So the reality is that you just had 25% chance to make money in US. And same goes for most markets.
The only things that paid off was quality…quality earning, quality profit…etc.
In 2015 the clear winner were the internet giants….next year probably will be different (see Apple), but Quality again.
Well this year not much worked
Year to date (27 Dec)
Australian ASX200 -3.8%
In USD
SP500 +2.19%
Bonds (US T Bond 30) -2.04%
US 3 M Cash Bills 0.11%
Commodities -23.42%
Australian Real Estate (average -5%)
Australians did better than this due of the fall of the Australian Dollar.
In practice the classic asset allocation did not work this year.
The conditions for next year are even more difficult. The main returns were driven by the fall of the Australian Dollar.
One thing that one should have at least learned from 2015 is that crowded trade (where most of the analyst say “do this”) did not work in this market.
A weaker Australian Dollar is the current crowded trade for the next 6 month….so pay attention – it could not work (statistically the first rate hike in US produce a fall in the USD – as the interest rate hike has been anticipated for 18 months).
How did I do this year? About 13% with a quite simple strategy of corporate Australian bond (circa 6%) and the classic sell in May buy in October. And definitely avoiding indexing.
Next year we will see what is the game….but I think more difficult.
There is no question that the 2 nations are upset at each other, but they are also careful of not overstepping…until now.
All the Russian sanctions are hitting Turkey…above the belt. It is just like a show for public viewing.
If Russia really wanted to hit Turkey it would just close the energy supply. It owns more than 50% of energy flow to Turkey and all other sources are at full capacity. Cutting energy would freeze and cripple Turkish economy for good.
In Syria Russia is considering helping the PKK (Kurdish Worker Party) to fuel an insurrection in lower Turkey (it had a similar strategy during the soviet time). Until now it has been more words than actions.
Turkey per converse could block the Dardanelles straight and cut off Russia from the Mediterranean sea. This option is quite remote – as the international agreements say that the straight can be closed only in time of war…a proper declaration of war by Russia will be practically inevitable.
Where the games are done is in Ukraine. The Tartars (Turkish descent Ukrainians) are the one responsible for the cutting of energy supplies to Crimea and they say they are sponsored by Turkey.
And Turkey is trying to establish a kind of protectorate in North Syria and North Iraq upsetting specially Iran, long term friend of Russia.
Plus there is the Nagorno-Karabakh (a place behind Turkey / Georgia/Azerbaijan) that has a crossover of oil pipelines (…like Ukraine and Syria) where Russian and Turkish are trying to play polite so not to have a new Ukraine also there.
2016 will be interesting to see if Russia and Turkey will try to de escalate.
It would be interesting to see what Putin wants. He definitely new (previous post) that one of its jet fighters would be shot down.
Why he wanted it? Probably to entrench Russia in Syria with the S400 anti aircraft system (feared even by the US) and help Iran, the great Saudi enemy. As a studious of Putin…he still a grudge with Saudi Arabia (in his mind responsible of the fall of the oil prices in 1985 that finished the USSR – in the own words of Putin “last century biggest disgrace). And Putin usually keeps a grudge…forever (he hates the Americans due to the humiliation of Russia in the war against Serbia).
If not, the risk of something really very pear shaped would grow immensely.
2016 is the middle year in the three year of change 2015,2016, 2017
Middle East
This year will be an extension of 2015.
Islamic State will not be defeated, but will be under pressure. In light of this it will try to organize more terrorist attacks to remain relevant.
Apart the Western targets, there will be a focus in trying to attack Saudi Arabia and UAE specially.
But the big space to watch is Turkey/Iran/ Russia/Iraq.
Turkey wants to reaffirm is dominance as New Ottoman empire, but the Russian intervention makes everything more complicated.
Turkey wants to establish a buffer in Syria and a de facto protectorate in Northern Iraq.
The risk of clashes with Russia will be high. Any eventual issue will be treated with extreme caution as a leaked paper from the Kremlin clearly shows that, in a confrontation with NATO, Russia will use tactical nukes on Turkey’s infrastructure.
Saudi Arabia is starting to feel the pressure of low oil prices and two wars (IS and Yemen), so in the second half will try to see how to increase oil prices.
Iran will try to keep a low profile now that is back with the good boys – but still pursuing its Iran/Iraq/Syria/Lebanon strategy.
Israel will keep a low profile in this increasing violent Middle East and is trying to appease Turkey versus a common Iran. As usual it will “kill” direct threat without obeying to orders from the US or whoever else.
Europe
No major crisis in Europe.
There will be just more nationalism and a continuous drifting apart between France and Germany (both with election in 2017).
Borders policies and immigration will be the core issues.
Italy will continue having banking issues, but with Quantitative Easing in full steam it should not end in a full blown crisis.
Greece will keep a no growth situation, but, aside revolutions, there are no pressing issues.
The big potential issue are the Balkans. A lot of illegal stopped there (specially Bosnia) and the Balkans have always been the hot spark of Europe. A Corriere della Sera (main Italian newspaper) has even identified a town where IS flags are shown (Buzim, North West of Bosnia Herzegovina). Interesting the article says that the area has been purchased with the money of one of the supposed Western allies, Qatar.
UK – the Brexit referendum is to be held end of 2016 or 2017. If it will happen in 2016 the polls say it will be a NO.
Ukraine will remain a low intensity frozen conflict
Russia will focus on economy and its pivot East
USA
For the US is a Presidential year (8 November). It will be mainly concentrated in its economy and if it really has reached the escape velocity….or if it will require Quantitative Easing 4.
China
China will continue its painful pivot to consumerism. The main risk is capital outflow and hard devaluation of the Yuan.
Still more pain to come as internal and external regions keep on diverging.
No commodities savior.
India.
PM Modi lost some elections and so the reforms will be harder to pass. India will push for investment and Made in India, but the issues of infrastructure (lack of) will make it hard for the economy to improve quickly.
Pacific
There will be more integration between the non-China nations (including Australia) to balance China in the Pacific.
South America
The best position in South America is Argentina, but Brazil and the rest will keep on struggling with low resource prices.
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So practically 2016 will be a transition year for issues started in 2015.
Unfortunately for the first time since 1983 (Able Archer 1983 exercise), there is the very rare possibility of tactical nuclear weapons being used.
Japan just approved the largest military spend for the Fiscal Year 2016. This, in conjunction with the passing of a self defense legislation in July/September 2015, clears a path to reclaim the position of Japan as the main antagonistic force to China. (Japan defence budget is within the top 6 world spenders)
Plus it is making a few international alliances with Vietnam and India in light of a China containment.
Definitely a more assertive Japan is in the near future.
This is not a big issue, unless you consider the automatic defence pact between USA and Japan (at the end of the 2 World War, Japan agreed to be a pacifist region – but if attacked the US has to protect automatically Japan).
All the media and the theory is about the great attack or “colonization” of Christian countries by Islam/Muslim.
Well I examined the idea that…everyone could be wrong.
This terror attacks could be literally the death pain of a dying religion.
UN studies that 60% of Muslim in the Western world are “pro forma” Muslim (as a lot of Christian and Jews).
Even over 20% of Muslim in Muslim countries are going to mosques and pray just to be seen.
And the infiltration of Islamic State operatives in the mass of illegal immigrant has the purpose of “stopping the boats” (so in IS strategy Europe should close the border as they are upset that they created the perfect Caliphate and everyone want to escape in the decadent West).
It is just a contrarian theory, but very is a great example.
Christianity reached the peak brutality (crusades, witch hunt and things that makes IS look….quite tame) in 1500…just before the reign of reason (1700) took over.
Since now everything is faster….Islam will enter its reign of reason by 2050/2100.
Ok quite far, but interesting pattern with even more interesting economic consequences.
In November ber there will be the US election.
We do not know who will win, but any candidate will be the product of its own party (even Trump).
Democrats foreign policy will be a continuation of President Obama.
A slow disentaglement from world affairs (specially Middle East) with the strategy of supporting regional powers to create balance. Practically stepping back from being the world policeman.
A Republican win would be a return of an aggressive engagement of the US on the world geopolitics (eg Afghanistan, the 2 Iraqs wars were under Republicans).
Before choosing camp…there is no good camp.
The theory goes that while the Republicans brought us the Cold War with the numerous small wars (Vietnam, North Korea and many more), the Democrats with the no intervention policy created the environment that brought us the 1 and 2 wars (Eg Hitler was not stopped in the 1930s…and that ended pretty badly).
ASX200 : Flat or negative (-5% to +3%) – banks and materials under pressure
SP500 Slightly up (0/5%)
AUD 0.68/0.70 US cents (later i the year, now there is a USD weakness)
Bond – Stable /positive (only 2 Fed hikes)
RBA no move for most of the year, maybe up towards the end
Oil: Once a low is in (USD25/34) a counter rally to USD60
Iron Ore: USD 40 (stable)
Gold: once a low is in around $950/$1,000 a rally to $1,300/1,400
China to continue its slow “rotation to consumer economy path.
Yuan to 7.5 (depreciation towards dollar of about 15%)
Preferred markets: Japan, selectively Europe, Vietnam, selectively South America
Space to watch for potential crisis.
– Turkey/Russia/Iran
– High Yield Bond (energy, US auto loans)
-Italian banking crisis
-terrorist attacks
-China/ Emerging Markets (currencies)
Merry Xmas!
This will be the hot topic of 2016.
In July there will be the conventions to elect the candidates and 8 November 2016 election date.
At this point in time the unbeatable candidates look like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump has been the cross of the Republican Party as the establishment wanted Jeb Bush (brother of George and son of George W.)
Even as foreigners (like me) wonder how can he be still ahead, the explanation is quite simple.
He looks and sometimes say crazy things, but he speaks the truth and he is anti establishment (in US 80% of wealth now is in the hand of 10/20% of the population). People are just sick and tired of the situation.
There are a lot of people that say he can’t win as he is too much anti -Mexican…but I lived in North Italy and most of the supporter of the Northern League (against the South) are actually Southern Italy people that emigrated to the North). So …do not count on it.
Democrats. Hillary Clinton.
She is looks very professional and definitely part of the establishment as wife of an ex President.
Apart that big issue as soon as you go through the web you can see that she is very false. As a Secretary of State there are quite a few public statement that contradict her speeches.
A last point….current polls say that Clinton would annihilate Trump (polls so far in advance do not count much…plus the last elections were won by few points…not a landslide).
Some mathematical models ran by CNN with over 450 scenarios instead indicate Trump as winner. They even say that Clinton will need to score a 55% poll advantage just to have a real equal probability of winning.
It is a very hard bet …but my money would be on Donald Trump.
And do not despair…..history could happily (for the US) repeat….after a professional (but weak and in disarray as foreign policy- Iran failure, Vietnam disaster etc) President Carter, the snobbed and second class actor President Reagan…quite literally saved the boat!
In the address to the nation President Putin made it clear that the issues with Turkey will not go away anytime soon (unless there is a full apology from Turkey.
It established a de facto no fly zone for Turkish warplanes over Syria declaring that any airplane will be downed via their new S 400 systems (so efficient that even the Americans ordered to stop flights near Turkey not to be mistaken).
Plus other sanction are under consideration (energy is the only real sanction that would hurt Turkey for real…but would also cripple Russian revenues.
Turkey meanwhile is relying more and more on US and NATO (the latter quite in an uncomfortable position).
The only act against Russia that Turkey could do is the closure of the Dardanelles – but that would be a clear Casus Belli (Turkey can close the straight only in case of war).
By the way the US apparently in 2015 ran at least 14 wargames …all scenarios were favorable to NATO and end up with the Russian victory.
Why?
If you do not believe me all nuclear nations are updating their nuclear arsenal (specially US, Russia, China and UK), so much so that the US sent an updated type of nuclear tactical smart bomb to Germany just in November 15.
Update
Turkey is currently ethnically cleansing Southern Turkey from the PKK (Kurdish people and fighters – The UN says that over 170 Kurdish civilians and 150 Kurdish fighters have been killed along with 150 Turkish troops).
The PKK has a long and lasting relationship with Russia as it was already used by the Soviets against Turkey in the Cold War.
It does not take a great imagination that the PKK – under pressure – would turn to an old friend for support. And if you are old enough to remember the “Years of lead” (so called due to the amount of spent cartridges in terrorist attacks) the 1970s (European Soviet sponsored terrorism) you should know that the prospect is quite scary.
investorpolitico 