Market expectations for the Fed’s interest rate trajectory are now in line with the central bank’s ‘dot plot’, after being in sharp divergence in recent years. With the market pricing in an FOMC rate hike with almost certainty, the Fed’s credibility is on the line. Can the Fed maintain its credibility?
While we think that its third rate hike in the current cycle is long overdue, the stark change in rhetoric from Fed officials is surprising. Market pricing of a potential rate hike at next week’s FOMC meeting moved from 30% to over 90% in just three days after several hawkish speeches from Fed Board members, including Chair Yellen and Vice Chair Fischer. The real concern, however, that the Fed should have is the loss of credibility if it does not act after its hawkish commentary.
We remain unconvinced about the Fed’s voracity to hike rates aggressively as required as it has talked tough before and then not acted. Indeed, three rate hikes is only in line with market expectations and the Fed is only now regaining credibility, according to the Overnight Indexed Swap (OIS) market.
Although the US economic recovery remains robust, with the jobless rate now below pre-crisis levels, there are some indications that suggest that the Fed may not reach the three expected rate hikes. There is significant political uncertainty in Europe, which was a concern for the Fed in 2016 after the EU Referendum in the UK, and the US Dollar remains strong –another concern for the Fed in recent years. Meanwhile, the Bloomberg Financial Conditions Index shows that financial conditions in the US have tightened to the highest level in over two years.
Meanwhile, the anticipated USD strength after Fed commentary has not transpired. We feel that the risk is skewed to the downside for the dollar if/when the Fed hikes rates in March given recent moves and elevated investor positioning. We expect the USD to rebound if the Fed become more proactive and raise rates more quickly-than-anticipated in H2 2017.
Martin Arnold, Global FX & Commodity Strategist at ETF Securities
Martin Arnold joined ETF Securities as a research analyst in 2009 and was promoted to Global FX & Commodity Strategist in 2014. Martin has a wealth of experience in strategy and economics with his most recent role formulating an FX strategy at an independent research consultancy. Martin has a strong background in macroeconomics and financial analysis – gained both at the Reserve Bank of Australia and in the private commercial banking sector – and experience covering a range of asset classes including equities and bonds. Martin holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of New South Wales (Australia), a Master of Commerce from the University of Wollongong (Australia) and attained a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance and Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia.
De börshandlade fonder som följer utvecklingen av finanssektorn rusar på FEDs senaste besked. Finanssektorn är den näst största sektorn i det amerikanska referensindexet S&P 500 och har av den anledningen stor påverkan på börsens utveckling. Finanssektorn rusar och FED kommer att vara en stor anledning till varför den kan fortsätta göra detta.
Under veckan såg vi hur Financial Select Sector SPDR (NYSEArca: XLF), den största av alla de börshandlade fonder som följer finanssektorn steg till sin högsta nivå på nästan ett decennium när investerarna spekulerade i att FED kommer att höja räntan vid sitt möte denna vecka. Detta följde efter att flera stora obligationshandlare minskade sina satsningar på en räntehöjning under mars 2017 och istället valt att spekulera i att Federal Reserve kommer att höja räntan under maj och juni istället.
De så kallade Bank ETFerna, de börshandlade fonder som investerar in finanssektorn, gynnas av att Federal Reserve höjer räntan. Med en allt brantare avkastningskurva eller större spridning mellan kort- och långsiktiga statsobligationer kan bankerna få förbättrade nettoräntemarginalerna eller förbättrad lönsamhet eftersom företagen i finanssektorn lånar kortfristigt och ger långa lån.
XLF har redan påvisat en av sina bästa utvecklingar sedan den globala finanskrisen. Det finns många som varit skeptiska till finanssektorn sedan det imponerande rallyt som bankerna visade upp under slutet av 2016, men det finns också gott om marknadsbedömare som tror att de kan fortsätta uppvisa en stark kursutveckling på börsen även under 2017.
Högre räntor är en medvind för finansiella aktier, till stor del på grund av bankernas räntenettomarginaler, eller skillnaden mellan den ränta de tjänar på lån de ger och den ränta som de betalar ut när de lånar pengar. Högre räntor kan öka nettoräntemarginalerna, vilket kan leda till högre vinster för bankerna.
FED tros vara inriktade på tre räntehöjningar under 2017 och Fed funds futures uppgifter antyder för närvarande att den amerikanska centralbanken kommer att höja sin styrränta två gånger under året. Förra veckans uppgång för de finansiella ETFerna är sannolikt att betrakta som att investerarna tar ut dessa räntehöjningar i förskott. XLF, eller Financial Select Sector SPDR som det formella namnet är, har stigit med mer än 40 procent under de senaste tolv månaderna. XLF är den största av alla de börshandlade fonder som följer finanssektorn, och har mer än 25,3 miljarder dollar under förvaltning. Det är inte bara utsikterna om en kommande räntehöjning utan även stöd av utsikterna om att Donald Trump skall mjuka upp regelverket för de amerikanska bankerna. Finanssektorn rusar på FEDs senaste besked
SPDR Financial Select Sector ETF (NYSEArca: XLF)
XLF syftar investeringsresultat som, före kostnader, motsvarar kursen och utvecklingen av börsnoterade aktier för de företag som ingår i Financial Select Sector Index. I sin strävan att följa utvecklingen för indexet, använder fonden en replikeringsstrategi. Den investerar i allmänhet i huvudsak alla, men åtminstone 95 procent, av de totala tillgångarna i värdepapper som ingår i indexet. Indexet omfattar företag från följande branscher: diversifierade finansiella tjänster; försäkring; affärsbanker; kapitalmarknader; REITs; konsumentkrediter; thrifts och hypotekslån; och fastighetsförvaltning och utveckling. Detta är en av SPDRs så kallade ”sektor-ETFer”.
Försenade räntehöjningar kan komma att tvinga FED att höja sina styrräntor
Yellen säger att försenade räntehöjningar kan komma att tvinga FED att höja sina styrräntor i en alltför snabb takt, något som i sin tur riskerar att hämma den amerikanska och den globala ekonomin. Hon säger att om FED väntar alltför länge med att ta bort den ackomodering som finns i dag så kan det leda till att FOMC måste höja räntan så pass snabbt och mycket att det kan leda till störningar på finansmarknaderna vilken kan driva ekonomin in i en recession.
Vidare varnar Yellen för en osäkerhet under Donald Trump särskilt kring oron för hans ekonomiska politik. Hans expansiva ekonomiska löften har eldat på börsuppgången men hon säger att den nye presidenten har visat en brist på tydlighet i sin politik. Det är för tidigt att säga vilka politiska förändringar som kommer att införas eller vilka ekonomiska effekter som de kommer att leda till.
Ytterligare höjningar att vänta
Yellen vill inte säga något ytterligare om de tre räntehöjningar som kommunicerats skall äga rum under 2017, inte heller när de skall komma. De flesta tror emellertid att vi kommer att få se en räntehöjning redan i mars, följt av ytterligare en under juni 2017. Det finns emellertid ingen garanti för att det sker en räntehöjning under mars, men FED vill kunna ha den möjligheten och de finansiella marknaderna verkar ha prissatt att en räntehöjning sker under mars.
Även om det blir en räntehöjning vill investerarna se en förbättrad ekonomisk situation, och att företagens fundamenta förbättras för att de skall handla upp aktiekurserna ytterligare.
USA S&P 500
S&P 500 (Standard & Poor’s 500) är ett aktieindex över 500 stora börsnoterade aktiebolag som handlas i USA. Det är det näst största indexet i USA efter Dow Jones Industrial Average. Aktierna som ingår i indexet handlas på New York Stock Exchange eller NASDAQ och väljs ut av en kommitté som väljer ut aktierna så att indexet ska vara representativt för USA:s industri. Företagen som räknas med i S&P 500 är alla amerikanska och har ett marknadsvärde på 5,3 miljarder US dollar eller mer.
Indexet S&P 500 är utvecklat av institutet Standard & Poor’s i USA och underhålls av S&P Dow Jones Indicies som är ett samriskföretag, majoritetägt av McGraw Hill Financial. Samma företag ansvarar även för Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Macro backdrop favours Australian equities but headwinds linger
ETF Securities Equity Research Macro backdrop favours Australian equities but headwinds linger
Highlights
Revival in commodity prices has improved the macro outlook for Australia’s export driven economy.
Positive inflation expectations globally spurred by the repricing of US inflation and rising oil prices will lead to a recovery in wage growth in Australia, helping boost consumption.
The Fed model acts as a contrarian indicator for Australian equities and highlights further upside for stocks.
The contribution of a minority of companies in the energy and mining sector have caused the dividend payout ratio to appear unrealistically higher.
Commodity upswing benefits macro outlook
Rising commodity prices in 2016, in particular iron ore (+80%) and coal (+300%), have pushed Australia’s trade balance into surplus for the first time since 2014. The improved terms of trade (export prices relative to import prices) will support domestic demand. However since the rise in exports was due to a rise in prices rather than volumes, it is unlikely to translate into higher real Q4 GDP growth. We view the contraction of Q3 2016 GDP as temporary and expect to see a pickup in housing, Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) supply, small business profits and retail sales to restore Q4 2016 GDP growth.
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The base effects of higher fuel prices will drive headline CPI inflation higher, currently at 1.3%, towards the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA) 2-3% target by Q1 2017. Furthermore, the re-pricing of US inflation subsequent to Trumps presidential victory and his pro-growth policies has raised inflation expectations globally.
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This should alleviate some of the downside risks posed by prior weak inflation expectations and generate a recovery in wages. We are now starting to see a gradual rise in real wage growth since the latter half of 2015. Total household debt is excessive at 186% of income on average, its highest level since 1977. For this reason, a revival in wage growth is the key to underpin consumption, known to account for 56% of economic activity.
Stability in China is pivotal for trade
The Chinese economy picked up pace during 2016 owing to increased infrastructure spending and a buoyant property market. Chinese strength is best evident in Australia in the strong demand and pricing of bulk industrial commodities, bearing in mind they are by far its biggest trading partner worth 30% of exports. However, Donald Trump’s presidency raises the potential for a rise in US-China trade friction and attempts to threaten the outlook for Australian exports. On the positive side, demand for tourism and education services in Australia might get a boost, as an alternative to the US should these frictions materialise.
Rebalancing economy
There are signs that other sectors of the economy are moving out from the shadow of the resources sector. We expect to see the benefits of accommodative monetary conditions and the weaker Australian dollar to bolster the competitiveness of non-resource exports across tourism, education and services.
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Fed model acts as a contrarian indicator
The combination of an improved macro outlook supported by higher material prices and the global reflation theme have helped swing Australian corporate earnings growth forecasts for 2017 back to positive territory after stagnating for 2 years. However a careful look at valuations suggest Australian equities are not cheap. The cyclically adjusted price to earnings (CAPE) ratio for the MSCI Australia Index at 18.3x is at the benchmark’s long-term median CAPE at 18x. The chart below depicts the Fed model (based on the ratio of forward equity earnings yield and 10-year government bond yields) as a contrarian indicator for Australian equities. As the ratio trends downwards (suggesting bonds favoured over equities), Australian equities tend to outperform. Currently the ratio at 1.36 has been steadily declining and is reverting to its long-term median of 1.31 signifying further upside for Australian equities.
Higher yields drive momentum
Dividend yields have been the main driver of short and medium term returns of the Australian equity market. Australian companies’ dividends are high by international standards, yielding 5.6% on average. Domestic investors and pension funds rely heavily on the Australian equity markets as a source of income as they benefit from franked dividends, an agreement in Australia eliminating the double taxation of dividends.
More importantly, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that the percentage of the population that is in retirement i.e. aged 65 years and above grew by 37% since 2006. ABS has projected that this segment will rise 21% by 2023. Given this structural demographic shift among the investor base, we expect the demand for high yielding equities to persist as the aging population seek to generate more stable income.
Dividend payments are sustainable
In 2016, the dividend payout ratio (that measures the proportion of a company’s earnings paid to investors as dividends) attained its highest level at 190% in more than a decade. Implying that Australian companies were paying more than they earned. This raised concerns on the sustainability of ongoing dividend payments. However, we found a minority of companies in the energy and mining sectors skewed the ratio higher. On stripping out their contribution to the overall ratio, we got a more realistic value of 78%, which did not have a material impact on the dividend yield of the index.
In addition, on analysing the combination of dividends paid and share buybacks as a percentage of free cash flow, we noted buybacks were a small portion of the total amount, rendering dividend payments not as stretched.
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In fact, the rise of the dividend payout ratio was an outcome of the reduced profitability of mining and energy firms as opposed to an increase in dividend payments. This helped reinstate our view that the durability of future dividend payments remains intact.
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ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Weaker US dollar boosts precious metals
Mixed economic data and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December meeting weighed on the US dollar, prompting US$69mn of inflows into precious metals.
Investors reduced exposure to ETPs tracking long EUR/USD positions by US$95.7mn last week.
Energy prices ticked down last week due to a massive increase of US oil inventory and milder temperatures in the US.
The gold price rose 1.4% on the week after the US dollar weakened following a somewhat dovish Fed minutes. Gold ETPs saw US$40.5mn of inflows last week. The minutes of the FOMC December meeting revealed that the Fed is optimistic about growth prospects for the US economy, giving more scope for rising interest rates. However, the FOMC continues to see risks to this outlook, notably regarding fiscal policy and the negative consequences of a stronger dollar. Overall, market participants revised rate hike expectations downward, suggesting the next rate hike would take place in June. The weaker dollar coupled with stronger US and Chinese manufacturing data also boosted platinum and palladium prices, which have gained 5.7% and 10.2% respectively last week.
Investors reduced positions in ETPs tracking long EUR/USD. The US employment report showed wage growth rising 0.4% over December – the strongest since 2009, despite the disappointing 156k job gains on the month. The mixed December US jobs report and Fed minutes halted the US dollar rise that started in November, prompting some investors to pull back their bullish bets. Short USD long EUR ETPs saw US$95.7mn outflows last week.
Crude oil ETPs experienced a US$17.9mn withdrawal after the US Department of Energy reported a massive rise of distillate inventories. The oil price moved slightly upward on the news that Saudi Arabia cut its crude oil production by at least 486k barrels a day since October. However, the oil price pared gains after the US inventory data showed an extra 18mn barrels to gasoline and diesel stockpiles last week. In addition, US natural gas and carbon prices both collapsed by 10.8% and 23%, respectively last week. The price declines were triggered by predictions of milder temperatures in the US, and a drop of EU carbon allowances in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS).
What to watch this week. Investors will closely watch the industrial production data and employment figures for the Eurozone to gauge the effectiveness of the ECB’s monetary stimulus. Inflation data in China and US retail sales will also be monitored by market participants.
Video Presentation
Morgane Delledonne, Fixed Income Strategist at ETF Securities provides an analysis of last week’s performance, flow and trading activity in commodity exchange traded products and a look at the week ahead.
For more information contact
ETF Securities Research team ETF Securities (UK) Limited T +44 (0) 207 448 4336 E info@etfsecurities.com
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