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Yen Gain Seems Overdone; Time For Japan ETFs?

It seems that the dark cloud hanging over Japan investing has started dispersing. After witnessing a tumult this year on a rising yen, Japanese shares have lately turned their course. The weakness in the Japanese currency, yen, was behind the recent surge in shares. Two things made yen soggy. First, Japan indicated that it may intervene in the currency market to contain the strength in yen, which bothered exporters. Following this rhetoric , yen dropped about 3% from its 18-month high. Second, the greenback is rallying and is now on its way to log the first monthly gain against the yen since January. The greenback gained its lost ground on a flurry of upbeat economic data released lately, which in fact brought the Fed hike back on the table. The PowerShares DB USD Bull ETF (NYSEARCA: UUP ) added about 1.7% in the last 10 days (as of May 17, 2016). Overall, the greenback weakness and yen appreciation seem overdone and may fuel Japanese shares. Moreover, oil’s ascent to a six-month high charged up energy shares. Notably, oil prices shored up on supply disruption in countries like Nigeria and a bullish call by the renowned brokerage house Goldman Sachs. If global markets remained relatively steady ahead on rising oil prices, yen may not gain strength on safe-haven demand. How Important Are Yen Moves? Investors should note that Japan’s corporate profits (pretax) dropped 24% year over year in the March quarter and 40% sequentially, representing the worst quarter since the September quarter of 2012. However, it is not entirely because of yen as asset write-downs are incurred by Japanese companies in their final quarter of a fiscal year, as per analysts. Still, the impact of yen is huge as export-oriented automobile companies bore the brunt of a stronger yen, and recorded 472 billion yen in profit losses. All in all, the government is wary of yen’s strength and is likely to lower the value of yen if it spikes to the 90-95 per dollar range, as per a key economic adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe . Moreover, nothing has yet been decided on a sales tax hike slated for next year. Upbeat GDP Data Meanwhile, the Japanese economy grew in Q1 at the quickest clip in a year, logging an annualized 1.7% growth rate against economists’ expectations of a 0.2% rise. The latest growth was realized after a 1.7% revised annualized contraction in the fourth quarter of 2015, snapping the possibility of a technical recession. Sequentially, the economy expanded 0.4% compared with a 0.1% quarterly gain. The best part is that domestic demand contribution to GDP grew 0.2 percentage points as consumers splurged on discretionary items. The data definitely explains that the economy is heading toward a positive direction. Though weaknesses are there in the economy in the form of soft capex and consumer confidence data, things may improve in the coming days. Analysts indicated that a decline in capital expenditure was the result of weak exports. Japan exports capital goods to Asian economies and bears the brunt of a muted business environment worldwide, which hurts corporate profitability as well as the business investment. Yen or GDP: What to Watch Ahead? The first-quarter performance shows that stock moves in Japan are reliant mainly on yen, not on GDP. During Q1, yen gained about 7.23% against the U.S. dollar and the ultra-popular fund iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA: EWJ ) – a guide to the Japanese stock market – responded to the yen strength by diving about 4.4% during this frame. So, the prospect of no/less gains in yen can be a good entry point to Japan. Plus, a solid GDP reading can act as another tailwind. If yen spikes on upbeat GDP data, scope for currency intervention will likely open. The CurrencyShares Japanese Yen ETF (NYSEARCA: FXY ) is up about 10% so far this year (as of May 17, 2016). ETFs in Focus Below, we highlight some Japan-focused ETFs that could be in watch in the coming days. Regular ETFs Among the regular ETFs, there are the First Trust Japan AlphaDEX ETF (NASDAQ: FJP ) and the iShares JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF (NYSEARCA: JPXN ). These are the bets to play in a falling dollar environment. Currency-Hedged ETFs These are, namely the WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity ETF (NYSEARCA: DXJ ), the Deutsche X-trackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF (NYSEARCA: DBJP ) and the iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA: HEWJ ). If the yen falls and the greenback rises on possibilities of further Fed hikes, these currency-hedged ETFs may get a boost. Small-Cap ETFs There are also options – the iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF (NYSEARCA: SCJ ), the SPDR Russell/Nomura Small Cap Japan ETF (NYSEARCA: JSC ) and the WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend ETF (NYSEARCA: DFJ ) – to bet on Japanese domestic demand. Since small-cap companies are less exposed to the international economies, investors can wipe out the impact of yen as well as the struggling export sector by investing in these ETFs. Notably, SCJ (up 1.5%) has outperformed EWJ (down 4.2%) and DXJ (down 14.8%) in the year-to-date frame (as of May 17, 2016). Original post

Oil Rally Likely To Continue: ETFs And Stocks To Watch

Oil prices have shown an impressive rally over the past week on outages and supply disruptions around the world, suggesting that the global oil market might be rebalancing faster than expected. In addition, Goldman (NYSE: GS ), one of the most bearish forecasters, gave an added boost by suddenly turning bullish on the commodity. In fact, oil prices hit a seven-month high, with crude rising to over $48.50 per barrel and Brent currently hovering near $50 per barrel. Improving Fundamentals The oil market seems to be rebalancing, with shrinking supply and rising demand. This is especially true as the massive wildfire that broke last week in Fort McMurray, Alberta, is now at the doorstep of the oil-sands mines. This resulted in the evacuation of thousands of workers and cut Canadian oil production by at least 1 million barrels a day. Clearly, this marks a massive reduction given that Canada is the world’s fifth-largest oil producer, with an average output of 4.4 million barrels of oil per day. Additionally, militant attacks and the threat of nationwide strike pushed Nigeria’s oil output to a 20-year low of 1.4 million barrels per day. Political instability and economic meltdown in Venezuela also contributed to fears of oil supply disruption. Further, oil production in China fell 5.6% year over year in April and 2.7% in the first four months of 2016, while the U.S. saw a year-over-year decline of 0.7 million barrels a day last month. Moreover, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects oil production from the seven shale regions – Bakken, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, Marcellus, Niobrara, Permian and Utica – to fall by 113,000 barrels a day to 4.96 million barrels a day in June from May. The agency also predicts global demand to grow on higher Chinese and Indian consumption. It expects demand to rise by 1.4 million barrels per day for this year and 1.5 million barrels per day for the next, compared to the earlier projections of 0.3 million barrels per day and 0.2 million barrels per day, respectively. Goldman Turns Bullish The unexpected supply disruption of as much as 3.75 million barrels a day and sustained demand has duly prompted Goldman to turn bullish on oil. The investment bank now believes that the two-year big oil supply glut has taken a “sudden halt” and turned to a deficit. It said “the oil market has shifted from nearing storage saturation to being in deficit much earlier than expected.” As a result, Goldman raised the price target for crude oil to $45 per barrel for the second quarter and $50 per barrel for the second half from $35 per barrel and $45 per barrel, respectively, predicted in March. However, the analyst cautioned that the market would return to surplus in the first half of 2017 on increased exploration and production activity. Diminishing “Contango” Impact The spread between the near-term futures contracts and the later-dated contracts has reduced, thereby giving a boost to oil prices. In particular, the spread between the oil futures contracts expiring later this year and similar contracts expiring in late 2018 narrowed to $1.21 from $8 in December 2015 . This reduced contango suggests that the supply glut may be falling, after years of overproduction. If this trend continues to persist going into the peak refining season, the oil market may move into a state of backwardation, where later-dated contracts are cheaper than near-term contracts. This is bullish for the commodity. ETFs to Tap While there are several ETFs to play the recent rally in oil prices, we have highlighted three funds each from different zones that are the biggest beneficiaries from this trend. Oil Futures ETFs – United States Oil ETF (NYSEARCA: USO ): This is the most popular and liquid ETF in the oil space, with AUM of $3.9 billion and average daily volume of more than 42 million shares. The fund seeks to match the performance of the spot price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI or U.S. crude). The ETF has 0.45% in expense ratio and gained 8.4% over the past five trading days. Energy ETFs – PowerShares S&P SmallCap Energy Portfolio ETF (NASDAQ: PSCE ): This fund offers exposure to the energy sector of the U.S. small cap segment by tracking the S&P Small Cap 600 Capped Energy Index. Holding 32 securities in its basket, it is highly concentrated on the top three firms with a combined 37.1% share, while other firms hold less than 6.6% of total assets. The fund is less popular and less liquid, with AUM of $52.4 million and average daily volume of about 38,000 shares. The expense ratio came in at 0.29%. PSCE was up about 5% in the same time period (see all the energy ETFs here ). Leveraged Oil ETFs – VelocityShares 3x Long Crude Oil ETN (NYSEARCA: UWTI ): This is the popular leveraged fund targeting the energy segment of the commodity market through WTI crude oil futures contracts. It seeks to deliver thrice the returns of the S&P GSCI Crude Oil Index Excess Return and has amassed over $1 billion in its asset base. It trades in heavy volumes of 12.8 million shares a day, though it charges a higher fee of 1.35% per year. UWTI surged 26.4% over the past five trading sessions. Stocks to Tap We have chosen three stocks using our Zacks stock screener that have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) with a VGM Style Score of “A” or “B”. The combination of these two offers the best upside potential. Murphy USA, Inc. (NYSE: MUSA ): This Zacks Rank #1 company is a retailer of gasoline products and convenience store merchandise primarily in the United States. It saw positive earnings estimate revision of 21 cents for fiscal 2016 over the past 60 days and has an expected growth rate of 42.12%. The stock has a VGM Style Score of “A”. Enbridge, Inc. (NYSE: ENB ): This Zacks Rank #2 company with a VGM Style Score of “B” is a leader in energy transportation and distribution in North America and internationally. It saw positive earnings estimate revision of 18 cents over the past two months and has an expected growth rate of 8.69% for this year. McDermott International, Inc. (NYSE: MDR ): This Zacks Rank #1 company is a leading provider of integrated engineering, procurement, construction and installation services for offshore and subsea field developments worldwide. It saw an estimate revision to 4 cents from a loss of 3 cents over the past 60 days. It has a VGM Style Score of “B”. Contrarian View While we expect the oil price rally to continue in the near term, many market experts believe the rise is temporary and that the market will again be flooded with more oil once the problem of outages is resolved. Further, Saudi Arabia and Iran are keen on increasing their output. Original Post

Fed To Hike In June? Expected ETF Moves

Taking most investors by surprise, minutes from the Fed April meeting pointed to interest rate hike possibilities in June. While this seemed unfeasible a few days back, a volley of upbeat economic data lately sparked off possibilities for further policy tightening. Also, plenty of positive vibes were felt in the market, including a healing labor market and the latest uptick in global sentiments buoyed by stabilization in China and oil. All these opened the door for a likely hike in June. Most Fed officials sought signs of economic improvement in the second quarter including a strong employment and inflation scenario. Inflation rose at the quickest clip in three years in April, as the consumer price index jumped a seasonally adjusted 0.4% (read: TIPS ETF (NYSEARCA: TIP ) Hits New 52-Week High). Upbeat Data Points Though April’s non-farm payroll reading of 160,000 was below the estimated 205,000 and the prior-month reading of 208,000, the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5%. Other key indicators including workweek and average hourly earnings showed increases. Hourly earnings in April rose 0.3% month over month and 2.5% year over year. Meanwhile, overall retail sales expanded 1.3% in April from March, representing the largest gain since March 2015. April retail sales beat economists’ forecast of a 0.8% rise . The University of Michigan indicated that its consumer sentiment index rose 6.8 points to 95.8 in early May, marking the strongest reading since June (read: Retail Sales Back to Health; ETFs to Watch ). Since consumer spending makes up about 70% of the U.S. GDP, April retail sales data indicates that the U.S. economy is progressing at a decent clip to end Q2 and is less likely to falter like it did in Q1. In the first quarter, the economy grew at an annual rate of just 0.5%, marking a two-year low. The housing market is also giving bullish signals. Lately, the economy was gifted with strong new home construction and building permits data. All these might encourage the Fed to take the next policy tightening decision sooner than expected. The last hike was seen in December 2015. Investors’ Perception Following the release of the minutes, investors’ bet over the possibility of a June hike shot up to 34% from 19% (according to CME Group) as indicated by the prices for futures contracts on the Fed’s benchmark overnight lending rate. And by late Wednesday, traders wagered on a 56% possibility of a hike by July, up from 20% on Tuesday. Possible ETF Moves Some subtle moves in various markets and asset classes are likely to be observed if the Fed goes hawkish in June or July. Below we discuss a few ETFs that were among the biggest movers and could remain in focus ahead. PowerShares DB USD Bull ETF (NYSEARCA: UUP ) As widely expected, the U.S. dollar will likely gain strength. The U.S. dollar ETF UUP was up about 0.7% on May 18. iShares 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF (NYSEARCA: IEF ) The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury jumped 11 bps to 1.87% on May 18, following the Fed minutes. The ultra-popular bond ETF IEF shed over 0.8%. But since global growth worries are still extensive with Brexit fears looming large, the intermediate and long-term U.S. Treasury bonds should be in fine fettle. SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (NYSEARCA: KRE ) Banking stocks should rally if the Fed hikes in June as these perform better in a rising rate environment. KRE added 4.24% on May 18, 2016. PowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio ETF (NYSEARCA: PXH ) Emerging markets ETFs will likely be losers if the Fed goes ahead with a hike. Dearth of cheap money inflows would hit this space. PXH was down about 1.4% on May 18. iShares Select Dividend ETF (NYSEARCA: DVY ) The dividend ETFs, one of the biggest beneficiaries of subdued Treasury yields, might stall a bit if the Fed hikes sooner than expected. However, it all depends on how the global market shapes up and investors’ appetite for risk. Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (NYSEARCA: VTI ) Normally, the initial reaction of a rate hike is a slide in stock prices. However, the reaction should vary across capitalization and the turbulence should settle down with time. Total stock market ETF was down 0.01% on May 18, and may be under pressure immediately after the tightening move. Link to the original post on Zacks.com