Category: China & HK

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Best time to short commodities since 2012

From Vesna Poljak:

….China’s stimulus is finite and demand for raw materials will collapse without it.

Australian Atul Lele, the Bahamas-based chief investment officer of private wealth manager Deltec, says all monetary and fiscal stimulus has a natural conclusion – “it just ends” – and traditional indicators of commodity prices such as global growth and liquidity conditions have been outrun by prices already.

“Right now, commodity prices are consistent with 8 per cent global industrial production. If we saw that, ex of the financial crisis recovery, it would be the strongest rate of global industrial production growth since 1981, at least. Now I’m bullish global growth and more bullish than most people, but it’s not going to happen and even if it does happen, all you’ve done is justify current commodity prices. So why would you buy a resource stock now?”

China continues to inject stimulus to revive its economy but that is making its financial system increasingly unstable. Credit growth in excess of 30% of annual GDP warns of a banking crisis according to the BIS. And shrinking foreign reserves flag that the currency is under pressure.

China faces the impossible trinity. According to David Llewellyn-Smith at Macrobusiness, a country pegged to the Dollar can only achieve two out of the following three:

  • a stable exchange rate
  • independent monetary policy
  • free and open international capital flows

At present all three are under pressure.

Source: Best time to short commodities since 2012 says Deltec’s Atul Lele

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China’s Day of Reckoning | The Market Oracle

From Michael Pento:

Therein lies China’s dilemma: Allow the yuan to intractably fall, which will increase capital flight and destroy its asset-bubble economy. Or, raise interest rates to stabilize the currency and risk collapsing asset bubbles that will crumble under the weight of rising debt carrying costs.

China embodies a Keynesian dystopia that results from central planning gone mad. It’s mirage of prosperity should soon be coming to an unpleasant end. The misguided belief any government can print unlimited amounts of money and issue a massive amount of new credit; while providing the conditions that are the antitheses necessary for viable growth, has one significant Achilles heel: eventually, it will destroy your currency. Currency is always the pressure valve that explodes in an economy that has reached the apogee of dysfunction. The Red nation isn’t the only offender on this front, but is certainly one of the worst. Therefore, China and the yuan may have finally run out of time.

Source: Chinese Yuan’s Day of Reckoning :: The Market Oracle ::

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Will China’s Financial Bust Ever Come?

From Paul Panckhurst and Adrian Leung at Bloomberg:

China’s reading is the nation’s highest on record in the gauge released by the Bank for International Settlements. It’s the single most reliable indicator of looming financial crises, according to the BIS, which found in a 2011 analysis of 36 countries that a majority of banking crises followed readings higher than 10 percent.

The credit-to-gross domestic product “gap” focuses on the amount of credit provided to households and businesses as a share of gross domestic product. It shows when the ratio of credit to GDP is blowing out – suggesting a credit boom and the risk of trouble brewing.

It isn’t advisable to place total reliance on a single indicator, but the rate of credit growth in China is alarming — and unsustainable in the long-term.

Source: Will China’s Financial Bust Ever Come?

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Asia: Japan surges while China ebbs

Japan is surging ahead, with the Nikkei 225 index headed for a test of 20000* after its breakout above 17500 four weeks ago.

Nikkei 225 Index

* Target medium-term: 17500 + ( 17500 – 15000 ) = 20000

India’s Sensex found support at 26000, but narrow consolidation and declining Twiggs Money Flow both warn of selling pressure. Breach of 26000 would indicate another decline, with a target of 23000*.

Sensex Index

* Target medium-term: 26000 – ( 29000 – 26000 ) = 23000

Shanghai Composite Index is undergoing another correction. Respect of support at 3100 would indicate a healthy up-trend, while breach of 3000 would warn of a reversal. Declining Twiggs Money Flow indicates medium-term selling pressure.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target medium-term: 3100 + ( 3100 – 2800 ) = 3400

Sharply falling Money Flow warns of strong selling pressure on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index. Breach of support at 22000 would signal a primary down-trend with an initial decline to 20000.

Hang Seng Index

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China hits turbulence

Shanghai Composite Index is retracing from its recent high at 3300. A test of support at 3100 is likely. Rising Twiggs Money Flow indicates long-term buying pressure but this may be distorted by state intervention in the stock market earlier this year.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target medium-term: 3100 + ( 3100 – 2800 ) = 3400

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index found support at 22000 but falling Money Flow warns of strong selling pressure. Breach of 22000 would signal a primary down-trend with an initial target of 20000.

Hang Seng Index

The best summary I have seen of China’s dilemma is from David Llewellyn-Smith at Macrobusiness:

…China’s choices are limited here by the “impossible trinity”, that a country [pegged to the Dollar] can only choose two out of the following three:

  • control of a fixed and stable exchange rate
  • independent monetary policy
  • free and open international capital flows

China has been trying to run this gauntlet by sustaining an overly high growth rate via loose monetary policy and recently liberalised capital markets plus exchange rate. But it can’t have stability in all three and so is in full reverse on the last two to prevent a currency rout and/or monetary tightening.

Rising interest rates in the US are likely to bedevil China’s monetary policy. A falling Yuan would encourage capital flight. Capital flight would damage the Yuan, encouraging further outflows. Support of the Yuan would deplete foreign reserves and cause monetary tightening. Loose monetary policy would encourage speculative bubbles which could damage the banking system. A falling Yuan and loose monetary policy would fuel inflation. Inflation would further weaken the Yuan and encourage capital flight. Restriction of capital outflows would end capital inflows.

I am sure that there are some very smart people working on the problem. But they are probably the same smart people who created the problem in the first place.

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Trump the biggest positive and negative risk for growth, survey finds

From Zac Crellin:

The policies of a Trump administration are both the biggest downside and upside risks to the global economy, an international survey of companies by Oxford Economics has found.

While 38 per cent of respondent companies were hopeful for US growth to surge thanks to President-elect Donald Trump’s fiscal stimulus program, 27 per cent feared Mr Trump would instigate a trade war between the US and China….

Source: Trump the biggest positive and negative risk for growth, survey finds

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Japan & China rally

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index broke resistance at 17500 while rising Money Flow indicates buying pressure. Target for the rally is the November 2015 high of 20000*.

Nikkei 225 Index

* Target medium-term: 17500 + ( 17500 – 15000 ) = 20000

Shanghai Composite Index followed through after a brief consolidation at 3200, offering a target of 3400*. Expect retracement to test the new support level at 3100 but rising Money Flow suggests respect is likely.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target medium-term: 3100 + ( 3100 – 2800 ) = 3400

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Shanghai rally runs out of steam

Shanghai Composite Index ran into resistance at 3200 after its recent breakout. Expect retracement to test the new support level at 3100. Respect would confirm the target of 3400* for the advance.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target medium-term: 3100 + ( 3100 – 2800 ) = 3400

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Platinum’s Kerr Neilson slams ‘naive’ Western-centric view of the world

[Kerr Neilson, the founder of $23 billion Platinum Asset Management] said China “absolutely smashes America” when measured by physical goods, producing more motor cars, eight times more steel and 10 times more cement.

“We’re just comatose. We have no idea, particularly in the West, what’s really changing. So we have all this debate, that’s the politicians’ hard sell. You can no longer make these silly promises and say ‘we’ve got to be more equitable’,” he said.

“Sure, it’s a great idea, but in fact the place we’re competing against, these other teams … they play a very hard game. It’s no good complaining about the referee.”

Source: Platinum’s Kerr Neilson slams ‘naive’ Western-centric view of the world

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China: Shanghai breakout

Shanghai Composite Index broke through resistance at 3100, signaling a primary up-trend. Rising Twiggs Money Flow confirms strong buying pressure. Target for the advance is 3400*.

Shanghai Composite Index

* Target medium-term: 3100 + ( 3100 – 2800 ) = 3400

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