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Comments of the Day
28 February 2019
Video commentary for February 27th 2019
A link to today's video commentary is posted in the SUBScriber's Area.
Some of the topics discussed include: Cohen and Powell testify in front of Congress, Wall Street little changed, bond prices fall, Pound extends rally and a soft Brexit increases the scope for the Bank of England to raise rates, oil steady, gold eases, palladium pauses following acceleration. India/Pakistan deteriorating relationship has little effect on assets as long as war is avoided.
India and Pakistan Have Lost Control of the Story
This article by Mihir Sharma for Bloomberg may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:
There was a brief moment after the Indian Air Force’s strike in Pakistani territory in the early hours of Tuesday when it appeared that a way to thread that needle had been discovered. Rather than restricting itself to attacking terrorist training camps just across the Line of Control that divides Kashmir, India for the first time in decades struck areas that were undisputedly part of Pakistan itself. Strategists in New Delhi seemed confident that they’d fundamentally shifted the red lines in Kashmir and expanded India’s arsenal of possible retaliatory measures against Pakistan-backed militant attacks.
For that to be true, however, both Indian and Pakistani politicians would need to retain control of their (mutually incompatible) domestic narratives. The Indian government -- facing a tough re-election campaign in just a few weeks – had to be able to tell its electorate that it had made Pakistan pay, claiming unofficially to have killed as many as 300 terrorist recruits. Pakistan had to be able to assert the opposite – that the Indians had hit nothing but a forested hilltop before being chased off by Pakistani fighter jets.
That’s why the Indian government was initially very careful to have its chief diplomat brief the press, rather than anyone connected with the military. India’s foreign secretary also stressed that this was a “non-military” action, meaning that it wasn’t directed at the Pakistani military, and that a central aim of the planning was to ensure there were no civilian casualties. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ruling party was busy mocking the Indian media’s claims on Twitter, accusing journalists of watching too many Bollywood movies.
In general, as long as both sides focus on reassuring their domestic constituencies rather than contradicting each other’s version of events, the chances of conflict are paradoxically lower. The problem is that in this crisis like any other, facts inevitably intrude.
The escalation in tit for tat attacks is not great for sentiment but both Pakistan and India have been very clear not to call these examples of aggression acts of war. That suggests there is a clear aim to contain the situation and they despite the requirement to placate domestic firebrands, the respective administrations are interested in de-escalating the situation.
Email of the day on global liquidity:
The emphasis you have given to liquidity as a principal driver of equity markets is being vindicated as prices continue to rise despite slowing money supply. See attached article from Mises.
Thank you for this interesting article. Here is a section:
Money supply growth can often be a helpful measure of economic activity. During periods of economic boom, money supply tends to grow quickly as banks make more loans. Recessions, on the other hand, tend to be preceded by periods of falling money-supply growth.
Many factors contribute to these trends. In recent months, money supply growth — in both M2 and TMS — has likely been impacted by falling growth rates in real estate loans at commercial banks. In January, real estate loans grew 2.9 percent, year over year, which was a 49-month low. The demand for mortgage loans has softened as mortgage rates have risen. In January, the 30-year, fixed average mortgage rate reached 4.46 percent, which was down from November's recent high of 4.87. January 2018's average mortgage rate was much lower, however, coming in at 4.03 percent.
The problem with relying on the expectation that bank loan growth is a reflection of economic activity is banks have been hindered in their ability to make loans because of the damage done to their balance sheets during the credit crisis. Instead of lending they have been lodging excess reserves at the Fed in return for a modest, but risk-free interest rate.
Barrick-Newmont merger would leave up to $7B of assets up for grabs
This article by Cecilia Jamasmie for Mining.com may be of interest to subscribers. Here is a section:
Canada’s Barrick Gold's (TSX:ABX)(NYSE:GOLD) hostile $17.8 billion bid for rival Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM) could free up a group of assets the combined company would no longer consider key, such as their Kalgoorlie super pit 50/50 joint-venture in Western Australia.
After launching the offer on Monday, Barrick chief executive officer Mark Bristow said he had already been contacted by parties that have expressed interest in the company’s Australian assets.
The divestment goals announced by the Newmont-Goldcorp tie-up and the recent Barrick-Randgold merger provide “a significant opportunity” for ASX-listed names to acquire assets, according to UBS analysts.
“Australian gold producers have stronger balance sheets than their North American peers. We think Evolution and Northern Star are best placed to make accretive acquisitions given their strong track records in this area,” said UBS in a note last month.
Market rumours indicate that one of the potential buyers could be Melbourne-based Newcrest Mining (ASX:NCM), especially after Bristow said there was “a very good chance” of some Australian operators becoming involved.
The pace of M&A activity in the gold mining sector remains brisk. There is a good reason for that. Many miners have all-in sustaining costs in the order of $800-$900 and the price of gold is north of $1300. Considering the share prices of many gold miners are still reasonably close to multi-year lows it makes a lot more sense to buy and established company with production capacity already paid for than to engage in the expensive and risky business of exploration and development of greenfield sites.