Global trade and air freight volumes have gone negative. New York City has a glut of luxury apartments for sale. Ten year returns look fantastic now that the losses of 2007-2009 have washed out. As equities become more expensive, insurance against falls is getting cheaper. Smaller Japanese banks are looking... Show More
No income, no asset loans are back in America. Inflated consumer credit scores are understating the risk American lenders are taking. Increasing credit card charge-offs point to US consumers being over indebted. US retailers have shut more stores in the first four months of 2019 than they did in the... Show More
Stock buybacks are better at getting cash to executives than shareholders. Hedge fund Element Capital has delivered net annual returns of 21% since 2005. A British hedge fund has returned $300 million to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Brookfield is buying Oaktree Capital – is Howard Marks signalling the top... Show More
The Baltic Dry index is at its lowest levels since 2016 and US inventory levels have spiked. German industrial production has had back to back ugly months. One developer’s Melbourne housing lot settlement default rate is running at 20-25%. US subprime auto arrears are getting ugly but this cycle’s auto... Show More
Global leading indicators are close to signalling a recession. After a 40 day issuance shutdown, the US high yield bond market came roaring back in January. Greece has issued €2.5 billion of 5 year bonds at a 3.60% yield. Show More
After six weeks of heavy outflows from leveraged loan funds, US loans are having a minor pullback with margins and upfront discounts spiking higher. Global debt has hit $184 trillion. US bond managers track themselves against with an index with a AA+ average rating when they have a BBB average... Show More
Private equity has added zero alpha over the S&P 500 over the last decade. Top quartile private equity funds have very low persistence in their performance. October was the worst month for hedge funds in 7 years; a wave of redemptions is likely to lie ahead. A prominent venture capital... Show More
Rising interest rates, higher oil prices and a stronger dollar are a recipe for lower US earnings. Margin pressures are starting to show up in US industrials. 83% of US IPOs in 2018 are unprofitable companies, higher than the level in the tech bubble. US investors are at their lowest... Show More
Seth Klarman’s 20 lessons from the financial crisis. Jim Grant’s 10 lessons on markets. 15 bullish investment assumptions you should be questioning. It’s time to switch from sexy to boring investments. Howard Marks warns on private debt and the aggressive lending environment. Goldman Sachs’s bull and bear indicator is at... Show More
Global trade is slowing, commodity prices are falling and global liquidity is drying up, pointing to weak GDP growth ahead. S&P 500 earnings growth estimates are well above normal and closing in on the tech bubble peak. The longest bull run ever continues with stretched valuations. Stocks in more indices... Show More