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Agcapita May 2010
Agcapita May 2010
May 2010
Summary
It has been said that good investment requires the skill to capture
the arbitrage available between perception and reality and therefore
it is critical to know both.
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Summary (continued)
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Summary (continued)
Given this, it would seem a good assumption that much of the recently created money/credit will
ultimately flow into a new part of the economy – likely those sectors whose fundamentals remain the most
unimpaired and where gearing levels are lower.
In any event, I believe there will come a point when central banks will monetize government deficits much
more openly. Logically the vast amounts of government debt rolling over the next years combined with
already large and growing fiscal deficits will be the catalyst. In just one example, how can the US borrow
an additional $10 trillion and rollover another $13 trillion in debt over next decade when the current money
supply is only around $15 trillion? Even assuming that budget estimates are accurate – and many
observers expect the total to be more like $20 trillion than $10 trillion – then is a failed US debt auction a
possibility in the future?
In the near term volatility will remain the order of the day as the economies of the west experience the clash of
strong inflationary forces against the liquidation of decades of mal-investments playing out across many asset
classes.
Therefore, I continue to believe that capital preservation should be given the highest priority with an allocation
to investments with returns linked to markets with generally favorable demographics, low national debt levels,
high savings, and trade surpluses that can be expected to continue going forward (e.g. emerging economies
and Asia in particular).
Regards
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Agcapita Update (continued)
In his book, “The Dying of Money” Jens Parssons to shore up the Euro and shift the blame for its
discussed the concept of the “inflation lag”. The weakness to the financial markets rather than the
idea is simple; the money supply often can increase profligate bailout of Greece.
significantly over an extended period of time before
inflation becomes apparent. We have experienced Developed World Has the Debt Problem,
almost 30 years of benign general price inflation Can You Believe Less So For the
coupled with massive monetary base expansion Emerging Markets
such that a large inflation gap has accumulated.
When inflation begins to accelerate it may be Chart 2 shows an IMF forecast for government debt
commensurately massive and lengthy as the gap is levels of developed and developing countries. The
closed – see chart 1. emerging sovereigns’ debt levels are much lower
and stable while their more “developed” brethrens’
Die Leerverkäufer Sind Kaputt levels are much higher and accelerating – years of
unrestrained government spending coming home
The German breed of short-seller (“Leerverkäufer”) is to roost? As Paul Kedrosky recently quipped are
set to become extinct. In the spirit of the “battle of the developed economies called that “because they
the politicians against the markets” Germany has have developed a fully metastasized case of societally
banned naked short-selling. The message is clear, terminal debt?”.
naked derivatives trades where the underlying is
the Euro will not be tolerated - a desperate attempt
Chart 2: General Government
Gross Debt Ratios
Chart 1: MZM Stock, PPI, CPI (% GDP, 2009 PPP-GDP weighted average)
MZMN5, 1960-04=100 120
Index PPIACO, 1960-04=100 G-20 Advanced
CPIAUCNS, 1960-04=100
3,600 100
All Advanced
3,200
Low Income
2,800 80
2,400
2,000
“Inflation Lag”
60
1,600 G-20 Emerging
1,200 40 Emerging
800 (broad sample)
400
20
0
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Source: St Louis Federal Reserve
Source: DB Global Markets Research, IMF
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Agcapita Update (continued)
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Agcapita Update (continued)
painful, not least because it drives up nominal on discovering that such was the financial system
yields and delivers the pain incrementally through distress it was unable to, it just carried on regardless.
bond and currency losses, rather than all upfront In the US, the Fed printed $1.25 trillion to monetise
as a restructuring. Such bond losses are indicative the problematic mortgage market. It also said it was
of how a fiscal funding crisis quickly ends up as a going to sterilise the intervention, but like the BoE it
monetary policy crisis, and a collapse in central bank soon found it couldn’t, and like the BoE continued
control across the curve. Although this all feels like anyway because the alternative financial meltdown
jumping deep into the land of the hypothetical, the scenario was too scary to contemplate. Today,
above scenario is not too far removed from the late the ECB is buying insolvent Eurozone government
1970s period of stagflation. I have gone back a good debt which it is promising to sterilise. Yet they face
deal further, to the start of the 20th century to see the same stark calculus faced by their Anglo-Saxon
how assets coped with stagflation (a relatively rare cousins in 2008. You can only worry about the
phenomenon) which would be the likely backdrop to economy’s ‘price stability’ if the economy hasn’t
(or outcrop of) a US sovereign crisis. The conclusions already melted down! So here’s my prediction: they
are not pretty. As feared there have been very few won’t sterilise, and the program will expand.
places to hide outside commodities when US growth Most economists seem to think that QE puts us
is very soft and inflation is above a 5% threshold. in uncharted waters. It doesn’t. Printing money to
Sell, equities, be a big seller of BAA then AAA bonds finance government expenditure is a very well trodden
and yes buy FOOD commodities. Food commodities path which is as old as money itself: persistent
have been up as much as 30% y/y in years since monetisation causes inflation. Of course the current
1900 when US per capita income was negative monetisation need not be persistent. Central banks
and inflation is above 5%, perhaps because these can theoretically just stop it at any time.
conditions are also accompanied by energy shocks
or war, that are among the other darkest channels to But with government balance sheets in such a mess
financial blight.’ across the developed world (even with yields at
historically unprecedentedly low levels), government
QE Update – When is the Sterlisation funding crises are likely to be a recurring theme in
Going to Happen? the future. Since banks hold so much “risk free”
government debt, those funding crises point towards
According the SocGen anlalyst Dylan Grice “In 2009, more banking crises which point towards more
the BoE printed £200bn, thus completely financing money printing. When do they stop? When can they
the UK government deficit. It can’t have felt good stop? But what does it all mean? The question to
about doing it but since the alternative scenario my mind isn’t whether or not inflation will accelerate
was so scary– financial meltdown and possibly from here. If government balance sheets are in as big
IMF support– it held its nose and did it anyway. It a mess as I think they are, inflation is inevitable.”
said it was going to sterilise the intervention, but
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Agcapita Update (continued)
Spain, 1877
Argentina, 1890
Germany, 1932
China, 1939
Turkey, 1978
Mexico, 1962
Brazil, 1963
Philippines, 1983
Russia, 1998
Pakistan, 1998
Argentina, 2001
Greece, 2009
Spain, 2009
Japan, 2009
US, 2009
stock of White Sewing Machine Company, which
had reached a high of 48 in the months preceding,
had closed at 11 on the night before. During the day
someone had the happy idea of entering a bid for a
block of stock at a dollar a share. In the absence of
Source: SG Cross Asset Research, Reinhart and Rogoff 2009
any other bid he got it.” John Kenneth Galbraith,
1955, The Great Crash
Richard Russell described the 1973-74 crash as In the Category of You Know You Have
follows: “I started accumulating stocks in December Problem When…
of ‘74 and January of ‘75. One stock that I wanted to
buy was General Cinema, which was selling at a low Even the US military thinks the US budget deficit is
of 10. On a whim I told my broker to put in an order too big. To quote a recent research paper by the
for 500 GCN at 5. My broker said, ‘Look, Dick, the Army “Although these fiscal imbalances have been
price is 10, you’re putting in a crazy bid.’ I said ‘Try severely aggravated by the recent financial crisis and
it.’ Evidently, some frightened investor put in an order attendant global economic downturn, the financial
to ‘sell GCN at the market’ and my bid was the only picture has long term components which indicate
bid. I got the stock at 5.” Richard Russell, 1999, Dow that even a return to relatively high levels of economic
Theory Letters growth will not be enough to right the financial
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Agcapita Update (continued)
picture. The near collapse of financial markets Interest ate up 44% of the British Government budget
and slow or negative economic activity has seen during the interwar years 1919-1939, inhibiting its
U.S. Government outlays grow in order to support ability to rearm against a resurgent Germany. Unless
troubled banks and financial institutions, and to current trends are reversed, the U.S. will face similar
cushion the wider population from the worst effects challenges, anticipating an ever-growing percentage
of the slowdown. These unfunded liabilities are a of the U.S. government budget going to pay interest
reflection of an aging U.S. Baby-Boom population on the money borrowed to finance our deficit
increasing the number of those receiving social spending.”
program benefits, primarily Social Security, Medicare,
and Medicaid, versus the underlying working In the Category of You Know You Have an
population that pays to support these programs. Even Worse Problem When…
Rising debt and deficit financing of government According to the US Army “A severe energy crunch
operations will require ever-larger portions of is inevitable”. In a recent report Army analysts
government outlays for interest payments to service wrote “To meet even the conservative growth rates
the debt. Indeed, if current trends continue, the U.S. global energy production would need to rise by 1.3%
will be transferring approximately seven percent of per year going forward. By the 2030s, demand
its total economic output abroad simply to service its is estimated to be nearly 50% greater than today
foreign debt. Interest payments are projected to grow and even assuming more effective conservation
dramatically, further exacerbated by recent efforts to measures, the world would need to add roughly
stabilize and stimulate the economy, far outstripping the equivalent of Saudi Arabia’s current energy
the current tax base shown by the black line. Interest production every seven years (1.4 MBD per year).
payments, when combined with the growth of Social The discovery rate for new petroleum and gas
Security and health care, will crowd out spending fields over the past two decades (with the possible
for everything else the government does, including exception of Brazil) provides little reason for optimism
National Defense. The foregoing issues of trade that future efforts will find major new fields.
imbalance and government debt have historic
precedents that bode ill for future force planners. At present, investment in oil production is only
Habsburg Spain defaulted on its debt some 14 times beginning to pick up, with the result that production
in 150 years and was staggered by high inflation could reach a prolonged plateau. By 2030, the
until its overseas empire collapsed. Bourbon France world will require production of 118 MBD, but energy
became so beset by debt due to its many wars and producers may only be producing 100 MBD unless
extravagances that by 1788 the contributing social there are major changes in current investment and
stresses resulted in its overthrow by revolution. drilling capacity.
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Agcapita Update (continued)
-2% 40,000
“Il Sorpasso”:
2027 (previously 2040)
-4% 30,000
-6% 20,000
-8% 10,000
-10%
2006 2011 2016 2021 2026 2031 2036 2041 2046
-12%
1975 1985 1995 2005
Brazil Russia United Kingdom
China Germany United States
Source: Bloomberg
India Japan
Source: Goldman Sachs
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Agcapita Update (continued)
Finland 9 6 3
What do governments usually do with world war size Germany 6 13 8 10 4 2
debt burdens?
Greece 4 51 5 13 5 4
– Oblige central bank and commercial banks to
Hungary 7 31 7 16 4 2
hold government debt
– Restrict overseas investment by firms and citizens Italy 9 3 1 11 6
– Default on commitments to politically weak Netherlands 2 6 1 1
groups and foreign creditors Norway 16 5 2
– Condemn bond investors to negative real interest
Poland 6 33 3 28 17 2
rates
Portugal 2 11 6 10 4
What are the geopolitical consequences of crises of Spain 8 24 13 4 1
public finance? Source: Reinhart and Rogoff (2009)
Sweden 5 2
– In fiscal stabilizations, discretionary military United 9 2
spending is usually the first casualty Kingdom
– In cases of default on external debt, conflicts with
Source: Reinhart and Rogoff (2009)
creditors can arise
– In cases of currency depreciation, reserve
currency status can be lost to a rising rival
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Agcapita Update (continued)
100 100
0 0
Chart 7 80 90 00 10 20 30 40 80 90 00 10 20 30 40
-4
-6 Baseline scenario
-8 Small gradual adjustment
-10 Small gradual adjustment with age related spending held constant
UK US
Source: GFD Source: BIS
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Agcapita Update (continued)
resolutely. Failure to do so will raise the chance of demonstrate a marked inability (unwillingness?) to
an unexpected and abrupt rise in government bond forecast downturns. Not an unsurprising institutional
yields at medium and long maturities, which would bias in a sector that is dependent on selling securities
put the nascent economic recovery at risk. It will also to the unsuspecting public regardless of the quality or
complicate the task of central banks in controlling economic conditions.
inflation in the immediate future and might ultimately
threaten the credibility of present monetary policy Fiscal Analysis – Reductions Required in
arrangements.” Virtually Every Country
Cheerleaders Get Paid Better Than You Assuming governments want merely to stabilize
Thought debt levels as a percentage of GDP the numbers in
chart 10 represent the contraction in fiscal spending
According to a study by McKinsey, Wall Street equity necessary between 2010 and 2030 as a percentage
analysts have on average, overestimated S&P 500 of GDP. Not a promising picture given the virtual
earnings by two times for almost 30 years and inability of governments to undertake sustained
reductions in outlays in the face of political pressure
from the voters and the current low interest rate
environment.
Chart 9: Reality versus
Wall Street “Analysis”
Long-term Forecast1
average % Actual2 Chart 10
18
16
14
14
12 12
10
10
8
6 8
4
6
2
0 4
-2
2
1985-90 1987-92 1989-94 1991-96 1993-98 1995-00 1997-02 1999-04 2001-06 2003-08 2004-09
0
1
Analyst’s 5-year forecast for long-term consensus earnings-per-share
Korea
Switzerland
Norway
Iceland
New Zealand
Sweden
Israel
Hong Kong SAR
Czech Republic
Germany Slovenia
Italy
Slovak Republic
Denmark
Canada
Finland
Austria
Belgium
Singapore
Austria
Netherlands
Portugal
France
United Kingdom
Greece
Spain
Ireland
United States
Japan
-2
(EPS) growth rate. Our conclusions are same for growth based on year-
over-year earnings estimates for 3 years. -4
2
Actual compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of EPS; 2009 data are not
yet available, figures represent consensus estimate as of Nov 2009. -6
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Agcapita Update (continued)
0%
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
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Agcapita Update (continued)
Average oil prices increased strongly from 2003 to strengthen thereafter as the world economies recover
mid-July 2008, when prices collapsed as a result of fully from the effects of the recession. In the IEO2010
concerns about the deepening recession. In 2009, Reference case, the price of light sweet crude oil in
oil prices trended upward throughout the year, from the United States (in real 2008 dollars) rises from $79
about $42 per barrel in January to $74 per barrel in per barrel in 2010 to $108 per barrel in 2020 and
December. Oil prices have been especially sensitive $133 per barrel in 2035.
to demand expectations, with producers, consumers,
and traders continually looking for an indication of World energy markets by fuel type
possible recovery in world economic growth and a
likely corresponding increase in oil demand. On the Liquids remain the world’s largest energy source
supply side, OPEC’s above-average compliance throughout the IEO2010 Reference case projection,
to agreed-upon production targets increased the given their importance in the transportation and
group’s spare capacity to roughly 5 million barrels per industrial end-use sectors. World use of liquids and
day in 2009. Further, many of the non-OPEC projects other petroleum grows from 86.1 million barrels
that were delayed during the price slump in the per day in 2007 to 92.1 million barrels per day in
second half of 2008 have not yet been revived. 2020, 103.9 million barrels per day in 2030, and
110.6 million barrels per day in 2035. On a global
After 2 years of declining demand, world liquids basis, liquids consumption remains flat in the
consumption is expected to increase in 2010 and buildings sector, increases modestly in the industrial
sector, but declines in the electric power sector as
electricity generators react to rising world oil prices
Chart 12 by switching to alternative fuels whenever possible.
In the transportation sector, despite rising prices, use
History Projections of liquid fuels increases by an average of 1.3 percent
250 per year, or 45 percent overall from 2007 to 2035.
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Agcapita Update (continued)
natural gas plant liquids, and refinery gain) from sands from Canada and biofuels, largely from Brazil
OPEC producers contribute 11.5 million barrels per and the United States, are the largest components
day to the total increase in world liquids production, of future unconventional production in the IEO2010
and conventional supplies from non-OPEC countries Reference case, providing a combined 70 percent of
add another 4.8 million barrels per day (Chart 13). the increment in total unconventional supply over the
projection period.”
Unconventional resources (including oil sands, extra-
heavy oil, biofuels, coal-to-liquids, gas-to-liquids, and Energy Factoids
shale oil) from both OPEC and non-OPEC sources
grow on average by 4.9 percent per year over the According to the IEA:
projection period. Sustained high oil prices allow – China is expected to consume 11% of global
unconventional resources to become economically oil production in 2010
competitive, particularly when geopolitical or – China accounted for 45% of the growth in
other “above ground” constraints limit access to global oil demand over the past decade
prospective conventional resources. World production
of unconventional liquid fuels, which totaled only
3.4 million barrels per day in 2007, increases to
12.9 million barrels per day and accounts for 12
percent of total world liquids supply in 2035. Oil
Chart 13
History Projections
125
100
Total
75
Non-OPEC conventional
50
OPEC conventional
25
Unconventional
0
1990 2000 2007 2015 2025 2035
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