Rabobank: “We’re Toast”
I have made this reference before, but looking at euphoric markets I am again reminded of comedian Caroline Aherne as fake TV chat-show host Mrs Merton asking glamorous blonde Debbie McGee of her very short, plain, hair-piece wearing husband: “So what attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?”
Indeed, “So what attracted you to central-bank-liquidity-driven markets?” Because where would very short, plain, wig-wearing assets be without the Fed throwing in hundreds of billions in repo operations and NOT-QE, and China going down the same old unsustainable debt path to juice GDP for 2-3 quarters? Feeling pretty unloved, one would guess – and probably very shorted. Yet having studiously failed to learn that this extra-liquidity doesn’t drive sustainable recoveries, or prevent socio-economic unrest–in fact it drives it–we are set for a whole lot more from central banks, no doubt.
Of course, the phase one trade deal, which virtually nobody sees as realistic or sustainable, also continues to drive market sentiment. Yet CNY is still only around the 7 level, underlining what I have said about the risk/reward being mostly to the downside from here. Presumably, however, when the trade deal does break down, which could be even sooner than many expect, more central-bank liquidity will be required. So let’s celebrate that in advance too, why not?
The afterglow of the UK election also seems to be encouraging markets. And on that front we see that fiscal stimulus is going to pick up, the right kind of liquidity for once, and in the north and midlands for once too, which is set to become BoJo’s mojo dojo as he hopes to release animal spirits in left-behind locations. However, Johnson is also going to amend the UK Brexit legislation such that December 2020 is a hard exit date with no extension of the looming post-Brexit transition period possible.
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