In this special edition, the podcast focuses on trade ideas for 2024. They discuss minimizing regret in investing, potential yield in a business cycle slowdown, and the outperformance of US tech stocks. It also explores challenges in Canada's mortgage market, trade ideas like shorting JGBs and investing in emerging markets, and the performance change of European industrials. Disclaimer: not investment advice.
The prospect of a US recession suggests going overweight on treasuries and potential price increases in the future.
The Bank of Japan may need to normalize rates with aggressive yield curve control, while the Bank of England is expected to be less aggressive with rate cuts.
Carry and yield seeking strategies in emerging markets, such as the Aussie-Swiss pairing and Brazilian bonds, offer appealing opportunities.
Deep dives
Theme 1: Prospects of a US recession
One of the main themes discussed in the podcast is the prospect of a US recession. The host, Tim Graf, expresses his view of going overweight on treasuries due to the likelihood of slower US growth. He emphasizes that while he is agnostic about a recession, there is a 90% chance according to a recession probability model. The view is supported by strong buying from institutional investors and a relatively low level of holdings, indicating potential for future price increases.
Theme 2: Central Bank Policy Pivots
The second theme discussed in the podcast is the potential policy pivots by central banks, with a focus on the Bank of Japan (BOJ). The view is that the BOJ may need to normalize rates and be more aggressive with yield curve control. This is contrasted with the Bank of England (BOE), which is expected to be less aggressive with rate cuts. Trade ideas include going long the short end of the Treasury curve and shorting JGBs against UK gilts.
Theme 3: Carry and Yield Seeking Strategies
The third theme revolves around the appeal of carry and yield seeking strategies, particularly in emerging markets. Ideas include going long Aussie-Swiss pairing to take advantage of carry, valuation, and growth; shorting CAD-JPY due to the challenges facing the Canadian economy and potential BOJ rate normalization; and going long Brazilian bonds due to well-anchored inflation, supportive interest rates, and attractive valuations.
Theme 4: Chinese Economy and Renminbi
The fourth theme focuses on the Chinese economy and the prospects for further easing. The idea is to short the yuan against the CFETS basket, as the current level of the basket is considered too strong despite weakening growth. The expectation is that the renminbi adjustment will be relatively small compared to the dollar, which may remain strong. This view is supported by the need for continued policy easing and concerns about the real estate sector and capital flight.
Theme 5: European Struggles
The final theme discussed is the struggles faced by Europe. Specifically, the overvalued and overweight European industrials are seen as a sell opportunity due to slowing global demand and higher interest rates. Trade ideas include underweighting European industrials and focusing on equities in Taiwan and Korea, as well as receiving rates in Indonesia.
The year is winding down and thoughts are shifting to what will drive markets in the New Year. There will be unknown unknowns that will surely move markets, but in this special edition we will focus on the best ideas we have to express views on the known unknowns. Every year the Macro Strategy team members independently choose the idea they think has the best chance of success in the coming year. Themes emerge from the commonalities and the talking points arise from the contrasts. Tim Graf and the team draw it all together in this Special Edition of Street Signals.