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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

New ETF Offers Investors A High-Yield Haven

By Alan Gula In early 1998, Russia was hemorrhaging foreign exchange reserves. A number of factors were feeding into worries about Russia’s debt sustainability, including the Asian financial crisis in 1997, a decline in the price of crude oil, political instability, and widening fiscal deficits. Emergency loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank did little to stem the tide. On August 17, 1998, Russia devalued its currency (the ruble) and chose to default on its debt. The Russian crisis serves as a warning: Even government bonds can be very risky. Is the Risk Worth the Reward? Today, Russia’s five-year government bonds yield around 9%. In fact, Russia’s sovereign bonds are among the highest yielding of any country, as you can see in the following table: In a world seemingly starved for yield, these rates are all rather high. Indeed, very few investors like the sovereign debt in the table above, because the perceived risks are significant. Several countries’ economies on this list have suffered damage from the plunge in commodity prices, and many are in the throes of political turmoil or nasty recessions. There’s a lot to be worried about. Hence, these bonds are unpopular. But if popular investments should usually be avoided, then could these unloved bonds actually be attractive investments? High-Yield Sovereigns Typically, “high-yield” refers to sub-investment grade corporate bonds, or junk bonds. In ” Finding Yield in a 2% World ,” Mebane Faber, Chief Investment Officer at Cambria Investment Management, back-tested a high-yield government bond strategy. The universe comprised 30 countries from the Global Financial Data database and is sorted based on nominal yield. The top one-third of the bonds are bought, with periodic reconstitution. The results were fairly surprising. From 1950 to 2012, the high-yield strategy actually outperformed an equal weighting of all countries in the universe by around 2% per annum. The outperformance was also consistent across decades, including both rising and falling interest rate environments. The returns were U.S. dollar-based, but over the very long term, local real returns should be similar. The high-yield bond portfolio also seems to have outstanding diversification benefits. The table below compares the performance metrics for a traditional 60/40 portfolio with those of portfolios having 20% and 40% allocations to sovereign high-yield bonds. As the allocation to high-yield government bonds increases, returns rise, volatility decreases, and maximum drawdowns (peak-to-trough declines) are reduced. The more favorable risk/reward relationship is also shown by the rising Sharpe Ratio. Miraculously, adding unpopular, high-yielding sovereign bonds to a traditional portfolio can actually reduce risk, while increasing returns. Now, for most retail investors, buying sovereign bonds issued by Indonesia would prove challenging, to say the least. But there’s now a viable option… ETF to the Rescue Luckily, Faber’s firm launched the Cambria Sovereign High Yield Bond ETF (NYSEARCA: SOVB ) earlier this year. SOVB is one of the many new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that gives investors convenient and cheap access to promising strategies. The ETF systematically buys the highest-yielding sovereign and quasi-sovereign bonds with sufficient liquidity. SOVB’s annual expenses are 0.59%, which is reasonable for an ETF that has exposure to smaller bond markets. For example, the WisdomTree Emerging Market Local Debt ETF (NYSEARCA: ELD ) has an expense ratio of 0.55%. Clearly, the data show that high-yielding government bonds are attractive long-term investments. Far more often than not, the worst-case scenario – such as a default or currency crisis – doesn’t materialize. Thus, investors wind up more than fairly compensated for risk exposures via the higher yields. And now that there’s a high-yield government bond ETF, I don’t want to hear any more complaints about the dearth of yield in this environment. Original Post

Pakistan Likely To Enter MSCI Emerging Markets Index

MSCI is considering reclassifying the Pakistani equity market from frontier to emerging market status on June 14th, 2016. MSCI – a leading provider of research-based indexes and analytics – announced that it will release on June 14, 2016, shortly after 11:00 p.m. Central European Summer Time (CEST), the results of the 2016 Annual Market Classification Review. As a reminder, three MSCI Country Indexes are currently included on the review list of the 2016 Annual Market Classification Review: MSCI China A and MSCI Pakistan Indexes for a potential reclassification to Emerging Markets and MSCI Peru Index for a potential reclassification to Frontier Markets. It is important to note that MSCI is not the only index provider that classifies markets but is considered the reference benchmark for many markets. MSCI and other index providers base their market classification on a number of quantitative measurable and comparative criteria while aiming to avoid qualitative and/or subjective criteria. PAKISTAN: ECONOMY IN FOCUS Pakistan is a country with a population of 190 million people. Pakistan’s GDP stands at USD 250 billion (Year 2015). Pakistan’s economy continued to pick up in the fiscal year 2015 as economic reform progressed and security improved. Inflation markedly declined, and the current deficit narrowed with favorable prices for oil and other commodities. Despite global headwinds, the outlook is for continued moderate growth as structural and macroeconomic reforms deepen. Selected economic indicators (%) – Pakistan 2015 2016 Forecast 2017 Forecast GDP Growth 4.2 4.5 4.8 Inflation 4.5 3.2 4.5 Current Account Balance (share of GDP) -1.0 -1.0 -1.2 Source : Asian Development Bank CPEC : THE GAME CHANGER FOR PAKISTAN China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a mega project of USD 46+ billion, taking the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and China to new heights. The project is the beginning of a journey of prosperity for Pakistan and China’s Xinjiang. The economic corridor is about 3,000 kilometers long consisting of highways, railways and pipelines that will connect China’s Xinjiang province to the rest of the world through Pakistan’s Gwador port. The investment on the corridor will transform Pakistan into a regional economic hub. The corridor will be a confidence booster for investors and attract investment not only from China but other parts of the world as well. Other than transportation infrastructure, the economic corridor will provide Pakistan with the telecommunications and energy infrastructure. MSCI INDICES AND PAKISTAN – A QUICK RECAP It is important to mention that between 1994-2008, Pakistan was part of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. After the Balance of Payment crisis in 2008, KSE was shut down for 4 months after which the country was kicked out of the Emerging Markets Index. In May 2009, Pakistan was added back in the MSCI Index, but this time it was added in the Frontier Markets Index. In June last year, MSCI put Pakistan up for official review regarding inclusion into the Emerging Markets Index. Now, as per today’s press release, MSCI will make its decision whether to upgrade or not on 14th of June. RECAP: THE MSCI PAKISTAN INDEX Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Click to enlarge Click Here for MSCI Fact Sheet INDEX METHODOLOGY The index is based on the MSCI Global Investable Indexes (GIMI) Methodology – a comprehensive and consistent approach to index construction that allows for meaningful global views and cross regional comparisons across all market capitalization size, sector and style segments and combinations. This methodology aims to provide exhaustive coverage of the relevant investment opportunity set with a strong emphasis on index liquidity, investability and replicability. The index is reviewed quarterly – in February, May, August and November – with the objective of reflecting change in the underlying equity markets in a timely manner while limiting undue index turnover. During the May and November semi-annual index reviews, the index is rebalanced and the large and mid capitalization cutoff points are recalculated. SOME IMPORTANT NUMBERS/STATS Click to enlarge WHAT TO LOOK FOR IF PAKISTAN ENTERS MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX? If the decision is positive, emerging markets funds with 40-50 times the capital of frontier funds will be forced to have a look at Pakistan. In our view, this is an opportunity with a risk-reward skewed heavily towards the positive side. PSX – Pakistan Stock Exchange – currently trades at 9.0x earnings; companies have grown faster than their regional peers in USD over the last ten years. Should Pakistan enter MSCI Emerging Markets, it does so at more than 40% P/E discounts to its Asian EM peers. We don’t believe this is sustainable, hence calls for a positive re-rating of the valuations. ETFs IN FOCUS: Several ETFs and mutual funds invest in emerging markets; on the other hand, a small number of ETFs focus on frontier markets. For comparison purpose, we are taking BlackRock Capital ETFs. BlackRock Capital offers the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA: EEM ), asset base of which is approx USD 25 billion when compared to BlackRock Capital’s iShares MSCI Frontier 100 Index ETF (NYSEARCA: FM ), asset base of which is merely USD 420 million. It is important to note that the fund size of most of the frontier markets ETFs are very small when compared with emerging markets ETFs. Hence, we don’t see any major selling pressure from the liquidation of frontier market funds which are invested in Pakistan, as that selling will be absorbed easily by the emerging market funds. In fact, emerging markets funds will bring in more liquidity in the market, hence, providing frontier market funds an easy exit. OUR STANCE We are of the view that it is likely that Pakistan will be given a green signal for entering MSCI Emerging Markets on June 14th, 2016. We caution against the notion that reclassification is a panacea for market ills or underperformance. Typically, reclassification (both upgrades and downgrades) have followed or been accompanied by economic and financial policy reforms, including improvements in market infrastructure. It is these more fundamental and structural reforms that attract and retain international investors and boost the confidence of domestic investors. Reclassifications are best viewed as signaling a confirmation of policy reforms and changes in market conditions. Hence, an identification problem may arise whereby improved market conditions are attributed to market reclassification decisions, whereas they are due to policy actions and reforms which lead to a reclassification. Similarly, we note that reclassification may have perverse effects if there is an ‘overshooting’ effect whereby speculation leads to higher prices in advance of a reclassification, over and above what would be justified by market/ economic fundamentals. Prices then adjust on the actual reclassification event. As highlighted in the article, Average Annual Revenue and Net Profit Growth of companies listed in Pakistan have been phenomenal between 2005-2015. Moving forward with CPEC in place, Pakistan’s inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index will be beneficial for both local as well as global investors. Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.