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Previous Issues
THE CAPITAL OBSERVER
February 2018 - published on February 8th 2018
Contents
24 / EM economies and assets are outperforming, but a US dollar resurgence later in the year may derail MSCI EM$ and EM currencie
04 / Executive Summary
06 / Mapping the markets
32 / Inventories’ negative seasonality and outlook of large US oil output threaten a pullback in oil and E&P equity prices
20 / Timing and Tactical Insight
Emerging Markets still look strong towards late Q2, yet may underperform until March
35 / Timing and Tactical Insight
The latest Sell-off is probably an initial warning of the end-game to unfold later this year
18/ Timing and Tactical Insight
Commodities may consolidate towards late Q1, they should then re-accelerate up again towards late Q2 / midyear
12/ Commodities’ Allure As Diversifier, Growth articipation Asset And Inflation Hedge Enhanced As The Fed Poises To Tightens Monetary Policy Even Further
41 / Eurozone will keep growth momentum going in 2018 on weaker EUR/ USD, but political risks will become even more elevated
52 /Splicing the markets - Could H1 2018 see the return of the Yen carry trade ?
44 / Timing and Tactical Insight
Strong potential, yet will it be fulfilled? Financials still look strong at least
Kill the quants before they kill our markets:
« I believe the precipitous market drop in the last week has little to do with the projected course of interest rates or, for that matter, fundamentals. It likely was a function of the distorted, dangerous world of new investment products and strategies.... [T]he proliferation of short vol, volatility trending and risk parity strategies when combined with an explosion of leveraged ETFs and ETNs – many of which were derivatives of derivatives and had no business existing except to please gamblers – had altered the market structure»
Doug Kass
