Etikett: Tom Butcher

Natural Resources by Van Eck

Oil rig Natural Resources by Van EckNatural Resources by Van Eck

Oil Market’s Shifting Supply and Demand Fundamentals Natural Resources by Van Eck

TOM BUTCHER: Shawn, thus far in 2016, have supply and demand fundamentals in the oil market shifted as you expected them to?

SHAWN REYNOLDS: We believe that there is no doubt that the oil market’s supply and demand fundamentals are coming into place and will tighten through the end of the year. However, we think the timing is unclear in terms of how fast or slow this will happen, but we are likely to see tightening later in the year. The biggest surprise has been the depth of the changes at hand, which have created a sense that tightening might happen quicker than expected; but in our opinion, tightening is certainly going to last for some time.

When we talk about the depth of changes, we refer to the rig counts here in the U.S., which have fallen 78%. That is unprecedented in the time that we have been counting rigs drilling in the U.S., which began in the 1970s. We also look at activity levels and investment levels overseas.

Declining Rig Counts Across the Globe U.S. Count Down 78%

Source: Bloomberg, as of March 2016.

If we look more closely at integrated oil companies and consider that they cut capital investment plans by 25% in 2015, and are expected to cut another 25% in 2016, we again find that there has been no precedent. These developments have never been experienced in the history of the modern oil industry. While things are more or less playing out as we expected, there are certainly some surprises. They may be taking place slowly now, during the first part of the year, but they will likely speed up and endure for some time in terms of upside price correction.

BUTCHER: What might be some of the long-term effects of those capital investment cuts on the integrated oil companies?

Big Oil Projects Postponed or Canceled

REYNOLDS: It has been staggering to observe the reactions from the integrated companies. Obviously, many headlines focus on U.S. oil shale and the rig count reduction of 78%. If you dig into the volumes that are connected with these two major changes taking place, the E&P (exploration and production) companies and the integrated oil companies will not experience equivalent impact. The potential impact on the integrated oil companies will be significantly larger and longer term.

What do these reductions in capital investments entail? They mean big projects being canceled or postponed. If you add it all up, we’re looking at somewhere between 6-13 million barrels a day of projects being postponed or canceled. These projects were slated to take place between 2014 and 2020 and now they are off the shelf until post 2020, if at all.

We are seeing big projects being canceled by individual companies. For example, Petrobras [Brazil’s Petróleo Brasileiro S.A], or Royal Dutch Shell [Netherlands], or Chevron [U.S.], or Total [France]. Every single one of these multi-national companies is canceling major projects. For example, the French company Total has not approved any major projects in 2014 or 2015 and will likely not approve anything in 2016; and it has nothing on the docket for 2017. Royal Dutch Shell hasn’t approved anything since 2013, except for one project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

Integrated Cos. Likely to Suffer Multi-Year Declines in Production

This activity is unprecedented, and we believe it sets up a situation where the oil production of integrated companies, which has grown slowly over the years but is still growing, will begin to decline. We expect a multi-year decline that may not begin until later in 2016 or perhaps early 2017. By late 2017, and certainly for several years thereafter, we are likely to see a very methodical decline in overall supply. This will heavily impact the overall oil market.

BUTCHER: For oil and gas exploration and production companies, what characteristics have enabled the successful ones to survive?

Geology, Technology, and a Healthy Balance Sheet are Critical

REYNOLDS: There are companies that are surviving and thriving. Identifying these strong companies is an important part of our process. We have always looked for a special set of characteristics that allows important and steady structural growth.

What specifically do we look for? We spend time identifying companies with the right acreage and the right geology. That’s something we do every day. We look at individual oil well results, and try to figure out what are the sweet spots for a given location. Sometimes consensus is that everybody knows exactly where the sweet spot is; but if you’re off by a few miles or a few counties, it can make a significant difference in who actually has the best rock. Therefore, we spend a great deal of time looking for the companies with the best rock. That is number one.

Technology Should be Part of the Company’s DNA

Number two is technology. The shale phenomenon in the U.S. is all about evolutionary technology and taking it step-by-step, tweaking small aspects of the technology in order to increase reserve bases, increase production rates, lower costs, and raise returns. We are always looking for companies that incorporate this process as part of its DNA or culture, and not something they’re just pulling off the shelf to try because it worked for someone else. It is the scientific culture at the heart of a company that is key in making shale production economic and taking it to the next step in terms of adding unexpected amounts of reserves.

Balance Sheet Strength Fosters Innovation

Number three is does the company have the balance sheet, the financial wherewithal to try different ideas? Obviously, if you are squeezed on your cash flow or your balance sheet is stretched, you are not willing or able to try different technologies or methods. You are not likely to risk trying something different and potentially see it fail, only to end up with a dry hole. That kind of outcome is really unacceptable, especially in this environment. But if you do have a strong balance sheet, you’re willing to try something new. We have always looked for this profile, and it is especially important in this environment. Last summer, balance sheets became even more critical, not only in terms of flexibility and the ability to try new technologies, but also in terms of simple survival. Can the company survive tough times when the price of oil is low?

The three characteristics we have always considered are the acid base or the geology, technology, and the balance sheet. This approach has paid dividends during this downturn and certainly in the early part of this year.

BUTCHER: Thank you.

by Shawn Reynolds, Portfolio Manager

Reynolds has more than 30 years of experience covering the energy sector. Before his career in finance, Reynolds worked as an exploration geologist and earned degrees in geology and engineering.

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. You can obtain more specific information on VanEck strategies by visiting Investment Strategies.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker(s) and are current as of the posting date. 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 post and video. You can lose money by investing in a commodities fund. Any investment in a commodities fund should be part of an overall investment program, not a complete program. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agriculture. Commodities and commodity-linked derivatives may be affected by overall market movements and other factors that affect the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes or political or regulatory developments. The value of a commodity-linked derivative is generally based on price movements of a commodity, a commodity futures contract, a commodity index or other economic variables based on the commodity markets. Derivatives use leverage, which may exaggerate a loss. A commodities fund is subject to the risks associated with its investments in commodity-linked derivatives, risks of investing in wholly owned subsidiary, risk of tracking error, risks of aggressive investment techniques, leverage risk, derivatives risks, counterparty risks, non-diversification risk, credit risk, concentration risk and market risk. The use of commodity-linked derivatives such as swaps, commodity-linked structured notes and futures entails substantial risks, including risk of loss of a significant portion of their principal value, lack of a secondary market, increased volatility, correlation risk, liquidity risk, interest-rate risk, market risk, credit risk, valuation risk and tax risk. Gains and losses from speculative positions in derivatives may be much greater than the derivative’s cost. At any time, the risk of loss of any individual security held by a commodities fund could be significantly higher than 50% of the security’s value. Investment in commodity markets may not be suitable for all investors. A commodity fund’s investment in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the fund to greater volatility than investment in traditional securities.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of any investment strategy carefully before investing. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of Van Eck Securities Corporation.

Commodities Stand Out

Commodities Stand Out

Investment Outlook: Commodities Stand Out

Video – Investment Outlook: Commodities Stand Out

Jan van Eck, CEO, provides an update on his investment outlook for 2016. The rally in commodities has done more than provide an investment opportunity; it has also driven positive performance in a number of other asset classes. Commodities Stand Out.

TOM BUTCHER: Jan, commodities have seen a rebound in 2016. What’s your outlook for the rest of the year?

JAN VAN ECK: We’re very happy about the first quarter rebound. We do think commodities have bottomed and there are a couple of factors to consider. What we always stress, because I think it’s the most important thing for people to understand, is the supply response. We think there has always been a growing demand for commodities around the world, whether it’s energy, natural gas, oil, or metals, such as copper. What caused prices to fall was an oversupply situation, which we think has been corrected. We’re glad to see that demand has caught up with supply.

I think the way for investors to think about this current environment is to consider this as an opportunity if one takes a much longer term perspective. We investors tend to be very focused on the short term. Energy is now very low as a percent of the overall S&P 500® Index. At its peak it was close to 16% and it’s near 6% now. Taking a multi-decade perspective tells us that energy is relatively cheap right now. Similarly, if you look at gold shares over a longer period of time, you may see that while they’ve risen a great deal this year, they may still have much further to go because they fell so far.

My Message to Investors: This is a Great Opportunity

That is my number one message to investors: This is a great longer term opportunity. Don’t obsess about the correct entry point.

BUTCHER: But global growth has been slow, debt levels have been high, and some governments have actually resorted to negative rates.

VAN ECK: We’ve seen this year a real inflection point, as Japan brought some of its interest rates negative. The question is how do you get economic growth going? After the financial crisis in the U.S., we had the same response: zero interest rates to try to stimulate economic growth. I think central banks are now basically taking it to the next level, i.e., negative interest rates. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen spoke about this in her recent testimony, and former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke has been speaking about negative interest rates as well.

Negative Interest Rates May Cause Investors to Disengage

We think negative rates can be dangerous. Rather than stimulating the economy, negative interest rates, I believe, can cause people to withdraw from participating. Think about it from an investor’s perspective. It is very worrisome when a bank will only give you 99 cents at the end of the year when you gave it a dollar in January. I think that can make people take less risk rather than engage in order to help stimulate growth.

Negative interest rates are fantastic for gold because gold doesn’t pay a coupon, unlike bonds or stocks that pay dividends. Gold always has to compete with other financial assets but if financial assets are costing you money in a negative interest rate environment, we see no reason not to own gold. We think that’s one of the reasons why gold has been rallying this year.

China’s Consumer-Driven ”New” Economy: Exciting, Yet ”Lumpy”

BUTCHER: What are your views on China?

VAN ECK: China is the second largest economy in the world and we think that every investment committee needs to have a view on China. Our view has been that, while there are some growing pains, and the devaluation of the renminbi was a major event last year, there are no systemic risks [i.e., risks inherent to China’s entire economy, rather than a single segment of the economy].

One of the things that we love to talk about is new China versus old China. New China is characterized by the consumer-driven and healthcare sectors; old China is steel, coal, and heavy manufacturing. Old China is continuing to face profitability issues. Another matter that we’ve recently been discussing is the growth of China’s overall debt levels, which are particularly concentrated in old China. There is between $1 to $2 trillion of bad debt in China right now. China’s economy amounts to $10 trillion and its overall debt level is approximately $20 trillion. These are large numbers. However, not every bad debt goes to zero, but the bad debt is very concentrated in the old economy sectors.1

We don’t think that causes a systemic risk but it may cause lumpiness in the performance of some of China’s financial assets. Because various regions will be badly affected, people who have fixed income exposure to those regions will likely be badly impacted. There are likely to be some defaults. Still, we think it’s a good thing because it’s a healthy process.

What’s Changed in our Outlook Since January

BUTCHER: Jan, you described your outlook at the beginning of 2016. How has it changed since January?

VAN ECK: Several important things happened in the first quarter. First of all, we thought that credit was very cheap, meaning interest rates had risen on MLPs [master limited partnerships] and on high yield bonds, which were almost showing signs of distress. We also said that this represented a great investment opportunity. In fact, high yield has outperformed the U.S. equity market2. Right now, I think that high risk bonds are a little less appealing today than they were when we first started the year.

Commodities Q1 Rally Creates Positive Inflection Point

Additionally, I think the equity markets still have a lot of struggling to do because price-to-earnings ratios are very high. Earnings fell last year in the U.S. They should be recovering now, looking forward over the next 12 months. Part of the reason is the strong U.S. dollar. Overall, we think equities are so-so and the U.S. economy, as well as the global economy, will muddle along.

Commodities were the big story in the first quarter. They dragged up other asset classes. For example, they helped emerging markets debt; they’ve helped Latin America. A good amount of high yield U.S. debt was energy-related, and it has rallied tremendously. It is interesting that what can be characterized as a bottom-up phenomenon of supply cuts kicking in within the commodities sector has helped other asset classes from a macro perspective.

Overall, we believe that commodities are the standout from a multi-year view. This is a great time for investors to look at them, given that we believe this is an inflection point.

BUTCHER: Thank you very much.

Market Insights

by Jan van Eck, CEO

An innovator of investment solutions, Jan van Eck has created a multitude of strategies spanning international, emerging markets, and commodities opportunities. He plays an active role in shaping the firm’s actively managed and ETF investment offerings. Jan’s research focus is on developments in China and technology’s effect on the financial services industry.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE

1Source: CEIC, HSBC. Data as of December 2015.

2Source: Bloomberg, March 31, 2016.

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. You can obtain more specific information on VanEck strategies by visiting Investment Strategies.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker(s) and are current as of the posting date. 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 post and video. You can lose money by investing in a commodities fund. Any investment in a commodities fund should be part of an overall investment program, not a complete program. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agriculture. Commodities and commodity-linked derivatives may be affected by overall market movements and other factors that affect the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes or political or regulatory developments. The value of a commodity-linked derivative is generally based on price movements of a commodity, a commodity futures contract, a commodity index or other economic variables based on the commodity markets. Derivatives use leverage, which may exaggerate a loss. A commodities fund is subject to the risks associated with its investments in commodity-linked derivatives, risks of investing in wholly owned subsidiary, risk of tracking error, risks of aggressive investment techniques, leverage risk, derivatives risks, counterparty risks, non-diversification risk, credit risk, concentration risk and market risk. The use of commodity-linked derivatives such as swaps, commodity-linked structured notes and futures entails substantial risks, including risk of loss of a significant portion of their principal value, lack of a secondary market, increased volatility, correlation risk, liquidity risk, interest-rate risk, market risk, credit risk, valuation risk and tax risk. Gains and losses from speculative positions in derivatives may be much greater than the derivative’s cost. At any time, the risk of loss of any individual security held by a commodities fund could be significantly higher than 50% of the security’s value. Investment in commodity markets may not be suitable for all investors. A commodity fund’s investment in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the fund to greater volatility than investment in traditional securities.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of any investment strategy carefully before investing. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of Van Eck Securities Corporation.

Commodities Show Signs of Recovery

Commodities Show Signs of Recovery

Commodities Show Signs of Recovery

Morris: ”We have seen commodities prices stabilize and some very encouraging signs…. We believe this is the kind of action that could set the stage for a longer term positive cycle.”

Morris follows up on his November 2015 video on commodities, with this fresh look at the commodities landscape.

Prices Stabilize in First Quarter

TOM BUTCHER: The last three to four years have been challenging for commodities but it appears that prices have stabilized. Is that right?

ROLAND MORRIS: It is certainly starting to look like that. In the first quarter of 2016, we have seen prices stabilize and some very encouraging signs. We have also seen some recovery in commodity currencies. Gold bottomed in December 2015 and it is now up about 20% off that low [period from 12/17/15 to 3/22/16]. We had copper bottom in January and it is now about 17% off its low [period from 01/15/16 to 3/22/16]. Crude oil bottomed in February and it is up about 16% for the year [YTD as of 3/22/16]. We have seen what appears to be a base-building over the past two quarters. This is very encouraging. We believe it is the kind of action that could set the stage for a longer term positive cycle. Last year in 2015 we experienced what was a false start, but this year it feels more like this could be the real thing.

Confidence Improves as China Fears Lessen

BUTCHER: Going into 2016 there was major concern about the outlook for China. Has that been ongoing?

MORRIS: I think that is one of the factors that contributed to what appears to be improving price trends in commodities. When you look back to the beginning of this year to January, we experienced a major decline in China’s stock market and its currency. This caused tremendous fear among investors that the worst case scenario was about to play out in China and that would have been a hard landing and possibly a forced currency devaluation because of capital flight. Since then things have calmed down a great deal. In February, capital outflows from China slowed markedly. I believe this is one of the key reasons we are seeing some restored confidence in commodities right now.

Fed’s Softening on Rates Helps Commodities

BUTCHER: Are there any other factors that have helped improve the outlook for commodities?

MORRIS: I believe another important factor in commodities’ recent strength has been the shift by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed). The Fed indicated at its March meeting that it viewed current global financial developments as negative and it felt it needed to defer its proposed tightening program. That set the stage for some weakness in the U.S. dollar. The strengthening dollar trend had been one of the major headwinds facing commodities over the past three years. I think investors are starting to believe that the Fed will not be aggressive in raising rates and this has put a cap on the U.S. dollar’s appreciation, which has been very helpful for commodities.

BUTCHER: Can you provide me additional details about stabilization across the commodity spectrum?

MORRIS: We started making the following argument late last summer. We have felt that because of the reduction in capex (capital expenditure) across a number of commodities sectors and curtailment of investment, particularly in energy and industrial metals, investors have underappreciated the supply response. This is what we consider the fundamental story. Combined with improvements in some of these macro factors, this is what supports our point of view that this is the beginning of a new, positive cycle for commodities. It is against this backdrop, i.e., the reduction in supply, that we consider when looking out over the next two to five years.

Why this Period is Different from a Year Ago

BUTCHER: Do you think this is one of the distinguishing features between now and the situation back at the beginning of 2015?

MORRIS: Last year we certainly had some encouraging signs at the beginning of the second quarter, including appreciating price trends when crude oil went from $40 per barrel to $60 per barrel. Unfortunately that just petered out as the year progressed. I think the difference this time is the duration. We like to talk about fixing low prices, which requires a period of time to take hold. I think what is different now is we are a whole year further into the cycle and those capex cancellations from reduced investment may bring down supply significantly. From my perspective, the reason this may not be a false start is that we’ve had a longer period of low prices and it is both low prices and their duration that I believe help form a base.

BUTCHER: Have you had any interesting questions crop up in recent meetings with investment clients?

Interest in Commodities is on the Upswing

MORRIS: Yes. Just recently a client asked me what I think about our investments at VanEck in natural resources, including gold, etc. The client inquired how those investments might work in the event of a major negative geopolitical event. I had not been asked that question before. When you think about it, gold investments have the potential to provide protection in an unsafe environment. Additionally, natural resources by themselves can be considered a safety in a volatile investment climate because they are hard assets. The client’s question was interesting and I do think natural resources and gold in particular can do well in a tough environment.

BUTCHER: Have you been seeing any change in investor sentiment?

MORRIS: Overall I think clients have been more receptive. We have spent considerable time over the past few months meeting with institutional clients as well as other types of investors. My sense is that investors are starting to believe that now might be the time to consider either increasing natural resource investments or looking at them for the first time. I think this is partially because price trends have obviously improved in the first quarter. I also think most investors believe the Fed is unlikely to become aggressive with monetary tightening. We feel the Fed is more worried about the global growth environment and consequently it will probably keep the U.S. dollar contained. I think investors are starting to recognize that without the headwind of an appreciating U.S. dollar, natural resources may appear more attractive.

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. You can obtain specific information on VanEck strategies by visiting Investment Strategies.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker and are current as of the video’s posting date. Video 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. For more information about Van Eck Funds, Market Vectors ETFs or fund performance, visit vaneck.com. Any discussion of specific securities mentioned in the video commentaries is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy these securities. Fund holdings will vary. All indices mentioned are measures of common market sectors and performance. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Information on holdings, performance and indices can be found at vaneck.com.

Please note that Van Eck Securities Corporation offers investment products that invest in the asset class(es) included in this video.

You can lose money by investing in a commodities fund. Any investment in a commodities fund should be part of an overall investment program, not a complete program. Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, and agriculture. Commodities and commodity-linked derivatives may be affected by overall market movements and other factors that affect the value of a particular industry or commodity, such as weather, disease, embargoes or political or regulatory developments. The value of a commodity-linked derivative is generally based on price movements of a commodity, a commodity futures contract, a commodity index or other economic variables based on the commodity markets. Derivatives use leverage, which may exaggerate a loss. A commodities fund is subject to the risks associated with its investments in commodity-linked derivatives, risks of investing in wholly owned subsidiary, risk of tracking error, risks of aggressive investment techniques, leverage risk, derivatives risks, counterparty risks, non-diversification risk, credit risk, concentration risk and market risk. The use of commodity-linked derivatives such as swaps, commodity-linked structured notes and futures entails substantial risks, including risk of loss of a significant portion of their principal value, lack of a secondary market, increased volatility, correlation risk, liquidity risk, interest-rate risk, market risk, credit risk, valuation risk and tax risk. Gains and losses from speculative positions in derivatives may be much greater than the derivative’s cost. At any time, the risk of loss of any individual security held by a commodities fund could be significantly higher than 50% of the security’s value. Investment in commodity markets may not be suitable for all investors. A commodity fund’s investment in commodity-linked derivative instruments may subject the fund to greater volatility than investment in traditional securities.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. An investor should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the investment company before investing. Call 800.826.2333 or click below to obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus which contain this and other information. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.

No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of Van Eck Securities Corporation. © Van Eck Securities Corporation.

by Roland Morris, Portfolio Manager and Strategist
Roland Morris is a veteran of commodities investing with more than 35 years of experience. Morris is Portfolio Manager and Strategist for commodity investing at VanEck, and is a member of both the commodities and hard assets investment teams. Read full bio.

Health, Happiness, and Higher Rates

Health, Happiness, and Higher Rates

Health, Happiness, and Higher Rates. Now that the Fed has raised rates, there is more to celebrate than the holidays. Not only is the U.S. economy stronger, but 2016 may bring unique opportunities.

Watch Now  

Video Transcript

TOM BUTCHER: After much anticipation, the Federal Reserve (Fed) announced that it is raising short-term interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade. Jan, it looks as if we are wishing our clients health, happiness, and now higher rates this holiday season.

JAN VAN ECK: I think it is indeed a reason to celebrate because I think the Fed is saying that the U.S. economy is strong enough to withstand a normalization of monetary policy. It started a year ago with a roll-off of QE3, i.e., the third round of quantitative easing. Now it seems that the Fed is comfortable enough with U.S. labor statistics and the global economic situation, which had caused the Fed to delay this rate hike a couple of times in 2015. First, I think turbulence in Europe and the strengthening U.S. dollar against the euro concerned the Fed; then came [stock market] turbulence in China over the summer. Now there is reason to celebrate and things are relatively good.

The question is: What are the implications of the rate hike on our asset classes? I think there are few direct implications. With respect to commodities, there is still much consolidation that needs to wipe through the markets, and if a normal cycle is upon us, commodities should bottom in the first quarter of 2016 [see 11/25 post]. We think that this process will continue largely unaffected by the Fed’s rate hike.

Additionally, growth is slow in the developed markets and China is slowing; global growth has been weak for two years now. There are many headwinds, and we think these trends will persist as well.

What gets us excited for 2016 is what we call growth spots, meaning sectors in different countries that may grow 20% or more, regardless of whether global growth is only 2%. That’s how we are looking at 2016, and the Fed’s interest rate hike doesn’t really impact that outlook.

BUTCHER: Thank you very much.

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. You can obtain more specific information on Van Eck Global strategies by visiting Investment Strategies.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the speaker(s) and are current as of the posting date. 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 post and video.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of any investment strategy carefully before investing. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of Van Eck Securities Corporation. © Van Eck Global.