“In the beginning everything is good.”
Money is used to balance risk, spur economy, and encourage people to create value. It was good in the beginning until it began to cannibalize their own economy ecosystems. This is a story of a fallen angel.
Four years ago, we used to hear normalization but I always argue that normalization will not work well. It’s very obvious from the amount of changes in credit/money and world balance which is in a form of a binary. It may work in long term if all policies support beautiful normalization but unfortunately they don’t.
If we look at monetary side, monetary policies have been long introducing opium/easing to the market and now they have to fight the worst of their opium war. The bubble is now getting out of control. Indeed the greatest central bank, the Fed, may now have to surrender to market hostage. One of market that I’ve been closely watching most in past 4 years is down under, Australia. It’s easing more, its currency suffers most, thus it’s when share index is performing best, as usual. This year, it could be getting difficult since currency is already worst and housing recovery is near to their crash point, demanding more opium. It’s also not surprising that recent trade war outweighs since most of Australia economy surplus, both trades and account, is related to China. Accidentally this story may be similar and related to the story of opium war in HongKong, how the country began.
Fiscal policies, who should be our savior, is now becoming more politic supporter, rather than economy. Economy theory was rooted back from western/democratic economy, and it was valid until their economy got a bigger challenge. Policies were supposed to protect wealth, where rich is always growing richer. It’s until they are too powerful than the system itself and now start to re-engineering these systems for their own interests. Money always has a target to create an opportunity by any means. It’s when the angel is fallen.
Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. Ezekiel 28:17
It successfully attacked Russian billionaires in Greece and now is targeting billionaires money from China in HongKong. HongKong is a very complex systems with its currency anchored to USD, complex China political influential through business, complex switch from export into service, and political issue from who will continue to support their foreign exchange reserve. The angel sees this opportunity, and now will do anything to monetize the opportunity, even at cost of human lives for his own desires.
Lucifer became so impressed with his own beauty, intelligence, power, and position that he began to desire for himself the honor and glory that belonged to God alone. This pride represents the actual beginning of sin in the universe—preceding the fall of the human Adam by an indeterminate time.
Dr. Ron RhodesReasoning from the Scriptures Ministries
Economy is evolving and it may need central bank to introduce market shock and dramatic approach to pop the bubble before it’s too late. The market knows central bank is always taking action based on history and will not risk stability, even for a temporary pain. It’s for sake of GDP growth which should never be negative/see a recession.
I see one of greatest bubbles in history in making. It’s negative yield which is now about 16 T$ and I believe it’s now out of control. Some countries are even growing worst, offering negative yield for their mortgage. Four months ago, we’ve been discussing potential rally/bubble from this and it seems to be true. During that time, I believed that the best time to switch into fixed income vehicle was not when yield curve was inverted (about a year ago) but when central banks around the world were starting to bow into market (Q1 2019) and they started to ease. I believe it should trigger market perception that central bank has less power to control and should be a sign of more inversion and negative yield rally.
In facts, all bond holders in almost every developed countries are now enjoying enormous return, as much as over 100% return, mostly from their long term maturity. A vehicle that has lowest risk should return lowest. However this vehicle is now returning relatively highest return at lowest risk. It defies economy theory books unless we agree with me that it’s all right to be wrong. Any significant movement should mean something, either fear or greed at same time. Austria 100 years bond returns 200% and we can see as well in many major developed countries. It’s no surprise that US is considering ultra long bond and it may trigger more rush into this bubble. It’s always be in my theories that those vehicles that are protected from most public access, would always have higher chance to enjoy bubble or great return.
In my opinion, the only way to revert the yield is either a drastic monetary cut rate/easing or introducing massive pro growth fiscal initiatives. For central bank, it’s a dilemma. It’s too late! It’s out of control! If they ease more, it basically tells the market they bow to market and loose the opium war. Central bank is now pouring gasoline into fire and expect the fire to distinguish sooner. At the same time, greedy smart money keeps pouring on into negative yields and might push this catastrophe bubble even higher. If central banks don’t ease, credit flow in banking systems will start to revert back from long term into shorter maturity and reducing amount of credit along the time. Even worst, at the moment, I think most of central banks are still behind curve. Market is no longer expecting Fed to cut 1 basis point but 3 or 4. As well as other countries, market is now expecting immediate 1 or 2 basis points of cut.
Where are the pro-growth initiatives? I would think pro-growth initiatives are being delayed until there is a deal from the trade war. We have been expecting these since 3 years ago but they never happen. We should see this as an indicator of what fiscal teams really have in their mind. Trump can save the world but I believe he prefers to win the war. The old decades of money recycle has stopped since 2008 and there’s no new deal until today on how to recycle back. I would think they should take HongKong as a hostage. I believe they will win, not because of making more, but making less loss.
After all, I would expect to wait for below signals while continue to ride negative yield related vehicles:
- pro-growth initiatives,
- inflation to crawl back, may be from next year,
- bubble pop in negative yield and fixed income,
- a peaceful world,
before I see a small scale of financial crisis with a possible recession to create a new opportunity. It’s rhetoric to say that a peaceful world could bring a short term pain for better future.
“After the war, the bubble should pop and I will begin to desire for a new opportunity.“
It’s my own opinion and not in any case of financial advise.