナヌロ圏補造業の比重が高いため、欧州の成長は米囜より匱い。補造業PMIは2月以来50を䞋回り、8月にはさらに45.6に䜎䞋した。鉱工業生産は前幎比で2%瞮小しおいる。むタリアは2四半期のマむナス成長を経隓しおおり、ドむツも第3四半期にテクニカルリセッションに入る可胜性がある第2四半期はGDPが0.1%瞮小した。しかし、補造業の底打ちの兆候は断続的に芋られる䟋えば9月のZEW調査は䞊振れのサプラむズずなった。たた、米囜同様に消費は匷い。補造業比重の高いドむツでも雇甚は増加を続け、7月の小売売䞊高は前幎同月比で4.4%増だった。䞀方、英囜ではブレグゞットを巡る䞍確実性が䌁業の投資を損なっおいるが、雇甚は堅調である。2 Chart 17First Signs Of A Rebound In The Rest Of The World? 䞖界のその他地域で反発の兆候が芋え始めたか 䞖界のその他地域で反発の兆候が芋え始めたか 日本消費は既に䜎䞋しおおり、10月に予定された消費皎率の匕き䞊げ前でさえ萜ち蟌んでいる。7月の小売売䞊高は前幎比で2%枛少し、賃金のマむナス成長ず消費者センチメントの5幎ぶりの䜎氎準ぞの䜎䞋が原因である。補造業は䞭囜の枛速ず匷い円過去12か月で6%䞊昇の圱響を受け続けおおり、茞出は6%枛、鉱工業生産は過去3か月で前幎比2%枛少しおいる。消費皎率匕䞊げの圱響は自動車皎の軜枛や高校教育の無償化ずいった政府の措眮により緩和される可胜性があるし、䞭囜成長の回埩が茞出を抌し䞊げるだろう。しかし、掻動の底打ちの兆候はただ乏しい。 新興垂堎䞭囜の成長は安定化しおいるように芋え、補造業・非補造業の䞡PMIが50を䞊回っおいるチャヌト17、パネル3。しかし、景況感は脆匱で、小売売䞊高の䌞びは20幎ぶりの䜎氎準に鈍化し、自動車販売は8月に7%枛少した。これは新排出基準適合車の導入にもかかわらずである。圓局は远加の緩和策9月の預金準備率の远加匕き䞋げを含むで察応したが、2016幎のような本栌的な金融刺激を再床実斜するこずには消極的なようだ。他の新興囜では、構造的な問題を抱える囜で成長が鈍化しおいるアルれンチンの最新の前幎比実質GDP成長率は-5.7%、トルコは-1.5%、メキシコは-0.8%が、他方で比范的堅調なのはむンド5%、むンドネシア5%、ポヌランド4.2%、コロンビア3.4%である。 金利ほがすべおの䞭倮銀行がハト掟に転じおおり、FRBは2回目の利䞋げを行い、ECBは資産買入れを再開し、日銀は10月に緩和を瀺唆した。しかし、さらなる金融緩和は垂堎の期埅よりも小幅にずどたる可胜性が高い。FRBは今回の利䞋げを䞭間的な修正に過ぎないず瀺し、远加緩和は考えにくいず瀺唆した。ECBず日銀には利甚可胜な手段がほずんど残っおいない。成長の底打ちの兆しず、䞭倮銀行のハト掟転換が終盀に差し掛かっおいるずいう垂堎の理解を螏たえ、既に米囜で1.45%から9月に1.72%ぞず䞊昇しおいる長期金利はさらに䞊昇する可胜性が高い。投資家はたた、米囜のむンフレに泚意深く泚芖すべきである。基調の匷さを瀺す兆候があり、コアCPIは8月に前幎比2.4%䞊昇しおいる過去3か月の幎率換算では最倧3.4%に達する。   䞖界株匏 Chart 18Has Earnings Growth Bottomed? 利益の䌞びは底を打ったか 利益の䌞びは底を打ったか 䟝然ずしお慎重だが、䞊方リスクに察するヘッゞを远加地政孊的リスクや匱たる経枈指暙ずいったヘッドラむンリスクにもかかわらず、グロヌバル株匏は第3四半期に8ベヌシスポむントの小幅な損倱にずどたったチャヌト18。総じお、我々のディフェンシブな囜別配分は第3四半期によく機胜した。先進囜DM株匏は新興囜EMを4.5%䞊回り、米囜はナヌロ圏を2.8%䞊回った。 ただしセクタヌ配分は期埅通りにはいかなかった。ナヌティリティヌず生掻必需品のアンダヌりェむト、および資本財、゚ネルギヌ、ヘルスケアのオヌバヌりェむトがすべお逆方向に動いたためである。ずはいえマテリアルのアンダヌりェむトが損倱の䞀郚を盞殺するのに寄䞎した。 四半期の間、債刞利回りの倧きな倉動に合わせお、グロヌバル株匏の䞖界ではセクタヌおよび囜別のロヌテヌションが明確に芋られた。9月には先進囜新興囜、米囜ナヌロ圏、景気埪環株ディフェンシブ株で䞀郚の反転が確認された。 今埌に぀いお、BCAのハりスビュヌは䞖界経枈成長がここ数か月のうちに回埩し始めるずいう芋方を維持しおいるが、以前に予想したよりやや遅れるず予想しおいる。したがっお、我々のディフェンシブな囜別配分は䟝然ずしお適切だ。4月にナヌロ圏ず新興囜株をアップグレヌド監芖リストに入れたが、䞖界的な回埩の遅れはただその刀断を発動する時ではないこずを瀺しおいる。3 我々は債刞利回りが底を打ったずの芋方を持っおいるため4、グロヌバルのセクタヌ配分で1぀調敎を行い、金融セクタヌをニュヌトラルからオヌバヌりェむトぞ栌䞊げする。資金はヘルスケアのダブルオヌバヌりェむトを半分にしおオヌバヌりェむトに削枛するこずで賄う詳现は次ペヌゞ参照。この調敎は、1) ナヌロ圏が米囜をアりトパフォヌムする堎合、2) 今埌の米囜倧統領遞で゚リザベス・りォヌレンが勝利する堎合、ずいう二぀の可胜性に察するヘッゞにもなる。5  ã‚°ãƒ­ãƒŒãƒãƒ«é‡‘融株をニュヌトラルからオヌバヌりェむトぞ栌䞊げ Chart 19Upgrade Global Financials グロヌバル・ファむナンシャルズをアップグレヌド グロヌバル・ファむナンシャルズをアップグレヌド グロヌバルの金融株の総株匏垂堎に察する盞察パフォヌマンスは、グロヌバル債刞利回りの動きに倧きく圱響を受けおきたChart 19、パネル1。9月に債刞利回りが急反転したのに䌎い、金融株の盞察パフォヌマンスも反転した。ただし、近幎にわたり金融株が幅広い垂堎に察しお倧きくアンダヌパフォヌムしおきたこずから、チャヌト䞊ではほずんど芋えない。 債刞利回りの急反転がどの皋床持続するかは明確ではないが、BCAのハりスビュヌでは今埌912か月で債刞利回りは䞊昇するず芋おいる。したがっお、以䞋の远加的な理由により金融株をニュヌトラルからオヌバヌりェむトぞ栌䞊げする。 バリュ゚ヌションはパネル2に瀺されおいるように非垞に魅力的である。さらに重芁なのは、盞察バリュ゚ヌションが珟圚、歎史的に金融株の盞察パフォヌマンスの反発を予告しおきた極端な氎準にあるこずである。 ロヌンの質が改善しおいる。米囜の䞍良債暩NPL比率は䞖界金融危機GFC前に達した底に近づいおいる。スペむンやむタリアにおいおもNPL比率は倧幅に䜎䞋しおいるが、GFC前の氎準よりは䟝然高いたたであるパネル3。 米囜の消費は堅調で、䜏宅は回埩し、ロヌン需芁は匷たっおいるパネル4。シティ・゚コノミック・サプラむズ・むンデックスなどのデヌタず䞀臎しおおり、経枈指暙が底入れした可胜性を瀺唆しおいる。 この栌䞊げを資金繰りするため、ヘルスケアのダブル・オヌバヌりェむトをオヌバヌりェむトに匕き䞋げた。これは、来幎の米倧統領遞で゚リザベス・りォヌレンが勝利し医薬品䟡栌芏制を厳栌化するリスクぞのヘッゞである。 囜債 デュレヌションはややアンダヌりェむトを維持。 第3四半期の最初の2か月間、我々のベンチマヌク比デュレヌション瞮小の刀断はグロヌバル債刞垂堎によっお倧きく詊された。米囜の10幎物囜債利回りは9月3日に1.43%を付けたが、これは米囜のISM補造業指数が予想を䞋回ったこずを受けたもので、前四半期末の氎準より57ベヌシスポむント䜎く、2016幎7月6日に蚘録した歎史的䜎氎準1.32%をわずかに䞊回る氎準だった。ただし、9月5日以降の債刞利回りの反発は、米䞭貿易政策の起䌏だけでなく、Chart 20に瀺される通り経枈指暙のサプラむズがポゞティブだったこずにも牜匕されおいる。 BCAのグロヌバル・デュレヌション・むンゞケヌタヌは、圓瀟のグロヌバル・フィクスト・むンカム・ストラテゞヌチヌムが耇数の先行経枈指暙を甚いお構築したもので、今埌䞖界的に利回り䞊昇を瀺唆しおいる。投資家は今埌912か月間、デュレヌションをややアンダヌりェむトで維持すべきである。 名目債よりむンフレ連動債を優先。 グロヌバルのむンフレ期埅も、四半期の最初の2か月間に続いた䞋降トレンドの埌に反発しおいる。これは䞻に8月にコアCPI、コアPCE、平均時絊ずいった実珟むンフレ指暙が加速したこずを反映しおいる。加えお、歎史的に原油䟡栌の倉化はむンフレ期埅ず良奜な盞関を持぀傟向がある。サりゞアラビアの石油生産斜蚭ぞの攻撃を受けお原油䟡栌は䞀時20%急隰した。䞭東の地政孊的緊匵がどのように進展するかは䞍透明だが、サりゞ偎が䞻匵するように倱われた生産の70%を埩旧できるず仮定するず、OPECの䜙剰生産胜力日量玄180䞇バレルが垂堎の均衡を保ち、残る倱われた生産をカバヌできるはずである。幎末たで原油䟡栌が暪ばいで掚移するずいう保守的な前提でも、むンフレ期埅ははるかに高たる方向にあり、これが名目債よりむンフレ連動債を支持する根拠ずなる。日本およびオヌストラリアにおいおも、それぞれの名目債よりむンフレ連動債を奜むChart 21。 Chart 20Bond Yields Have Hit Bottom 債刞利回りは底を打った 債刞利回りは底を打った Chart 21Favor Inflation Linkers リンク債を遞奜 リンク債を遞奜 より倧胆な䞭囜の景気刺激が実珟した堎合に恩恵を受ける、景気埪環性の高い垂堎ぞの参入機䌚を匕き続き探しおいる。 瀟債 我々がフィクスト・むンカム・ポヌトフォリオ内で景気埪環的にクレゞットをオヌバヌりェむトに転じお以来、投資適栌瀟債ずハむむヌルド債は、それぞれデュレヌションを合わせた囜債に察しお220および73ベヌシスポむントの超過リタヌンを生み出しおいる。 我々は今埌12か月のクレゞット芋通しに察しお匕き続き匷気である。幎末たでにグロヌバル成長が加速するず予想しおいるからである。歎史的に芋るず、グロヌバル成長の改善はクレゞットが囜債に察しお持続的にアりトパフォヌムするこずをもたらしおきた。さらに、貞出基準が緩和を続けおいるこずを螏たえれば、デフォルト率は今埌1幎にわたり抑制されるず芋られるChart 22、パネル1。 どのくらいの期間クレゞットをオヌバヌりェむトにするのか。米囜䌁業債垂堎における高いレバレッゞ氎準、利息支払胜力interest coverage ratioの䜎䞋、およびBaa栌付け債の比率の高さは、構造的にクレゞットをリスクの高い遞択肢にしおいる。しかし、むンフレ期埅が䟝然ずしお非垞に䜎いため、FRBは金融政策を緩和的に保぀むンセンティブが匷い。このハト掟的な金融政策は金利コストを抑え、クレゞットが今埌1幎でアりトパフォヌムするのを助けるだろう。 ずはいえ、魅力的なクレゞットのカテゎリヌには差があるず我々は考えおいる。具䜓的には、Baa栌付けずハむむヌルド蚌刞を優先するこずを掚奚する。これらのクレゞット・バケットにはさらなるスプレッド圧瞮の䜙地が残されおいるためであるパネル2およびパネル3。䞀方で、最䞊䜍の信甚カテゎリヌはもはやバリュヌを提䟛しおいないため避けるべきであるパネル4。 Chart 22Baa-rated And High-Yield Credit Offer The Most Value Baa栌付けおよびハむむヌルド・クレゞットは最も高い䟡倀を提䟛する Baa栌付けおよびハむむヌルド・クレゞットは最も高い䟡倀を提䟛する   コモディティ Chart 23No Supply Shock In The Oil Market 四半期ポヌトフォリオ芋通し党方䜍でのヘッゞ 四半期ポヌトフォリオ芋通し党方䜍でのヘッゞ ゚ネルギヌオヌバヌりェむト9月のドロヌン攻撃はサりゞの原油斜蚭に察する䟛絊懞念を匕き起こし、攻撃盎埌の数日間で原油䟡栌は最倧で玄20%䞊昇したが、その埌攻撃前の氎準たで䞋萜した。初期の掚蚈では䟛絊障害は日量玄570䞇バレル、぀たり䞖界䟛絊量の玄5.5%に盞圓し、史䞊最倧の原油䟛絊停止ずなった。ただし、サりゞが䞻匵するように倱われた生産の70%を埩旧できるず仮定すれば、OPECの予備胜力である日量玄180䞇バレルが垂堎を均衡させ、残る倱われた生産をカバヌできるはずである。より長期的には、経枈成長の回埩に䌎う䞖界的な原油需芁の䌞びず䟛絊の緊匵が原油䟡栌を抌し䞊げる芋蟌みで、ブレントは今幎70ドルに達し、2020幎は平均74ドルになるず予想されるChart 23、パネル1およびパネル2。 工業甚金属ニュヌトラル幎初来の䞭囜圓局による消極的な刺激策ず2019幎第2四半期・第3四半期の米ドル高が工業甚金属のスポット䟡栌を抌し䞋げおきた。しかし、䞭囜政府は9月に远加の刺激策を発衚し、むンフラ事業の資金調達のためのさらなる債刞発行や金融緩和を行うず衚明したパネル3。これにより、今埌612か月で工業甚金属䟡栌に䞊振れ䜙地が出るはずである。 貎金属ニュヌトラル幎初来の力匷いパフォヌマンスを螏たえ぀぀も、我々は金に察しお䟝然ずしおポゞティブである。金は景気埌退、むンフレ、地政孊リスクに察する優れたヘッゞず芋なせるからである。金に぀いおは第9ペヌゞのクラむアントからの質問セクションで詳述しおいる。銀も短期的には魅力的に芋える。過去20幎で銀の利甚甚途の性質は倉化し、䞻に工業甚玠材ずしおの偎面から、安党資産ずしおの貎金属的偎面が匷たっおいる。金ず銀の䟡栌の盞関は䞖界金融危機前の平均0.5から危機埌は0.8ぞず䞊昇しおいるパネル4およびパネル5。グロヌバル成長ず政治的䞍確実性が今埌数か月で銀䟡栌を支えるだろう。 通貚 米ドル4月にニュヌトラルに転じお以来、貿易加重ドルは2.5%䞊昇しおいる。利回りの急萜は金融条件を緩和し、幎末の第4四半期に䞖界成長を䞋支えする公算が倧きい。米ドルは逆景気埪環的な通貚であるため、䞖界的な成長の回埩局面は歎史的にドルにずっおネガティブであった。 ナヌロ4月に匷気に転じお以来、EUR/USDは2.7%の䞋萜ずなっおいる。党䜓ずしお、我々は景気埪環的な時間軞においおEUR/USDに察しお匕き続きポゞティブである。ECBが金利を10ベヌシスポむント匕き䞋げ、远加の量的緩和を発衚した埌、ナヌロ圏が米囜に察しおさらに緩和を続ける䜙地はあたり残っおいないChart 24、パネル1。加えお、ナヌロ圏の利益成長芋通しが米囜に比べお改善するこずが期埅されれば、資金フロヌは欧州ぞ向かい、それがEUR/USDを抌し䞊げるだろうパネル2。 新興囜通貚圓面の間、新興囜通貚に察しおは匱気の芋方を維持する。ただし、幎末に向けおは栌䞊げ監芖䞭である。䞖界成長が反転し぀぀ある兆候が耇数みられ、これは歎史的に蚘録的に䜎い債刞利回りがもたらす緩和的な金融環境の結果である。さらに、新興囜成長の䞻芁゚ンゞンである䞭囜における限界的な消費傟向M1成長率ずM2成長率の差で代理されるは、新興囜通貚のさらなる䞊昇を瀺唆し続けおいるパネル3。 Chart 24Interest Rate And Profit Expectation Differentials Favor The Euro ナヌロはたもなく急隰するかもしれない。金利ず利益期埅の差がナヌロに有利だ。 ナヌロはたもなく急隰するかもしれない。金利ず利益期埅の差がナヌロに有利だ。     オルタナティブ Chart 25Favor Hedge Funds Untill Global Growth Bottoms グロヌバル成長が底打ちするたでヘッゞファンドを掚奚 グロヌバル成長が底打ちするたでヘッゞファンドを掚奚 リタヌン増匷策過去12か月にわたり、我々は投資家に察しおプラむベヌト・゚クむティの配分を枛らし、ヘッゞファンド、特にマクロ・ヘッゞファンドぞの配分を増やすこずを掚奚しおきた。これは、我々の刀断ずしお景気サむクルが埌期にあるためである。成長が今埌数か月で回埩するず期埅しおいるが、珟時点のデヌタではただ明確ではないChart 25、パネル1。この䞍確実なマクロ環境は、特にマルチプルの䞊昇ず買収競争の激化ずいう環境䞋でプラむベヌト・゚クむティにずっお厳しいものずなるだろう。グロヌバル・マクロ・ヘッゞファンドは次の景気埌退に先立぀最良のヘッゞであるず匕き続き芋おおり、非流動性資産ぞの配分を倉曎するには時間がかかるため、投資家には今のうちに資金を配分するこずを勧める。 むンフレ・ヘッゞ珟状では、TIPSは非流動性のオルタナティブ資産よりも優れたむンフレ・ヘッゞである可胜性が高い。2019幎5月のスペシャルレポヌト8は、むンフレが䞊昇しおいるが䟝然ずしお比范的䜎い2.3%未満局面では、TIPSが特に魅力的なリスク調敎埌リタヌンを生み出すこずを瀺しおいる。したがっお、FRBがハト掟を維持し、金利をもう䞀床匕き䞋げるかもしれない䞀方でむンフレの䞭皋床の加速を容認するずいう我々の芋通しの䞋では、TIPSは今埌数か月の環境で良奜に掚移するはずであるパネル2。 ボラティリティ抑制策ストラクチャヌド・プロダクツ、䞻にモヌゲヌゞ担保蚌刞MBSは、ポヌトフォリオのボラティリティを䜎枛する点で優れた実瞟を持っおいるパネル3。それにもかかわらず、珟圚の評䟡は必ずしも魅力的ではないため、MBSぞの配分はニュヌトラルを超えお掚奚しない。今シヌズンは長期金利が100ベヌシスポむント以䞊䜎䞋し、借り換え掻動が掻発化しおいるにもかかわらず、名目ベヌスのMBSスプレッドは史䞊最䜎氎準付近にずどたっおいる。ただし、囜債利回りが底打ちするに぀れお借り換えは枛速し、スプレッドに䞋抌し圧力がかかるず予想しおいる。圓瀟芋解に察するリスク 最も起こり埗る䞊方リスクは、FRB米連邊準備制床理事䌚が過床にハト掟になり、察応が遅れるこずである。米囜の基調的なむンフレ圧力は䟝然ずしお匷いコア消費者物䟡指数は過去3か月で幎率換算3.4䞊昇。2回の利䞋げ埌、フェデラルファンド金利は珟圚䞭立金利を倧きく䞋回っおいる実質で0.1、Laubach‑Williamsのr*は0.8に察しおであるチャヌト26。マネヌ・マヌケットのタむトさからFRBは再びバランスシヌトの拡倧を開始しおいる。来幎に補造業の成長が加速し、賃金ず利益が䞊昇し始めれば、1999幎のような株匏垂堎のメルトアップが起こり埗る。しかし最終的には、むンフレを抑えるためにFRBは利䞊げ堎合によっおは急激な利䞊げを行う必芁があり、それが次の景気埌退を招く可胜性がある。 䞋方リスクの範囲はより広い。 本四半期報告党䜓で論じた通り、景気埌退の匕き金になり埗る芁因は様々ある特に䞭囜が景気刺激に倱敗するこずや、消費者の信頌の喪倱などである。䞀郚の景気埌退モデルは今埌12か月のリスクを最倧30ず芋積もっおいるチャヌト27。構造的に芋お、最倧のリスクはおそらく米囜における䌁業債務の高氎準であるチャヌト28。昚幎12月に短期間芳枬されたようなゞャンク債垂堎の厩壊は、今埌18か月で満期を迎える倧量の債務を䌁業が借り換えできなくなる事態を招く可胜性がある。 地政孊的リスクも䟝然ずしお高止たりしおおり、その性質䞊予枬が困難である。ブレグゞットの垰結は䟝然ずしお非垞に䞍確実であるが、合意なき離脱のリスクは䜎いず芋おいる。米䞭の貿易協議は包括的な合意なく長期化するず予想しおおり、明確な決裂はネガティブである。トランプ倧統領の匟功はおそらく垂堎にずっお重倧な出来事ではないが、垂堎心理を䞀時的に悪化させる可胜性がある特にそれが゚リザベス・りォヌレンの圓遞可胜性を高める堎合。むランずサりゞ間の玛争が゚スカレヌトする可胜性もある。これらの脅嚁を織り蟌むためにリスクプレミアムは䞊昇する必芁があるかもしれない。 チャヌト26FRBは過床にハト掟になっおいるのか ç±³FRBはハト掟に傟きすぎおいるのか ç±³FRBはハト掟に傟きすぎおいるのか チャヌト27景気埌退のリスクはどの皋床か 景気埌退のリスクは 景気埌退のリスクは チャヌト28䌁業債務が最倧のリスクか 䌁業債務は最倧のリスクか 䌁業債務は最倧のリスクか   脚泚 1詳现はグロヌバル・アセット・アロケヌション・スペシャル・レポヌト、「ナヌロ圏の銀行バリュヌ・プレむかバリュヌ・トラップか」2018幎12月14日付、gaa.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 2詳现はフォヌリン・゚クスチェンゞ・ストラテゞヌ・スペシャル・レポヌト、「英囜埪環的枛速か構造的停滞か」2019幎9月20日付、fes.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 3詳现はグロヌバル・アセット・アロケヌション・クォヌタリヌ、「クォヌタリヌ - 2019幎4月」2019幎4月1日付、gaa.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 4詳现はグロヌバル・むンベストメント・ストラテゞヌ・りィヌクリヌ・レポヌト、「債刞利回りは底を打った,」2019幎9月6日付、gis.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 5詳现はグロヌバル・むンベストメント・ストラテゞヌ・りィヌクリヌ・レポヌト、「゚リザベス・りォヌレンず垂堎,」2019幎9月13日付、gis.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 6Dmitry Zhdannikov and Alex Lawler “独占サりゞの石油生産、圓初予想より速く回埩ぞ関係筋,” ロむタヌ、2019幎9月17日付。 7詳现はゞオポリティカル・ストラテゞヌ・スペシャル・アラヌト、「サりゞの重芁むンフラぞの攻撃は米囜の察応に疑問を投げかける」2019幎9月16日付、gps.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 8詳现はグロヌバル・アセット・アロケヌション・スペシャル・レポヌト、「むンフレ・ヘッゞのための投資家ガむドむンフレ䞊昇時の投資方法」2019幎5月22日付、gaa.bcaresearch.comで入手可胜。 GAA アセット・アロケヌション