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Fireside Chats
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
While I was in the Pacific Northwest and Canada most of last week, I did have the privilege of listening to J.P. Morgans (JPM/$55.80/Strong Buy) Chief Market Strategist last Monday. Dr. David Kelly has long been known for his keen insights on the equity markets, with JPMs senior portfolio managers like George Gatz and Tom Luddy steering their mutual funds, on said strategic views, to outsized gains for many years.
Why We Favor Owning Gold in Euro Terms
by Ade Odunsi of AdvisorShares,
In this discussion piece we discuss the rationale for why investors looking to buy gold as a defensive asset during these uncertain times should consider buying gold in euro terms. When an investor buys gold in dollars they are expressing the view that they expect the price of gold to increase relative to the dollar. Similarly when an investor buys gold in euro, they express the view that they expect the value of gold to increase relative to the euro.
Mind the Gap
Every companys earnings can be evaluated on a quantitative and qualitative basis. Strictly speaking quantitative analysis is straightforwardis the company growing sales, profits, free cash flow, etc.? Analyzing these metrics in the context of competitive factors, sources of revenue and profit growth, and broader secular trends is a more subjective exercise but a very important one to pair with quantitative analysis.
Dissecting the Japan Hedged Equity Rebalance
by Jeremy Schwartz of WisdomTree, Inc.,
We think it is important to be mindful of how an annual rebalance back to an underlying fundamental such as dividends can help manage valuation risks. With market capitalization-weighted indexes, when constituents increase in price compared to other stocks, they gain greater weight and increase their impact on the performance of the index.
Analysis of Ayres and Curtis Critique of 401(k) Plans
In our previous article we reviewed [Professors Ayres and Curtis's paper Beyond Diversification: The Pervasive Problem of Excessive Fees and 'Dominated Funds' in 401(k) Plans] (John M. Olin Center for Studies in Law, Economics, and Public Policy Research Paper No. 493). Our purpose in that article was simply to describe what Professors Ayres and Curtis are saying. In this article we evaluate their findings and proposals, discussing the limits of and possible objections to their conclusions.
2Q 2014 Newsletter: Avoiding Your Portfolios Enemies
Investors should remember that excitement and expenses are their enemies. And if they insist on trying to time their participation in equities, they should try to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful. We often hear the last part of this wonderful quote from Warren Buffett, but here at Smead Capital, we find the beginning just as instructive. We thought we would unpack the entirety of his thoughts and dissect it for our faithful investors.
High-Yield and Bank Loan Outlook
by Team of Guggenheim Investments,
Certain areas of leveraged credit are overvalued, particularly CCC-rated bonds and bank loans, but often some of the best profits come in the final phase of a cycle. Low yields on U.S. Treasury bonds and European sovereign debt have kept the global search-for-yield theme alive and have lured more capital into U.S. credit markets, helping the ongoing rally in high-yield bonds and bank loans, which gained 2.4 percent and 1.2 percent (as represented by the Credit Suisse High Yield Index and Credit Suisse Institutional Leveraged Loan Index) in the second quarter of 2014, respectively.
Is the Euro the New Yen?
by Jeremy Schwartz of WisdomTree, Inc.,
Currency-hedged equity strategies broke onto the exchange-traded fund (EFT) investment scene in late 2012 following significant weakening of the yen, which led to a wide disparity in performance between unhedged and currency-hedged Japanese ETFs.
Energy: Shale Generates Tectonic Changes
by Stephen Toy of Invesco Blog,
The shale revolution, only seven or eight years old, has been the catalyst for a tectonic change in US energy production and policy. It has also created a new paradigm in US manufacturing, launched a renaissance in the chemical industry, and is driving infrastructure spending. So how do we think about the shale revolution in terms of investing? Its twofold.
Strategies for Income-Seeking Investors
Many income-seeking investors have traditionally centered their portfolios around government bonds, often failing to consider other asset classes. Ed Perks, executive vice president and director of portfolio management, Franklin Equity Group, believes equities can be a key part of an income-oriented portfolio, although individual stock selection is particularly important as valuations rise and interest rate dynamics may change.
Economic Signals Are Improving, Which Should Help Equity Prices
U.S. equities lost ground last week, with the S&P 500 Index dropping just under 1%, its largest weekly loss since early April.1 Cyclical sectors lagged, while defensive areas (chiefly utilities and telecommunications) led the way. A number of factors could be blamed for the decline, including signs of slowing European growth and lingering debt problems, as well as some downward revisions in corporate earnings guidance. In our view, however, the most reasonable explanation for the pullback may simply be fatigue and consolidation following the multi-week price advance.
Hong Kong: A Rich Market for Long-Term Investors
While largely out of favor, we are finding Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies that possess the characteristics we typically look for in our investmentshigh returns on invested capital, strong balance sheets, and attractive dividend yields. Portfolio Managers Jim Harvey and Dilip Badlani run through some names they currently like and talk about why the market is still appealing.
Are Prices Too High in U.S. Commercial Real Estate??
by John Murray of PIMCO,
The recovery in commercial real estate (CRE) has been driven more by low rates than improvements in fundamentals. However, fundamentals are improving and capitalization rates should remain low amid low New Neutral policy rates. We expect capital flows in both debt and equity to CRE to continue to increase, and we see opportunities for investors resulting from capital flows, demographics, loan maturities and regulatory reforms. ?
Europes Dividend Growth Explained
by Jeremy Schwartz of WisdomTree, Inc.,
An interesting aspect of the WisdomTree annual rebalance process is identifying trends in aggregate regional Dividend Stream of major markets. As we just rebalanced our developed world Indexes, including Europe, we wanted to provide some insight into how Europes dividends grew in the 12 months prior to the rebalance.
Gut Wrenching
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The greater-than-expected downward revision to first quarter GDP was a shocker (even more of a surprise than Spain, Italy, and Portugal not making it out of group play in the World Cup). However, investors were willing to dismiss the bad first quarter performance. An inventory correction and a wider trade deficit subtracted 3.2 percentage points from 1Q14 GDP growth.
Managing Valuation Risk by Rebalancing
by Tripp Zimmerman of WisdomTree, Inc.,
We think it is important to be mindful of how an annual rebalance back to an underlying fundamental such as dividends can help manage valuation risksa key factor in why the non-cap-weighted indexes are included in the smart beta category of indexes.
Why Free Trade Hurts Economic Growth
by Marianne Brunet,
Free trade, deregulation and limiting the federal government's powers form what Columbia professors Joseph Stiglitz and Bruce Greenwald call the Washington Consensus - the core precepts that have dominated policymaking for the last 50 years. But those ideas are misguided, they contend. Tariffs and trade restrictions, for example, are fine, especially if they are part of a broad framework that stimulates learning throughout a society.
The Tide is High
It took a while but I think I finally get it. The Federal Reserve has embarked on a Parallel Campaign - operating on two separate planes that seemingly never intersect, yet both having readily recognized similarities. My eureka moment finally came this past week when Ms. Yellen, in a rebuff to the Bank for International Settlements, said "because resilient financial system can (now) withstand unexpected developments, identification of bubbles is less critical."
The Prudent Investor’s Approach to Retirement Income
by Kendall Anderson of Anderson Griggs,
Each day, ten thousand people reach the age where retirement is a possibility. For some the choice is optional, but for others it is mandatory. A lively debate is taking place among academics and professionals in the investment industry regarding what the proper approach is for meeting financial needs in retirement.
Quotes on a Screen and Blotches of Ink
by John Hussman of Hussman Funds,
The ratio of market capitalization to GDP, which Warren Buffett (correctly) observed in a 2001 Fortune interview is "probably the single best measure of where valuations stand at any given moment" is now about 150% (not just 50%) above its pre-bubble norm, and beyond every point in history except for the final quarter of 1999 and the first two quarters of 2000. Much of what investors view as "wealth" here is little but transitory quotes on a screen and blotches of ink on pieces of paper that have todays date on them. Investors seem to have forgotten how that works.
Central Bank Smackdown
by John Mauldin of Mauldin Economics,
And so it is that on a beautiful July 4 weekend we will amuse ourselves by contemplating the serious smackdown that central bankers are visiting upon each other. If the ramifications of their antics were not so serious, they would actually be quite amusing. This weeks shorter than usual letter will explore the implications of the contretemps among the worlds central bankers and take a little dive into yesterdays generally positive employment report.
I'm Grateful to Live in America. Here's Why.
An important principle of our investment process at U.S. Global Investors is a belief that government policies are a precursor to change. As a result, we closely monitor the fiscal, monetary and other impactful governmental policies of the worlds largest countries, both in terms of economic stature and population. Were always listening for the proverbial shot heard around the world. As we approach Americas Independence Day, this belief rings especially true.
1Q GDP Plunges Nearly 3% - What Will The Fed Do Now?
Today we take a closer look at last weeks very ugly 1Q GDP report and see if we can discern why it was so much worse than anyone expected (hint: it was more than the severe winter weather). Fortunately, it continues to look like 2Q growth will come in at +3.0% or better. But even if GDP for the rest of the year comes in strong, the devastating 1Q will ensure yet another slow growth year.
Fixed Income Markets Cruise - What's Next?
For the better part of twelve months, fixed income markets have been in a rather benign state. After receiving a scare in early summer 2013 during the taper tantrum, volatility subsided, and normalcy returned to the world of fixed income. As money continues to pour into fixed income markets, there is growing concern that the investment opportunity is stretched and the time to rebalance is now.
The 2014 Mid-Year Geopolitical Update
As is our custom, we take the middle of the year to reflect on the current geopolitical situation. This report is less a series of predictions as it is a list of potential geopolitical issues that we believe will dominate the international landscape for the rest of the year. It is not designed to be exhaustive; instead, it focuses on the big picture conditions that we believe will affect policy and markets going forward. They are listed in order of importance: Americas Strategic Drift, Chinese Maritime Expansion, The German Problem, and The Remaking of the Middle East.
New Research on How to Choose Portfolio Return Assumptions
by Wade Pfau,
Care must be taken with portfolio return assumptions, as small differences compound into dramatically different financial outcomes over a lifetime. My research shows just how big those differences are and how they vary in the pre- and post-retirement phases.
The New Normal of Healthcare Spending
by John Mauldin of Mauldin Economics,
A rather interesting shockwave came across the newsfeeds this week. I was actually doing a TV interview when the host announced that GDP was down 2.9% for the first quarter. There was not much else I could do but note that that was a really bad, ugly, terrible, not very good number.
Health Care Sector Spurred by Population Growth and M&As
Recently I spoke with John Derrick, director of research here at U.S. Global, to pick his brain about what he thought was the most interesting sector right now. You might expect him to have said energy, perhaps because of the intensifying violence in Kurdistan Iraq, a major oil producer. But instead, he said that he had his eyes on health care.
F.A.S.T. Fundamentals On CSX Corp
by Team of F.A.S.T. Graphs,
CSX has performed exceptionally well over the past decade. The usual suspect metrics like P/E ratios, dividend yield and expected earnings growth indicate that the company might be a reasonable investment. This article takes a behind the scenes view of a variety of additional fundamental data.
A Brief Note on Gold as a Defensive Asset
by Ade Odunsi of AdvisorShares,
In previous notes we have written about the defensive nature of gold relative to the broad equity market. Much of the discussion has focused on the low correlation and beta of gold versus equity markets. In fact, the ten year monthly returns of gold (priced in US dollar terms) and the S&P 500 show a correlation of zero with the beta of monthly gold returns versus S&P 500 returns also being essentially zero (0.1).
Mid-Year Muni Market Update
The municipal bond market faced a rather tough year in 2013, with news of troubles in Detroit, Puerto Rico and elsewhere scaring off some investors. This year hasnt exactly been smooth sailing for the muni market either, but the waters seem a bit calmer and many investors have returned to the sector. Rafael Costas, Co-Director, Municipal Bond Department, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, could be called cautiously optimistic about the muni market. He provides an update on some key market developments, including progress in the aforementioned trouble spots.
The ISIL Threat
Recently, the insurgent group called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has made stunning inroads into Iraq. ISIL represents a new threat to the region. In this report, we offer a historical analysis of how the modern Middle East was constructed and why the construct is coming under pressure. One of the keys to understanding why ISIL is so potent is to differentiate it from al Qaeda; we will analyze the differences. We will offer the strongest reason why we believe ISIL has staying power, also noting ISILs greatest weakness and the possibility of a broader sectarian confli
Hexavest Viewpoint: Neutral on Japan
by Frederic Imbeault of Eaton Vance,
Macroeconomy: With little traction from fiscal policy and structural reforms, the pro-growth policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe known as Abenomics will continue to rely on the Bank of Japans loose monetary policy to maintain economic momentum. Valuation: Rising profits and the 2014 correction have pushed down P/E ratios on Japanese equities into more attractive territory. Investor sentiment: As contrarians and as the crowd has become less bullish on Japanese stocks, we have become more constructive about investor sentiment.
Is The Fed Underestimating Inflation?
Following a week in which investors took pause and focused on the negatives, they reversed course last week and pushed equity prices higher. A number of factors seemed to contribute to the positive tone, not the least of which was an indication from the Federal Reserve (Fed) that there will be no near term change to its accommodative monetary policy.
The Bond Trap
by Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital,
The American financial establishment has an incredible ability to celebrate the inconsequential while ignoring the vital. Last week, while the Wall Street Journal pondered how the Fed may set interest rates three to four years in the future (an exercise that David Stockman rightly compared to debating how many angels could dance on the head of a pin), the media almost completely ignored one of the most chilling pieces of financial news that I have ever seen.
A Contrarians View of Value: Pharmaceuticals
by Kevin Holt of Invesco Blog,
The pharmaceuticals industry is in the midst of a renaissance. Patent expiration concerns, pipeline disappointments and setbacks, and a highly uncertain regulatory backdrop have forced managements to rethink the way they have historically conducted business. In this environment, certain companies stand out to us as deep value opportunities businesses whose stock prices dont reflect our view of their long-term potential.
Turkey Is the Big Winner Following the Crisis in Ukraine
Russias annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and the possibility of further action taken in Ukraine and other former Soviet Bloc nations have led many investors to wonder, understandably so, what impact the crisis has had on investment opportunities in Eastern Europe. To unravel these concerns and more, U.S. Globals Director of Research John Derrick caught up with Gavin Graham of VoiceAmericas Emerging and Frontier Markets Investing program.
Attractions of a "Walled Garden"
by Vivek Tanneeru of Matthews Asia,
Developments in free trade and a nurturing of open policies with relatively few barriers have helped Asia prosper for several decades now. But a restrictive walled garden environment, with tightly regulated market access, has nurtured Chinas Internet sector and helped its firms dominate in such areas as online search, games, news, e-commerce, social networking and videos. This week Vivek Tanneeru explores a study in contrasts between the Internet sectors of China and India, the worlds two most populous nations.
Draghi Hits Savers To Salvage Faux Recovery
by John Browne of Euro Pacific Capital,
On June 5th, Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), announced a package of measures, including a policy of negative interest rates, aimed at encouraging or even forcing Eurozone banks to increase their lending to businesses.Although previously imposed by Swiss banks on their depositors, this will be the first time that a central bank has charged negative interest rates.
Results 8,651–8,700
of 10,168 found.
