We are in recession and what to do now ?

Recently, I posted an answer to the question of a blogger:


QUESTION

We are in recession and what to do now ?

The subprime wipeout alone, says history's best paid fund manager John Paulson, will last the next two and a half years. Even Merrill Lynch says Wall Street is "in denial" about a U.S. recession -- because recession has already arrived. "According to our analysis," one of the firm's most recent reports says, "this isn't even a forecast any more but is a present day reality."

Goldman Sachs agrees. And other big-time analysts are lining up to say the same. We're 'undoubtedly in a recession," says famous investor Jim Rogers. And Nouriel Roubini, the economist who called the housing bust, calls today the "tipping point" for U.S. consumers.

"The effects will be ugly," Roubini just told CBS Marketwatch "Expect the great recession of 2007 to be much nastier, deeper and more protracted than the 2001 recession." Even AT&T says they've had to cut record numbers of phone and broadband accounts because customers can't meet their bills.

What will be the impact on Indian / Chinese stock markets will more funds drive them up ?


ANSWER

As with most other downturns, this one has been induced by people buying “stories” ignoring caution and commonsense.

Let’s looks at some of the bubbles to get a perspective:

In March 2000, the NASDAQ hit 5,049, followed by a sell-off. The market plunged downward, reaching its bottom of 1,114 on October 9, 2002. People bought stocks with a belief that a “new economy” had emerged in which technology ensured that recessions were a thing of the past and productivity gains would continue at levels that formerly had seemed unattainable.

In 1989, the Nikkei hit its all time high of 38,916, and then slid downward for more than a decade, reaching its bottom of 12,698 in 2001. After a decade of deflation and banking reform, the Nikkei hit a five-year high in January 2006, about 33 percent of its peak value.

However, asset bubbles are not a recent phenomenon, nor are they limited to stock markets. The Dutch Tulip bubble of the 17th century was one of the most dramatic examples. As the price of tulip bulbs increased, speculators began buying the bulbs from sailors and selling them to the wealthy. It is estimated that a bulb at the peak of the bubble sold for $34,584 in today’s dollars. Eventually, some investors began to liquidate their interests in tulips, supply increased dramatically, and during a six week period in 1636, tulip prices fell by 90 percent. To limit the chaos that followed, the government nullified all tulip contracts and declared tulip speculation a form of gambling. Tulip prices never recovered after the bubble burst, and today rare tulip bulbs sell for $0.30 to $0.40 apiece

Recent bubbles have been induced by “reckless” action from the US Fed. This is called the “Fed Put” - the Fed trying to rescue careless investors and traders by cutting interest rates. This action has created one bubble after the other – Nasdaq, Sub Prime, and the next could be emerging market equities and industrial commodities.

People have definitely bought into the “decoupling theory” and the “TINA – There is no alternative” theory, pumping money into India, China, Gold, Oil – you name it !!! US Dollar has been reaching new lows, creating problems for exporters (into the US), but providing better gains for investors in assets denominated in currencies other than the USD.

What will happen in future ? There are a few golden rules which probably will not be violated this time too
a) During a downturn, money flows into the home market
b) If there is a recession in the US, no country can fully decouple itself and maintain its growth rate
c) Reckless rate cuts will only stoke inflation rather providing a real impetus to growth (China is currently witnessing inflation of over 6% and the authorities have committed themselves to fight it through a tight monetary policy). Despite the heavy fall in short term interest rates in the US, the long term interest rates have refused to budge, indicating bullishness on inflation trends.

How do you position yourself ?

a) Act like a hedge fund; have a long-and short strategy. Immediately switch out of stocks that are dependent on discretionary consumer spending in the US. You can buy into emerging market equities on dips, but buy into those stocks which have lower export component and are fairly valued. Don’t buy stocks whose valuations are can be justified only by a great growth story.
b) If you play commodities, play agri-commodities – the switch from food to fuel is unlikely reverse in a hurry and will help maintain an upward bias on prices.
c) If you are currency trader, short the dollar and the pound and go long on the Chinese Yuan. The Chinese government is not answerable to its people and will not mind paying the cost of holding a huge forex reserve (the reserve is already worth about $1.6 trillion – over 50% of its GDP). The government is in NO mood to let the currency seek its natural level and China's trade surplus is not going to disappear in a hurry.

If the inter-connectedness of the global economy and the consequent complexity creates anxiety in you, Welcome to the Club !!!

Making Mumbai an International Financial Centre

A high-powered expert committee has come out with a report on how Mumbai can join the league of New York and London in the export of International Financial Services.

A summary of the report:
http://finmin.nic.in/press_room/2007/gist_of_report.pdf

It is a well-known fact that India has the basic ingredients for Mumbai to emerge as a world-class IFC. Technologically advanced stock exchanges, intellectual capital, a growing domestic economy, and its strong and independent institutions (market regulation, democracy, judiciary, and the press).

However, the report cites inadequate liquidity in the debt, currency, and related derivatives markets as a major hindrance. The debt for the recent large M&A deals announced by Indian companies were raised abroad. Apart from foreign debt being cheaper, the Indian market does not have the liquidity to manage such deal sizes.

The Reserve Bank of India is uncomfortable with speculative positions on currency. It allows taking positions only for hedging balance sheet exposure. The committee has recommended full capital convertibility (removal of all restrictions on currency transactions).

The report also urges the government to act to bring Mumbai upto world standards in urban infrastructure and governance, so that it attracts immigrants from all over the world.

In a lighter vein, if Mumbai does indeed become an IFC, inbound immigration service could become a great money spinner sooner than later.