THE STOCK MARKET PERSPECTIVE
The first week past this initial write-up “ Global economies are heading for turbulence – ARE WE IN TROUBLE GOING FORWARD” dated 5th July 2010 saw global markets rose sharply, ahead of the US corporate reporting season, confounding market analysts. European markets rallied on BP’s increasing optimism of resolving its Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon oil spill issue and expectation that no major European banks would fail the “stress” tests. Over the other side of the Atlantic, US investors also came back into the market with a vengeance after returning from the US Independence Day holiday. The big factor underpinning the market ebullience was thought to be the two-months equities sell-off even as economic fundamentals deteriorated. On 8 July 2010, the International Monetary Fund warned that “A potential spill-over of sovereign risk to European banking sectors and fiscal policy challenges “give us reasons to be less optimistic than we were three months ago” http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100708/tts-finance-economy-imf-growth-c1b2fc3.html
Against this gloomy economic background, and NO GOOD OVERHEADECONOMIC NEWS OR ANY OTHER CORPORATE NEWS, US stock market actually staged a spectacular rebound. In the four sessions shortend week ended 9 July 2010, the Dow gained 512 points, or 5.3%. The S&P 500 rose 5.4% and the Nasdaq was up 5% – the best week in almost a year, just ahead of the first wave of quarterly corporate results due next week.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/07/09/markets/markets_newyork/index.htm
Was the European and US stock markets taking a risk posture to suggest a strong corporate results ahead proving the strength and substance of the economic recovery leaving the IMF grim warnings behind to be buried of economic history? Or was that a relief rebound which chartist calls a “technical rebound” of a deeply-oversold position of two months of sustained sell-off? The spectacular market rebound in US had two characteristics. Most of the gains on each trading sessions were in late afternoon trade or sometimes in the last hour after choppy trading but volume were light relative to recent past, giving some hint of the tentative speculative drive of stocks up north. In other words, the buying were “cautiously optimistic” in anticipation of better corporate results.
Interesting to note that in that exciting week, bond prices fell lifting yield on 10-year US Treasury bond to slightly over 3.05% from around 2.8% and there were signs of slight gains in oil and metal prices. European markets too, benefited from increasing confidence that the first Greek auction in the debt market would be well received. Interesting enough, China was in the market buying up Greek sovereign debt alongside Japanese sovereign debt as well.
Some confidence did returned to stock markets on these “improving” fundamentals as that week progressed.
News that Bank of Korea, South Korea’s Central Bank, unexpectedly raised its benchmark interest rate on 9 July 2010 by 25 basis points to 2.25 per cent from record lows to pre-empt inflation as the domestic economic recovery gains momentum was well-received in Asian stock markets. After South Korea achieved its largest-ever trade surplus in June and together with a much faster-than-expected growth in industrial output in May, Bank of Korea revised its economic outlook to to expand 5.9 per cent this year, faster than its previous forecast in April of 5.2 per cent.. The reasonable assumption is that is economic recovery is gaining momentum.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/south-koreas-economy-to-pick-up-speed/story-e6frg926-1225890624388
This piece of good news gave further impetus to optimism that the Asian “chopstick” economies at least might have consolidate a firmer recovery grip. Asian stock markets rallied in sympathy of optimism.
CORPORATE RESULTS AND OUTLOOK PERSPECTIVE.
Unfortunately, the optimism DID NOT LAST as big US corporate results began to hit the market – mostly below expectations for some high profile globally-competing entities, excluding certain items impacting comparability with prior year.
Compounded the announced weak results, excluding certain items impacting comparability with prior year, were some pessimistic forward earnings guidance such as Samsung, Tupperware Inc, BHP-Billiton along with dismal macro-economic numbers coming out of China and USA. Tupperware’s diluted earnings per share for 2nd qtr is a diluted 93 cents, a spectacular record but diluted earnings per share in management guidance of forward outlook is forecast to be 54 to 59 cents. The steep pessimism in that profit outlook warning is apparent. Tupperware is a global giant direct marketing kitchenware products and they are expecting tough times ahead in consumer demand for even basic kitchen use products – globally.
http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/TUP/968598419×0x387875/778de13f-bca4-4694-a57d-281ea991584a/2Q_10_Earnings_Release_Final_Complete.pdf
What about BHP Billiton? BHP is the largest mining entity in the world is also cautious about the short-term outlook of the global economy “Uncertainty surrounds the near term prospects for growth in the developed world as governments adjust fiscal policies following a period of significant stimulus and subsequent increase in sovereign debt levels,” BHP Billiton warned.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/bhp-cautious-on-short-term-global-outlook/story-e6frg90f-1225894887558
Now let us look at Samsung, the world’s largest chip-maker and three times larger than its competitor, Sony Corp. Despite its size, market share and scale economies advantages, Samsung is facing tough times in its key markets. Analysts’ consensus forecast of 4.8 trillion won in operating profit against Samsung’s own estimated its April-June operating profit at a median 5.0 trillion won ($4.09 billion) in a range of 4.8-5.2 trillion won. BUT ALL THAT LOOKS OVER-OPTIMISTIC NOW.
Samsung’s profit guidance now stood a a mere 4.41 trillion won – that is 12% shave off as the actual result is pending announcement end of this month.
http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/news/newsIrRead.do?news_ctgry=irpublicdisclosure&news_seq=19687
It will be watched very closely by the markets and economists as to the strength of the electronic consumer market looking at Samsung’s forward profit guidance in the 3rd quarter. As of now, the picture does NOT look optimistic at all. There are a few exceptional positive factors benefiting the disappointing results now awaiting Samsung and a store of negative factors emerging over the horizon.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Samsung-growth-to-slow-as-rb-4022898826.html?x=0&.v=4
Sales of liquid crystal display flat screens is likely to benefit from robust TV demand growth during this year summer’s World Cup. That won’t be repeated and should slow down in the 2nd half as pent up demand have been amply satisfied. Analysts expect sluggish demand from Europe after a nearly 10 percent tumble in the euro made import more expensive. The full impact is yet to be felt as Euro fell only from end April 2010. Margins and sales volume in EU will be hit by adverse falling exchange rate movement of the declining euro – these could have been factors behind the downward revised profit guidance from Samsung’s management. They do not bode well for chip making or the electronic consumer market. On the topline revenue number, Samsung now expects roughly 34.6 trillion won on sales compared to the same 1st qtr revenue of 32.5 trillion won – a mere 6% gain and expected to be falling as the year progresses. On those numbers, one can expect, on balance, to see stock markets to react adversely rather than positively when Samsung released its actual results at the end of this month.
Of the major corporate results in US, the first result came from Alcoa, the aluminium giant. Because of its varied GLOBAL customer base from consumer packaging to construction and infrastructure and transport, its result is viewed as good proxy of indicative forward GLOBAL economic trend and outlook.
Alcoa swung to a profit after striking a 6% increase in sales revenue over 1st qtr 2010 firing up market optimism when Alcoa’s chairman boasted that the global “economic recovery has legs”. But a closer look at its accounting number paints a different picture.
http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/news/news_detail.asp?pageID=20100712006733en&newsYear=2010
The revenue increase was brought by a 1% decreased in realised aluminium price to customers. Not surprisingly, the most price-sensitive packaging sector saw the biggest revenue growth of 17% .Commercial transportation expanded by 10% – this one is the tail end of the one-off cash for clunkers surge in demand – thanks to Obama’s stimulus tax credits while building and construction had the benefit of strong export market in China where cutback in power consumption forced a decline in local production. On the earnings front, the picture is also not that rosy as it first appeared. Net income of $136 million were struck after Alcoa reduced its overhead by more than $311 million in the first 6 months – without which 2nd qtr positive earnings could NOT be achieved. The only economic recovery legs I could see of Alcoa results is a type of prosthesis legs.
Klaus Kleinfeld, Alcoa’s chairman and CEO believes that China will account for much of the 2010 growth in consumption, with higher sales in the heavy truck and trailer, beverage can packaging and commercial construction sectors. But China’s manufacturing has slowed down near the end of 2nd qtr 2010.!
In North America, Alcoa sees sales dropping by 23 percent to 27 percent for commercial building and construction. It expects beverage can sales to be flat.
As of 2009, about half of Alcoa’s sales were in the U.S., 27 percent in Europe, 15 percent in the Asian-Pacific region, with the remainder in North and South America.
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/7/13/business/20100713115215&sec=business
Alcoa reported sales growth “ in many markets” it competes in the 2nd Qtr 2010 . Yet Mr. Kleinfeld see huge drop in US demand for building and construction by between 23% to 27% in 2010 INDICATING THAT HE EXPECTED US ECONOMY TO SLOW DOWN CONSIDERABLY.
Intel results followed Alcoa with above-seasonal revenue growth which the US stock market liked, expected and consistent with industry’s analysts expectation that the tech sector will benefit from an uptick in corporate demand as the economy recovers. But strangely enough, its stock prices actually tanked on announcement of results.
The reasons offered by analysts was that “multiple indications of slowing demand” from Europe, China, the PC manufacturers and U.S. retailers such as Best Buy and Costco. The belief is that INTEL had seen the best of past and first half strong performance which is NOT durable looking from other sources within the same industry. Semiconductors are said to be at the end of the electronics food chain and thus are the last to feel any inflection in demand. And as Samsung’s own results is likely to bear out this month end, the peak of the unusual seasonal consumer electronic market demand is past.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-slip-on-retail-sales-but-tech-shines-2010-07-14
Intel painted a rosy outlook of global economic recovery BUT ASIAN MARKETS GREETING THE RESULTS WERE NOT IMPRESSED AT ALL AND SINGAPORE STOCK MARKET ACTUALLY FELL 6 POINTS THE DAY AFTER. Let us look at the possible reasons.
Intel reported a margin improved to 17% on sales in 2nd qtr 2010 compared to 13% in the corresponding period in 2009. Given the recovery from extreme depressed economic conditions prevailing then, the slight recovery in margin was not unexpected. 2009 second qtr results was also affected adversely by a charge of $1.45 billion related to a European Commission antitrust fine. Net earning rose to $2.9 billion in 2nd qtr 2010 against the loss of $398 million the year before same qtr. Intel sales grew by 34% from a low depressed base of 2nd qtr 2009 to $10.8 billion.
But compared to its 1st qtr 2009 sales revenue of $10.3 billion and net income of $2.4 billion, the 2nd qtr 2010 result is HARDLY IMPRESSIVE. Sales grew by a mere 5% and net earnings grew by 20% in a recovery from very deep trough.
http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/INTC/968696269×0x364951/c922fa5e-d636-4915-8ace-7cd371ee8d38/Earnings%20Release%20Q12010.pdf
In guidance forward, Intel is forecasting a 7.4% increase sales – not a big expectation from current trend of slow growth.
A slew of big high profile corporate results came in on 16 July 2010 – GE and a couple of banks – there were way below expectations. REVENUE FELL when compared to 2009, indicating the tightness of market demand slowing revenue inflow in a difficult global market conditions WORSE THAN 2009.
GE – the world’s largest conglomerate is truly a bellwether stock of the global economy - bragged of strong performance and rosy outlook. “GE’s economic environment continues to improve,” said Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. Market critiques disagree. I can’t help it but look at GE long-term share price chart. It showed that GE had been a “dog’ business for its patient shareholders for close to a decade.
http://bigcharts.marketwatch.com/quickchart/quickchart.asp?symb=ge&sid=0&o_symb=ge&freq=2&time=13
Let’s look at the accounting numbers for objectivity of recent performance analysis. Two comments from GE merit closer scrutiny in conjunction and its relevance to understanding the economic outlook GE faces.
Pre-tax earnings at GE Capital swung to a profit of $741 million, even as the benefit from tax write-downs continued to fall, reaching about $100 million in the recent quarter. Meanwhile, GE Capital is winding down its debt and restructuring with a strategy to refocus on its core businesses of infrastructure and industrial products. Stronger performance at GE capital came from winding down its badly-bleeding consumer credit divison to focus on infrastructure and industrial products financing i.e. corporate business I guess because the US consumers are considered to be “dead”. Secondly, the write-back from hollow log accounting is near the tail end of that hollow log implying that GE had either had modestly over-provided in prior periods or aggressively writing back overprovisions to bring GE Capital back to profitability. GE IS CAPITAL IS NOT PERFORMING at all of organic business, especially consumer credit.
Revenue at GE’s energy infrastructure unit came in at $9.54 billion, off about 9%, although profit climbed 3%. – that is worrying REVENUE HAS FALLEN. It is amazing that their revenues here did not at least have a rebound from recesssion lows last year – not just at GE Capital but in all other key businesses of GE. Revenue at its technology infrastructure unit came in at $9.06 billion, off 6%. Profit at the unit declined 11%” Equally, it is also amazing that energy and tech infrastructure sales are lower despite emerging markets growing gangbusters with infrastructure growth of all kinds.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/214926-ge-lights-on-lights-off
There were big infrastructural projects, not only In China, but in India, Persian Gulf states, Europe, America, Australia and even in Africa.
So what does that tells us about the global economic health? THE INFRASTRUCTURAL STIMULUS SPENDING worldwide has been no help to GE and some of these stimulus spending in China is being curtailed now will aggravate the adverse economic outlook next year and beyond unless China steps up again its stimulus spending and risking overheating its property sector. GE RESULTS DID NOT GIVE ME ONE REASON TO BE OPTIMISTIC.
Together with the GE results release were some major banks and Google. They all reported LOWER THAN EXPECTED REVENUE AND REVENUE DECLINES COMPARED TO RECESSION-RIDDEN 2009! US stock market took a beating that day led by GE down 1.1 percent, while Bank of America tumbled 4.7 percent and Citigroup lost 1.9 percent. Google Inc. sank 4 percent. Banks are lifeline of business and they are licking wounds of the 2009 GFC meltdown even as late as 2nd qtr 2010!. Of the US banks, only JP Morgan reported better revenue and earnings. Its 76% increase in second-quarter profit was due in part to a 23% reduction in reserves for loans unlikely to be paid back. Again, better results was due to hollow log accounting. JP Morgan’s Chief Executive Jamie Dimon poured some cold water on the market’s excitement over the results, noting that losses from bad consumer loans “remain at extremely high levels.” Consumers in US is still facing very tough times de-leveraging.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stocks-open-down-as-data-offsets-jp-morgan-results-2010-07-15
Well Fargo reported increasing value of its bad loans portfolio which must yet be ominious indicative sign that the healing of consumer spending wounds have NOT yet completed. Clearly the EU and US economy is troubling in spite of better economic outlook prevailing on this side of the Pacific.
http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aMEuJBqkIojU&pos=5
As of yesterday, 21 July 2010, nearly 76% of the S&P 500 companies reported higher than expected revenue and earnings –same as recent quarters but the key questions unanswered remain – are the revenue estimates too low in the first place and what is the quarter to quarter performance this year rather than comparing to the depressed base of 2009.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-falter-on-health-tech-earnings-2010-07-21
Our analysis showed that Intel’s 2nd qtr revenue and earnings did fantastically well compared to 2009 results but not on a quarterly to quarterly basis to show the economy has really turned around. GE was also a complete disappointment on the global basis. Two other notable results are worth mentioning before we move on to examine the global economic macro-economic data. They are Apple and Coca-Cola. Apple is ready to overlap Microsoft in the forseeable future reported strong revenue and earnings growth lifted by new product innovations sales of i-phone. Coca-cola reported volume sales growth and market in all markets EXCEPT EUROPE. Now imagine EU consumers could not longer casually afford a bottle of ubiquitous COKE – that must send compelling warning that consumer demand in EU has either cratered or about to crater into the ravine of demand collapse.
Coca cola’s quarterly revenue rose 5% to $8.67 billion with with 2% growth in North America and 6% internationally suggesting weak US consumer market relative to international economic environment. “The state of the global economy remains uncertain in many regions, affected by ongoing deficit concerns in Europe, recent downward revisions to China’s economy and weakened consumer confidence,” said Muhtar Kent, chief executive, in the earnings report
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/volume-share-gains-push-coca-cola-profit-higher-2010-07-21
There are pockets of strong corporate results, notably Caterpillar, 3M and UPS with sales and profits gains. Caterpillar 2nd Qtr sales of $10.409 billion is 26.3% gain on lst qtr 2010 much-depressed sale revenue of $8.238 billion – itself much lower than 1st qtr 2009 figure of $9.225 bln. Indeed 2nd qtr 2009 sales was further depressed at $7.975 billion, so the illusory “improvement” in Caterpillar is somewhat exaggerated by the much lower base in 2009 and 1st qtr 2010 actual performance. Net profit rose to $707 milion in 2nd qtr 2010 compared to $223 million in the 1st qtr 2010 – thanks to costs cutting and strong orders from mining and energy businesses globally. Asian trade flows helped UPS to do a lot better, highlingting the continuiing strength of the Asian recovery story at least until the 2nd qtr of 2010. Likewise 3M achieved a marginal growth of 6% in sales from $6.7 billion in 2nd Qtr 2010 against $6.3 billion in the first qtr of 2010. Its strongest growth was in emerging market and its business is MAINLY CORPORATE. Compared to the low base of 2nd Qtr 2009 when corporate were trimming expenses aggressively, 3M’s sales and earnings growth “look” a lot more impressive.
The key conclusions that this author arrive at are
- the corporate results in US to date look good superficially but on deeper examination is NOT great and in some instances seems troubling of real achieved outcomes and forward outlook guidance.
- US economy is still very weak – no sign of underlying improvement in top-line revenue for a lot of major corporations like GE, Bank of America, Citibank, IBM and disturbing forward-looking profit guidance from consumer basics like Tupperware, Coca-cola, Well Fargo etc. Samsung and Intel tell of peaked demand and seasonal slacks in consumer electronic demand forward and this cannot be good for Singapore.
- EU market is very weak – can’t even sell more coke as euro fell making foreign imports generally more expensive for distressed consumers and that spells trouble for China. You cannot expect inflationary spending booms as EU turned on the deflationary austerity spending by sovereign Governments.
- stimulus spending globally on infrastructure stalled economic deep recessions but NOT cured it as the results of GE’s troubling infrastructural sales shows.
- Asia is the only bright spot but that is dependent on the weaker (in comparison) US economy and this is also slowing, judging from the shrinking revenue base evident from banking results, Alcoa’s forward forecast and the on-going winding down of GE Capital’s consumer credit division.
MACRO-ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVE
NOW LET US NOW LOOK AT SOME GLOBAL MACRO-ECONOMIC DATA. It is worse than this author expected in the last write-up. Conditions deteriorated significantly in the last qtr according to the IMF in early July. This came as the global equity markets is said to suffered more than $US11 billion ($12.5 billion) of net outflows in the first week of July, 2010 amid fears of a double-dip recession.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/double-dip-fear-sends-investors-to-cash-20100709-103jn.ht
Interesting enough, the lure of gold and precious metals as a hedge against uncertainty helped commodity funds top the list of EPFR Global-tracked sector funds once again in early July. Spot gold rallied from March to June 2010 by a mere 13% in US dollar term as the euro fell by more than 25% against the US dollar indicating that investors are fleeing EU financial market into US dollars and gold.
http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=EUR&view=10Y
Gold, in the view of this author, is NOT seen as a ideal CURRENCY HEDGE for European investors at least but more of a generalised broader uncertainty hedge of global economy in which any deflationary collapse of US economy will also perhaps shrink demand for gold and leaving spot price of physical gold vulnerable. Any collapse of US dollar in subsequent another deep US recession would be hdeged by having some investment in gold. These are indications of economic turbulence and unfathomable uncertainty sweeping financial markets.
http://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html
The initial confidence in equities at the beginning of this month also saw bond yields on US 10 year treasury bond rising to 3.05%. Money has flowed out of BOTH EQUITIES AND US DOLLAR 10 YEAR BONDS. Since then, the euro has recovered slightly by about 6% relative to the US dollar, US 10-year bond yield fell backward to 2.89% and spot gold declining also 6% to US$1178 per oz from its recent peak of US$1,251 per oz. GOLD IS MORE SENSITIVE TO US DOLLAR ASCEND THAN US DOLLAR DECLINE evidencing again the lack of one-to-one currency hedge volatility but more to economic uncertainty generally also reflected in volatility of US 10-year bond yields.
In the base metals market, copper has fallen 12.5% , nickel 22%, zinc 21% , lead 20% and aluminium 20% from their recent peaks.
http://www.kitcometals.com/charts/aluminum_historical.html
And of late, bulk commodities like iron ore ( by about 10% in the last few weeks) suddenly and metallugical coal has levelled off despite very steep increases since May 2009. It is not surprising that ST also reported recently falling dry bulk commodity ship loading space. Steel sector is weak – not just in China but in India, US and EU. Falling demand was the key factor and there is no relief in sight indicating that the credit squeeze is having its bite in Chinese infrastructure, residential construction and manufacturing CONCURRENTLY as indicated in my introductory write-up of early July. Baoshan Iron & Steel Co. — China’s second largest steel mill by output, cut the price of its its hot-rolled-coil (HRC) and cold-rolled-coil (CRC) products by 5% last week back to the first qtr of 2009 citing weak demand. Hot-rolled coil (HRC), a benchmark for flat steel, used by the automobile and white goods majors. That must indicate a weakness in autos and white goods manufacturing in China and also globally since China is now the world’s largest steel producing nation.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinese-steel-mills-suffer-slumping-demand-2010-07-14?dist=news
As much of Chinese steel produced are exported to global markets, concerns have been expressed about European steel demand being reduced there by up to 2 million tonnes a month across the continent.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/falling-demand-from-chinese-steel-mills-hits-ore-price/story-e6frg9dx-1225894294488.
Indian steel sector is suffering the same fate with intense pressure on hot-rolled coil (HRC) with prices falling by 2,000 rupees per tonne last month to 32,000 rupees per month – a 6% fall in prices even though iron-ore price last month was stable around US$120 per tonne and coking coal was trading around US$200 per tonne. End buyers of steel are said to be de-stocking – yet another pointer to slowing auto production forward as car sales keep hitting new peaks.
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page39?oid=107518&sn=Detail&pid=92730.
The best might be over for now as car manufacturing are gearing up for production of clean energy lithium battery-operated car mass manufacturing in Japan.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100720/tts-japan-auto-company-honda-7d7070a.html
Over in US, the steel market is also not better. This is also apparent from the prices of molybdenum and manganese used in steel production which have fallen below their recent trendlines. US import licenses dropped 14.9% in June from May 2010 to 1,773,206 tonnes after a six months consecutive import surge of 35% this year but remain more than double the level of a year ago. As US steel prices are said to be lower than global level, US steel imports of Chinese steel will shrink forward as China modify its export tax rebates for steel products take toll.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/213667-june-steel-report-import-licenses-drop-china-surges
US car manufacturing were not as strong as initial auto data sales show and most likely to have peaked already because of cash for clunker incentives.
http://money.cnn.com/2010/06/29/news/economy/auto_sales_weakness/index.htm?postversion=2010062910
Autos is big industry in US and since most of the Obama’s stimulus package was meant for corporate rescue and some consumer spending items like (over-supplied) housing and cars rather than industry, infrastructure and construction, steel consumption is likely to constrain once the incentivized purchases ended. In fact, manufacturing is the strongest pillar of US economic recovery due to inventory re-stocking BUT THIS HAD FALTERED in June, extends into July and seems to be continuiing in the September qtr as the re-stocking is drawing to a close.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/factories-slowing-in-july-sentiment-surveys-say-2010-07-15
Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said the Philly Fed manufacturing sentiment survey declined to 5.1 in July from 8 in June and 21.4 in May. The reading is above zero, which shows the sector is still expanding, but the breadth of that expansion has diminished and dimishing very fast. This must point to weaker economic growth, employment into the second half of this year and consistently with falling demand for steel in the otherwise strong US manufacturing sector.
A preliminary estimate released last month showed US gross domestic product expanded at a 1.9 per cent annual rate in the second quarter. This compared unfavourably with the twice-revised 1st Qtr GDP growth of 2.7% due to lower consumer spending. The evidence points a downward trend in US GDP growth that sustained into the second half. But even that is likely to be revised downward I believe. Why?
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fed-to-mull-stimulus-moves-just-in-case-2010-07-14?pagenumber=2
Federal Reserve officials last week agreed that the outlook for the recovery had softened between April and June, with financial market tension due the European fiscal crisis as the leading culprit. They also trimmed their officials forecast for growth over the next two years adding the unemployment rate might remain higher next year than they had expected. With interest rates just slightly above zero, analysts warned that the Fed has no economic lever to deal with any sudden adversity in steep decline.
Consumer demand has weaken and consumer confidence plummeted further in July hitting the lowest level since August 2009. University of Michigan index fell to 66.5 in early July from 76 in late June. It is shocking because the June reading was the highest level in more than two years and then this sudden drop to threaten consumer spendings adding to US economic woes.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-july-consumer-sentiment-plummets-2010-07-16
And it came after US Government data showed increasing unemployment numbers in June and steep US factory orders declined in May, posting the largest drop in 14 months as transportation related orders tumbled. Factory orders again declined into the month of July 2010 in continuation of that adverse trend.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/factories-slowing-in-july-sentiment-surveys-say-2010-07-15
There is therefore risks of higher unemployment ahead leaving consumer increasingly tight-fisted with their wallets.
As for inventories, inventories of U.S. wholesalers rose in May as warehouses were restocked with machinery and other durable goods, while sales registered their first decline in 14 months. This is a trojan horse. Unless sales picks up – unlikely as consumer cut spending in June, July and maybe into the next qtr as unemployment is ready to rise again to clear stocks – there will be a period of wholesalers de-stocking ahead to run, depressing manufacturing further going forward. As of current indication, US Consumers are still very busy engaging in plastic surgery of pruning their credit card debts. According to the Federal Reserve, total household credit outstanding has declined for seven quarters in a row.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/plastic-surgery-and-the-double-dip-2010-07-20
This prolonged de-leveraging, unparalleled in the post war era, has begun to take its toll on consumer spending. June retail sales declined after rising (tepidly) during the previous eight months. Sales unexpectedly dipped 1.2 percent to 362.5 billion dollars in May from the previous month, according to data from the Commerce Department.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100612/tts-us-economy-retail-sales-c1b2fc3.html
Since retail sales make up one-half of consumers’ spending, and thus, one-third of the gross domestic product, it would be difficult for the economy to expand in the absence of a rise in these outlays.
Besides hurting from the drop in employment, most households are also suffering from a decline in their wealth because if the drop in prices of homes and their investments continues. House prices are vulnerable to further decline despite record low mortgage rates. Resales of U.S. homes fell 5.1% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.37 million as a federal subsidy for home buyers ends, the National Association of Realtors. The expiration of the tax credit has devastated the housing market
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/existing-home-sales-fall-51-as-tax-credit-ends-2010-07-22-10200
In fact, housing starts fell another 5% in June after a 15% drop in May, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 549,000, the lowest level in eight months, the Commerce Department estimated. A DOWNWARD TREND HAS BEEN FLAGGED.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-housing-starts-fall-5-to-8-month-low-2010-07-20
New housing starts is now back in the dumps where is was a year ago after federal tax credits for buyer expired. This is NOT surprising noting that sales of new single-family homes plunged 33% in May to a record-low level after a federal subsidy for home buyers expired, according to the US Commerce Department
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-home-sales-plunge-33-to-record-low-in-may-2010-06-23
Pending homes sales also tumbled in May to lowest level on record after tax credits expire. The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes dropped in May to the lowest level on record, a sign the housing recovery can’t survive without government incentives.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/May-pending-home-sales-tumble-apf-2024500274.html?x=0
Sales agreements for previously occupied homes dropped 30 percent in May from April. The index fell to 77.6 from 110.9. May’s reading was the lowest dating back to 2001.The index also was down 15.9 percent from the same month a year earlier.
Sales of existing home in June fell by 5.1% against expected 10% . It was better than expected but the continuiing fall is yet another disturbing illustration of the weak housing sector. Americans are still selling their homes in the face of an over-supplied market.
On the manufacturing front, industrial production is also weakening in June and the rebound shown in US leading economic indicators proved unsustainable. Expansion in the U.S. manufacturing sector moderated in June after three months of very rapid growth. The Institute for Supply Management index fell from 59.7% in May to a reading of 56.2% for June.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/manufacturing-growth-moderates-in-june-2010-07-01?dist=bigcharts
Following an upwardly revised increase of 0.5% in May,the index of leading economic indicators declined 0.2% in June
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/june-leading-indicators-fall-slower-growth-seen-2010-07-22-102000
THE DYING US HOUSING MARKET, SLOWING MANUFACTURING SECTOR AND FALLING RETAIL SALES STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT THE US ECONOMIC RECOVERY IS STALLING OR HEADING FOR A STEEP DECLINE.
About the worse economic news that emerged out of US this week is Beb Bernanke’s public pronouncement that the Fed will ease monetary policy if growth slows down further, particularly if employment weakens.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bernanke-stresses-he-is-ready-to-ease-2010-07-22?dist=news
If Bernanke is NOT positive of US economic outlook, how can we?
Eurozone
Eurozone saw some late improvement of economic data. May industrial orders were up contrary to market expectations despite the sovereign debt crisis. May industrial orders across the euro zone rose 3.8% compared to April and rose 22.7% compared to May 2009. Adding on, we saw its flash estimate July Purchasing Manager Index edging up slight to 56.7 in July compared to 56.0 in June suggesting that production had a slow grind ahead. But EU is not a one shade monolith. Analysts cautioned that the increase was driven largely by a sharp rise in German PMI, which jumped to its highest level since February 2007. Like South Korea, it has been known that German exports have done very well as conditions in emerging economies continue to improve. The strong outcome in the July PMI data “probably reflects Germany’s outperformance — in the manufacturing sector in particular. Of some concern is the deceleration of increase in export orders despite the cheaper euro ( which should have help exports) hint of lack of demand growing forward as the restocking cycle in export markets may be over.
Overall, the nascent recovery is charting through rough waters of fiscal austerity and long journey ahead of improving export competitiveness following steep depreciation of the Euro in the last quarter. The International Monetary Fund, in its latest report, warned that The recovery, driven mainly by external demand, “is likely to be slowed in the near term by market tensions related to sovereign risks”
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100722/tts-finance-economy-imf-europe-509a08e.html
PIIG members of EU faced intense pressure of immediate action of credible fiscal adjustment to establish the path toward long term fiscal sustainability. The European Central Bank warned that government debt in the 16-nation zone is forecast to reach 88.5 percent of gross domestic product in 2011, or roughly 8.3 trillion euros (10.0 trillion dollars).
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100606/tts-ecb-eurozone-bank-banking-sector-pub-c1b2fc3.html
Despite a strong and far-reaching eurozone policy response to the crisis, IMF warned “market confidence will take time to restore. Countries facing market pressures have no option but to adjust forcefully and meet their deficit targets.” Much of continental Europe, namely Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, is now on austerity drive with determined efforts to cut budget deficits to restrain public debt to an acceptable percentage of GDP. In June 2010, the German Government announced a 80 billion euro spending cut combined with up to 15,000 job cuts in the public sector, as part of a sweeping austerity package.
New taxes will also be imposed on air travel and the nuclear power industry.
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/BUSINESS/06/07/merkel.germany.spend.cuts.ft/index.html
Britain’s forward economic outlook is just as gloomy. The new Government inherited from its predecessor one of the world’s worst public deficit rocketed to a record-high of 156 billion pounds in the 2009/10 fiscal year which ended in March, as severe recession hit tax revenues and as the government spent billions of pounds on bailing out banks.http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100620/tts-britain-economy-finance-budget-cac1e9b.html
All these forced tough fiscal discipline and will definitely have negative impact on economic aggregates. NOT surprising that Coca-cola’s 2nd qtr earnings already announced that its sales in EU is the only market sector which experienced negative growth. EU has slowed down but its impact is still to be felt in China in the coming quarters.
China & the Rest of Asia.
Manufacturing is also slowing in China. Chinese manufacturing activity grew at a slower rate last month than in May. China’s official purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell from 53.9 in May to 52.1.
A separate measure, the HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index also showed a slowdown, falling for the third month in a row to 50.4, from 52.7 in May. At close to 50, it suggests that Chinese manufacturing sector is CLOSE TO SHRINKING. Does that surprise me? The answer is NO. It is in the Chinese trade data recently announced.
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-07/10/content_5430541.htm
Exports in June soared 21.7 percent to US$179.6 billion while imports grew 14.2 percent to US$76.4 billion, the customs agency said. The record trade surplus, despite gloomy global economic conditions, confounded many analysts but in reality hide a multitude of disturbing facts. US trade deficits with China escalated further – the reason is the rush of glut-filled Chinese steel exports into US ahead of the expiration of export tax rebates to be lifted by China soon. What is more disturbing is the decline in the value of imports. Noting that China is an over-sized glutton of bulk commodities especially iron-ore and coking coal, imports were expected to be higher shrinking Chinese trade surplus. Why? It is because iron-ore prices lifted up another 40% in the 2nd qtr 2010 (though declined about 8% in the last fortnight) and coking coal price have surged in that interval. Therefore the fall in imports of these dry bulk commodities reveal a disturbing trend in steep fall in the VOLUME of iron-ore and coking coal imports forced upon by the much slowed-down steel sector supplying steel inputs to infrastructure and manufacturing sector. Other metal prices have also fallen in the 2nd quarter 2010.
Crackdown on overheating property market have hurt infrastructure, construction and manufacturing sectors in China at the same time and its impact crunches commodity prices. Since mid-April, mid-April, global prices for aluminium are down 18 per cent; for copper, 13 per cent; for lead, 19 per cent; and for nickel, 27 per cent
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/news/crackdown-on-overheating-property-market-crunches-commodity-prices/story-e6frg90x-1225895901641
China is confronting a property market bubble probbaly worst than the US. Straits Times, July 10, 2010 page B25 has this interesting news item – 65 million empty homes – one big bubble. Oh I am sure it is. Dr Yi Xianrong, an economist with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences disclosed that estimates from electricity meter readings showed 64.5 million empty apartment and houses in urban China, many of them bought by speculative buyers hedging on ever rising property market of no ending. Chinese Government is aware of speculators buying 2nd and 3rd properties relying on bank borrowings. Dacronian new monetary policies put in place recently halted the insanity of these wild speculation but they hurt all other sectors of the economy.
There are fears that manufacturing is also peaking for much of Asia’s emerging economies. South Korea and Taiwan’s manufacturing logged their 16th consecutive months of expansion and India its 15 months of consecutive expansion. In a world where the macro-economic environment is tepid, how long can these bullish run continues? Samsung which accounts for nearly 12% of South Korea GDP will report a lower than expected 2nd qtr results and forecast to slow even further for the rest of this year is a case in point. There are other warning signs. The purchasing managers’ indexes, released early this month, showed more muted rates of growth in China, India, South Korea and Taiwan.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-factory-data-may-signal-rebound-has-peaked-2010-07-01
As government are forced to cutback spendings and steep currency djustments in Europe and the winding down of consumer tax spending credits in US, demands for Asian manufacturing exports must now take into account the realities of slowed-down consumer spendings in these countries. Analysts believe, and I agree too, is that the strength of manufacturing upswing in Asia in the last 12 months had the benefits of a restocking cycle which followed the credit freeze from the end of 2008. This has ended – noting steep decline in consumer spending in housing, retail goods and banking services evident from 2nd qtr US corporate results released in the last fortnight.
What implications these developents has for Singapore? Tough times and increased risks of external shocks of a global double dip starting from US. The much touted global economic recovery spoke of in the last 6 months is tepid, fragile and shallow. The US economy slowed from a twice-revised-downward 2.7% growth in GDP in the 1st qtr to a even considerably slower 1.9% in the 2nd qtr (maybe subject to downward revision again??) and increasingly deteriorating retail, housing conditions, continued de-leveraging of consumer debts, worrying employment trends and a clearly slowing manufacturing sector which was until recently a stellar pillar of its recovery core. Europe is on austerity drive and decline in euro is hurting badly consumer’s ability to spend even on a bottle of coke. Tupperware’s gloomy forward profit guidance signal weakening demand even in emerging markets. China is definitely at risks of a hard landing instead of a soft one as manufacturing were hit CONCURRENTLY with infrastructure and construction sector. Both China and US spoke recently of further stimulus spending before year end if the economies continue to weaken faster than expected.
How can they, may I ask?
In China’s case, it will risks rekindle the property bubble so soon and in US , such a decision will escalate US Government’s public debt relative to its GDP to increasingly difficult to manage of stress levels and financial market tolerance in the bond market. I do see global economies perching dangerously on the tightrope and updates of corporate results in US showed very little organic growth on a quarter to quarter basis. When the economic recovery is shallow and weak, it is very vulnerable to sudden shocks and this is what we must expect. Be warned that bond prices has risen and yield on 10-year US Government bond is down back to 2.89% now. Gold seems to be factoring sensitivity to uncertain economic outlook reacting with muted enthusiasm to Bernanke’s “unusually uncertain”outlook prognosis leaving me to guess that there is downside to current spot gold prices.
LET ALL BE FOREWARNED HERE. Ben Bernanke is openly pessismistic of US economic outlook in the short-term in his congressional testimony this week.
My own prognosis judge that there is at least a 70% chance of a double dip before the final quarter of calendar 2010 with big negative consequences for Singapore unless both US and Chinese Governments take an about turn to stimulate their economies again, however unpalatable this policy dilemma means. Anyone disagreeing??
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke called the economic outlook “unusually uncertain” but avoided naming any new steps to jump-start growth
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-stocks-falter-on-health-tech-earnings-2010-07-21
His comments DO NOT give me confidence that he knows what to do when that happens.
FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS, MATES! Enjoy the rough roller-coaster ride awaiting ahead.
Zhen He
UPDATE on Global economies are heading for turbulence, ARE WE IN TROUBLE GOING FORWARD?
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Global economies are heading for turbulence – ARE WE IN TROUBLE GOING FORWARD?
Strong headwinds ahead, global economies are heading for turbulence – ARE WE IN TROUBLE GOING FORWARD?
Financial markets across the globe cave-in last week amidst contrasting optimism among economists in frenzied GDP forecast upgrades of the Singapore economy for 2010.- ST, 2 July 2010, A3, Prime News, Economists in frenzy of forecast upgrades.
To be fair, OCBC economist, Selena Ling, is somewhat restraint of bullish outlook. She warned ‘formidable headwinds….brewing the the form of the euro zone debt crisis and renewed worries about a China-led slowdown.” The most recent past forecast was of May 2010 is for the growth to hit below 7 to 9 percent but the week past saw many economists rushing to revise their GDP forecast for 2010 upwards on the back of strong manufacturing numbers with DBS as high as 13% and UOB posting 9%. The contrasting numbers and the timing are interesting considering a whole slew of uniformly bad news hitting financial markets across the globe and most major European and US markets actually ACCELERATED their downwards decline from the week prior. The published impressive bounce forecasts of 2010 over 2009 had no positive impact on local stock market sentiments. No one pointed to the “no-so-obvious” void of inherent logical flaw of optimism – it came from a VERY LOW, indeed a NEGATIVE, base of minus 2.5% GDP decline in 2009 such that a 10% growth, even achieved in 2010, would have meant the economy grew by a mere 7.5% compared back to 2008. Not much to crow about of economic “irrational” exuberance over these seemingly ebullient “bouncy” numbers. The softer property market in Singapore mirrored that duller subdued reality and a more restraint outlook awaiting 2011.
Notwithstanding this artificially strong (though not equally enthusiastically welcomed by stock market here) forecasts, this author is staking a view that the range of published strongly bullish forecast is MORE likely to be in error of being over-optimistic rather than realistic. The downside in Selena Ling’s cautionary note is, in my best informed judgement, more likely to bear fruition taking the world’s major economies into a double-dip and maybe Singapore into yet another surprised recession in the second-half. None of the impressive forecasts might materialise – even the lowest in the range of 9% GDP growth for 2010. The reasons are many and is shared in this blog for others who may have same or disagreeing views.
The ebb and flow of the upturn has tipped over from the rise over the peak into the ebb slide downward – the inevitably of that is increasingly apparent from the consistent pattern of economic macro-economic numbers emanating. It is worrying. Financial markets are more likely to “forecast” economic direction correctly and ahead of actual economic swings and the week’s past market behaviour is eerie of my fears that all is ill of the world’s economic landscape beyond political of the recent Toronto G20 cross-Atlantic division of austerity drive and further fiscal stimulus against a background of continuiing sovereign debt crisis and German’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel’s unhelpful political setback on the domestic front. The global economic prospects in 2011 may well be hostage to the G20 split and Merkel’s weaken political stature – the obvious lack of co-ordinated economic strategizing so critical if Merkel lost her political base and G20 unable to act collectively and resolutely in crisis, noting Obama’s administration is also facing Congressional re-election pressures.
I want to go back to the ebb-and-flow logic and observations. This author is constantly reminded of this pattern – a robust first quarter 2010 economic upturn across the globe and resurgent metal prices on London Metal Exchange in parallel. In that 1st Quarter, Taiwan sees biggest quarterly growth in over 30 years – even far more spectacular than Singapore which sank deeper in early 2009.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1057952/1/.html
The key flaw in there was strong corporate earnings during the first quarter in 2010 was that these were NOT uniformly supported by stronger sales but more due to costs cuttings. Sales had the supported to some extent by inventory re-stocking rather than adding on of organic business growth. Together they lifted GDP numbers globally giving stock markets the upleg rise in optimism. Commodities-based currencies like the Australian dollar and the Canadian loonies rocketed up to pre-2008/2009 levels. If one look at http://www.kitcometals.com, even a dog of metals like zinc and nickel peaked in late March/early April over 6-months interval view and infrastructure-sensitive copper – the PHD in economics – was US$3.50 per lb hardly 10% off its all time historical high. There were strong anecdoctal evidence that Chinese farmers are using access to easier bank credit to stock up copper for speculative gains instead of buying fertilisers. Staggering as this stocking of copper instead of fertilisers as might be beyond believability, market watchers in potash and phosphate markets were all stunned by the lack of buying interests in fertilisers demand when traders in that segment were busy forecasting a big upturn – after a dormant 3-year sleep and poorer and poorer harvest crop yields per acre. The upturn for fertiliser market was a non-event, adding to fear that some speculation in commodities and the bubbly real estate, aside from infrastructure spending, rather than real economy were driving the Chinese economic recovery in 2009. Anecdotal evidence suggest that the ad-hoc combination of quantitative banking easing, government stimulus packages and zero-interest-rate policies has distorted global equities, currency and metals markets.
In the last quarter of 2009, The 10-year US government bond yields about 3.5 per cent, down from a five-year average of 4.14 per cent and its 20-year average of 5.57 per cent. Liu Mingkang, China’s top banking regulator and Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa in Tokyo warned in November 2009 the US Federal Reserves that its prolonged policy of keep rates near zero for an “extended period” may lead to a repeat of the financial crisis. The reason is that Monetary easing in advanced economies has stimulated capital inflows to emerging economies,” Shirakawa said
http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/bubble-trouble-looms-20091116-ihtj.html
And came May 2010, the Australian dollar, Canadian loonies, the entire phalanx of base metals and global stock markets all tumbled in mutually confirming synchronisation of weaker economic outlook. The question must be asked now is – was the outstanding GDP achievement in 1 Quarter 2010 the peak past of this “recovery” rise from a low base of 2009 aided by inventory restocking in consumer markets in the west and some wealth effect on consumer spending in Asia of bubbling real estate prices.? The answer now looks pretty much that way.
And in June 2010, particularly, stocks markets globally slide accelerated – noting that each fall was steep and any efforts at rebound muted of sustainability to only modest gains and not durable of staying. Stock markets are decidely bearish since.
Two weeks ago, I warned of China’s Shanghai stock market meltdown as the tripwire to watch and last Monday’s China-led sell-off held grim prognosis ahead for the rest of the year. China is the beacon and last survival stronghold of economic rebound seems to have buckled. We need to look closely at the reasons why. Besides “Kang Ba Shi” ghost town in Inner Mongolia, there is market talk that half of commercial properties in Beijing lies vacant. China’s investments in new factories and properties surged 67 percent last year to 15.2 trillion yuan, more than Russia’s gross domestic product. Yet despite all this apparent growth, electricity consumption is reported to be falling – which just doesn’t add up.
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72068?oid=98654&sn=Detail&pid=92730
The growth in the industrial sector, is hoped, would more than counter the phasing out of less efficient plants. Would that materialise??. Look at steel sector consolidation going on. Vale and BHP Billiton struck deals with Asian steel mills that increased iron ore prices by between 80 per cent and 100 per cent in April 2010. http://www.smh.com.au/business/steel-makers-cry-foul-over-iron-ore-prices-20100401-ri69.html This is on top of 50% rise in iron-ore prices in 2009 – a staggering 130% at least over two years period. But what happened to steel prices in China in the same interval? Steel prices weakend in the June Quarter. If iron-ore prices – major costs component of steel manufacture – escalated substantially faster in 2010 than 2009 risen a few mutiple of its 2008 benchmark price and Chinese steel producers can’t pass the costs on to its end users – it must prove that Chinese manufacturing is weak and most likely infrastructure demand has also weaken. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100625/tbs-chna-steel-shaoguansteel-7318940_1.html
Industry sources said.. “Steel prices are likely to keep falling in the next three or even five months. The biggest uncertainty comes from the property sector, and demand growth in other sectors is also slowing down.” And when Chinese Government tighten banking liquidity curbed speculation in its hot property sector, they knew that Chinese speculators are buying into 2nd or 3rd mortgages each piggybacking on the other’s ballooning asset valuations which could bust any moment with reverse cascading impact.
Chinese economy, I believe, it bubbly and delicately poised on the knife edge. China stock market is heavily retail-driven rather than institutional. The extent, suddenness and steepness of retail sell-off on the Shanghai Stock Exchange early last week sent a tsunami shock wave across all global stock markets. One notes the liquidation ahead of the massive Agricultural Bank IPO said to be valued close to US$23 billion underlines the liquidity crunch in general and lack of confidence among Chinese of their real economies. We now know that it is sliding and much faster than expected. More of this a little later in this blog.
And currently for the record, the US Government 10-year bond is even lower now at a paltry 3%. Against a backdrop is rising US dollar against all major currencies particularly after May 2010 global equities decline (except the Japanese Yen) spot gold keeps testing its historical high of US$1250 per oz levels whilst IMF is selling 403 tonnes of physical gold slowly since October 2009! – both underscore the fragility of financial markets and risks of another meltdown derailing global economic recovery. There is a noticeable flight from risk back to the scantuary of US dollar and safe haven hedge in gold instead of leaving money invested in real economies, even drawing blood from commodity-based currencies like Canada, Australia and South Africa.
http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=EUR&view=1Y
These are ominious signs which cannot be ignored but its fundamental needs discovery of explanatory reasons by way of macro-economic statistics.
The strenth of lst Quarter 2010 performance has to thank the tail end of global fiscal stimulus – USA, PRC, Singapore included. They put economies back to work which even saw improving employment figures in USA until this June sudden shock decline. Cash for clunkers (cars) and housing subsidy ended in March 2010 with housing settlement to finalise end May 2010. This lifted the last spree of consumer spending cashing on these subsidies – they won’t be repeated.
Investors and economists were looking for macro-economic data post the end of this Obama’s stimulus spending to confirm that the US recovery is taking root, spreading grip and broadening base – THE BRIGHT SPOT WAS MANUFACTURING REBOUND notably strong sales in autos. UNFORTUNATELY, MOST STATISTICS CAME OUT SINCE MAY 2010 WERE DISAPPOINTING CONFIRMING THE WORST IN PERVERSE.
The US Commerce Department, uncharacteristically revised the US 1st Quarter GDP growth twice, from 3.2% to 3% and then to 2.7%. in part due to weaker consumer spending. That was a hint that consumer spending had already started to ease off in a recovery even in the first quarter of 2010, which was driven by unprecedented government and Federal Reserve support measures.
In mid-June, preliminary data from the US Commerce Department showed that sales unexpectedly dipped 1.2 percent to 362.5 billion dollars in May from the previous month. The decline, driven by sharp drops in sales of autos after the end of cash for clunkers and building materials items in a hint of weaker housing sector ahead.That was the first decline in 8 months. New-home sales plunged to a record low in May.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/federal-reserve-cautious-on-outlook-for-us-economic-growth/story-e6frg926-1225883503455
Yet Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke bravely told Congress that consumer spending was likely to increase forward and would be a key cog in strengthening the US recovery.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100612/tts-us-economy-retail-sales-c1b2fc3.html
Did that materialise? The answer is no. Weaker prospects are ahead for retail sector – even fast food chains like KFC, Macdonald etc are revising downwards their earning outlook for the next six month.
With Europe debt crisis spiraling, Bernanke in early June dodged a question about whether he fears a double-dip recession, saying “nobody knows with any certainty.”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Double-dip-recession-What-are-cnnm-1239762472.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=7&asset=&ccode=
Bernanke knew that the winding down of government stimulus programs and inventory rebuilding, which together accounted for much of the recovery, are the major factors behind a slowdown. At end June, the US Conference Board said Tuesday, as it reported that its consumer confidence index plummeted to 52.9 in June – the lowest level since March — from a downwardly revised 62.7 in May. ANY READING BELOW 50 INDICATES A CONTRACTION. Until the pace of job growth picks up, consumer confidence is not likely to pick up.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-consumer-confidence-plummets-on-job-worries-2010-06-29-102500?dist=bigcharts
Pending homes sales tumbled in May to lowest level on record after tax credits expire. This statistic measures represents the number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes dropped in May. It is the clearest sign that the US housing recovery can’t survive without government incentives.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/May-pending-home-sales-tumble-apf-2024500274.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
And then this shocker last Friday, the US economy skidded with broad slowdown in construction and its recently strong resurgent manufacturing sector basically and unexpectedly declined – as non-farm payrolls fell by 125,000 last month the first terrifying dip employment figures since beginning of 2010 after having added an average of around 150,000 jobs a month in the first half of 2010. In June, 652,000 Americans left the workforce – the sharpest one-month decline in the labour force in 15 years – as people gave up hope and stopped looking for jobs as employers chilled on new hiring. Banks and corporate sectors all preferred to hold more cash fearing the next round of Eurosone contagion spreading spinning the world down into another economic spiral.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/us-job-losses-deeper-than-analyst-forecasts/story-e6frg926-1225887389390
What is even more scary is global recovery bellwether stocks like Caterpillar, GE took a beating and even very strong perfomers like 3M here hit hard after this adverse economic news.
Investors looking for a tepid US recovery had their hopes dashed. All key statistics to date disclose the US recovery faltered badly since the end of fiscal stimulus – retail sales, pending home sales, consumer confidence, and worse of all negative downturn employment needed so badly to be the cog of the economic recovery Ben Bernanke had hoped for. The only brights spots in the recovery signs – manufacturing – skidded badly.
What about the statistic coming out of China?. It is also gloomier though somewhat expected. Economists had expected China to slow down in the second half to 8% to end the year with a 10% GDP growth after a fiery 11.9% gain struck in the first quarter.
Most economists expects a sharp slowdown in infrastructure-related investment and, later on, property investment with corresponding delayed impact on demand for commodities and prices. But was that optimism held up? The answer is no. New measures were put into place to curb THE MUTLIPLE PURCHASE OF PROPERTIES by speculative money had collateral damage.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/chinas-growth-tipped-to-slow/story-e6frg926-1225876669135
That liquidity squeeze may have taken on a stronger negative impact than expected. Commodities prices, particularly economically sensitive base metal cooled along with the Australian and Canadian currencies. Baoshan Iron & Steel Co announced cuts in steel prices, at the same time as the CEOs of Coldelco and Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc, the two world’s largest copper producers, forecast increased copper price volatity and downside risks.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/asian-stocks-drop-on-china-demand-concerns-20100604-xjjp.html
At the end of June, the US Conference Board corrected its leading economic index for China to an April gain of 0.3 per cent from a previously reported rise of 1.7 per cent, a sharp revision that undermined confidence in China’s ability to sustain strong growth
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/investors-flee-stocks-in-global-selloff-20100630-zjpo.html
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 4.3 per cent last Tuesday to end at a 14-month low. And it has fallen further since.
Growth in manufacturing in China whilst expanding for 15 consecutive months slowed down in May reaching 16.5% compared to April figure of 17.8% .
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/chinas-consumer-prices-up-31-per-cent-20100611-y23b.html
In the same period, China’s Purchasing managers May index slid to 53.9 from 55.7 in April.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/chinas-manufacturing-growth-slows-official-report/story-e6frg926-1225873953545
The same PMI figure again declined to 52.1 in June sparking fears that the slide in Chinese manufacturing activity is continuing.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/stocks-at-11-month-low-on-china-data/story-e6frg916-1225886813696
A separate measure, the HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index also showed a slowdown, falling for the third month in a row to 50.4, from 52.7 in May.
This puts it close to the threshold between expansion and contraction.
So what was surprising of Chinese macro-economic statistics? The slowdown in infrastructure construction had been widely anticipated. But why the concurrent slowdown in manufacturing when this was tipped to be a delayed ripple effect to come later after the end of stimulus brake?
The answer is here.
Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, the drop in the official PMI reflected the impact of policy tightening as well as a grim outlook in exports.
I believe this could get worse, not better ahead for a number of good reasons.
Asian factory data and falling currencies may signal crisis rebound may have peaked and it behind us.
Manufacturing activity across Asia may have crossed a high-water mark after the rise and now be headed downward on the ebb – though economists have cautioned it may be too early to call the trend conclusive. Purchasing Manager’s indexes across China, India, South Korea and Taiwan – all export-oriented economies – have shown muted rate of growth signalling a synchronised slowdown of factory orders.
South Korean manufacturing expanded for a 16th straight month in June, though the pace of expansion slowed for a second straight month.
Similarly, in Taiwan, manufacturing logged its 16th consecutive month of gains – though the pace of the growth was the slowest in a year.
India’s industrial activity expanded for the 15th straight month in June, but softened to 57.3 in June from 59 in May.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-factory-data-may-signal-rebound-has-peaked-2010-07-01
Recent weakening of the Indian, Taiwan and Korean currencies against US dollar suggest weakness in export markets. This is to be expected as EU and Japan have now taken an aggressive posture in favour of fiscal austerity.
In the Eurozone, Britain, Germany and France, Spain, Portugal, Greece – spooked by Greece’s near bankruptcy and a deep eurozone crisis – vowed fiscal austerity with the intent to halt the rise in public debt ratio to GDP and taking them to a downward trend from 2016. The negative impact of Greece meltdown have NOT yet impact on EU. It is NOT gone and the austerity drive have not yet impacted on consumer demand aggregate. EU is the largest market for Chinese manufactured exports ahead of US.
With both EU and US heading for a definite slowdown, Chinese manufacturing already adversely hurt by the quantitative squeeze could erode faster than expected in the second half. The scenario thus painted till now points to
a) Eurozone financial contagion uncertainty leaving ripple impact on economic activity to come and
b) That contagion ripple of economic slowdown has spreaded to slower US economy and both will hamper growth economies of India, South Korea and Taiwan
c) China will not escape the chill of these twin chilly blasts.
My odds, as of now, reads – a robust 1st Quarter global GDP recovery aided by mainly inventory re-stocking, the tail end of fiscal stimulus, followed by steep declines in May/June of economic activity in US and China in the 2nd Quarter of a crisis recovery ebb leaving a compelling fear that the 3rd Quarter could shock the world with a double-dip recession. If and when that happens, I shudder to think what the final quarter 2010 of economic statistics will show.
The stock market behaviour of steep declines in recent weeks and the failure of Australian mining shares to rebound this week (after the dismantling of its proposed super profit tax regime by newly elevated Prime Minister, Julia Gillard ) points in that direction of weaker global economies and commodities markets.
Singapore GDP growth could well turn up a lot weaker than the 10% plus frenzied economic forecast for 2010 most eagerly touted last week. We could be in deep trouble again in 2011.
Zhen He
Financial markets across the globe cave-in last week amidst contrasting optimism among economists in frenzied GDP forecast upgrades of the Singapore economy for 2010.- ST, 2 July 2010, A3, Prime News, Economists in frenzy of forecast upgrades.
To be fair, OCBC economist, Selena Ling, is somewhat restraint of bullish outlook. She warned ‘formidable headwinds….brewing the the form of the euro zone debt crisis and renewed worries about a China-led slowdown.” The most recent past forecast was of May 2010 is for the growth to hit below 7 to 9 percent but the week past saw many economists rushing to revise their GDP forecast for 2010 upwards on the back of strong manufacturing numbers with DBS as high as 13% and UOB posting 9%. The contrasting numbers and the timing are interesting considering a whole slew of uniformly bad news hitting financial markets across the globe and most major European and US markets actually ACCELERATED their downwards decline from the week prior. The published impressive bounce forecasts of 2010 over 2009 had no positive impact on local stock market sentiments. No one pointed to the “no-so-obvious” void of inherent logical flaw of optimism – it came from a VERY LOW, indeed a NEGATIVE, base of minus 2.5% GDP decline in 2009 such that a 10% growth, even achieved in 2010, would have meant the economy grew by a mere 7.5% compared back to 2008. Not much to crow about of economic “irrational” exuberance over these seemingly ebullient “bouncy” numbers. The softer property market in Singapore mirrored that duller subdued reality and a more restraint outlook awaiting 2011.
Notwithstanding this artificially strong (though not equally enthusiastically welcomed by stock market here) forecasts, this author is staking a view that the range of published strongly bullish forecast is MORE likely to be in error of being over-optimistic rather than realistic. The downside in Selena Ling’s cautionary note is, in my best informed judgement, more likely to bear fruition taking the world’s major economies into a double-dip and maybe Singapore into yet another surprised recession in the second-half. None of the impressive forecasts might materialise – even the lowest in the range of 9% GDP growth for 2010. The reasons are many and is shared in this blog for others who may have same or disagreeing views.
The ebb and flow of the upturn has tipped over from the rise over the peak into the ebb slide downward – the inevitably of that is increasingly apparent from the consistent pattern of economic macro-economic numbers emanating. It is worrying. Financial markets are more likely to “forecast” economic direction correctly and ahead of actual economic swings and the week’s past market behaviour is eerie of my fears that all is ill of the world’s economic landscape beyond political of the recent Toronto G20 cross-Atlantic division of austerity drive and further fiscal stimulus against a background of continuiing sovereign debt crisis and German’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel’s unhelpful political setback on the domestic front. The global economic prospects in 2011 may well be hostage to the G20 split and Merkel’s weaken political stature – the obvious lack of co-ordinated economic strategizing so critical if Merkel lost her political base and G20 unable to act collectively and resolutely in crisis, noting Obama’s administration is also facing Congressional re-election pressures.
I want to go back to the ebb-and-flow logic and observations. This author is constantly reminded of this pattern – a robust first quarter 2010 economic upturn across the globe and resurgent metal prices on London Metal Exchange in parallel. In that 1st Quarter, Taiwan sees biggest quarterly growth in over 30 years – even far more spectacular than Singapore which sank deeper in early 2009.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific_business/view/1057952/1/.html
The key flaw in there was strong corporate earnings during the first quarter in 2010 was that these were NOT uniformly supported by stronger sales but more due to costs cuttings. Sales had the supported to some extent by inventory re-stocking rather than adding on of organic business growth. Together they lifted GDP numbers globally giving stock markets the upleg rise in optimism. Commodities-based currencies like the Australian dollar and the Canadian loonies rocketed up to pre-2008/2009 levels. If one look at http://www.kitcometals.com, even a dog of metals like zinc and nickel peaked in late March/early April over 6-months interval view and infrastructure-sensitive copper – the PHD in economics – was US$3.50 per lb hardly 10% off its all time historical high. There were strong anecdoctal evidence that Chinese farmers are using access to easier bank credit to stock up copper for speculative gains instead of buying fertilisers. Staggering as this stocking of copper instead of fertilisers as might be beyond believability, market watchers in potash and phosphate markets were all stunned by the lack of buying interests in fertilisers demand when traders in that segment were busy forecasting a big upturn – after a dormant 3-year sleep and poorer and poorer harvest crop yields per acre. The upturn for fertiliser market was a non-event, adding to fear that some speculation in commodities and the bubbly real estate, aside from infrastructure spending, rather than real economy were driving the Chinese economic recovery in 2009. Anecdotal evidence suggest that the ad-hoc combination of quantitative banking easing, government stimulus packages and zero-interest-rate policies has distorted global equities, currency and metals markets.
In the last quarter of 2009, The 10-year US government bond yields about 3.5 per cent, down from a five-year average of 4.14 per cent and its 20-year average of 5.57 per cent. Liu Mingkang, China’s top banking regulator and Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa in Tokyo warned in November 2009 the US Federal Reserves that its prolonged policy of keep rates near zero for an “extended period” may lead to a repeat of the financial crisis. The reason is that Monetary easing in advanced economies has stimulated capital inflows to emerging economies,” Shirakawa said
http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/bubble-trouble-looms-20091116-ihtj.html
And came May 2010, the Australian dollar, Canadian loonies, the entire phalanx of base metals and global stock markets all tumbled in mutually confirming synchronisation of weaker economic outlook. The question must be asked now is – was the outstanding GDP achievement in 1 Quarter 2010 the peak past of this “recovery” rise from a low base of 2009 aided by inventory restocking in consumer markets in the west and some wealth effect on consumer spending in Asia of bubbling real estate prices.? The answer now looks pretty much that way.
And in June 2010, particularly, stocks markets globally slide accelerated – noting that each fall was steep and any efforts at rebound muted of sustainability to only modest gains and not durable of staying. Stock markets are decidely bearish since.
Two weeks ago, I warned of China’s Shanghai stock market meltdown as the tripwire to watch and last Monday’s China-led sell-off held grim prognosis ahead for the rest of the year. China is the beacon and last survival stronghold of economic rebound seems to have buckled. We need to look closely at the reasons why. Besides “Kang Ba Shi” ghost town in Inner Mongolia, there is market talk that half of commercial properties in Beijing lies vacant. China’s investments in new factories and properties surged 67 percent last year to 15.2 trillion yuan, more than Russia’s gross domestic product. Yet despite all this apparent growth, electricity consumption is reported to be falling – which just doesn’t add up.
http://www.mineweb.com/mineweb/view/mineweb/en/page72068?oid=98654&sn=Detail&pid=92730
The growth in the industrial sector, is hoped, would more than counter the phasing out of less efficient plants. Would that materialise??. Look at steel sector consolidation going on. Vale and BHP Billiton struck deals with Asian steel mills that increased iron ore prices by between 80 per cent and 100 per cent in April 2010. http://www.smh.com.au/business/steel-makers-cry-foul-over-iron-ore-prices-20100401-ri69.html This is on top of 50% rise in iron-ore prices in 2009 – a staggering 130% at least over two years period. But what happened to steel prices in China in the same interval? Steel prices weakend in the June Quarter. If iron-ore prices – major costs component of steel manufacture – escalated substantially faster in 2010 than 2009 risen a few mutiple of its 2008 benchmark price and Chinese steel producers can’t pass the costs on to its end users – it must prove that Chinese manufacturing is weak and most likely infrastructure demand has also weaken. http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20100625/tbs-chna-steel-shaoguansteel-7318940_1.html
Industry sources said.. “Steel prices are likely to keep falling in the next three or even five months. The biggest uncertainty comes from the property sector, and demand growth in other sectors is also slowing down.” And when Chinese Government tighten banking liquidity curbed speculation in its hot property sector, they knew that Chinese speculators are buying into 2nd or 3rd mortgages each piggybacking on the other’s ballooning asset valuations which could bust any moment with reverse cascading impact.
Chinese economy, I believe, it bubbly and delicately poised on the knife edge. China stock market is heavily retail-driven rather than institutional. The extent, suddenness and steepness of retail sell-off on the Shanghai Stock Exchange early last week sent a tsunami shock wave across all global stock markets. One notes the liquidation ahead of the massive Agricultural Bank IPO said to be valued close to US$23 billion underlines the liquidity crunch in general and lack of confidence among Chinese of their real economies. We now know that it is sliding and much faster than expected. More of this a little later in this blog.
And currently for the record, the US Government 10-year bond is even lower now at a paltry 3%. Against a backdrop is rising US dollar against all major currencies particularly after May 2010 global equities decline (except the Japanese Yen) spot gold keeps testing its historical high of US$1250 per oz levels whilst IMF is selling 403 tonnes of physical gold slowly since October 2009! – both underscore the fragility of financial markets and risks of another meltdown derailing global economic recovery. There is a noticeable flight from risk back to the scantuary of US dollar and safe haven hedge in gold instead of leaving money invested in real economies, even drawing blood from commodity-based currencies like Canada, Australia and South Africa.
http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=EUR&view=1Y
These are ominious signs which cannot be ignored but its fundamental needs discovery of explanatory reasons by way of macro-economic statistics.
The strenth of lst Quarter 2010 performance has to thank the tail end of global fiscal stimulus – USA, PRC, Singapore included. They put economies back to work which even saw improving employment figures in USA until this June sudden shock decline. Cash for clunkers (cars) and housing subsidy ended in March 2010 with housing settlement to finalise end May 2010. This lifted the last spree of consumer spending cashing on these subsidies – they won’t be repeated.
Investors and economists were looking for macro-economic data post the end of this Obama’s stimulus spending to confirm that the US recovery is taking root, spreading grip and broadening base – THE BRIGHT SPOT WAS MANUFACTURING REBOUND notably strong sales in autos. UNFORTUNATELY, MOST STATISTICS CAME OUT SINCE MAY 2010 WERE DISAPPOINTING CONFIRMING THE WORST IN PERVERSE.
The US Commerce Department, uncharacteristically revised the US 1st Quarter GDP growth twice, from 3.2% to 3% and then to 2.7%. in part due to weaker consumer spending. That was a hint that consumer spending had already started to ease off in a recovery even in the first quarter of 2010, which was driven by unprecedented government and Federal Reserve support measures.
In mid-June, preliminary data from the US Commerce Department showed that sales unexpectedly dipped 1.2 percent to 362.5 billion dollars in May from the previous month. The decline, driven by sharp drops in sales of autos after the end of cash for clunkers and building materials items in a hint of weaker housing sector ahead.That was the first decline in 8 months. New-home sales plunged to a record low in May.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/federal-reserve-cautious-on-outlook-for-us-economic-growth/story-e6frg926-1225883503455
Yet Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke bravely told Congress that consumer spending was likely to increase forward and would be a key cog in strengthening the US recovery.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20100612/tts-us-economy-retail-sales-c1b2fc3.html
Did that materialise? The answer is no. Weaker prospects are ahead for retail sector – even fast food chains like KFC, Macdonald etc are revising downwards their earning outlook for the next six month.
With Europe debt crisis spiraling, Bernanke in early June dodged a question about whether he fears a double-dip recession, saying “nobody knows with any certainty.”
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Double-dip-recession-What-are-cnnm-1239762472.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=7&asset=&ccode=
Bernanke knew that the winding down of government stimulus programs and inventory rebuilding, which together accounted for much of the recovery, are the major factors behind a slowdown. At end June, the US Conference Board said Tuesday, as it reported that its consumer confidence index plummeted to 52.9 in June – the lowest level since March — from a downwardly revised 62.7 in May. ANY READING BELOW 50 INDICATES A CONTRACTION. Until the pace of job growth picks up, consumer confidence is not likely to pick up.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-consumer-confidence-plummets-on-job-worries-2010-06-29-102500?dist=bigcharts
Pending homes sales tumbled in May to lowest level on record after tax credits expire. This statistic measures represents the number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase homes dropped in May. It is the clearest sign that the US housing recovery can’t survive without government incentives.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/May-pending-home-sales-tumble-apf-2024500274.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=main&asset=&ccode=
And then this shocker last Friday, the US economy skidded with broad slowdown in construction and its recently strong resurgent manufacturing sector basically and unexpectedly declined – as non-farm payrolls fell by 125,000 last month the first terrifying dip employment figures since beginning of 2010 after having added an average of around 150,000 jobs a month in the first half of 2010. In June, 652,000 Americans left the workforce – the sharpest one-month decline in the labour force in 15 years – as people gave up hope and stopped looking for jobs as employers chilled on new hiring. Banks and corporate sectors all preferred to hold more cash fearing the next round of Eurosone contagion spreading spinning the world down into another economic spiral.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/us-job-losses-deeper-than-analyst-forecasts/story-e6frg926-1225887389390
What is even more scary is global recovery bellwether stocks like Caterpillar, GE took a beating and even very strong perfomers like 3M here hit hard after this adverse economic news.
Investors looking for a tepid US recovery had their hopes dashed. All key statistics to date disclose the US recovery faltered badly since the end of fiscal stimulus – retail sales, pending home sales, consumer confidence, and worse of all negative downturn employment needed so badly to be the cog of the economic recovery Ben Bernanke had hoped for. The only brights spots in the recovery signs – manufacturing – skidded badly.
What about the statistic coming out of China?. It is also gloomier though somewhat expected. Economists had expected China to slow down in the second half to 8% to end the year with a 10% GDP growth after a fiery 11.9% gain struck in the first quarter.
Most economists expects a sharp slowdown in infrastructure-related investment and, later on, property investment with corresponding delayed impact on demand for commodities and prices. But was that optimism held up? The answer is no. New measures were put into place to curb THE MUTLIPLE PURCHASE OF PROPERTIES by speculative money had collateral damage.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/chinas-growth-tipped-to-slow/story-e6frg926-1225876669135
That liquidity squeeze may have taken on a stronger negative impact than expected. Commodities prices, particularly economically sensitive base metal cooled along with the Australian and Canadian currencies. Baoshan Iron & Steel Co announced cuts in steel prices, at the same time as the CEOs of Coldelco and Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc, the two world’s largest copper producers, forecast increased copper price volatity and downside risks.
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/asian-stocks-drop-on-china-demand-concerns-20100604-xjjp.html
At the end of June, the US Conference Board corrected its leading economic index for China to an April gain of 0.3 per cent from a previously reported rise of 1.7 per cent, a sharp revision that undermined confidence in China’s ability to sustain strong growth
http://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/investors-flee-stocks-in-global-selloff-20100630-zjpo.html
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 4.3 per cent last Tuesday to end at a 14-month low. And it has fallen further since.
Growth in manufacturing in China whilst expanding for 15 consecutive months slowed down in May reaching 16.5% compared to April figure of 17.8% .
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/chinas-consumer-prices-up-31-per-cent-20100611-y23b.html
In the same period, China’s Purchasing managers May index slid to 53.9 from 55.7 in April.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/chinas-manufacturing-growth-slows-official-report/story-e6frg926-1225873953545
The same PMI figure again declined to 52.1 in June sparking fears that the slide in Chinese manufacturing activity is continuing.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/stocks-at-11-month-low-on-china-data/story-e6frg916-1225886813696
A separate measure, the HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index also showed a slowdown, falling for the third month in a row to 50.4, from 52.7 in May.
This puts it close to the threshold between expansion and contraction.
So what was surprising of Chinese macro-economic statistics? The slowdown in infrastructure construction had been widely anticipated. But why the concurrent slowdown in manufacturing when this was tipped to be a delayed ripple effect to come later after the end of stimulus brake?
The answer is here.
Chinese National Bureau of Statistics, the drop in the official PMI reflected the impact of policy tightening as well as a grim outlook in exports.
I believe this could get worse, not better ahead for a number of good reasons.
Asian factory data and falling currencies may signal crisis rebound may have peaked and it behind us.
Manufacturing activity across Asia may have crossed a high-water mark after the rise and now be headed downward on the ebb – though economists have cautioned it may be too early to call the trend conclusive. Purchasing Manager’s indexes across China, India, South Korea and Taiwan – all export-oriented economies – have shown muted rate of growth signalling a synchronised slowdown of factory orders.
South Korean manufacturing expanded for a 16th straight month in June, though the pace of expansion slowed for a second straight month.
Similarly, in Taiwan, manufacturing logged its 16th consecutive month of gains – though the pace of the growth was the slowest in a year.
India’s industrial activity expanded for the 15th straight month in June, but softened to 57.3 in June from 59 in May.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/asian-factory-data-may-signal-rebound-has-peaked-2010-07-01
Recent weakening of the Indian, Taiwan and Korean currencies against US dollar suggest weakness in export markets. This is to be expected as EU and Japan have now taken an aggressive posture in favour of fiscal austerity.
In the Eurozone, Britain, Germany and France, Spain, Portugal, Greece – spooked by Greece’s near bankruptcy and a deep eurozone crisis – vowed fiscal austerity with the intent to halt the rise in public debt ratio to GDP and taking them to a downward trend from 2016. The negative impact of Greece meltdown have NOT yet impact on EU. It is NOT gone and the austerity drive have not yet impacted on consumer demand aggregate. EU is the largest market for Chinese manufactured exports ahead of US.
With both EU and US heading for a definite slowdown, Chinese manufacturing already adversely hurt by the quantitative squeeze could erode faster than expected in the second half. The scenario thus painted till now points to
a) Eurozone financial contagion uncertainty leaving ripple impact on economic activity to come and
b) That contagion ripple of economic slowdown has spreaded to slower US economy and both will hamper growth economies of India, South Korea and Taiwan
c) China will not escape the chill of these twin chilly blasts.
My odds, as of now, reads – a robust 1st Quarter global GDP recovery aided by mainly inventory re-stocking, the tail end of fiscal stimulus, followed by steep declines in May/June of economic activity in US and China in the 2nd Quarter of a crisis recovery ebb leaving a compelling fear that the 3rd Quarter could shock the world with a double-dip recession. If and when that happens, I shudder to think what the final quarter 2010 of economic statistics will show.
The stock market behaviour of steep declines in recent weeks and the failure of Australian mining shares to rebound this week (after the dismantling of its proposed super profit tax regime by newly elevated Prime Minister, Julia Gillard ) points in that direction of weaker global economies and commodities markets.
Singapore GDP growth could well turn up a lot weaker than the 10% plus frenzied economic forecast for 2010 most eagerly touted last week. We could be in deep trouble again in 2011.
Zhen He
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