Wednesday 18 April 2012

Emerging markets - NEUTRAL?

It's quite clear that Europe's economy is currently non-sustaining ie: more liquidity is required, especially in the short to medium term. With the systematic transfer of private-sector debt to the public sector there's not too much doubt that the ECB will inject liquidity into the system. That being the case Europe's impact on the global market should be fairly muted in the second half of this year.

More interesting is the debate on China's economy and the commensurate market reaction on the price of commodities. BHP Billiton projects a rosy outlook for commodities, generally and iron-ore specifically. Even so, housing data released this morning suggests that China may be headed for a 'less-soft' landing than initially expected. In addition, one or two developing political nuances in South America and Southern Africa adds fuel to the emerging-market-neutral debate.

Given the global- market aberration and the historically low equity-ratings in the US, it's no surprise that recent global equity-investment flows are US positive. Even so, the currency of the land of the free is only for the brave.


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