Selected Quarterly & Annual Newsletters from Funds, Fund Newsletters

Fund Newsletters

Selected Quarterly & Annual Newsletters from Funds

Equity Bottom-Up

Invesco DB US Dollar Index Bul / Equity Bottom-Up

<ul><li>Equity investors in countries with overvalued currencies have two ways to lose and those with undervalued currencies have two ways to win.</li><li>Today’s strong USD looks, in the end, to be our currency and our problem.</li><li>Keep an eye out for dangerously destructive economic policies, but don’t use that as an excuse to avoid the asset class entirely.</li><li>The yen and euro are at their cheapest levels in decades and hedging emerging market equities would be an expensive proposition even if the currencies weren’t generally cheap versus the USD.</li></ul>

Equity investors in countries with overvalued currencies have two ways to lose and those with undervalued currencies have two ways to win.Today’s strong USD looks, in the end, to be our currency and our problem.Keep an eye out for dangerously destructive economic policies, but don’t use that as an excuse to avoid the asset class entirely.The yen and euro are at their cheapest levels in decades and hedging emerging market equities would be an expensive proposition even if the currencies weren’t generally cheap versus the USD.

Cross-Asset Strategist & Quantitative Analyst, Pennock Idea Hub

Cam Hui

Cross-Asset Strategist & Quantitative Analyst

Pennock Idea Hub

We are creators of independent equity research. The Pennock Idea Hub team are veterans of the investment industry. Much of our team has spent their careers at Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, RBC Capital Markets and Wood Gundy. We have taken every aspect of research back to the studs and returned to first principles. The Pennock Idea Hub marries the interests of the sell and buy side. 

We offer the best research for institutional investors by:

-Only publishing research from veteran analysts
-Eliminate the inherent conflicts of the traditional sell and buy side relationship
-Ensure our team is always accessible; collaboration with clients nurtures our collective success

Cross-Asset & Quantitative Research

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>We recently suggested a number of long/short pair trades, with inflation hedge vehicles forming the long portion of a number of pairs.</li>
<li>Inflation hedge factors have begun to underperform, and the subsequent performance of the pairs is revealing of the factors driving the current market environment.</li>
<li>We are inclined to give the long inflation hedge pairs the benefit of the doubt. They are being sold along in a panic liquidation where all correlations converge to 1.</li>
</ul>


We recently suggested a number of long/short pair trades, with inflation hedge vehicles forming the long portion of a number of pairs.
Inflation hedge factors have begun to underperform, and the subsequent performance of the pairs is revealing of the factors driving the current market environment.
We are inclined to give the long inflation hedge pairs the benefit of the doubt. They are being sold along in a panic liquidation where all correlations converge to 1.


Pairs Monitor: Are Correlations Converging to 1?

<ul>
<li>The U.S. equity market outlook is undergoing an unusual bifurcated condition.</li>
<li>Intermediate-Term technical indicators remain bearish but survey-based sentiment indicates crowded short conditions, which is contrarian bullish. </li>
<li>As long as our pairs trading factors remain in uptrends, we are inclined to remain cautious on the equity outlook.</li>
</ul>


The U.S. equity market outlook is undergoing an unusual bifurcated condition.
Intermediate-Term technical indicators remain bearish but survey-based sentiment indicates crowded short conditions, which is contrarian bullish. 
As long as our pairs trading factors remain in uptrends, we are inclined to remain cautious on the equity outlook.


The Canaries in the Bifurcated Market Coalmine

<ul>
<li>While we are intermediate term cautious, our working hypothesis for the near-term outlook is a choppy market, but the S&amp;P 500 is unlikely to breach its 2022 lows.  </li>
<li>It is with this chaotic environment in mind that we suggest pairs trading as a more risk-controlled way of finding better returns.</li>
<li>We will update all of the pairs periodically. Feedback and expressions of interest are appreciated so we know how much resources to devote to the regular update to this strategy.</li>
</ul>


While we are intermediate term cautious, our working hypothesis for the near-term outlook is a choppy market, but the S&amp;P 500 is unlikely to breach its 2022 lows.  
It is with this chaotic environment in mind that we suggest pairs trading as a more risk-controlled way of finding better returns.
We will update all of the pairs periodically. Feedback and expressions of interest are appreciated so we know how much resources to devote to the regular update to this strategy.


Achieving Stable Alpha in a Chaotic Bear Market

Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Macroeconomics

All the inflation gauges in the US are far above the Fed's 2% inflation target. Headline CPI inflation is at a 13-year high of 5.4% YoY, headline PCE inflation at a 30-year high of 4.4% YoY, and the GDP deflator was up 5.7% QoQsaar in 3Q 2021; the Fed's preferred gauge, the core PCE deflator was up 3.6% YoY in July-August 2021, while the core CPI inflation rate was 4% YoY in September. The reason for the inflation surge is something that we have been predicting since last year -- the excessively rapid increase in money supply (M2), which was up 13% YoY in September 2021, on top of the 24% YoY rise a year ago; it is increasingly clear that the Fed effectively has a M2-growth target of 11-13% YoY, which it has maintained since April 2021. (As we keep stressing, this is much faster than M2 growth in 2009-10, which peaked at 11% YoY because the money-multiplier was depressed at a time when banks were choosing to hold large excess reserves). See our June 2020 insight <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/labour-market-slack-remains-but-fomc-will-need-to-tighten-by-mid-2021" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="insights:40185" rel="noopener">Labour Market Slack Remains but FOMC Will Need to Tighten by Mid-2021.</a>The ECB's rapidly-shrinking credibility took a massive further hit when the first read on October 2021 inflation showed CPI (HICP) inflation at 4.1% YoY -- after the ECB's policy council chose to keep policy unchanged, stating that its analysis after "a lot of soul-searching" about "inflation, inflation, inflation" had led it to conclude that there was no basis for the market's expectations of even a minuscule rate hike in 2022. The ECB formally targets headline (not core) inflation, and with average inflation in Jan-Oct 2021 already above that (and more than double that target in October 2021), it is ludicrous for the ECB to still be pursuing its PEPP, even at a moderately slower pace. The likely outcome will be near-term appreciation of the Euro -- and sharp unexpected tightening in the Eurozone over the next half year. We would recommend being Underweight Europe, but particularly Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Near-term Euro strength will likely give way to a strong dollar by March 2022, as the Eurozone faces a new debt crisis with the tightening of monetary conditions in the Eurozone.

All the inflation gauges in the US are far above the Fed's 2% inflation target. Headline CPI inflation is at a 13-year high of 5.4% YoY, headline PCE inflation at a 30-year high of 4.4% YoY, and the GDP deflator was up 5.7% QoQsaar in 3Q 2021; the Fed's preferred gauge, the core PCE deflator was up 3.6% YoY in July-August 2021, while the core CPI inflation rate was 4% YoY in September. The reason for the inflation surge is something that we have been predicting since last year -- the excessively rapid increase in money supply (M2), which was up 13% YoY in September 2021, on top of the 24% YoY rise a year ago; it is increasingly clear that the Fed effectively has a M2-growth target of 11-13% YoY, which it has maintained since April 2021. (As we keep stressing, this is much faster than M2 growth in 2009-10, which peaked at 11% YoY because the money-multiplier was depressed at a time when banks were choosing to hold large excess reserves). See our June 2020 insight Labour Market Slack Remains but FOMC Will Need to Tighten by Mid-2021.The ECB's rapidly-shrinking credibility took a massive further hit when the first read on October 2021 inflation showed CPI (HICP) inflation at 4.1% YoY -- after the ECB's policy council chose to keep policy unchanged, stating that its analysis after "a lot of soul-searching" about "inflation, inflation, inflation" had led it to conclude that there was no basis for the market's expectations of even a minuscule rate hike in 2022. The ECB formally targets headline (not core) inflation, and with average inflation in Jan-Oct 2021 already above that (and more than double that target in October 2021), it is ludicrous for the ECB to still be pursuing its PEPP, even at a moderately slower pace. The likely outcome will be near-term appreciation of the Euro -- and sharp unexpected tightening in the Eurozone over the next half year. We would recommend being Underweight Europe, but particularly Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Near-term Euro strength will likely give way to a strong dollar by March 2022, as the Eurozone faces a new debt crisis with the tightening of monetary conditions in the Eurozone.  

Inflation Is Entrenched, and Central Bank Credibility Is Sinking, Especially the ECB's

Germany

iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF is an exchange-traded fund incorporated in the USA. The ETF's objective is to provide investment results of publicly traded security in the European Monetary Union markets, as measured by the MSCI EMU Index. The ETF invests in a representative sample of index stocks using a "portfolio sampling" technique and weighting the constituents based on their market cap.  

iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF (EZU US)

GMO Q2 2022 Quarterly Letter

Equity investors in countries with overvalued currencies have two ways to lose and those with undervalued currencies have two ways to win. Today’s...

Fund Newsletters

Pairs Monitor: Are Correlations Converging to 1?

Give long inflation hedge pairs the benefit of the doubt. In all likelihood, they are being sold along with other equity positions in a panic...

Cam Hui

The Canaries in the Bifurcated Market Coalmine

Intermediate technical indicators remain bearish but survey-based sentiment indicates crowded short conditions. Stay cautious as long as our pairs...

Cam Hui

Achieving Stable Alpha in a Chaotic Bear Market

It is with a chaotic bearish environment in mind that we suggest pairs trading as a more risk-controlled way of finding better returns.

Cam Hui

Inflation Is Entrenched, and Central Bank Credibility Is Sinking, Especially the ECB's

ECB retained its PEPP the day before the 4.1% inflation print. US too has overshot inflation targets, but taper guidance is clear. Near-term Euro...

Prasenjit K. Basu