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.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>In this post, Evidente draws on recent analysis undertaken by the RBA of developments in China's residential property markets.  Thanks to a number of government policies implemented since 2014, there has been a substantial pick-up in conditions since the start of the year, particularly an acceleration in residential sales, as measured by floor space sold.</li><li>The strong pick-up has supported the renewed strength in global commodity prices, but has probably contributed to key growing vulnerabilities and risks, around leverage of property developers, the still large stock of unsold housing inventory and annual growth in house prices that appears close to a peak if history is any guide. </li><li>Against this backdrop, Evidente's model portfolio retains a substantial underweight in the Materials sector, with overweights in RIO, BSL and MND representing the key exposures.  </li></ul>

In this post, Evidente draws on recent analysis undertaken by the RBA of developments in China's residential property markets.  Thanks to a number of government policies implemented since 2014, there has been a substantial pick-up in conditions since the start of the year, particularly an acceleration in residential sales, as measured by floor space sold.The strong pick-up has supported the renewed strength in global commodity prices, but has probably contributed to key growing vulnerabilities and risks, around leverage of property developers, the still large stock of unsold housing inventory and annual growth in house prices that appears close to a peak if history is any guide. Against this backdrop, Evidente's model portfolio retains a substantial underweight in the Materials sector, with overweights in RIO, BSL and MND representing the key exposures.  

China Housing: Strong Recovery but Debt and Vulnerabilities Rise

Macroeconomics

<ul><li>Interbank Cash Rate Futures point to a 65% probability that the RBA will cut the Overnight Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 1.5% on Tuesday.  Real rates have effectively lifted in the first half of CY2016, with the 25 basis point cut to the OCR in May only partially offsetting the 50 basis point decline in underlying inflation.</li><li>Consequently, Evidente believes that the central bank should deliver another rate cut this week of 25 basis points.  With the Governor’s ten year term about to end in September, surely Mr Stevens will not want to leave a legacy of have tolerated a 50 basis point undershoot on the RBA’s inflation target?</li><li>Since its launch a month ago, the key macro principle guiding Evidente’s model portfolio has been the prospect that interest rates will remain low for an extended period due to the shortfall in aggregate demand.  As a result, the portfolio retains a strong defensive bias, with an overall beta of less than 0.85.  Over the past month, the portfolio delivered alpha of 1.2%, reflecting stock selection within the small cyclical budget, including overweights in MND (+41%), BSL (+32%), MYR (+19%) and PMV (+14%). </li></ul>

Interbank Cash Rate Futures point to a 65% probability that the RBA will cut the Overnight Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 1.5% on Tuesday.  Real rates have effectively lifted in the first half of CY2016, with the 25 basis point cut to the OCR in May only partially offsetting the 50 basis point decline in underlying inflation.Consequently, Evidente believes that the central bank should deliver another rate cut this week of 25 basis points.  With the Governor’s ten year term about to end in September, surely Mr Stevens will not want to leave a legacy of have tolerated a 50 basis point undershoot on the RBA’s inflation target?Since its launch a month ago, the key macro principle guiding Evidente’s model portfolio has been the prospect that interest rates will remain low for an extended period due to the shortfall in aggregate demand.  As a result, the portfolio retains a strong defensive bias, with an overall beta of less than 0.85.  Over the past month, the portfolio delivered alpha of 1.2%, reflecting stock selection within the small cyclical budget, including overweights in MND (+41%), BSL (+32%), MYR (+19%) and PMV (+14%). 

Retain Defensive Bias as the Reluctant Rate Cutter Likely to Deliver More Stimulus

Information Technology Consultant

Ishita Jain

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/11135" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11135">Fmc Corp (FMC US)</a> announced that it will increase lithium production on the back of a long term supplier contract with a major electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer.FMC is one of four of the world's largest producers of lithium and it has inked a multi year supply agreement with a EV manufacturer. FMC will produce an additional 4,000 tons of lithium hydroxide next year raising the total production capacity to roughly 18,000 tons a year.The value chain begins with the extraction of lithium…

Fmc Corp (FMC US) announced that it will increase lithium production on the back of a long term supplier contract with a major electric vehicle ("EV") manufacturer.FMC is one of four of the world's largest producers of lithium and it has inked a multi year supply agreement with a EV manufacturer. FMC will produce an additional 4,000 tons of lithium hydroxide next year raising the total production capacity to roughly 18,000 tons a year.The value chain begins with the extraction of lithium…

Lithium Hydroxide up 38% YTD; FMC Increases Lithium Production

Founder and CEO, Europacifica Consulting

Naomi Fink

Founder and CEO

Europacifica Consulting

<figure class="editor-figure mceNonEditable"><img src="https://static-prod.smartkarma.com/images/media/000/009/868/original/Chart2.Australia.Risk_.Pref_.png?1467594254" class="editor-image img-responsive" data-smartkarma-image-id="9868"><figcaption class="figcaption">Australians risk-averse? Not today, mate (Source: Europacifica)</figcaption></figure> Speculation that Australia will lose its <a href="http://www.afr.com/news/politics/election/election-2016-the-trafficjam-political-culture-threatening-aaa-credit-rating-20160703-gpxil9" target="_blank">AAA rating</a> due to political deadlock at the polls has probably been enhanced by <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/27/george-osborne-to-speak-in-attempt-to-calm-markets-following-bre/" target="_blank">the final downgrade</a> to the UK's own rating, motivated by the recent EU referendum.  Medium-term, the "lucky country" might very well escape the fate of capital flight, given there are many more controversial events (such as US elections) that affect Australia little. Whenever appetite for risk revives…

Australians risk-averse? Not today, mate (Source: Europacifica) Speculation that Australia will lose its AAA rating due to political deadlock at the polls has probably been enhanced by the final downgrade to the UK's own rating, motivated by the recent EU referendum.  Medium-term, the "lucky country" might very well escape the fate of capital flight, given there are many more controversial events (such as US elections) that affect Australia little. Whenever appetite for risk revives…

Global Head of Research, Smartkarma

Mark Artherton

Global Head of Research

Ecstrat

Ecstrat is a consultancy advising on asset allocation between global equity markets, with a focus on the intersection of governments, geopolitics, governance and markets.
 
Over the past few years and more especially since the Great Financial Crisis (GFC), investors have become more focused on short-term market movements and real-time returns and have consequently neglected the analysis of the underlying structural themes that underpin longer term performance.
​
More specifically we believe that the evolution of governance-based relationships between investors, controlling shareholders, labour and the state is one of the primary determinants of both relative and absolute performance between individual equity markets.
 
We will endeavour to provide investors with some of the context surrounding governance-related issues which encompass many different disciplines including history, economics and political science, as well as the financial metrics which are the most obvious manifestation of the structural characteristics of each market.
 
We will pay particular attention to the shifts and potential inflection points for governance in individual markets as these are often the best lead indicators for both economic and market performance.

<div class="content-highlight">The failure to use or the aggressive implementation of asset write downs in emerging markets and Asia will have far reaching implications for investors.</div> We live in a world where investors are uncertain about asset values both in financial and non-financial companies.  Whilst a lot is written about the nature of bad debts at banks, little has been comprehensively written about the balance sheets of non-financial companies.We see the following evidence in our analysis: <ul><li><div class="content-highlight">The failure of some…</div></li></ul>

The failure to use or the aggressive implementation of asset write downs in emerging markets and Asia will have far reaching implications for investors. We live in a world where investors are uncertain about asset values both in financial and non-financial companies.  Whilst a lot is written about the nature of bad debts at banks, little has been comprehensively written about the balance sheets of non-financial companies.We see the following evidence in our analysis: The failure of some…

Australia

Incitec Pivot Limited is a fertilizer manufacturer and supplier, and also a supplier for explosives products and services. The Company has operations throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia.

Nufarm Limited manufactures and supplies a range of agricultural chemicals used by farmers to protect crops from damage caused by weeds, pests and disease. The Company has worldwide operations.

Alpha HPA Limited operates as a chemical company. The Company produces high purity aluminium oxides, hydroxides, nitrates, and sulphates. These products are found in a wide range of high technology industries. Alpha HPA serves customers worldwide. Alpha HPA provides purification techniques to achieve purity levels with a reduced carbon profile.

BlueScope Steel Limited supplies steel products and solutions. The Company manufactures steel slabs, plates, hot and cold rolled coils, and coated and painted strip products for building and construction, automotive, whitegoods, and manufacturing applications. BlueScope Steel serves customers in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

OZ Minerals Ltd. is an Australian based mining company with a focus on copper. The Company owns and operates the Prominent Hill copper-gold mine and the Carrapateena copper-gold project located in South Australia and has a number of equity interests in listed resource companies.

Boral Limited is a manufacturer and supplier of building and construction materials in Australia and internationally.  Boral supplies building products to the residential and commercial building markets, operates clay brick business in the U.S. (for clay roof tiles and fly ash) along with the production of plasterboard, timber products and concrete products.

Highfield Resources Ltd. is potash development company. The Company owns potash projects located in Spain's Ebro Basin. Highfield Resources also owns the right to earn an interest in tenements in the Canning Basin in Western Australia.

Pilbara Minerals Ltd. is a mineral exploration company. The Company owns mineral tenements in the west Pilbara region of Western Australia where it explores for iron ore, gold and base metals, particularly copper and nickel.

Yancoal Australia Limited provides coal mining services. The Company mines, processes, and sells pure-coal, metallurgical coal, and more. Yancoal Australia also exports its products.

MMG Limited is a mid-tier global resources company which explores, develops and mines base metal projects around the world.  The Company currently owns and operates the Century, Golden Grove and Rosebery mines in Australia, the Kinsevere mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the LXML Sepon mine in Laos.

MITSUBISHI GAS CHEMICAL COMPANY, INC. produces chemical products such as xylene and methanol.  The Company also manufactures engineering plastics and specialty chemicals.

Resonac Holdings Corporation manufactures and distributes chemical products. The Company produces synthetic resins, petrochemical products, inorganics, and other related products. Resonac Holdings also produces ceramics, metals, carbon, electronic materials, and other products.

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. manufactures and markets a variety of chemical products. The Company's products include ethylene, propylene and other petrochemicals, basic chemicals, synthetic resins, and fine chemicals.  The Company operates worldwide.

Zhejiang Longsheng Group Co., Ltd. manufactures a variety of dyes including high intensity and rapid-dying Lonsperse Dye. The Company sells its products domestically and exports worldwide.

Zhejiang Longsheng Group Co., (600352 CH)

Huntsman Corporation manufactures differentiated and commodity chemical products.  The Company markets a broad range of chemical products and formulations to a diversified group of consumer and industrial customers. Huntsman's products are used in a range of applications, including those in adhesives, aerospace, automotive, construction products, and consumer products.

Zhejiang Huafeng Spandex Co., Ltd. manufactures and markets spandex products.

SKC Co., Ltd. manufactures a variety of films, including polyester films, silicon coated films, and inkjet films.  The Company also produces chemical products, such as propylene oxide, propylene glycol, and styrene monomer. In addition, SKC provides materials for photovoltaic.

Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd. produces a variety of chemical products, ranging from basic chemicals to functional chemical products.  The Company also manufactures agrochemicals and pharmaceutical products.

Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets specialty performance ingredients for the food, feed, and medical sterilization industries. The Company micro-encapsulates performance ingredients, and also repackages and markets specialty gases. Balchem sells its products through its own sales force, independent distributors, and sales agents.

TongKun Group Co., Ltd. develops, produces and sells polyester and Terylene filament.  The Company also invests in real estate, finance, business trade and education businesses.

Orica Limited is a diversified manufacturing company.  The Company produces industrial and specialty chemicals, polyethylene, surface coatings for vehicles, food and beverage flavoring and fragrances, packaging and appliances. The Company also supplies explosive and blasting services to the mining, quarrying and construction industries.

Price Gauge
52-week Range	0.00 - 0.00
Market Cap (USDm)	0.00
P/E	0.00
Dividend (Yield)	0.00

Orica Ltd (ORI AU)

China Housing: Strong Recovery but Debt and Vulnerabilities Rise

In this post, Evidente draws on recent analysis undertaken by the RBA of developments in China's residential property markets. Thanks to a number...

Sam Ferraro

Retain Defensive Bias as the Reluctant Rate Cutter Likely to Deliver More Stimulus

Interbank Cash Rate Futures point to a 65% probability that the RBA will cut the Overnight Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 1.5% on...

Sam Ferraro

Lithium Hydroxide up 38% YTD; FMC Increases Lithium Production

Fmc Corp (FMC US) announced that it will increase lithium production on the back of a long term supplier contract with a major electric...

Ishita Jain

Australia a Risk Haven? Not Today, Mate

Speculation that Australia will lose its AAA rating due to political deadlock at the polls has probably been enhanced by the final downgrade to...

Naomi Fink

Beware Impairments in EM and Asia

The failure to use or the aggressive implementation of asset write downs in emerging markets and Asia will have far reaching implications for...

Mark Artherton

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)