Get Markets Right

It will take another 10 years before I can use that head line again. It sounds very impressive but it just concerns the last days of this year.

The market activity will, as usual, be lower after the weekend until New Year but during the last days of this decade we have the chance to enjoy a few important numbers.

Here is what I am looking for the coming days:
From Japan, before 28th Dec the Dec business
conditions for small businesses is released. It’s almost a preliminary number, that alone makes it interesting though the survey itself is also worth to notice. Last month it was 43,0. Please note that the big business worsened in the period October to…

I am looking forward to an exciting day today with loads of numbers and then the FOMC meeting as a fine finish.

Just to mention the positive Japanese stocks this morning. The banking sector went up as it seems likely that the tougher capital rules will be delayed. The Japanese banks will probably get 10 years to adopt the new rules. Short term, it of course helps the profitability in the banking sector and give some relief (also the reason for the delay I assume). One of the reasons to tighten the rules was to protect the investor, but to give a 10 years deadline is equal to cancel them. Within the next 10 we will have had another crisis…

I think the quarterly Bank of England report released Wednesday 11^th give some good hints to the market. Particularly when we bear in mind that Bank of England has been very negative. The Bank forecast growth rates of 2.1 per cent for 2010 and 4 per cent for 2011. This is suddenly much higher than the outlook of private sector economists and the Treasury’s forecast.

Bank of England still tells us not to be too excited with the wording from the governor Mr. King “Small movements in quarterly growth rates will not alter the extent of the challenges now facing the economy, such is the scale of the fall in output over the past 18 months,” he said. “We have…

Hot Topic – DPJ wins – Deep Pain Jammed LDP

The victory for The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) and their party leader Mr. Yukio Hatoyama is not a surprise. Though, after almost 50 years LDP government leadership of the second largest economy in the world, I certainly think the political change in Japan is a Hot Topic. This is a short view on what we can expect of political changes and what to watch out for as an investor and in corporate treasuries.

DPJ will surely try to outlive two headlines from their election campaign. One is to change the export dependent economy into a domestic demand economy. Second is to loosen the tight bands between the government and the large…

China – Oops! Minus 20% – time to get nervous ? Not yet

To be honest, the China piece required the deepest thinking, so you get some extra. When a stock market drops 20% within 2½ weeks, and furthermore in an economy that lives on a public boost and excess liquidity the thinking needs to be accurate. The drop was over a period long enough to be traded, and not just a couple of days with panic. This makes the set-back more remarkable.

The boost and the bubble

The equity market got a boost from the very famous anti recession package. It’s ok that this supported the stock market, but the bubble like rise since March is caused by the sharp lending increase…

Global equities – The bulls are still in the lead – but for how long ?

The uptrend in global equity markets is still intact and some factors will be supportive in September. The very important gold digger mood among private investors, who believe in the V-shape recovery means a lot for the uptrend. This combined with plenty of funds to invest and professional money managers being behind going long stocks all in all creates a natural demand.

I am also behind the curve, as the frequent reader knows, I didn’t believe in the V-shape recovery, and still don’t. The consequence is, that I am forced to recommend to enter the market when it goes up despite I am uncomfortable with the…

Nikkei 225 (10.0889) Dax (5.250) FTSE 100 (4.571) Dow Jones (9.104) S&P 500 (980)

After hitting a bottom at 82,2 in March the German IFO index has gone steadily up since to reach 87,3 at the latest reading in July. Are the people at the German companies cheered by the investor optimism or are things simply improving ? Honestly, I also feel at bit more comfortable and would rate the world less bad than for six months ago. The people I speak with at different companies have the same feeling, but in Germany are companies also getting a few more orders than in March / April. As mentioned in the China article, some selected Japanese and German companies will benefit…

Nikkei 225 (9.648) Dax (4.644) FTSE 100 (3.989) Dow Jones (8.325) S&P 500 (898)

I agree with the upbeat market participants, that unemployment is the last number to peak, and also are different expectation indices showing clear improvements. But does it justify the V shape recovery that is priced in the equity market right now? I apologise, it would be most pleasant to say buy! Reality is as usual tougher.

Demand, unemployment and production capacity

Let’s start with the good one first. Demand is there, but it has changed. No secret that in the so-called rich countries demand has changed from “nice to have” to “need to have”. This has created the consumption drop together with a consumption stop due to…

Nikkei 225 (9.290) Topix (880) Dax (4.957) FTSE 100 (4.483) Dow Jones (8.504) S&P 500 (910) Nasdaq Comp (1.733)

No doubt that I am very sceptical about the current rebound in the global equity market, or at least the speed of it, but right now we play the “all happy” game. I continue to believe in the W shape recovery, where the global markets currently are in the first V. I acknowledge that the low of the second V won’t reach the lows we had in the markets earlier this year (or last autumn in the BRIC countries).

I also agree that the world didn’t end in a black hole. We might have seen the worst in Far East, seeing some…

Below you will find my weekly view on the very challenging financial markets.

Read more about all the interesting happenings in the financial markets in the 4 entries here below. I hope you find it interesting to read my private view about the consequences for the stock markets, currencies, China and what to expect from the central banks.

I apologise for not having updated with comments the last 3 weeks but I had 1½ weeks holiday on 2 very nice hotel. Very unfortunate did the wifi not work. Then Easter arrivved……

The 4 entries from today are:

Currency markets – Back in the risk aversion / appetite game again

Equities – A new recovery shape has been invented – the W shape recovery.

China…