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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Tighter supply and low prices bode well for platinum
ETF Securities Weekly Flows Analysis – Tighter supply and low prices bode well for platinum
Highlights
Metals with industrial applications attracted more than US$100mn inflows. Platinum stands out as a contrarian bet as prices rebound from 10-month low on signs of deepening supply deficit.
Investors continue to favour Euro despite elevated uncertainty ahead of key central bank meetings.
Weakness in oil prices triggered inflows into long oil ETPs after five weeks of outflows. We believe oil price will continue to trade range between US$40-55/bbl.
Silver inflows overwhelm gold as the metal records largest weekly inflows since March. Gold will likely remain under pressure ahead of the US Fed, Bank of England (BoE), Bank of Japan (BoJ) and Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) meetings this week and the US election next week. Gold rose modestly, while US dollar slipped in the wake of Trump closing in on Clinton in polls amid the fall-out from FBI emails. Silver and metals with industrial applications in general took the lead last week as China looks set to meet its growth target of 6.7% this year. US$54mn went into long silver ETPs, US$39mn into long platinum ETPs, US$4.6mn into long copper ETPs and US$8.1mn into broad baskets of industrial metal ETPs.
Platinum could gain momentum trade as supply continues to tighten. Platinum price fell 18% since its August peak to a 10-month low the previous Friday. The threat of a massive strike in South African mines like in 2014 and the potential for the industry to be in deficit this year for the fifth consecutive year have surprisingly failed to support prices. We believe the plunge in net speculative long positions since early August explains most of the counterintuitive price weakness. ETP Investors have however increased their long positions in platinum ETPs highlighting that this level is an interesting entry point for bargain hunters betting on further supply tighteness in the coming year. Platinum ETPs recorded inflows last week for the fifth consecutive week totalling US$113mn.
First significant inflows in oil ETPs after five weeks of outflows. Oil prices rose 2% since the last OPEC meeting in September when members reached an agreement to limit oil output. While prices rallied following the news, we said that capping OPEC production at 33 million barrels alone will do little on its own to reduce the surplus and indeed oil prices fell 4% last week on rising US oil production and increasing sceptisim about OPEC’s ability to finalise the agreement. Investors appear split on oil’s next move. Last week bargain-hunters bought US$22mn of long oil ETPs, while US$7mn inflows into short oil ETPs highlight some investors scepticism.
Investors continue to increase positions in long Euro ETPs. Last week saw nearly US$25mn into long Euro ETPs. Around US$11mn were against GBP, US$8mn against USD and US$5mn against JPY. Short Euro ETPs also saw redemptions indicating investors view the euro area to be in decent shape ahead of the GDP and CPI releases this week.
Central banks on stage this week. The Fed, BoE, BoJ and RBA are all due to meet to decide on the future path for monetary policy this week. This could set the tone for a volatile week across all asset classes. A number of key economic data are also due to be released: EU GDP for Q3 and inflation data for October, US ISM manufacturing and China manufacturing PMI for October.
Video Presentation
Edith Southammakosane, Research Analyst 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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The products discussed in this communication are issued by ETFS Commodity Securities Limited (”CSL”), ETFS Hedged Commodity Securities Limited (”HCSL”), ETFS Hedged Metal Securities Limited (”HMSL”), Swiss Commodity Securities Limited (”SCSL”), ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited (”FXL”), ETFS Metal Securities Limited (”MSL”), ETFS Oil Securities Limited (”OSL”), ETFS Equity Securities Limited (”ESL”), Gold Bullion Securities Limited (”GBS” and, together with CSL, HCSL, HMSL, SCSL, FXL, MSL, OSL and ESL, the ”Issuers”) and GO UCITS ETF Solutions Plc (the ”Company ”). Each Issuer (apart from SCSL) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. The Company is an open-ended investment company with variable capital having segregated liability between its sub-funds (each a ”Fund”) and is organised under the laws of Ireland. The Company is regulated, and has been authorised as a UCITS by the Central Bank of Ireland (the ”Financial Regulator”) pursuant to the European Communities (Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) Regulations, 2003 (as amended). Italy: When being made within Italy, this communication is for the exclusive use of the ”qualified investors” and its circulation among the public is prohibited. Switzerland: In Switzerland, this communication is only intended for Regulated Qualified Investors. US: This communication is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares in the United States or any province or territory thereof, where none of the Issuers, the Company or any securities issued by them are authorised or registered for distribution and where no prospectus for any of the Issuers or the Company has been filed with any securities commission or regulatory authority. Neither this communication nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States. Neither the Issuers, the Company nor any securities issued by them have been or will be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 or the Investment Company Act of 1940 or qualified under any applicable state securities statutes. This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any information contained herein and any opinions related to product or market activity may change. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data. Any historical performance included in this communication may be based on back testing. Back tested performance is purely hypothetical and is provided in this communication solely for informational purposes. Back tested data does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of actual or future performance. Historical performance is not an indication of or a guide to future performance. The information contained in this communication is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchaser or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of such jurisdiction. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.
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Trade Idea – Foreign Exchange – Aussie dollar to turn lower
Sentiment towards the AUD has turned bearish as iron ore prices retreat to two month lows.
The global iron ore market looks set to stay well supplied in 2016 as major producers honour high production targets.
The AUD/USD will be prone to downside if the US Federal Reserve meeting next week has a hawkish outcome.
Oversupply to push iron ore prices lower
In our last piece on the AUD we outlined a case for the currency to maintain its upward momentum, emphasising the importance of rising commodity prices in supporting its rally (see Aussie rally intact) and the longer term risks associated with this dynamic. In the interim, sentiment towards Australia’s primary export, iron ore, has taken a marked turn, falling 7% to a two month low ($56/tonne). Over coming months it looks increasingly likely that iron ore prices will resume their decline, as news of increased supply on the international market continues to compound bearish sentiment. With the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) looking increasingly neutral and recent manufacturing data falling for the first time in a year, the AUD looks likely to succumb to downward pressure from falling export prices. A fall in the AUD/USD could be catalysed by a hawkish outcome to the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) monetary policy meeting next week, as the currency pair has recently exhibited sensitivity to rhetoric from Fed speakers.
The world’s largest producers of iron ore Vale, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have all recently committed to maintaining production at strong levels in coming years. Together these firms are responsible for approximately three quarters of the global seaborne market, making their contribution significant for the price of the mineral on the international stage. The Australian Department of Industry, Science and Innovation, in its June 2016 resource outlook, predicted that Australian and Brazilian exports of iron ore will grow on average by 6.7% and 5.5% per year respectively to 2017, compounding supply issues in an already over-supplied market. Representatives from BHP Billiton have also recently revealed that they expect the iron ore price to fall from current levels which sit at the top of their expected range due to a “well-telegraphed” influx of cheap supply from major producers. This makes the prospects for iron ore and AUD increasingly bearish in the months ahead.
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Tide turning
The AUD/USD currency pair has produced a number of bearish signals in recent weeks, breaking key support levels and accumulating downward momentum. The AUD/USD has also been negatively impacted by recent hawkish rhetoric from members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), falling following speeches from Dudley, Fisher and Rosengren.
Should the Fed deliver a message of further tightening at its meeting next week we could see the AUD/USD fall beyond the low from the 28th July of 0.7421 to its 200 DMA (daily moving average) of 0.7398.
RBA maintains a neutral stance on upbeat outlook
The RBA has increasingly projected signs that it remains satisfied with current economic conditions and intends to maintain a neutral monetary policy stance. A recent speech by Assistant Governor Chris Kent provided an upbeat assessment of the Australian economy, flagging “abatement of two substantial headwinds”, namely the decline in mining capex and a fall in the nation’s terms of trade. The speech complemented strong trade data from China in providing an improved outlook for the Australian economy, thus reducing the case for further rate reductions in 2016.
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This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the ”FCA”).
This communication is only targeted at qualified or professional investors.
The products discussed in this communication are issued by ETFS Commodity Securities Limited (”CSL”), ETFS Hedged Commodity Securities Limited (”HCSL”), ETFS Hedged Metal Securities Limited (”HMSL”), Swiss Commodity Securities Limited (”SCSL”), ETFS Foreign Exchange Limited (”FXL”), ETFS Metal Securities Limited (”MSL”), ETFS Oil Securities Limited (”OSL”), ETFS Equity Securities Limited (”ESL”), Gold Bullion Securities Limited (”GBS” and, together with CSL, HCSL, HMSL, SCSL, FXL, MSL, OSL and ESL, the ”Issuers”) and GO UCITS ETF Solutions Plc (the ”Company ”). Each Issuer (apart from SCSL) is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. The Company is an open-ended investment company with variable capital having segregated liability between its sub-funds (each a ”Fund”) and is organised under the laws of Ireland. The Company is regulated, and has been authorised as a UCITS by the Central Bank of Ireland (the ”Financial Regulator”) pursuant to the European Communities (Undertaking for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities) Regulations, 2003 (as amended).
Italy: When being made within Italy, this communication is for the exclusive use of the ”qualified investors” and its circulation among the public is prohibited.
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This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy or correctness of any information contained herein and any opinions related to product or market activity may change. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data.
Any historical performance included in this communication may be based on back testing. Back tested performance is purely hypothetical and is provided in this communication solely for informational purposes. Back tested data does not represent actual performance and should not be interpreted as an indication of actual or future performance. Historical performance is not an indication of or a guide to future performance.
The information contained in this communication is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchaser or sale would be unlawful under the securities law of such jurisdiction. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision.
ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.
Risk Warnings
Securities issued by the Issuers and the Company may be structured products involving a significant degree of risk and may not be suitable for all types of investor. This communication is aimed at sophisticated, professional and institutional investors. Any decision to invest should be based on the information contained in the prospectus (and any supplements thereto) of the relevant Issuer or the Company which includes, inter alia, information on certain risks associated with an investment. The price of any securities may go up or down and an investor may not get back the amount invested. Securities may be priced in US Dollars, Euros, or Sterling, and the value of the investment in other currencies will be affected by exchange rate movements. Investments in the securities of the Issuers or the shares of the Company which provide a short and/or leveraged exposure are only suitable for sophisticated, professional and institutional investors who understand leveraged and compounded daily returns and are willing to magnify potential losses by comparison to investments which do not incorporate these strategies. Over periods of greater than one day, investments with a short and/or leveraged exposure do not necessarily provide investors with a return equivalent to a return from the unleveraged long or unleveraged short investments multiplied by the relevant leverage factor.
Investors should refer to the section entitled ”Risk Factors” in the relevant prospectus for further details of these and other risks associated with an investment in the securities offered by the Issuers and the Company.
The relevant prospectus for each Issuer and the Company may be obtained from www.etfsecurities.com. Please contact ETFS UK at +44 20 7448 4330 or info@etfsecurities.com for more information.
Issuers
General: The FCA has delivered to the regulators listed below certificates of approval attesting that the prospectuses of the Issuers indicated have been drawn up in accordance with Directive 2003/71/EC.
For Dutch, French, German and Italian Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of the Issuers (apart from SCSL) have been passported from the United Kingdom into France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands and have been filed with the l’Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) in France, Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) in Germany, CONSOB and the Bank of Italy in Italy and the Authority Financial Markets (Autoriteit Financiële Markten) in the Netherlands. Copies of prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) and related regulatory documentation, including annual reports, can be obtained in France from HSBC France, 103, Avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris, in Germany from HSBC Trinkhaus & Burkhardt, AG, Konsortialgeschäft, Königsalle 21/23, 40212 Dusseldorf and in the Netherlands from Fortis Bank (Nederland) N.V., Rokin 55, 1012 KK Amsterdam. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of the Issuers (apart from SCSL) may be distributed to investors in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
This communication is not a financial analysis pursuant to Section 34b of the German Securities Trading Act (Wertpapierhandelsgesetz – WpHG) and consequently does not meet all legal requirements to warrant the objectivity of a financial analysis and is also not subject to the ban on trading prior to the publication of a financial analysis.
This communication is not addressed to or intended directly or indirectly, to (a) any persons who do not qualify as qualified investors (gekwalificeerde beleggers) within the meaning of section 1:1 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act as amended from time to time; and/or (b) in circumstances where other exemptions or dispensations from the prohibition the Dutch Financial Supervision Act or the Exemption Regulation of the Act on Financial Supervision apply.
None of the Issuers is required to have a license pursuant to the Dutch Financial Supervision Act as it is exempt from any licensing requirements and is not regulated by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets and consequently no prudential and conduct of business supervision will be exercised.
For Austrian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for each of CSL, HCSL, HMSL, MSL, ESL and FXL have been passported from the United Kingdom into Austria, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and have been filed with Österreichische Finanzmarktaufsicht (Austrian Financial Market Authority) in Austria, Finanstilsynet (Financial Supervisory Authority) in Denmark, Finanssivalvonta (Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority) in Finland, Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários (Portuguese Securities Market Commission) in Portugal, Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores (Securities Market Commission) in Spain and the Finansinspektionen (Financial Supervisory Authority) in Sweden. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for these entities may be distributed to investors in Austria, Finland, Portugal, Spain, Denmark and Sweden.
For Belgian Investors: The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for GBS, CSL, MSL and FXL have been passported from the United Kingdom into Belgium and has been filed with the Commission Bancair, Financiére et des Assurances in Belgium. The prospectuses (and any supplements thereto) for GBS, CSL, MSL and FXL may be distributed to investors in Belgium.
For Swiss investors: The prospectus (and any supplements thereto) for SCSL may be distributed to investors in Switzerland. Securities in SCSL are not shares or units in collective investment schemes within the meaning of CISA. They have not been approved by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) and are not subject to its supervision. The Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities are not issued or guaranteed by a supervised financial intermediary within the meaning of CISA.
This document does not constitute a prospectus under the Companies (Jersey) Law 1991 and is not an offer or an invitation to acquire securities in SCSL. This document does not constitute a Swiss listing prospectus under the SIX Listing Rules and the SIX Additional Rules for the listing of Exchange Traded Products. This document must be read in conjunction with the Swiss Listing Prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between this document and the Swiss Listing Prospectus, the Swiss Listing Prospectus shall prevail. Detailed information on the terms and conditions of the Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities can be found in the Swiss Listing Prospectus under Part 6 – Trust Instrument and Swiss Franc Currency-Hedged Commodity Securities.
Other than as set out above investors may contact ETFS UK at +44 (0)20 7448 4330 or at info@etfsecurities.com to obtain copies of prospectuses and related regulatory documentation, including annual reports. Other than as separately indicated, this communication is being made on a ”private placement” basis and is intended solely for the professional / institutional recipient to which it is delivered.
Securities issued by the Issuers are direct, limited recourse obligations of the relevant Issuer alone and are not obligations of or guaranteed by any of UBS AG (”UBS”), Merrill Lynch Commodities Inc. (”MLCI”), Merrill Lynch International (”MLI”), Bank of America Corporation (”BAC”), Bloomberg Finance LP (”Bloomberg”), Société Générale (”SG ”), Shell Trading Switzerland, Shell Treasury, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley & Co International plc, Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated or any of their affiliates or anyone else or any of their affiliates. Each of UBS, MLCI, MLI, BAC, Bloomberg, SG, Shell Trading Switzerland, Shell Treasury, HSBC Bank plc, JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., Morgan Stanley & Co International plc and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated disclaims all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to above) which it might have in respect of this communication or its contents otherwise arising in connection herewith.
Funds
Austria: Investors should base their investment decision only on the relevant prospectus of the Company, the Key Investor Information Document, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association, which can be obtained free of charge upon request at the Paying and Information Agent in Austria, Erste Bank der oesterreichischen Sparkassen AG, Graben 21, A1010 Wien, Österreich and on www.etfsecurities.com.
France: Any subscription for shares of the Funds will be made on the basis of the terms of the prospectus, the simplified prospectus and any supplements or addenda thereto. The Company is a UCITS governed by Irish legislation and approved by the Financial Regulator as UCITS compliant with European regulations although may not have to comply with the same rules as those applicable to a similar product approved in France. Certain of the Funds have been registered for marketing in France by the Authority Financial Markets (Autorité des Marchés Financiers) and may be distributed to investors in France. Copies of all documents (i.e. the prospectus (including any supplements or addenda thereto, the Key Investor Information Document, the latest annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and articles of association) are available in France, free of charge, at the French Centralizing Agent, Société Générale, Securities Services, at 1-5 rue du Débarcadère, 92700 Colombes – France. Germany: The offering of the Shares of the Fund has been notified to the German Financial Services Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in accordance with section 310 of the German Investment Code (KAGB). Copies of all documents (i.e. the Key Investor Information Document (in the German language), the prospectus, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association) can be obtained free of charge upon request at the Paying and Information Agent in Germany, HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG, Königsallee 21-23, 40212 Düsseldorf and on www.etfsecurities.com. The current offering and redemption prices as well as the net asset value and possible notifications of the investors can also be requested free of charge at the same address. In Germany the Shares will be settled as co-owner shares in a Global Bearer certificate issued by Clearstream Banking AG. This type of settlement only occurs in Germany because there is no direct link between the English and German clearing and settlement systems CREST and Clearstream. For this reason the ISIN used for trading of the Shares in Germany differs from the ISIN used in other countries.
Netherlands: Each Fund has been registered with the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets following the UCITS passport-procedure pursuant to section 2:72 of the Dutch Financial Supervision Act.
United Kingdom: Each Fund is a recognised scheme under section 264 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and so the prospectus may be distributed to investors in the United Kingdom. Copies of all documents (i.e. the Key Investor Information Document, the prospectus, any supplements or addenda thereto, the latest annual reports and semi-annual reports and the memorandum of incorporation and the articles of association) are available in the United Kingdom from www.etfsecurities.com.
None of the index providers of the Funds referred to herein nor their licensors make any warranty or representation whatsoever either as to the results obtained from use of the relevant indices and/or the figures at which such indices stand at any particular day or otherwise. None of the index providers shall be liable to any person for any errors or significant delays in the relevant indices nor shall be under any obligation to advise any person of any error or significant delay therein.
ETF Securities Research team
ETF Securities (UK) Limited
T +44 (0) 207 448 4336
E info@etfsecurities.com
Important Information
This communication has been provided by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (”ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the ”FCA”).
This communication is only targeted at qualified or professional investors.
The information contained in this communication is for your general information only and is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investments may go down in value.
This document is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares or securities in the United States or any province or territory thereof. Neither this document nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States.
This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. Although ETFS UK endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the content in this communication, ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee its accuracy or correctness. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data. Where ETFS UK has expressed its own opinions related to product or market activity, these views may change. Neither ETFS UK, nor any affiliate, nor any of their respective officers, directors, partners, or employees accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this publication or its contents.
ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.
Market Insight – Foreign Exchange Risks shift to the downside for the Aussie
RBA cuts rates
On the 3rd May the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) took the decision to cut interest rates in response to recent signs of weak inflationary pressure. While the move itself was not a complete surprise (55% probability priced in prior to RBA meeting), the quarterly monetary policy statement that accompanied the meeting revealed that the bank’s central view towards inflation had taken a marked shift. The bank had slashed inflation forecasts by 50-100bps to reflect a new base scenario, whereby underlying inflation would sit at the bottom of the target 2-3% range for the entirety of the forecast period (to Jun-18, see Figure 1). Since the meeting, the AUD has fallen 3.3%* on a trade weighted basis but market pricing of further cuts have not really moved (only one further cut priced in this year). Going forward, the AUD has potential to come under further pressure, especially if Australian inflationary measures remain subdued and prompt the RBA to pursue a more aggressive easing path.
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Weak wages underpin inflation outlook
The latest monetary policy statement highlights that “the outlook for domestic cost pressures is a key source of uncertainty” for the RBA’s own inflation predictions. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveals that recent wage growth and headline inflation numbers have been particularly lacklustre, falling despite above trend growth and declining unemployment (see Figure 2). Furthermore, inflation expectations have fallen sharply since the turn of the year, raising concerns that low expectations will become embedded in wage levels. These risks will place additional emphasis on ABS wage and inflation data due on the 18th May and 26th July respectively. Should they disappoint, the AUD will likely fall against its developed market counterparts as expectations of further easing rise.
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Speculative longs fall from highs
Speculative long AUD positions fell for the first in time in almost two months last week as the RBA’s dovish monetary policy statement and the recent fall in bulk commodity prices has led investors to reassess the recent upward trend. In coming months, positioning is likely to fall from current elevated levels and could place the AUD under pressure.
Important Information
This communication has been issued and approved for the purpose of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 by ETF Securities (UK) Limited (“ETFS UK”) which is authorised and regulated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”).
The information contained in this communication is for your general information only and is neither an offer for sale nor a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. This communication should not be used as the basis for any investment decision. Historical performance is not an indication of future performance and any investments may go down in value.
This document is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed as, an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares or securities in the United States or any province or territory thereof. Neither this document nor any copy hereof should be taken, transmitted or distributed (directly or indirectly) into the United States.
This communication may contain independent market commentary prepared by ETFS UK based on publicly available information. Although ETFS UK endeavours to ensure the accuracy of the content in this communication, ETFS UK does not warrant or guarantee its accuracy or correctness. Any third party data providers used to source the information in this communication make no warranties or representation of any kind relating to such data. Where ETFS UK has expressed its own opinions related to product or market activity, these views may change. Neither ETFS UK, nor any affiliate, nor any of their respective officers, directors, partners, or employees accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this publication or its contents.
ETFS UK is required by the FCA to clarify that it is not acting for you in any way in relation to the investment or investment activity to which this communication relates. In particular, ETFS UK will not provide any investment services to you and or advise you on the merits of, or make any recommendation to you in relation to, the terms of any transaction. No representative of ETFS UK is authorised to behave in any way which would lead you to believe otherwise. ETFS UK is not, therefore, responsible for providing you with the protections afforded to its clients and you should seek your own independent legal, investment and tax or other advice as you see fit.
