Weekly Market Update – 7th October 2016

Investment markets and key developments over the past week

• Shares were mixed over the last week with US shares down 0.7% and Eurozone shares down 0.1%, but Japanese shares up 2.5% and Australian shares up 0.6%. Bond yields rebounded on European Central Bank taper talk and increasing expectations for a December US Federal Reserve rate hike. As a result of the latter the US$ rose and appears to be breaking higher which pushed the A$ lower. This was despite a further rise in the oil price on the back of falling US crude stockpiles.

• US non-farm payrolls growth of 156,000 in September tells us that the US jobs market remains solid and keeps the US Federal Reserve on track for a December rate hike. However rising labour force participation, which pushed the unemployment rate up to 5% and which indicates that there is still more slack in the labour market along with still slow wages growth, is consistent with the process of raising US interest rates remaining gradual. Firming prospects for a December hike are taking pressure off the A$, which fell below US$0.76 over the last week.

• Another taper tantrum? European Central Bank tapering its quantitative easing program is inevitable but it’s likely to be extended first. The past week saw global bond yields pushed higher by more talk that the European Central Bank will taper (or gradually slow) its bond purchases once its quantitative easing program ends. European Central Bank tapering is inevitable but it’s more likely to extend quantitative easing beyond March 2017 at the current rate of 80 billion per month first given that growth is fragile, inflation below target and political risk high. The minutes from the last European Central Bank meeting and comments from its officials remain dovish. Taper talk will likely continue though and global bond yields are poor value regardless of whether it tapers sooner or later. The risk is that a 2013 style taper tantrum – if it causes a sharp rise in peripheral eurozone bond yields – will result in quantitative easing for longer.

• Global business conditions Purchasing Managers’ Index point to ok global growth. The much watched global manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index rose in September with notable gains in Brazil, Japan, Europe, the UK, the US and even Australia – continuing a mild rising trend seen over the last six months.

Source: Bloomberg, AMP Capital

• Consistent with this, the International Monetary Fund’s global growth forecasts have stabilised.After the usual downwards revisions to its 2016 and 2017 global growth forecasts they have now stabilised relative to the last update in July at 3.1% and 3.4% respectively. The International Monetary Fund’s 2016 growth forecast has followed the same pattern of the last few years starting towards 4% and then ending around 3%. The 2017 forecast is likely to fall to around 3% too. 3% global growth is good for investors as it’s enough to support modest profit growth, but not so strong as to invite aggressive monetary tightening.

Source: IMF, AMP Capital

• A flash crash in the British pound (down 6% then up 5% on Friday in the Asian time zone), provided lots of interest for traders but should just be noise for well diversified long term investors. The real issue is that the UK increasingly looks headed for a hard Brexit (with Britain paying a price for border control in the form of curtailed export access to the European Union). The EU is keen to discourage other countries from following Britain out, but it likely means more downside for the pound which should limit the fall-out for the British economy.

• Reserve Bank of Australia on hold and neutral. With no major economic developments in the last month, September quarter inflation due later this month and new Governor Philip Lowe presumably wanting to demonstrate a degree of policy continuity it was no surprise to see rates left on hold at 1.5%. However, views remain that it will cut rates again at its November meeting when it reviews its economic forecasts after the release of the September quarter inflation data, particularly with the A$ remaining too high. However, with economic growth holding up well, commodity prices and national income looking like they have bottomed and the new Governor perhaps preferring a period of stability, this is a close call and is critically dependent on seeing a lower September quarter inflation result.

Major global economic events and implications

• US economic data was mostly good leaving the US Federal Reserve on track for a December rate hike. The Institute for Supply Management business conditions indices rebounded in September to reasonable levels, particularly for non-manufacturing which is strong, durable goods orders were revised up, the four week moving average of jobless claims fell to its lowest since 1973, payroll employment was solid (albeit less than expected) and better employment readings in the Institute for Supply Management surveys point to reasonable jobs growth ahead. However the trade deficit did widen in August.

• Japanese data was mixed with lacklustre conditions according to the Bank of Japan’s Tankan survey, a slight improvement in September’s manufacturing conditions Purchasing Managers’ Index but a worsening in the services Purchasing Managers’ Index and stronger consumer confidence.

• The Reserve Bank of India surprised with a 0.25% rate cut highlighting that global monetary conditions are still easing.

Australian economic events and implications

• Australian economic data was mostly solid with a stronger than expected gain in August retail sales after three soft months, building approvals remaining around record levels pointing to a stronger for longer housing construction cycle, a rebound in September business conditions Purchasing Managers’ Index albeit to still soft levels and a further decline in Australia’s trade deficit (which now looks to have seen the worst). Home prices continued to rise solidly in September with Sydney and Melbourne remaining uncomfortably strong (particularly with the supply of units surging). Finally, the Melbourne Institute’s Inflation Gauge rose solidly in September but has been soft in the quarter as a whole with the trimmed mean measure of underlying inflation falling to just 0.8% year-on-year.

What to watch over the next week?

• In the US, expect the minutes from the US Federal Reserve’s last meeting (Wednesday) and a speech by its Chair Janet Yellen (Friday) to repeat the message that it will remain gradual in raising rates and expects to hike rates again at its December meeting. On this front, an expected 0.4% month-on-month gain in September retail sales after two weak months will be important in indicating whether the US Federal Reserve is on track or not. Data on job openings (Tuesday), small business optimism (Wednesday) and producer prices (Friday) is also due.

• The US third quarter earnings reporting season will also kick off with Alcoa reporting on Monday.While total earnings for S&P 500 companies are expected to be down 1.5% from a year ago, they are expected to be up slightly on the June quarter continuing an earnings recovery that has been helped by a stabilisation in the US dollar and rising trend in the oil price.

• In China, expect September export growth to remain negative but import growth to slow slightly(Thursday), consumer price inflation to remain low at around 1.6% year-on-year, producer price deflation to continue to fade (both Friday) and total credit to slow after the August surge.

• In Australia, expect the NAB business survey (Tuesday) to show business confidence and conditions remaining above long term average levels, housing finance (also Tuesday) to bounce back after a fall in July and the Westpac/Melbourne Institute survey (Wednesday) to show that consumer confidence remains around average levels. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s six-monthly Financial Stability Review (Friday) will be watched mostly for more detail around the state of the housing market.

Outlook for markets

• While the period for seasonal share market weakness (August to October) so far has passed without a major mishap, remain cautious on shares in the short-term as event risk remains highfor the months ahead including ongoing debate around the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank, issues around eurozone banks, the US election on 8 November and the Italian Senate referendum and Austrian presidential election re-run (both on 4 December). However, after any short term weakness, expect to see shares to trend higher over the next 12 months helped by ok valuations, continuing easy global monetary conditions and moderate global economic growth.

• Ultra-low bond yields point to a soft medium term return potential from them, but it’s hard to get too bearish on bonds in a world of fragile growth, spare capacity, low inflation and ongoing shocks.

• Commercial property and infrastructure are likely to continue benefitting from the ongoing search for yield by investors.

• Dwelling price gains are expected to slow, as the heat comes out of Sydney and Melbourne thanks to poor affordability, tougher lending standards and as apartment supply ramps up.

• Cash and bank deposits offer poor returns.

• Increasing confidence that the US Federal Reserve will hike rates again by year end has taken some pressure off the A$ in the short term and expect to see the longer term trend remaining down as the interest rate differential in favour of Australia narrows as the Reserve Bank of Australia continues cutting rates and the US Federal Reserve eventually resumes hiking, commodity prices remain low and the A$ sees its usual undershoot of fair value.

Source: AMP CAPITAL ‘Weekly Market Update’

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