FX Strategist

Greg Gibbs

Fundamental analysis of topical themes in FX

Amplifying Global FX Capital

Amplifying Global FX Capital was founded in 2015 and is fully owned by Greg Gibbs. It is a registered company both in Australia and Colorado, USA and is a licensed in Australia to provide financial services.

We are producing a regular trading view orientated macroeconomic analysis of topical themes in global financial markets, with a particular focus on foreign exchange. We invite you to view an “executive summary” of these reports in “AmpGFX Reports” under our “Research” menu.

These reports are drawn from the analysis of Greg Gibbs and inform the capital management he undertakes on behalf of the company. The trading performance is posted periodically on our website. We aim to build our company into both a research and capital management business. We are currently in the planning phase for managing capital for wholesale customers.

Greg Gibbs has spent his working life of more than 26 years in financial markets, beginning in 1989 at the Reserve Bank of Australia, after completing a Bachelor of Economics Degree (Honours) at the Australian National University. He has been a CFA Charterholder since 2005. He has worked in Sydney, Singapore, New York and London for major global banks and presented on foreign exchange markets to major financial institutions and companies around the world, and maintained a high profile in the financial media.

Before Amplifying Global FX Capital, Greg was the Head of Asia Pacific Market Strategy at the Royal Bank of Scotland based Singapore. He now resides in Breckenridge Colorado.

Macroeconomics

Domestic Australian factors are being overshadowed by global developments.  These global drivers account for both its rapid rebound over the last month and its significant correction in recent days.  Throughout this move we have been skeptical that the AUD can sustain its rally with significant local political and economic uncertainty.  These risks remain and continue to make it difficult to hold long AUD positions.  On the other hand, political and economic uncertainty in many alternative currencies are equally troubling. In Australia, economic momentum picked up in 2015, but has been more mixed in 2016.  The housing market is starting to ebb from strong levels, political risks remain elevated, bank equity performance has been weak, potentially a drag on confidence.  However, Global drivers remain in control, and while uncertainty is elevated in Australia, it is not clear that it will be sufficient to throw the Australian economy off course.  The RBA Statement continued to express a steady policy outlook albeit with an easing bias.

Domestic Australian factors are being overshadowed by global developments.  These global drivers account for both its rapid rebound over the last month and its significant correction in recent days.  Throughout this move we have been skeptical that the AUD can sustain its rally with significant local political and economic uncertainty.  These risks remain and continue to make it difficult to hold long AUD positions.  On the other hand, political and economic uncertainty in many alternative currencies are equally troubling. In Australia, economic momentum picked up in 2015, but has been more mixed in 2016.  The housing market is starting to ebb from strong levels, political risks remain elevated, bank equity performance has been weak, potentially a drag on confidence.  However, Global drivers remain in control, and while uncertainty is elevated in Australia, it is not clear that it will be sufficient to throw the Australian economy off course.  The RBA Statement continued to express a steady policy outlook albeit with an easing bias.

AmpGFX - AUD in No Man's Land, Political and Economic Risks Remain Elevated

Founder Evidente. Top rated quantitative analyst, Evidente

Sam Ferraro

Founder Evidente. Top rated quantitative analyst

Evidente

Evidente is an independent financial education firm that delivers innovative financial advice to wholesale investors, including active long only funds, hedge funds, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds, in Australia and globally.  Drawing on academic research in asset pricing, behavioural finance and portfolio construction, Evidente provides wholesale investors with commercial solutions to stock selection and asset allocation decisions across equities and other asset classes.

Equity Bottom-Up

iShares MSCI Australia / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>In May, I published a report citing recent journal literature that sought to decompose Buffett&rsquo;s Alpha.&nbsp; The authors attribute Warren Buffett&rsquo;s long track record of strong returns not to luck but to reward for leveraged exposure to safe or low beta, quality stocks that are cheap.&nbsp; I applied these principles to the ASX200 stocks and constructed long and short portfolios of around ten stocks each.</li><li>Given the passage of over six months since the initial&nbsp;report was published, this note is designed to report on the performance of the two portfolios as well as expand and update Mr Buffett&rsquo;s investment methodology as applied to the ASX200 stocks.&nbsp;&nbsp;The strategy has been impressive,&nbsp;with the long portfolio yielding an equal weighted return of around 3%, well above the ASX200 (-10%) and short portfolio (-20%).&nbsp; Thus the strategy has produced a long-short return of +23%.</li><li>Evidente has made a number of enhancements to the methodology, including the addition of a market sentiment measure to assist with market timing.&nbsp; The updated&nbsp;long portfolio represents a diverse mix of sectors while energy stocks&nbsp;are still&nbsp;dominate&nbsp;the short portfolio.&nbsp; Thus the key macro risk for the shorts&nbsp;is&nbsp;the prospect of renewed strength in&nbsp;global oil prices in 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>

In May, I published a report citing recent journal literature that sought to decompose Buffett&rsquo;s Alpha.&nbsp; The authors attribute Warren Buffett&rsquo;s long track record of strong returns not to luck but to reward for leveraged exposure to safe or low beta, quality stocks that are cheap.&nbsp; I applied these principles to the ASX200 stocks and constructed long and short portfolios of around ten stocks each.Given the passage of over six months since the initial&nbsp;report was published, this note is designed to report on the performance of the two portfolios as well as expand and update Mr Buffett&rsquo;s investment methodology as applied to the ASX200 stocks.&nbsp;&nbsp;The strategy has been impressive,&nbsp;with the long portfolio yielding an equal weighted return of around 3%, well above the ASX200 (-10%) and short portfolio (-20%).&nbsp; Thus the strategy has produced a long-short return of +23%.Evidente has made a number of enhancements to the methodology, including the addition of a market sentiment measure to assist with market timing.&nbsp; The updated&nbsp;long portfolio represents a diverse mix of sectors while energy stocks&nbsp;are still&nbsp;dominate&nbsp;the short portfolio.&nbsp; Thus the key macro risk for the shorts&nbsp;is&nbsp;the prospect of renewed strength in&nbsp;global oil prices in 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lifting The Lid On Warren Buffett's Investment Secrets (Update)

<div>In a speech today, Christopher Kent, Assistant Governor, flagged that the RBA expects the speed of China's economic development to ease further, and for the composition of growth to evolve, reflecting four key developments.</div><ul>
<li>Slower growth of the working age population (which is largely baked in).</li>
<li>Urbanisation to continue albeit at a more gradual pace.</li>
<li>The still large productivity gap between China and advanced economies to narrow further, the speed of which is subject to the implementation of…</li>
</ul>

In a speech today, Christopher Kent, Assistant Governor, flagged that the RBA expects the speed of China's economic development to ease further, and for the composition of growth to evolve, reflecting four key developments.
Slower growth of the working age population (which is largely baked in).
Urbanisation to continue albeit at a more gradual pace.
The still large productivity gap between China and advanced economies to narrow further, the speed of which is subject to the implementation of…


Leading Independent Investment Research, Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar

Leading Independent Investment Research

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. We offer an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. 

Morningstar provides data on more than 500,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 16 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $180 billion in assets under advisement or management as of June 30, 2015. We have operations in 27 countries.

Download the Morningstar Fact Sheet : http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/documents/MarketingFactSheets/AboutMorningstarFactsheet.pdf

iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>The Best Ideas list is a compilation of stock ideas sourced from Morningstar&rsquo;s global equity research team.</li><li>With more than 100 analysts covering nearly 1,500 companies, we&rsquo;re able to provide a wide variety of what we believe are attractively priced securities looking across sectors, industries, and geographies.</li><li>Best Ideas are nominated by analysts and approved by managers in addition to the normal due diligence processes that precede our published research and ratings.</li><li>Pan Asian names are particularly focussed this month on the Gaming, Materials, Financials and Consumer Discretionary sectors.&nbsp;</li><li>Analysts: Michael Holt, CFA; Alex Morozov, CFA; Elizabeth Collins, CFA; Lorraine Tan CFA.</li><li>Full report below the fold. In addition subscribers will find in-depth notes and commentary published on several of these names easily available on the platform.</li></ul>

The Best Ideas list is a compilation of stock ideas sourced from Morningstar&rsquo;s global equity research team.With more than 100 analysts covering nearly 1,500 companies, we&rsquo;re able to provide a wide variety of what we believe are attractively priced securities looking across sectors, industries, and geographies.Best Ideas are nominated by analysts and approved by managers in addition to the normal due diligence processes that precede our published research and ratings.Pan Asian names are particularly focussed this month on the Gaming, Materials, Financials and Consumer Discretionary sectors.&nbsp;Analysts: Michael Holt, CFA; Alex Morozov, CFA; Elizabeth Collins, CFA; Lorraine Tan CFA.Full report below the fold. In addition subscribers will find in-depth notes and commentary published on several of these names easily available on the platform.

Event-Driven

<ul><li>Alcoa, AWC's 60% partner in the Alcoa Worldwide Alumina and Chemicals joint venture, or AWAC, will split into two companies.</li><li>One will focus on the downstream value-added aluminium applications and the other, Upstream Co., will house the bauxite mining, alumina refining and aluminium smelting assets.</li><li>An agreement between AWC and Alcoa means any bauxite or alumina assets owned by either party must be vended into the AWAC joint venture.</li><li>This makes Alcoa, and by extension Upstream Co., the logical acquirer of AWC.</li></ul>Analysts: Mark Taylor &amp; Mathew HodgeFull report below the fold...&nbsp;

Alcoa, AWC's 60% partner in the Alcoa Worldwide Alumina and Chemicals joint venture, or AWAC, will split into two companies.One will focus on the downstream value-added aluminium applications and the other, Upstream Co., will house the bauxite mining, alumina refining and aluminium smelting assets.An agreement between AWC and Alcoa means any bauxite or alumina assets owned by either party must be vended into the AWAC joint venture.This makes Alcoa, and by extension Upstream Co., the logical acquirer of AWC.Analysts: Mark Taylor &amp; Mathew HodgeFull report below the fold...&nbsp;

Alcoa Upstream Split Opens Potential for Consolidation

Australia

Alumina Limited is an Australian resource company that produces alumina.  The Company owns about 40% of Alcoa World Alumina and Chemicals through a joint venture with Alcoa.

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Alumina Ltd (AWC AU)

AmpGFX - AUD in No Man's Land, Political and Economic Risks Remain Elevated

Domestic Australian factors are being overshadowed by global developments. These global drivers account for both its rapid rebound over the last...

Greg Gibbs

Lifting The Lid On Warren Buffett's Investment Secrets (Update)

In May, I published a report citing recent journal literature that sought to decompose Buffett’s Alpha. The authors attribute Warren Buffett’s...

Sam Ferraro

RBA Downbeat on Commodity Price Outlook

In a speech today, Christopher Kent, Assistant Governor, flagged that the RBA expects the speed of China's economic development to ease further,...

Sam Ferraro

Morningstar: Global Equity Best Ideas

The Best Ideas list is a compilation of stock ideas sourced from Morningstar’s global equity research team. With more than 100 analysts covering...

Morningstar, Inc.

Alcoa Upstream Split Opens Potential for Consolidation

Alcoa, AWC's 60% partner in the Alcoa Worldwide Alumina and Chemicals joint venture, or AWAC, will split into two companies. One will focus on the...

Morningstar, Inc.

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