The President’s tactic of threats
On trade talks gave some the cold sweats
So equities fell
But then by the bell
Those sellers had many regrets

Stock prices rebounded with verve
But bonds, if you look at the curve
Continue to price
A fools’ paradise
And cuts by the Federal Reserve

One of the most interesting dichotomies that we see these days is the completely different views of the global economy by stock markets and bond markets. Stock prices continue to see every glass as at least three-quarters full, willing to look past any potential bad news and rally. Yesterday saw a rout in the Far East after the President’s tweets regarding the raising of tariff rates by the end of this week. Europe continued the trend, closing down sharply as concerns grew that a change in tactics by the US could result in a renewed focus on the European auto sector and, not surprisingly, US equity markets opened sharply lower. But within a few hours, buyers emerged as the story morphed from ‘the US-China trade talks were about to collapse’ to ‘this is just a negotiating tactic by President Trump and everything is still on track for a successful (and fully priced) completion of these negotiations.’ And overnight, equity markets in Asia steadied with generally modest gains, although not nearly enough to offset Monday’s price action. Overall, equity markets remain quite optimistic.

At the same time, Treasury yields have fallen further and are back below 2.50% in the 10-year for the first time in a month. The implication is that bond investors and traders are now far less sanguine over the outcome of these talks. Certainly, if the trade talks do collapse, markets would be severely impacted with equity prices likely to see sharp declines and risk assets, in general under pressure. Treasuries (and Bunds) however, would very likely see a significant uptick in demand and it would not be hard to envision another period of a yield curve inversion. My point is it almost appears as if equity investors and bond investors are reading different stories about current events. I guess the reality is that bond investors are inherently more risk averse, so any hint of trouble forces a response. And of course, equity investors are the ones who continue to highly value ‘zombie’ companies, those firms whose profits cannot cover interest payments and who stay in business by the grace of Federal Reserve largesse.

The upshot is that risk seeking behavior remains the dominant theme in markets. As long as central banks continue to add liquidity to the mix (which despite the Fed having stopped, the BOJ and ECB continue to add as does the PBOC), that money needs to find a home somewhere. And stock markets have been the primary destination for the past ten years.

The interesting thing about the willingness to seek risk is that the dollar continues to outperform most other currencies. For the longest time, during periods of strong global growth, the dollar would soften as investment flowed to other nations and drove economic activity. However, the current situation shows a willingness to take risk and yet a simultaneous desire to hold dollars. For instance, a look at the Dollar Index (DXY) which is a broad measure against a number of currencies, shows that the dollar remains near its highest level in two years and the trend remains higher. All I’m saying is that there seems to be a disconnect between the three key global markets with both FX and bonds seeing a much darker future than equity markets.

Looking at the overnight activity, the RBA left rates on hold, which was mildly surprising as at least half the analyst community was looking for a rate cut. In the end, AUD rallied 0.4% and is, by far, the best performer of the day. As it happens, the RBNZ meets tonight and is widely expected to cut rates by 25bps thus the kiwi is lower by 0.25%. The euro and pound are essentially unchanged as there has been precious little in the way of new information either data wise or regarding the ongoing Brexit fiasco. And the rest of the G10 seems to be under very modest pressure with CAD and CHF both softer by about 0.15%.

In the emerging market space, CNY continues to fall, down a further 0.15% this morning and we continue to see pressure on LATAM currencies (MXN -0.2%). TRY is also under pressure (-1.0%) as the investors exit both stock and bond markets there in the wake of the decision to rerun the Istanbul mayoral election and the further erosion of democracy in Turkey. In APAC, MYR is little changed in the wake of the widely anticipated 25bp rate cut by the central bank there, although it has been falling steadily for the past two weeks in anticipation. But otherwise, in truth, it has been quiet.

Data today brings just the JOLTs Jobs Report (exp 7.24M) and we hear from Randal Quarles, the Fed governor overseeing regulations. Yesterday’s Fed talk was largely in line with the view that the recent dip in inflation is ‘transitory’ and that they continue to watch the data for information to help them make their next move. Overall, it is shaping up as a pretty dull session, and unless we hear something else on the trade front, I expect limited movement in most markets.

Good luck
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