Etikett: Hungary

Emerging Markets Shake Off Brexit

Emerging Markets Shake Off Brexit VanEck ETFEmerging Markets Shake Off Brexit

China, Brazil, and Hungary are Strong Performers

Emerging Markets Shake Off Brexit. Emerging markets continued to gather momentum and flows following the June Brexit vote and, in the third quarter, outperformed most global indices including the S&P 500® Index. Large-caps outpaced small-caps, again extending the performance gap for the year. Growth stocks staged a modest comeback over value stocks.

After a couple of quarters of weakness, China was among the best performing countries in the third quarter, accompanied by Brazil (a familiar outperformer this year) and Hungary. India also advanced. Turkey, on the other hand, declined substantially in 3Q as a result of the power grab attempt by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan following the unsuccessful coup. Technology stocks pushed higher during the quarter to become the third best performing sector for the year following energy and materials. Emerging markets utilities stocks were the worst performers.

3Q’16 Emerging Markets Equity Strategy Review and Positioning

Stock selection added alpha in 3Q, while asset allocation detracted from the strategy’s performance. On a sector level, stock selection in the telecommunications and consumer sectors led the way while stock selection and under allocation to the information technology sector hurt relative performance. On a country level, stock selection in Mexico, Taiwan, and India contributed most to relative performance while stock selection in South Korea, China, and Jordan detracted from relative performance. The strategy’s weighting in small-caps detracted from performance most during the third quarter, while selections in large- and mid-caps aided performance.

3Q Performance Contributors

Our top five contributor companies in 3Q included long-term portfolio position Chinese internet company Tencent Holdings1 and Chinese e-commerce company JD.com,2 both of which rose during the quarter on the back of good earnings results.

India’s Yes Bank Ltd.,3 a high-quality, private sector bank benefited from strong loan and deposit growth, outpaced its peers, while at the same time maintaining a steady non-performing loans level. CP All,4 which operates close to 9,000 corporate, franchise, and sub-area license stores around Thailand reported strong second quarter results, resulting in earnings estimate upgrades.

Finally, Taiwan Semiconductor,5 the undisputed global leader in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing, benefited from robust sales growth, and a strong 2017 demand outlook.

3Q Performance Detractors

The strategy’s bottom-five performing companies in 3Q included Hikma,6 a London-listed pharmaceutical company with a mix of branded and non-branded generics, and in-licensed drugs. Hikma had a difficult quarter in stock performance terms, reversing a strong second quarter. The proximate cause was a downgrade to company guidance, specifically related to delayed product approvals, which lead most analysts to downgrade earnings for this year, and conservatively, also for 2017.

Robinson Retail,7 a Philippines-based retailer with a variety of retail formats, also reversed relatively strong second quarter performance. In part this was due to a diminished enthusiasm for Philippines stocks generally, following the election of its new president. Although operations for the company are robust, there has been some frustration at the pace of deployment of capital, and concern about strong competition, particularly in Metro Manila.

Techtronic,8 a China-based producer of power tools that are sold mainly in the U.S. and Western Europe, declined due to weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue growth, and higher-than-expected promotional costs on new products, which depressed margins.

Credicorp,9 the leading bank in Peru, pared back gains from earlier in the year after it reported weaker-than-expected loan growth in the second quarter driven by economic uncertainty caused by Peru’s presidential election. Hence, loan growth for the full year is now expected to be lower than the market originally expected.

Eva Precision10 rounds out the performance detractors, and the strategy no longer holds this position. Hopeful signs of better plastic molding orders did not actually translate into orders, leading to worse-than-expected revenue and poor gross margins.

Emerging Markets Challenged by Brexit and “Populist Politics”

Global markets have seen some significant challenges, including record low and negative bond yields and concern about the limits of quantitative easing. Markets have been challenged by Brexit, and concerns about the rise of “populist politics” – to name a few issues. Emerging markets specifically have seen some challenges, including political change in Brazil and an attempted coup in Turkey. Notwithstanding these risks, the summer was actually a period of restrained market volatility, which surprised many market participants.

We Believe that China Should Remain Stable

Many factors combined to create the stronger relative performance from emerging markets during the quarter, and so far this year, compared to global indices. First, the rapid appreciation of the U.S. dollar appears to have faded as market expectation of a U.S. Federal Reserve (“Fed”) rate hike has been pushed back until the end of the year and possibly next year. Second, despite the febrile headline grabbing comments of market pundits, China has not had any kind of “Minsky moment” (a collapse in asset prices following the exhaustion of credit expansion), whether related to capital outflows or leverage. Although we certainly concede that there are some significant imbalances in China’s economy, we believe that the extra “stabilizers” available to authorities will be used to attempt to achieve a reasonably stable outcome over the medium term. Third, the supply and demand equation for commodities looks more balanced. Fourth, earnings are likely to be much less disappointing this year, partly because expectations have been reset to lower levels, and partly because corporates are gradually acclimatizing to a slower growth world and generating more efficiencies, rather than focusing predominantly on top-line growth.

Reform efforts have been uneven in emerging markets, but we are encouraged by the long-term impact of the passage of the GST (goods and services tax) in India. In China, some reform efforts are often opaque and sometimes appear to represent “two steps forward then one back”. The outcome of tax amnesties in India and Indonesia appears to have been better than expected, and, finally, infrastructure projects seem to be developing greater impetus in a number of countries, for example, the Philippines.

Emerging Markets Have Shown Considerable Relative Strength in 2016

We remain constructive on the continuing outperformance of emerging markets in a global context. After an extended period in the wilderness, emerging markets assets have shown considerable relative strength so far this year. We feel that there is reasonable evidence for that outperformance to continue for the asset class as a whole. Broadly speaking, a stable U.S. dollar, better commodities’ prices, a more resilient earnings profile, and light positioning in the asset class ought to combine to increase the relative attractiveness of emerging markets.

One facet of the uptick in interest is that substantially all inflows into the asset class this year have come through passive fund offerings. While appreciating the convenience that ETFs offer, we caution that allocation of capital through market capitalization can be particularly pernicious in emerging markets.

We make this comment because, given the economic history of many emerging markets economies, there are many very large scale state-owned companies in the emerging markets universe. The prominence of these companies we feel comes less from superior competence than from historically state-sponsored systemic advantage which is unlikely to be sustained in the long run. In addition, we believe many of these large companies are essentially driven by global cyclical factors such as energy and materials. We will continue to implement our philosophy of structural growth at a reasonable price. We are not style agnostic, drifting into whatever appears to be working at any given time. We are style specific and we continue to find that there are many areas of superior, sustained growth that are essentially non-cyclical in nature and will likely provide reliable opportunities for well-managed companies to exploit.

While there may be some countries where economic growth has stabilized or even picked up, the evidence for a sustained, strong improvement in global GDP appears limited at best. In a growth-challenged world, our philosophy of focusing on investment opportunities where strong, innovative management teams are able to capitalize on dynamic change and extract real value, ought to be rewarded over the medium term, despite the vagaries of commodity pricing and ETF flows.

Valuations for emerging markets equities and currencies are generally constructive, but not compellingly cheap. Expectations for earnings are much more realistic, and positioning in the asset class is cautious. Delayed expectations of further Fed tightening have also been positive for the asset class. Finally, it is perhaps hard to construct a case for alternative geographies and asset classes; arguably, the U.S. equity market looks overvalued, Japan is struggling with a strong currency, and Europe faces significant questions and uncertainties surrounding its political and economic future.

Consequently, we approach the remainder of this year, and the following years, with cautious optimism for the asset class. Much more importantly, we remain unabashedly enthusiastic about the companies that we actually own in emerging markets. As most investors know, we have a high active share and a healthy skepticism that the large emerging markets companies necessarily represent some of the best investable dynamics in emerging markets.

Post Disclosure

1 Tencent Holdings represented 3.5% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
2 JD.com represented 2.8% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
3 Yes Bank Ltd. represented 3.0% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
4 CP All represented 2.2% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
5 Taiwan Semiconductor represented 2.8% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
6 Hikma represented 0.7% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
7 Robinson Retail represented 1.5% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
8 Techtronic represented 1.4% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
9 Credicorp represented 2.2% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.
10 Eva Precision represented 0.0% of the Fund’s net assets as of 9/30/16.

The S&P 500® Index (S&P 500) consists of 500 widely held common stocks covering industrial, utility, financial, and transportation sectors. This Index is unmanaged and does include the reinvestment of all dividends, but does not reflect the payment of transaction costs, advisory fees or expenses that are associated with an investment in the strategy. An index’s performance is not illustrative of the strategy’s performance. Indices are not securities in which investments can be made.

AUTHORED BY

David Semple
Portfolio Manager for the Emerging Markets Equity strategy
Oversees the Emerging Markets Equity team; responsible for company research, stock selection, and portfolio construction
Investment Management Team member since 1998
Prior to joining VanEck, served on the team sub-advising VanEck’s emerging markets VIP insurance fund at Peregrine Asset Management (Hong Kong)
Previously held regional strategy and regional sales positions at Peregrine Brokerage (Hong Kong)
Formerly a portfolio manager specializing in Asian equity markets at Murray Johnstone (Glasgow)
Member of the Association of Investment Management and Research (AIMR); member of the CFA Institute
Media appearances include CNBC, Bloomberg, and NPR; quoted in Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Barron’s, among others
Bachelor of Law with Honors, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

This content is published in the United States for residents of specified countries. Investors are subject to securities and tax regulations within their applicable jurisdictions that are not addressed on this content. Nothing in this content should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of any investment in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction, nor is it intended as investment, tax, financial, or legal advice. Investors should seek such professional advice for their particular situation and jurisdiction.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and are current as of the posting date. Videos and commentaries are general in nature and should not be construed as investment advice. Opinions are subject to change with market conditions. All performance information is historical and is not a guarantee of future results.

Please note that Van Eck Securities Corporation offers investment portfolios that invest in the asset class(es) mentioned in this commentary. The Emerging Markets Equity strategy is subject to the risks associated with its investments in emerging markets securities, which tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities traded in developed countries. The Emerging Markets Equity strategy’s investments in foreign securities involve risks related to adverse political and economic developments unique to a country or a region, currency fluctuations or controls, and the possibility of arbitrary action by foreign governments, including the takeover of property without adequate compensation or imposition of prohibitive taxation. The Emerging Markets Equity strategy is subject to risks associated with investments in derivatives, illiquid securities, and small or mid-cap companies. The Emerging Markets Equity strategy is also subject to inflation risk, market risk, non-diversification risk, and leverage risk. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment company carefully before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information. Please read them carefully before investing.

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China Developments Lead Recent Tailwinds

China Developments Lead Recent Tailwinds

  • Capital outflows and currency stabilization in China help the overall emerging markets (EM) environment
  • Headwinds including leverage in China, fiscal deterioration, and European issues remain prevalent
  • Liquidity, defensive positioning and unconstrained approach remain crucial in periods of uncertainty

Market Overview

The market environment remains unsettled. The quality of the macro flow in major economies is still very uneven (despite a larger number of positive macro surprises in both developed G10 and EM) and many central banks find themselves in a policy quagmire where additional monetary easing results in stronger currencies and higher interest rates. Markets – no doubt “inspired” by Janet Yellen’s end-of-March speech – continue to price in a very dovish scenario for the Federal Reserve (Fed) that envisages only two full policy rate hikes in the next three years. A big increase in neutral investor positioning (as measured, for example, by the American Association of Individual Investors) in past weeks is a reflection of these uncertainties which, in turn, is a byproduct of tensions between serious macro/policy headwinds and tailwinds. The “tailwinds” cluster includes a more sanguine near-term outlook for China, tentative signs that EM growth might be bottoming out, and reasonably strong external accounts in many EMs. On the “headwinds” side of the equation, we find multiple unresolved issues in Europe, major imbalances in China (possibly made worse by the recent policy moves), a Fed struggling with forward guidance, a massive widening of the EM fiscal gap, and deteriorating corporate profitability.

Portfolio Review

We believe that the recent tailwinds are likely to dominate for the near term. It looks like Chinese authorities have managed to slow down capital outflows through official channels. The decline in international reserves is now smaller than in November-December 2015. Authorities are also implementing additional measures to support growth, mainly through additional credit supply. Possible fiscal stimulus might prop up GDP growth as well. These factors should reduce the immediate depreciation pressure on the renminbi (CNY) and authorities should be able to maintain the existing exchange rate regime for a little longer, alleviating concerns about the impact of CNY devaluation on other emerging market currencies (especially in Asia). Additional EM foreign exchange (FX) strength is a benefit to the inflation outlook and in this environment, the Fed’s dovish policy stance might provide EM central banks with more room to ease, which could facilitate a cycle of stronger currencies, lower inflation, lower interest rates and a better growth outlook. There are already tentative signs (better macro surprises and higher PMIs) that the growth outlook in EM might be improving. Consensus forecasts for 2016 quarterly GDP growth in EM have also been edging up since mid-March and additional policy support might prove crucial for further progress. Lower inflation can further boost real interest rates in EM, which already look attractive relative to the past lows and relative to U.S. Treasuries (UST). An important, although temporary, aspect of China’s current policy mix is its positive impact on the housing market and, as such, on global commodity prices, especially metals, which should provide additional support to EM FX and external balances.

However, persistent headwinds abound. Our key concern is that China’s near-term growth/FX relief might come at the price of worsening imbalances, which will likely make any future resolution more problematic. Specifically, the leverage context remains highly worrisome as authorities intend to accelerate M2 money supply (includes cash, checking and savings deposits, money market mutual funds) growth. The same applies to a very high bank assets/nominal GDP ratio (especially when compared to China’s still relatively low per capita GDP). The success of China’s credit boost is questionable given that it now takes four extra units of credit (measured by Total Social Financing, a figure the Chinese government created to track all the money in its system) to produce one extra unit of nominal GDP. Despite the recent small improvements, both China’s growth slowdown and the decline in international reserves are of historic proportions and the reserve adequacy now looks stretched on several metrics. So, while we acknowledge the recent positive signals coming from China, our longer-term view on China’s economic, policy and, political challenges remains unchanged.

Another set of concerns relates to the recent fiscal deterioration in EM and rating downgrades it might entail. After several years of stability (2010-2014), the aggregate EM fiscal gap widened sharply in 2015, reaching 3.7% of GDP – the worst in the past 15 years – and consensus expects further deterioration to 4% of GDP in 2016. We doubt that rating agencies will respond kindly to the deterioration and we expect further rating/outlook downgrades.

Our third set of concerns centers on unresolved European issues. The potential for Greece to leave the eurozone (“Grexit”) is resurfacing again and will keep on reappearing unless there are more radical steps to help reduce the debt burden. The immigration/refugee issue looks thoroughly mishandled and we should expect further instances of political extremism. The situation in the banking sector appears murky at best and bank credit default swap spreads started to widen again after a brief post-European Central Bank (ECB) respite in early March. There is also growing evidence that negative interest rates are punishing banks. Finally, corporate profitability is deteriorating and capex spending remains high relative to cash flow from operations.

The portfolio implications of these developments are as follows: (1) be nimble and liquid (and the unconstrained approach is more important than ever); (2) be aware of the headwinds that we view as resurgent and have a reaction function (ours is when China’s property market stalls again and/or the Fed hikes); (3) respect tailwinds in downturns – big and long rallies often happen when things are bad.

Specifically, we maintain our defensive positions (approximately 40% of the portfolio) in hard-currency bonds with spread/beta positions (i.e., Argentina and Brazil) and/or with defensive characteristics (i.e., South Korea). We also maintain selective exposure to local-currency denominated bonds (approximately 50% of the portfolio). We focus on countries with high real interest rates, where central banks that are not afraid to tighten if necessary and whose currencies were allowed to depreciate during the past risk-off episodes (i.e., Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brazil). Finally, we have exposure to selective EM corporates (about 10% of our portfolio) with a focus on liquid companies that demonstrate low-beta to the economy and that can benefit from FX weakness through local-currency costs.

Exposure Types and Significant ChangesThe changes to our top positions are summarized below. Our largest positions are currently: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and South Africa.

  • We added local-currency sovereign exposure in Indonesia and Peru to potentially benefit from the uptick in commodity prices and lower than expected inflation that allowed the Bank of Indonesia to cut and the central bank of Peru to hold. We also expect to benefit from changes in Indonesia’s regulatory environment that should boost local demand for government bonds.
  • We also added local-currency exposure to Brazil where impeachment sentiment is rapidly gaining momentum and inflation appears to be topping off. We also increased local exposure in Mexico and Malaysia where inflation remains under control.
  • We reduced hard-currency sovereign exposure in South Korea and Israel – low beta bonds that have performed well but have been reduced to reallocate to more compelling opportunities.
  • We also reduced hard-currency sovereign exposure in the Philippines, Chile, and Hungary (where Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s fight with the EU has intensified lately).

Fund Performance

  • The Fund (EMBAX) gained 3.27% in March, compared to a 6.16% gain for a 50% local-50% hard-currency index.The Fund’s biggest winners were Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Peru. The Fund’s biggest losers were Israel, South Korea, and Indonesia.
  • Turning to the market’s performance, the GBI-EM’s biggest winners were Russia, Colombia, and South Africa. The biggest losers were Nigeria, China, and Thailand.
  • The EMBI’s biggest winners were Ecuador, Mongolia, and Zambia, while its biggest losers were Serbia, Poland, and Romania.

Manager Commentary

By: Eric Fine, Portfolio Manager

Please note that the information herein represents the opinion of the portfolio manager and these opinions may change at any time and from time to time.

Diversification does not assure a profit or prevent against a loss.

Expenses: Class A: Gross 1.32%; Net 1.25%. Expenses are capped contractually until 05/01/16 at 1.25% for Class A. Caps exclude certain expenses, such as interest. Please note that, generally, unconstrained bond funds may have higher fees than core bond funds due to the specialized nature of their strategies. The tables above present past performance which is no guarantee of future results and which may be lower or higher than current performance. Returns reflect applicable fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements. Had the Fund incurred all expenses and fees, investment returns would have been reduced. Investment returns and Fund share values will fluctuate so that investors’ shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Fund returns assume that dividends and capital gains distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at Net Asset Value (NAV). Index returns assume that dividends of the index constituents have been reinvested. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal; please see disclaimers on next page. Please call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com for performance current to the most recent month ended.

Data Sources: VanEck Research, FactSet. All portfolio weightings and statements herein as of March 31, 2016. Unless otherwise indicated.

Duration measures a bond’s sensitivity to interest rate changes that reflects the change in a bond’s price given a change in yield. This duration measure is appropriate for bonds with embedded options. Quantitative Easing by a central bank increases the money supply engaging in open market operations in an effort to promote increased lending and liquidity. Monetary Easing is an economic tool employed by a central bank to reduce interest rates and increase money supply in an effort to stimulate economic activity. Correlation is a statistical measure of how two variables move in relation to one other. Liquidity Illusion refers to the effect that an independent variable might have in the liquidity of a security as such variable fluctuates overtime. A Holdouts Issue in the fixed income asset class occurs when a bond issuing country or entity is in default or at the brink of default, and launches an exchange offer in an attempt to restructure its debt held by existing bond holding investors.

Emerging Markets Hard Currency Bonds refers to bonds denominated in currencies that are generally widely accepted around the world (such as the U.S.-Dollar, Euro or Yen). Emerging Markets Local Currency Bonds are bonds denominated in the local currency of the issuer. Emerging Markets Sovereign Bonds are bonds issued by national governments of emerging countries in order to finance a country’s growth. Emerging Markets Quasi-Sovereign Bonds are bonds issued by corporations domiciled in emerging countries that are either 100% government owned or whose debts are 100% government guaranteed. Emerging Markets Corporate Bonds are bonds issued by non-government owned corporations that are domiciled in emerging countries. A Supranational is an international organization, or union, whose members transcend national boundaries and share in the decision-making. Examples of supranationals are: World Bank, IMF, World Trade Organization. The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank for the euro and administers monetary policy of the Eurozone, which consists of 19 EU member states and is one of the largest currency areas in the world. The Labor Market Conditions Index (LMCI) is a dynamic factor model index that combines 19 labor market indicators to provide an assessment of overall labor market conditions. The Employment Cost Index tracks the changes in the costs of labor for businesses in the United States economy.

All indices are unmanaged and include the reinvestment of all dividends, but do not reflect the payment of transaction costs, advisory fees or expenses that are associated with an investment in the Fund. An index’s performance is not illustrative of the Fund’s performance. Indices are not securities in which investments can be made. The 50/50 benchmark (the “Index”) is a blended index consisting of 50% J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified and 50% J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets Global Diversified (GBI-EM). The J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets Global Diversified (GBI-EM) tracks local currency bonds issued by Emerging Markets governments. The index spans over 15 countries. J.P. Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index (EMBI) Global Diversified tracks returns for actively traded external debt instruments in emerging markets, and is also J.P. Morgan’s most liquid U.S-dollar emerging markets debt benchmark. The J.P. Morgan Emerging Country Currency Index (EMCI) is a tradable benchmark for emerging markets currencies versus the U.S. Dollar (USD). The Index compromises 10 currencies: BRL, CLP, CNH, HUF, INR, MXN, RUB, SGD, TRY and ZAR. The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) is an indicator designed to measure consumer confidence, which is defined as the degree of optimism on the state of the economy that consumers are expressing through their activities of savings and spending.

Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but J.P. Morgan does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The Index is used with permission. The index may not be copied, used or distributed without J.P. Morgan’s written approval. Copyright 2014, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.

Please note that the information herein represents the opinion of the portfolio manager and these opinions may change at any time and from time to time and portfolio managers of other investment strategies may take an opposite opinion than those stated herein. Not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Current market conditions may not continue. Non-VanEck proprietary information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this aterial may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of Van Eck Securities Corporation ©2016 VanEck.

Investing involves risk, including loss of principal. You can lose money by investing in the Fund. Any investment in the Fund should be part of an overall investment program, not a complete program. The Fund is subject to risks associated with its investments in emerging markets securities. Investing in foreign denominated and/or domiciled securities may involve heightened risk due to currency fluctua-tions, and economic and political risks, which may be enhanced in emerging markets. As the Fund may invest in securities denominated in foreign currencies and some of the income received by the Fund will be in foreign currencies, changes in currency exchange rates may negatively impact the Fund’s return. Derivatives may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity, interest rate, market, credit, management and the risk that a position could not be closed when most advantageous. The Fund may also be subject to credit risk, in¬terest rate risk, sovereign debt risk, tax risk, non-diversification risk and risks associated with non-investment grade securities. Please see the prospectus and summary prospectus for information on these and other risk considerations.

Investors should consider the Fund’s investment objective, risks, and charges and expenses carefully before investing. Bond and bond funds will decrease in value as interest rates rise. The prospectus and summary prospectus contain this as well as other information. Please read them carefully before investing. Please call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com for performance information current to the most recent month end and for a free prospectus and summary prospectus.