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Insights With Topics: Inflation


2024 Market Outlook - Part 1: Through the sentiment extremes, cycle change and secular trends
Global markets have hit extremes in sentiment – extreme exuberance towards the US and Japan and extreme pessimism about China. That sentiment has in part been driven by straight line projections of the cycle – the expectation that the US will continue its current path towards “Goldilocks” and Japan can sustain its currency depreciation-led earnings growth. The risks are that the cycle in the US transitions not to “Goldilocks” but to recession, and Japan’s Yen depreciation/reflation cycle cannot be sustained without dangerous inflation and ultimately government debt consequences. For China, the extreme in pessimism is predicated on the assumption that China cannot escape its cyclical weakness of the last 12 months, notwithstanding its ample policy “ammunition”.
Dec 18, 2023
Global markets have hit extremes in sentiment – extreme exuberance towards the US and Japan and extreme pessimism about China. That sentiment has in part been driven by straight line projections of the cycle – the expectation that the US will continue its current path towards “Goldilocks” and Japan can sustain its currency depreciation-led earnings growth. The risks are that the cycle in the US transitions not to “Goldilocks” but to recession, and Japan’s Yen depreciation/reflation cycle cannot be sustained without dangerous inflation and ultimately government debt consequences. For China, the extreme in pessimism is predicated on the assumption that China cannot escape its cyclical weakness of the last 12 months, notwithstanding its ample policy “ammunition”.
Dec 18, 2023

Nightmare on Wall Street: Why the US Bond and Stock Selloff Is Likely to Get Worse
From “Goldilocks” to “Nightmare on Wall Street” – the convergence of structural and cyclical forces looks set to inflict a lot more damage on US assets. For some time now, we had been warning about the upside risks to US Treasury yields. That slow, upward creep in US Treasury yields recently turned into a rampage, with nasty implications for both US bonds and equities. Meanwhile structural factors are further feeding the rise in UST yields – more supply, less demand. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses about the great refinancing pressure of US government debt looming, how a lot of stuff could “break” if funding costs keep going up – including US banks – and how things may play out if the structural factors are dominant, a cyclical economic downturn may not necessarily bring down funding costs.
Oct 19, 2023
From “Goldilocks” to “Nightmare on Wall Street” – the convergence of structural and cyclical forces looks set to inflict a lot more damage on US assets. For some time now, we had been warning about the upside risks to US Treasury yields. That slow, upward creep in US Treasury yields recently turned into a rampage, with nasty implications for both US bonds and equities. Meanwhile structural factors are further feeding the rise in UST yields – more supply, less demand. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses about the great refinancing pressure of US government debt looming, how a lot of stuff could “break” if funding costs keep going up – including US banks – and how things may play out if the structural factors are dominant, a cyclical economic downturn may not necessarily bring down funding costs.
Oct 19, 2023

Don’t sweat the potential issuance of an additional RMB 1 trillion Chinese government bonds
Bloomberg reported that Chinese policymakers, led by the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, are planning to launch a new round of stimulus, involving a potential issuance of at least RMB 1 trillion of additional China government bonds and an upward revision of fiscal budget deficit. Some investors may be worried about its negative impact on the bond market with the potential jump in supply. In this article, our Partner & Co-CIO David Lai discusses why we agree with most analysts that it would not create any lasting impact even if the plan materializes. In fact, China remains disciplined in fiscal policy whilst the overall monetary stance stays accommodative. China government bonds have outperformed almost all other sovereign bonds this year due to the rate cuts and low inflation expectations. The long end of China yield curve in particular benefited the most year-to-date, with the yields on 10-year, 30-year, and 50-year having fallen 13.8bps, 18.0bps, and 20.2bps respectively already.
Oct 19, 2023
Bloomberg reported that Chinese policymakers, led by the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, are planning to launch a new round of stimulus, involving a potential issuance of at least RMB 1 trillion of additional China government bonds and an upward revision of fiscal budget deficit. Some investors may be worried about its negative impact on the bond market with the potential jump in supply. In this article, our Partner & Co-CIO David Lai discusses why we agree with most analysts that it would not create any lasting impact even if the plan materializes. In fact, China remains disciplined in fiscal policy whilst the overall monetary stance stays accommodative. China government bonds have outperformed almost all other sovereign bonds this year due to the rate cuts and low inflation expectations. The long end of China yield curve in particular benefited the most year-to-date, with the yields on 10-year, 30-year, and 50-year having fallen 13.8bps, 18.0bps, and 20.2bps respectively already.
Oct 19, 2023

US debt, deficits, and yields: Outlook
The US Treasury’s recent – and ongoing – dash for cash highlights the economy’s enormous fiscal challenges. To quote Bloomberg: “The barrage of fresh Treasury bills poised to hit the market over the next few months is merely a prelude of what’s yet to come: a wave of longer-term debt sales that’s seen driving bond yields even higher. Sales of government notes and bonds are set to begin rising in August, with net new issuance estimated to top USD 1 trillion in 2023 and nearly double next year to fund a widening deficit.” On top of that, according to calculations by asset manager Horizon Kinetics and as quoted by gold fund manager Incrementum, the US will have to refinance around half of its national debt of more than USD 35 trillion by 2025. That’s a lot of debt maturities to digest in two years. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim cautions that even if Fed rates stabilise, the longer-term outlook for US Treasury yields would likely remain risky as persistent deficits drive up debt relative to GDP, in turn driving interest payments as a percentage of GDP up “vertically”. Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office is warning of the “risk of a fiscal crisis”.
Jul 24, 2023
The US Treasury’s recent – and ongoing – dash for cash highlights the economy’s enormous fiscal challenges. To quote Bloomberg: “The barrage of fresh Treasury bills poised to hit the market over the next few months is merely a prelude of what’s yet to come: a wave of longer-term debt sales that’s seen driving bond yields even higher. Sales of government notes and bonds are set to begin rising in August, with net new issuance estimated to top USD 1 trillion in 2023 and nearly double next year to fund a widening deficit.” On top of that, according to calculations by asset manager Horizon Kinetics and as quoted by gold fund manager Incrementum, the US will have to refinance around half of its national debt of more than USD 35 trillion by 2025. That’s a lot of debt maturities to digest in two years. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim cautions that even if Fed rates stabilise, the longer-term outlook for US Treasury yields would likely remain risky as persistent deficits drive up debt relative to GDP, in turn driving interest payments as a percentage of GDP up “vertically”. Indeed, the Congressional Budget Office is warning of the “risk of a fiscal crisis”.
Jul 24, 2023

US equities – the postman has rung twice
Some traders borrow the expression “the postman always rings twice” from the title of that 1981 movie. It is to make the point that markets often give investors a few opportunities to get in or get out. We believe the first time the “postman” rang already for a downtrend when the S&P 500 hit an intra-day high of 4195 in early February but it failed to sustain above the 50.0% Fibonacci retracement of the decline from January 2022 to October 2022. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses the valuations and earning forecasts for US markets, and the “postman” may just have rung a second time when the S&P 500 was once again testing its 78.6% Fibonacci retracement resistance.
Apr 13, 2023
Some traders borrow the expression “the postman always rings twice” from the title of that 1981 movie. It is to make the point that markets often give investors a few opportunities to get in or get out. We believe the first time the “postman” rang already for a downtrend when the S&P 500 hit an intra-day high of 4195 in early February but it failed to sustain above the 50.0% Fibonacci retracement of the decline from January 2022 to October 2022. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses the valuations and earning forecasts for US markets, and the “postman” may just have rung a second time when the S&P 500 was once again testing its 78.6% Fibonacci retracement resistance.
Apr 13, 2023

Reflections on the US cycle – inflation, rates, and asset markets
Banking failures in the US, the recent epic takeover of Credit Suisse and the wipe out of its AT1, speak volumes about the stage of the cycle in Developed Markets. In particular, they warn against underestimating the risks at this stage of the asset and economic cycles. The Fed now risks a return to 1970-1985 if it loses its nerve on rates, and it is going into battle with very little – rates are lower than at previous cyclical bottoms and inflation is higher. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim shares his reflections on the US cycle, inflations, rates and asset markets, and while US asset market outlook is worrying, why China is increasingly becoming a safe haven trade for investors.
Mar 20, 2023
Banking failures in the US, the recent epic takeover of Credit Suisse and the wipe out of its AT1, speak volumes about the stage of the cycle in Developed Markets. In particular, they warn against underestimating the risks at this stage of the asset and economic cycles. The Fed now risks a return to 1970-1985 if it loses its nerve on rates, and it is going into battle with very little – rates are lower than at previous cyclical bottoms and inflation is higher. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim shares his reflections on the US cycle, inflations, rates and asset markets, and while US asset market outlook is worrying, why China is increasingly becoming a safe haven trade for investors.
Mar 20, 2023

10 most frequently asked questions for China investors and allocators
China markets witnessed strong rally since Oct 2022 trough upon China reopening and covid policy pivot, and we start to see investor flows rotating from offshore to A-shares which are expected to outperform with a longer run for rally. Where are we in China’s reopening trajectory? Who are the policy supported sector leaders well placed to outperform? These are the common questions frequently asked by our clients. In this article, we discuss the 10 most frequently asked questions that came up in our recent conversations with investors and allocators, and share more color about pockets of opportunities as China reopening evolves into the second act for economic growth recovery.
Mar 17, 2023
China markets witnessed strong rally since Oct 2022 trough upon China reopening and covid policy pivot, and we start to see investor flows rotating from offshore to A-shares which are expected to outperform with a longer run for rally. Where are we in China’s reopening trajectory? Who are the policy supported sector leaders well placed to outperform? These are the common questions frequently asked by our clients. In this article, we discuss the 10 most frequently asked questions that came up in our recent conversations with investors and allocators, and share more color about pockets of opportunities as China reopening evolves into the second act for economic growth recovery.
Mar 17, 2023

End of Negative Yielding Bonds – What Lies Beyond
Big, long-term trends could drive Developed Market bond yields much higher than the cyclical peaks that the market is currently pricing in. There are cycles and there are secular trends. If the super cycle of rates and yields has turned – off deep negative inflation-adjusted levels – then the lesser cycles could mean- revert a lot higher around long-term uptrends. And we are at this juncture at the moment, as the negative yielding bonds have literally disappeared - the global stock of negative yielding bonds had gone from a peak of US$18.4 trillion late in 2020 to zero recently. What are the true implications behind this abrupt turn of tides? In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses the big drivers for potentially much higher rates and yields for this year, and areas we are spending a lot more time monitoring, as the longer-term outlook could be far worse than just a mean reversion in nominal rates and yields as we may also be in the midst of a secular mean reversion in real government bond yields and corporate credit yields.
Jan 17, 2023
Big, long-term trends could drive Developed Market bond yields much higher than the cyclical peaks that the market is currently pricing in. There are cycles and there are secular trends. If the super cycle of rates and yields has turned – off deep negative inflation-adjusted levels – then the lesser cycles could mean- revert a lot higher around long-term uptrends. And we are at this juncture at the moment, as the negative yielding bonds have literally disappeared - the global stock of negative yielding bonds had gone from a peak of US$18.4 trillion late in 2020 to zero recently. What are the true implications behind this abrupt turn of tides? In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim discusses the big drivers for potentially much higher rates and yields for this year, and areas we are spending a lot more time monitoring, as the longer-term outlook could be far worse than just a mean reversion in nominal rates and yields as we may also be in the midst of a secular mean reversion in real government bond yields and corporate credit yields.
Jan 17, 2023

2023 Market Outlook – Part 3: ASEAN on the tailwinds of China’s reopening recovery
2023 will likely present investors with a stark economic divergence – between a West in recession and an East where growth will be boosted by recovery in China. ASEAN-5, which already enjoyed its own reopening rebound in 2022, will likely ride the tailwinds of China’s turn at a reopening recovery in the coming year. In this article, we would discuss how ASEAN-5 will likely continue to be in a sweet spot in 2023, offering some of the highest economic growth rates with relatively moderate inflation.
Dec 12, 2022
2023 will likely present investors with a stark economic divergence – between a West in recession and an East where growth will be boosted by recovery in China. ASEAN-5, which already enjoyed its own reopening rebound in 2022, will likely ride the tailwinds of China’s turn at a reopening recovery in the coming year. In this article, we would discuss how ASEAN-5 will likely continue to be in a sweet spot in 2023, offering some of the highest economic growth rates with relatively moderate inflation.
Dec 12, 2022

2023 Market Outlook - Part 1: Positioning to Benefit from Rebalancing
In a discordant world, there are no overarching investment themes. The different parts of the world are marching to different drums – their economies and markets are driven by different cycles, different prior policy choices and factors beyond their control. The US economy and market are paying back for the extreme policy stimulus of 2020-2021. Europeans are paying back for the same, with the added pain of a war outside their control. Japan is battling a chronic ailment – extreme debt – made acute by sharply higher cost of US funds. China is at the bottom of its policy cycle, at the beginning of a path out of COVID health controls.
Dec 5, 2022
In a discordant world, there are no overarching investment themes. The different parts of the world are marching to different drums – their economies and markets are driven by different cycles, different prior policy choices and factors beyond their control. The US economy and market are paying back for the extreme policy stimulus of 2020-2021. Europeans are paying back for the same, with the added pain of a war outside their control. Japan is battling a chronic ailment – extreme debt – made acute by sharply higher cost of US funds. China is at the bottom of its policy cycle, at the beginning of a path out of COVID health controls.
Dec 5, 2022

US rates and the coming recession - the little reported bombshell in Jerome Powell’s Senate testimony
The American dilemma – recession by policy tightening or stagflation by policy avoidance. US GDP growth is running so low now that a recession is a very high probability event within 12 months as rates rise further. The drivers of that coming recession will be both inflation and higher rates: There can be many different variations of the balance between the pace of rate hikes and the pace of inflation. As US economic growth slows further in coming months, the US Federal Reserve will be tormented over the awful choice between the longer-term impact of inflation and the more immediate risk of recession. Yet in the end, if rate hikes do not crush US economic growth, inflation will eventually do the same, albeit with a greater lag. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim explains why bounces in US equities are likely to be “get out of jail” cards, with lower lows and lower highs the most likely outcome.
Jun 29, 2022
The American dilemma – recession by policy tightening or stagflation by policy avoidance. US GDP growth is running so low now that a recession is a very high probability event within 12 months as rates rise further. The drivers of that coming recession will be both inflation and higher rates: There can be many different variations of the balance between the pace of rate hikes and the pace of inflation. As US economic growth slows further in coming months, the US Federal Reserve will be tormented over the awful choice between the longer-term impact of inflation and the more immediate risk of recession. Yet in the end, if rate hikes do not crush US economic growth, inflation will eventually do the same, albeit with a greater lag. In this article, our Senior Advisor Say Boon Lim explains why bounces in US equities are likely to be “get out of jail” cards, with lower lows and lower highs the most likely outcome.
Jun 29, 2022

US inflation expectations: Implications for global markets
The US Federal Reserve pumps out an endless stream of zero interest rate money to finance the Government’s deficit spending. The handouts make most American workers better off financially during the pandemic than before. Meanwhile, the stock market soars. Not bad for the worst pandemic in 100 years. What can possibly go wrong?
Jan 20, 2021
The US Federal Reserve pumps out an endless stream of zero interest rate money to finance the Government’s deficit spending. The handouts make most American workers better off financially during the pandemic than before. Meanwhile, the stock market soars. Not bad for the worst pandemic in 100 years. What can possibly go wrong?
Jan 20, 2021

Pressing on from the unprecedented 2020: Outlook 2021 (Part 2 – Global)
Global equities look likely to push higher in 2021, despite the pandemic’s economic and human toll.
Dec 23, 2020
Global equities look likely to push higher in 2021, despite the pandemic’s economic and human toll.
Dec 23, 2020

US Fiscal Explosion and Yield Curve Steepening
Yield curve steepening – which has been accelerating in recent weeks as the market contemplates a whopper of a stimulus package under a possible Biden White House – is likely to continue regardless of the winner on November 3.
Oct 14, 2020
Yield curve steepening – which has been accelerating in recent weeks as the market contemplates a whopper of a stimulus package under a possible Biden White House – is likely to continue regardless of the winner on November 3.
Oct 14, 2020