Fallen Angels’ Index Rule Change Should Enhance Liquidity
The BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA), which VanEck Vectors Fallen Angels High Yield Bond ETF (ANGL)seeks to track, will implement a rule change on September 30 raising the minimum amount outstanding permissible for each bond issue from $100 million to $250 million. As a result, approximately 7.4% of the current Index will be eliminated. We see this as a positive move that should help improve the overall liquidity of the Index’s universe, while imposing relatively minimal impact on potential performance and composition.
Improving Liquidity by Removing Small Holdings
The rule change will help promote the Index’s liquidity by eliminating a number of very small components that tend to be less liquid and difficult to trade relative to larger issues. This is likely to have two very positive effects. First, market makers in the ANGL ETF will no longer see bond issues smaller than $250 million in creation and redemption baskets, with positive ramifications for their estimated cost of trading those baskets. Second, eliminating hard-to-trade smaller positions from the underlying Index could help improve ANGL’s tracking error, as the ETF may now be more closely aligned with the Index’s constituency.
Little Impact to Performance, Yield, and Duration
Based on the Index’s historical return profile, we anticipate that the rule change is likely to have minimal impact on Index performance. A closer look at the smaller positions expected to be removed from the Index, reveals that they contributed approximately 130 basis points (bps), or just 1.3%, of the Index’s 22.4% year-to-date total returns. We also note that the yield and duration of the ETF and Index are expected to remain little changed once the smaller bond issues are cut.
Sector and credit composition should be minimally impacted as well. Sixteen out of the eighteen Merrill Lynch Level III sectors’ allocations will likely be trimmed between 0.06% and 0.90%. The automotive sector’s allocation, which was only 0.27% of the Index, would be 0%. In terms of credit quality, we feel the impact of the rule change is minimally positive. The BB-rated group is estimated to remain approximately 75% of the Index, while the lower end of the credit spectrum should decrease slightly, as shown in the table below.
Estimated Credit Quality Impact from Index Rule Change
Source: BofA Merrill Lynch.Based on data as of August 31, 2016. Estimates excluded current bond issues with face values under $250 million. Estimates are not guaranteed and may not reflect actual Index characteristics following rule change. Composite ratings are based on the simple averages of ratings from Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch. This composite is not intended to be a credit opinion.
A Positive Enhancement for Investors
We view the Indexer’s decision to raise the minimum amount outstanding for its eligible Index constituents as favorable for investors of VanEck Vectors Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF (ANGL). The enhancement is expected to eliminate the smaller, less liquid positions with what appears to be a minimal impact on potential performance and composition.
Authored by Meredith Larson, Product Manager, VanEck VectorsTM ETFs
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE
Source of all data: BofA Merrill Lynch, FactSet. Data as of August 31, 2016. Fallen angels are high yield corporate bonds that are originally issued with investment grade credit ratings, and are represented by the BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA). The broad high yield bond market is represented by BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index (H0A0).
Duration is a measure of the sensitivity of the price of a fixed-income investment to a change in interest rates.
Tracking error is the divergence between the price behavior of a position or a portfolio and the price behavior of a benchmark.
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The indices listed are unmanaged indices and do not reflect the payment of transaction costs, advisory fees, or expenses that are associated with an investment in any underlying exchange-traded funds. Index performance is not illustrative of fund performance. Fund performance current to the most recent month end is available by visiting vaneck.com. Historical performance is not indicative of future results; current data may differ from data quoted. Indexes are unmanaged and are not securities in which an investment can be made.
The information herein represents the opinion of the author(s), but not necessarily those of VanEck, and these opinions may change at any time and from time to time. Non-VanEck proprietary information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. Not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Historical performance is not indicative of future results. Current data may differ from data quoted. Any graphs shown herein are for illustrative purposes only. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of VanEck.
BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA) is a subset of the BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index (H0A0), including securities that were rated investment grade at time of issuance. BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Index (H0A0) is comprised of below-investment grade corporate bonds (based on an average of Moody’s, S&P, and Fitch) denominated in U.S. dollars. The country of risk of qualifying issuers must be an FX-G10 member, a Western European nation, or a territory of the U.S. or a Western European nation.
Performance and characteristics of the BofA Merrill Lynch US Fallen Angel High Yield Index (H0FA) are quoted throughout this material. H0FA is representative of the entire fallen angel high yield corporate bond market. H0FA does not represent the performance or yield of the VanEck Vectors Fallen Angel High Yield Bond ETF.
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Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. Bonds and bond funds will generally decrease in value as interest rates rise. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.
De goda nyheterna för köparna är efterfrågan på guldtackor har varit fast i år och att det finns stora, stabila köpare över hela världen. Efterfrågan på guldtillgångar har stigit i år. Till exempel strömmar pengarna in ETFer med fokus på guld som ser sin snabbaste expansionstakt sedan 2009. Fysiskt uppbackade guld-ETF innehav ligger emellertid endast på en tredjedel av vad det gjorde när guldpriset toppade i december 2012. Detta skulle kunna tolkas som att guldpriset kan komma att funnit en ny botten.
De globala centralbankerna som av många ses som viktiga anhängare av guld ser ut att förbli köpare av den gula metallen. Sedan den så kallade finanskrisen2008 har centralbankerna varit stora nettoköpare av guld, en nyligen publicerad rapport från OMFIF (Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum) visar att centralbankerna har köpt guld för mer än 350 ton per år de senaste åtta åren.
Investerare som är intresserade av guldtillgångar har ett antal alternativ, såsom Van Eck Merk Gold Trust (NYSEArca: OUNZ). OUNZ fungerar lite annorlunda än sina konkurrenter. Denna börshandlade fond gör det möjligt för investerare att på ett bekvämt och kostnadseffektivt sätt köpa och äga guld genom en ETF och samtidigt ge dem en möjlighet, om de så önskar, att ta fysisk leverans av metallen.
Varje andel i OUNZ fungerar som en fraktionerad andel av fysiskt guld, så investerare kan utbyta andelar i denna börshandlade fond mot guldtackor när de önskar. En andel i OUNZ motsvarar 0,0099 troy ounce guld, enligt Merk Gold.
Sedan 2008 har centralbankerna köpt till mer än 2 800 ton till sinareserver, nästan 10 procent av de totala tillgångarna. Kina och Ryssland är de största köparna, men den utvecklade världens centralbanker har köpt de med eller åtminstone hållit sina reserver på samma nivåer som tidigare
Hard Currency Emerging Markets Bonds Shine in August
Key Takeaways as of August 31, 2016 – Hard Currency Emerging Markets Bonds Shine in August
• The search for yield continues to fuel strong flows into emerging markets debt funds
• Hard currency sovereign bonds outperformed, driven by tightening spreads over U.S. Treasuries
• Emerging markets high yield corporate bonds were also solid performers, and provided a notable pickup in yield over U.S. high yield
• Although skittishness over a possible Federal Reserve rate hike may continue in September, the climate appears to remain supportive for emerging markets debt
Skittishness has increased in September over a potential hike in U.S. interest rates, especially ahead of next week’s (9/20-9/21) FOMC meeting. In August (the month covered in this post), these concerns were mostly in the background. The ongoing search for yield continues to bring investors into emerging markets debt. Our view is that a rate hike by the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) is not likely to dampen this trend, and that the environment for emerging markets debt will remain supportive.
All Eyes on the Fed
Investors focused on the Fed’s annual event in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (held in late August) for clues about the likely path of interest rates. A surprisingly strong July jobs report led to increasing expectations of a rate hike before the end of the year, and comments from Yellen and Fed Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer seemed to support that case. However, following the meeting weaker than expected U.S. manufacturing and August employment figures seem to have convinced the market that an imminent rate hike is now less likely.
Despite this rate uncertainty, flows into emerging markets debt remained strong in August, slightly moderating from the previous month. Globally, $8.0 billion flowed into emerging markets debt funds according to J.P. Morgan, bringing year-to-date flows to $31.3 billion, with $29.0 billion going into hard currency debt.
Developments in August
With approximately $11.7 trillion in negative yielding global debt, investors continued to allocate to emerging markets debt despite negative developments in some countries. In South Africa, an investigation of the finance minister increased uncertainty over leadership and caused the South African rand to tumble. Turkey maintained its investment grade status for now, but reviews are ongoing and Fitch Ratings lowered its outlook to negative. Standard & Poor’s lowered Mexico’s rating outlook to negative, citing sluggish growth and increasing debt. The agency noted that structural reforms undertaken continue to show positive results, but have not yet stimulated sufficient investment. In Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff was ousted by the Senate, providing hope that the country can move on with fiscal reforms under President Michel Temer. However, Temer’s ability to impose fiscal discipline is unclear, as the country remains divided with relatively little appetite for austerity measures.
There were also positive developments in August. Colombia’s government announced a peace deal with FARC (The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), ending a 52-year-old war with the leftist rebel group. If successful, the Colombian government may now be able to focus on much needed tax reforms. In addition, the strength of emerging markets local currencies this year, assisted by commodity price gains, has helped central banks build up foreign currency reserves for the first time in two years.
Besides bullish political developments in Brazil, there are signs that monetary policy has turned more supportive as Brazil’s central bank indicated potential room for easing. Low or slowing inflation in other countries (e.g., Russia and Indonesia) may provide central banks room to ease rates or end tightening cycles to help boost growth. Elsewhere, including Chile and Mexico, central banks appear to maintain a more hawkish tone.
Spread Tightening Boosts Hard Currency Bonds
In August, hard currency sovereign bonds returned 1.79%, outperforming local currency sovereign bonds, which returned 0.04% (all returns are stated in U.S. dollar terms), and corporates which returned 1.18%. Returns of hard currency bonds were driven by a tightening of spreads over U.S. Treasuries. Local currencies detracted from positive local bond returns as the U.S. dollar showed strength amid expectations of a rate increase.
Latin America was the highest returning region among hard currency sovereign bonds. Both Peru and Colombia released positive economic data, with the latter also benefiting from the peace process. Bonds issued by Mexico were also top performers, despite a cut to the country’s credit rating outlook. Laggards included Mongolia, South Africa, and Chile.
Also of note within the hard currency bond universe is the relative performance of emerging markets high yield corporate debt. At 14.75% total return through the end of August, the sector is performing in line with U.S. high yield, which has returned 14.58%, and is 600 basis points ahead of emerging markets investment grade corporates which have returned 9.35% year-to-date. Emerging markets high yield corporates were still yielding above 7% at the end of August and provided 107 basis points pick-up versus U.S. high yield in option adjusted spread terms. Emerging markets high yield corporates currently have a one notch higher average credit rating than U.S. high yield and a shorter duration as well (3.74 vs. 4.20). That said, the spread pickup over U.S. high yield is near its lowest level since early 2013.
Among local currency sovereign bonds, Colombia, Russia, and the Philippines all experienced currency appreciation, adding to positive local bond returns. South Africa, Chile, and Indonesia were laggards. Chile’s government is dealing with an economic slowdown and rising pension costs. The ability to address these issues is in question given the unpopularity of the current government.
The Supportive Market Environment
In the short run, investors are likely to continue to focus on Fed action and the potential impact of a rate increase on the U.S. dollar. Despite these concerns, we feel the overall conditions remain supportive for emerging markets debt. Emerging markets yields continue to be attractive to investors looking beyond the low and negative rates available from most developed markets core fixed income asset classes.
1-Month Total Returns by Country
By Fran Rodilosso CFA, Portfolio Manager
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE
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. Not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Historical performance is not indicative of future results; current data may differ from data quoted. Current market conditions may not continue. Non-VanEck proprietary information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of VanEck.
Please note that Van Eck Securities Corporation offers investment products that invest in the asset class(es) included in this email and blog post.
Debt securities carry interest rate and credit risk. Bonds and bond funds will decrease in value as interest rates rise. Interest rate risk refers to the risk that bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise and vice versa. Credit risk is the risk of loss on an investment due to the deterioration of an issuer’s financial health. Securities may be subject to call risk, which may result in having to reinvest the proceeds at lower interest rates, resulting in a decline in income. International investing involves additional risks which include greater market volatility, the availability of less reliable financial information, higher transactional and custody costs, taxation by foreign governments, decreased market liquidity and political instability. Changes in currency exchange rates may negatively impact a Fund’s return. Investments in emerging markets securities are subject to elevated risks which include, among others, expropriation, confiscatory taxation, issues with repatriation of investment income, limitations of foreign ownership, political instability, armed conflict and social instability.
Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. Bonds and bond funds will generally decrease in value as interest rates rise. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of a Fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com/etfs. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.
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Att investera i Afrika är något som enklast görs genom att köpa börshandlade fonder. Det är betydligt enklare för en svensk placerare att handla en ETF på NYSE eller XETRA än att försöka handla direkt på börsen i Nairobi eftersom det är få internetmäklare som erbjuder access till denna aktiemarknad. Det flesta investerare kommer emellertid upptäcka att det finns ett stort urval av investeringsmöjligheter varför vi har tittat närmare på olika alternativ. Dessa börshandlade fonder ger exponering mot företag som är baserade i Afrika. Afrika ETFer kan ge diversifierad exponering till många länder och branscher i hela på kontinenten, men de kan också erbjuda specialiserad exponering mot en viss region eller ett land i Afrika.
Liksom alla investeringar, vare sig det avser ETFer eller andra typer av placeringar, finns det risker med att placera i börshandlade fonder som replikerar utvecklingen av den afrikanska aktiemarknaden. Bland riskerna kan nämnas risken med gränsöverskridande investeringar, riskerna med att investera i emerging markets, geografisk risk, politisk risk och koncentrationsrisk.
På grund av Afrikas snabbt växande ekonomi ger dessa ETFer ger både en hög risk och hög-belöning, och det är viktigt att komma ihåg att en investering på denna kontinent är en satsning på Afrikas ekonomiska omvandling över lång placeringshorisont. Dessa ETFer försöka ge placerarna en exponering genom att investera företag som ingår i deras respektive underliggande index. De börshandlade fonder vi nämner kan handlas genom till exempel Nordnet eller Avanza.
Market Vectors Africa Index ETF (NYSEArca: AFK)
Denna ETF lanserades i juli 2008 av Van Eck. Market Vectors Africa Index ETF (NYSEARCA: AFK) spårar Market Vectors BNP Africa Index. Van Eck Associates Corporation, fondens rådgivare, tar ut en relativt hög driftskostnadsprocent på 0,8 procent, jämfört med den genomsnittliga driftskostnaden för denna kontinent som ligger på 0,58 procent.
AFK använder en indexeringsstrategi för att tillhandahålla ett investeringsresultat som motsvarar dess underliggande index. Denna ETF investerar i allmänhet åtminstone 80 procent av de totala nettotillgångarna i värdepapper som ingår i sitt jämförelseindex, och det syftar till att replikera egenskaperna för detta index.
Market Vectors BNP Africa Index omfattar både företag i Afrika som handlas på de lokala börserna, samt bolag som bildats utanför Afrika som genererar minst hälften av sina intäkter i Afrika. Indexets landviktning baseras på relativa bruttonationalprodukten (BNP) i stället för på börsvärdet. Detta gör att denna ETF har en tyngre exponering mot utvecklade länder som Sydafrika (21 procent), Egypten (15,3 procent), Marocko (7,6 procent) och Nigeria 15,3 procent). Det finns emellertid också flera bolag som har sitt juridiska säte i Storbritannien, Frankrike och Nederländerna. Den aggregerade kapitalvikten för dessa tre länder understiger tio (10) procent.
Baserat på modern portföljteori (MPT) är AFK bäst lämpad för investerare med en hög risktoleranser som investera i Afrika genom att placera i företag i Afrika och företag som genererar merparten av sina intäkter från kontinenten. På grund av dess höga flyktighet, låga korrelation med S&P 500 och måttlig beta, hjälper AFK att diversifiera risktoleranta investerares aktieportföljer.
iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (NYSEArca:EZA)
iShares MSCI South Africa ETF (NYSEArca: EZA) lanserades den 3 februari 2003 av Blackrock. EZA förvaltas av Blackrock Fund Advisors och debiterar en förvaltningskostnad på 0,62 procent. Denna ETF har cirka 350 MUS under förvaltning, och försöker att tillhandahålla ett investeringsresultat som motsvarar MSCI South Africa Index. EZA ger exponering till små, mellan- och stora bolag som främst handlas på börsen i Johannesburg.
För att ge dessa investeringsresultat, implementerar EZA rådgivare en representativ urvalsindexeringsstrategi. De värdepapper som ingår i EZAs portfölj förväntas ha liknande egenskaper som det underliggande indexet. Under normala förhållanden investerar EZA minst 95 procent av de totala nettotillgångarna i värdepapper som omfattar dess underliggande index. Under alla omständigheter investeras minst 90 procent av EZAs nettotillgångarna i dessa värdepapper.
EZA har en hög exponering mot finanssektorn och sällanköpsvaror, två sektorer som tillsammans svarar för 63,03 procent av kapitalet. Därmed har EZA en hög marknadsrisk då denna ETF i huvudsak är en satsning på Sydafrikas finanssektor och sällanköpsvaror.
EZA är en hög risk och hög belöning investeringar som är bäst lämpad för långsiktiga investerare med hög risktolerans som kan hantera den höga volatiliteten som följer med att investera i Afrika. Dessutom rekommenderas EZA för investerare som har en hausseartad syn på Sydafrikas aktiemarknad och söker exponering mot börsnoterade bolag som är noterade på Johannesburgbörsen.
SPDR S & P Emerging Mellanöstern och Afrika ETF (NYSEArca: GAF) lanserades den 20 mars 2007 av State Street Global Advisors, och förvaltas SSGA Funds Management. GAF tar en ut konkurrenskraftig förvaltningskostnad på 0,49 procent medan den genomsnittliga afrikanska fonden tar ut en förvaltningskostnad på 0,49 procent.
GAF strävar efter att tillhandahålla ett investeringsresultat som motsvarar utvecklingen för S & P Mid-East & Africa BMI Index, GAFs underliggande index, genom att använda en representativ urvalsindexeringsstrategi. GAF behöver alltså inte köpa alla värdepapper i det underliggande indexet. Snarare kan denna börshandlade fond köpa en delmängd av de aktier som ingår i indexet, som väntas ha liknande egenskaper som det underliggande indexet.
GAF jämförelseindex är en marknadsviktat index för att spåra utvecklingen för börsnoterade företag i Mellanöstern och de afrikanska marknaderna. För att ingå i indexet måste företagen vara baserade i länder som klassas som utvecklade eller tillväxtmarknader av S & P Global Equity Index. Dessutom måste dessa företag ha ett float justerat börsvärdet på minst 100 MUSD och det måste omsättas aktier för minst 50 MUSD.
Under normala förhållanden investerar GAF minst 80 procent av de totala nettotillgångarna i värdepapper som omfattar dess underliggande index. GAF har en tung exponering mot Sydafrika och investerar cirka 76 procent av sitt kapital i sydafrikanska företag. Precis som EZA har GAF en hög exponering mot finanssektorn och sällanköpsvaror, två sektorer som tillsammans svarar för 63,15 procent av kapitalet.
När det gäller MPT är GAF bäst lämpad för långsiktiga tillväxtinvesterare med hög risktolerans som vill investera i Afrika, vara överviktiga i företag i Sydafrika, och finans och sällanköpsvarusektorerna.
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.
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.
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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.
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