Trump Stepping on The Gas
Posted on Sunday, February 18th, 2018
As Warren Buffett famously said, “When the tide goes out you find out who has been swimming naked”. That tide may be rising interest rates. The tide has only begun to recede and yet it appears we may have found some to be swimming naked. In recent weeks we have seen unexpected announcements from the likes of Met Life and GE in regards to accounting irregularities and large conglomerates in China and the Netherlands with liquidity issues. HNA Group which owns Hilton Hotels is desperately searching for liquidity. The tide hasn’t even gone out yet. This could be the tip of the iceberg as zombie companies which have been left alive due to central bank zero interest rates may now fight to stay afloat. The rising tide of interest rates should bring us more instances of who has been swimming naked.
Coming off one of the worst weeks in years for equities we now have one of the best weeks in years. Don’t be lulled into complacency. This was to be expected as investors have now reversed half of the sell off after retesting the lows at the key 200 day moving average. We do not think that the all clear can be given yet. The selloff was violent from extremely elevated levels and that should give us caution. The true test, as we have been warning, is the retest of the old highs. The old highs were hit with such fervor that we do not think that the amplitude will be the same when we get there again. The swift and violent move off of the extreme highs has brought doubt into the equation for the first time in awhile. Let’s see if equities can pass this exam.
It appears that the expected outcomes by market participants may have changed the moment the tax bill was passed. Fiscal stimulus this late in the business cycle with a performing economy could force the central bank to tighten quicker than it had planned. That only increases the level of difficulty of the high wire act that the central bank is already attempting. The odds of a central bank policy mistake are rising and that contributed to the selloff along with rising inflation and the prospect of higher interest rates. Another contributing factor of the sell off was that Wall Street can smell weakness. Much had been made about the overzealousness of the volatility selling crowd. Those sellers were ripe for a lesson and Wall Street gave it to them. Wall Street, when sensing weakness, will press the case against the weak. Much like culling the slow and weak from a herd Wall Street feeds on the same. We have no doubt that the case was pressed against vol sellers until they capitulated. That gave rise to further de leveraging which spurred the computers into an all out rout. The key question here is, has the tide turned? We will see soon enough when the highs on the S&P 500 are tested once again.
Point here being that the uber-ambiguous “something has changed in the market” meme that’s been going-around is based-upon the underlying change in perception with regard to a bond market that is waking from its slumber due to a new-found Central Bank willingness to normalize policy on account of actual signs of “growth” and “inflation”—ESPECIALLY after being “put over the top” by US fiscal stimulus. The above observations are simply the manifestations of this mentality-shift in the market….qualitative observation into quantitative phenomenon.- From Charlie Mcelligott, head of Nomura’s Cross-Asset Strategy
We have been writing that the Trump policies would give the FOMC cover to raise interest rates but those same policies may be too much of a good thing. Fiscal stimulus, tax reform, deregulation and infrastructure spending may force the Fed to raise rates faster than they would like. As the Fed is hitting the brakes Trump is stepping on the gas.
We continue to hold short duration bonds coupled with a slight underweight in equities. However, we did cautiously add to equities during the selloff. We continue to add to new positions that prepare for a further rise in inflation. We believe that we are in the late stage of the business cycle where commodities tend to prosper. Current central bank positioning combined with fiscal stimulus could lead to a quicker than expected rise in inflation. We are positioning for a surprise to the upside.
I think we aspire less to foresee the future and more to be a great contingency planner… you can respond very fast to what’s happening because you thought through all the possibilities, – Lloyd Blankfein
To learn more about us and Blackthorn Asset Management LLC visit our website at www.BlackthornAsset.com .
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – Winston Churchill
Disclosure: This blog is informational and is not a recommendation to buy or sell anything. If you are thinking about investing consider the risk. Everyone’s financial situation is different. Consult your financial advisor.