EM PM, Ecstrat

Emad Mostaque

EM PM

Ecstrat

Ecstrat is a consultancy advising on asset allocation between global equity markets, with a focus on the intersection of governments, geopolitics, governance and markets.
 
Over the past few years and more especially since the Great Financial Crisis (GFC), investors have become more focused on short-term market movements and real-time returns and have consequently neglected the analysis of the underlying structural themes that underpin longer term performance.
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More specifically we believe that the evolution of governance-based relationships between investors, controlling shareholders, labour and the state is one of the primary determinants of both relative and absolute performance between individual equity markets.
 
We will endeavour to provide investors with some of the context surrounding governance-related issues which encompass many different disciplines including history, economics and political science, as well as the financial metrics which are the most obvious manifestation of the structural characteristics of each market.
 
We will pay particular attention to the shifts and potential inflection points for governance in individual markets as these are often the best lead indicators for both economic and market performance.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

In May we noted that Saudi was likely to pursue a production maximisation policy for 6 months, with a freeze or cuts likely as we head into winter.This appears to have been prescient as OPEC yesterday announced that OPEC-14 production levels would be capped at 32.5-33mbpd, a slight decrease over the levels achieved over summer and back at Doha talks levels.However, detail is lacking on the proposal and there is strong reason to doubt potential enforceability of any agreement, with oil jumping but still being flat month on month as a result.This piece explores some of these issues and potential market action.

In May we noted that Saudi was likely to pursue a production maximisation policy for 6 months, with a freeze or cuts likely as we head into winter.This appears to have been prescient as OPEC yesterday announced that OPEC-14 production levels would be capped at 32.5-33mbpd, a slight decrease over the levels achieved over summer and back at Doha talks levels.However, detail is lacking on the proposal and there is strong reason to doubt potential enforceability of any agreement, with oil jumping but still being flat month on month as a result.This piece explores some of these issues and potential market action.

Leading Independent Investment Research, Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar

Leading Independent Investment Research

Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar, Inc. is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. We offer an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, and retirement plan providers and sponsors. 

Morningstar provides data on more than 500,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 16 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with more than $180 billion in assets under advisement or management as of June 30, 2015. We have operations in 27 countries.

Download the Morningstar Fact Sheet : http://corporate.morningstar.com/US/documents/MarketingFactSheets/AboutMorningstarFactsheet.pdf

Crude markets have tightened a good deal in recent months, as strong demand growth and supply issues have pulled forward the industry recovery by about a year, relative to our previous outlook. Fundamentals after 2017 are looking particularly bullish for prices, and an oil price rally in 2018 is looking more and more likely (we've raised our 2018 West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, forecast to $65 per barrel).Even so, the strength of U.S. shale is lurking beneath the surface: Our analysis shows that the recent uptick in rigs and falling shale decline rates together are enough to stabilize U.S. crude production within six months. Remarkably, if activity isn't scaled back, U.S. production will begin growing in 2017 (albeit barely). This underscores the strength of U.S. tight oil: Should a price rally ensue, it is far too strong to not overheat and eventually snuff out any future oil price rally. We remain bearish on oil prices longer term, and we reiterate our midcycle oil price outlook of $55 WTI ($60 Brent).Analyst: Stephen Simko, CFA

Crude markets have tightened a good deal in recent months, as strong demand growth and supply issues have pulled forward the industry recovery by about a year, relative to our previous outlook. Fundamentals after 2017 are looking particularly bullish for prices, and an oil price rally in 2018 is looking more and more likely (we've raised our 2018 West Texas Intermediate, or WTI, forecast to $65 per barrel).Even so, the strength of U.S. shale is lurking beneath the surface: Our analysis shows that the recent uptick in rigs and falling shale decline rates together are enough to stabilize U.S. crude production within six months. Remarkably, if activity isn't scaled back, U.S. production will begin growing in 2017 (albeit barely). This underscores the strength of U.S. tight oil: Should a price rally ensue, it is far too strong to not overheat and eventually snuff out any future oil price rally. We remain bearish on oil prices longer term, and we reiterate our midcycle oil price outlook of $55 WTI ($60 Brent).Analyst: Stephen Simko, CFA

Oil Markets: Fundamentals Improving, but U.S. Shale Still Looms

Equity Analyst, TMT & Energy Specialist

HL Tan

Brent Oil prices have rallied by more than 18% since end-July'16 close, after new Saudi oil minister tipped for an 'OPEC deal' on oil production freeze, in the upcoming informal OPEC meet in Algeria from 26-28 September 2016. We are skeptical on execution, deal or no deal. Nevertheless, any headline news on supply cuts could result in near term oil volatility or fund re-positioning.Who is going to cut?<ul><li>
Collective production quota is difficult to enforce– Despite an explicit OPEC collective…</li></ul>

Brent Oil prices have rallied by more than 18% since end-July'16 close, after new Saudi oil minister tipped for an 'OPEC deal' on oil production freeze, in the upcoming informal OPEC meet in Algeria from 26-28 September 2016. We are skeptical on execution, deal or no deal. Nevertheless, any headline news on supply cuts could result in near term oil volatility or fund re-positioning.Who is going to cut?
Collective production quota is difficult to enforce– Despite an explicit OPEC collective…

Equity Research Analyst, Maritime sector, Drewry Maritime Financial Research

Ankush Kathuria CFA, FRM

Equity Research Analyst, Maritime sector

Maritime Sector, Equity & Credit Research

Drewry Maritime Financial Research

With no ties to other players in the shipping, finance or banking world, we provide a uniquely impartial view of the markets and companies we cover. Our parent organization, Drewry is a leading independent provider of research services to the maritime and shipping industry, employing over 100 professionals across an international network of offices in London, Delhi, Singapore and Shanghai. Combining our market-leading resources with seasoned sector expertise DFRS offers a highly differentiated and comprehensive range of investment and financial research services to lenders and prospective investors in publicly listed maritime and shipping companies. The full service of reports, supporting resources and sector orientated webinars provides our clients with the most complete picture of the organisations under coverage as is possible. We have been charting and analysing the world’s maritime markets for more than 40 years. This unrivalled intelligence and understanding provides the foundation of our research service. Our analysts have access to one of the most up-to-date, comprehensive and reliable sources of market insight and research data available today. We look at globally listed companies within the following sectors: Port Operators, Container Shipping, Container Manufacturing & Leasing, LNG Shipping, Dry Bulk Shipping and Tanker Shipping. Combine in-depth sector expertise with financial analysis focusing on over 50 stocks globally.

Early in the summer, we had downgraded the tanker shipping sector and asked investors to brace for lower earnings and lower asset values and stock prices, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/tanker-shipping-cycle-counter-cyclical-investment-strategy-to-run-its-course-downgrade-to-neutral," target="_blank">https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/tanker-shipping-cycle-counter-cyclical-investment-strategy-to-run-its-course-downgrade-to-neutral,</a> all of which has materialized and honestly much faster than we had anticipated. We were early and do see the trend of lower earnings continuing on looming supply growth in 2017 and muted demand growth. The…

Early in the summer, we had downgraded the tanker shipping sector and asked investors to brace for lower earnings and lower asset values and stock prices, https://www.smartkarma.com/insights/tanker-shipping-cycle-counter-cyclical-investment-strategy-to-run-its-course-downgrade-to-neutral, all of which has materialized and honestly much faster than we had anticipated. We were early and do see the trend of lower earnings continuing on looming supply growth in 2017 and muted demand growth. The…

Tanker Shipping - Recent Quarterly Results and Dividend Cuts Confirm Our Thesis, Not Just Seasonal

Transport Sector, China and Asia-focused Research

Charles De Trenck

It is no easy task generating decent relatively low-risk long-term returns portfolio. Over the last decade I have put a lot of thinking into building such a portfolio. It did involve risk taking and periods of relative volatility. I have found several golden rules, also based on failures of up close experiences from myself and others. My hands down worse investment was not cutting losses in certain names into the 2008 crash – most notably Citigroup shares, some of which I was forcibly locked into owing to management options with false information from HR. GE was another counter I took a beating on in 2008+.But some 2009-09 investment lessons I found mirrored some of my 1987-88 market crash lessons. Over time I have reduced volatility in my portfolio.  My main lesson for my conservative investment style was that buying into the heart of a crash takes quite a bit of time and patience to claw back to break even on average picks.  But in the end I stuck to this value style for increasing positions a number of times over the years. What follows is a no-holds barred account of my rules based investments, and losses and gains which have led to decent long-term performance despite a few scary gaps.The second half of this piece is a dialogue with a global investor friend of 15-20 years.

It is no easy task generating decent relatively low-risk long-term returns portfolio. Over the last decade I have put a lot of thinking into building such a portfolio. It did involve risk taking and periods of relative volatility. I have found several golden rules, also based on failures of up close experiences from myself and others. My hands down worse investment was not cutting losses in certain names into the 2008 crash – most notably Citigroup shares, some of which I was forcibly locked into owing to management options with false information from HR. GE was another counter I took a beating on in 2008+.But some 2009-09 investment lessons I found mirrored some of my 1987-88 market crash lessons. Over time I have reduced volatility in my portfolio.  My main lesson for my conservative investment style was that buying into the heart of a crash takes quite a bit of time and patience to claw back to break even on average picks.  But in the end I stuck to this value style for increasing positions a number of times over the years. What follows is a no-holds barred account of my rules based investments, and losses and gains which have led to decent long-term performance despite a few scary gaps.The second half of this piece is a dialogue with a global investor friend of 15-20 years.

Building a Rules Based Perpetual Portfolio(Incl Global Investor Q & A)

United States

Continental Resources, Inc., based in Oklahoma City, is focused on the exploration and production of onshore oil-prone plays in the United States.  The Company concentrates its leasehold and production strategies in the Bakken of North Dakota and Montana, as well as Oklahoma in its recently discovered SCOOP play and the Northwest Cana play.

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Continental Resources, Inc (CLR US)

Can OPEC Cut Production

In May we noted that Saudi was likely to pursue a production maximisation policy for 6 months, with a freeze or cuts likely as we head into...

Emad Mostaque

Oil Markets: Fundamentals Improving, but U.S. Shale Still Looms

Crude markets have tightened a good deal in recent months, as strong demand growth and supply issues have pulled forward the industry recovery by...

Morningstar, Inc.

Oil Price - OPEC Deal or No Deal?

Brent Oil prices have rallied by more than 18% since end-July'16 close, after new Saudi oil minister tipped for an 'OPEC deal' on oil production...

HL Tan

Tanker Shipping - Recent Quarterly Results and Dividend Cuts Confirm Our Thesis, Not Just Seasonal

Early in the summer, we had downgraded the tanker shipping sector and asked investors to brace for lower earnings and lower asset values and stock...

Drewry Maritime Financial Research

Building a Rules Based Perpetual Portfolio(Incl Global Investor Q & A)

It is no easy task generating decent relatively low-risk long-term returns portfolio. Over the last decade I have put a lot of thinking into...

Charles De Trenck

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