Head of Research and Global Chief Strategist, Steno Research

Andreas Steno

Head of Research and Global Chief Strategist

Macro and Geopolitical Research House

Steno Research

Steno Research is a new macro and geopolitical research house. We are based out of Copenhagen, Denmark, but have an international team and a strong network of sources and partners around the world. The team is lead by Andreas Steno, previous global head of strategy at Nordea Bank, and Mikkel Rosenvold, former chief consultant in the Danish Ministry of Finance.

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>What a week in global fixed income! We thankfully rotated out of bonds and into cyclical exposures in steepeners, commodities, energy and materials ahead of the worst storm and the big question is now whether this is just a “hump” or the start of a broad steepening trend.</li>
<li>In last week’s Portfolio Watch we declared that we anticipated a steepening curve:”Many are urgently discussing the ramifications of the BoJ move to push the band on the YCC.</li>
<li>With equities already looking frothy and volatility being low we may see some reversal near term – or perhaps stonks just carry on their insufferable streak and shorts keep getting wiped out as shares are sold to buy cheap calls.</li>
</ul>


What a week in global fixed income! We thankfully rotated out of bonds and into cyclical exposures in steepeners, commodities, energy and materials ahead of the worst storm and the big question is now whether this is just a “hump” or the start of a broad steepening trend.
In last week’s Portfolio Watch we declared that we anticipated a steepening curve:”Many are urgently discussing the ramifications of the BoJ move to push the band on the YCC.
With equities already looking frothy and volatility being low we may see some reversal near term – or perhaps stonks just carry on their insufferable streak and shorts keep getting wiped out as shares are sold to buy cheap calls.


Portfolio Watch: Steep, Steeper, Steepest!

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>The review period for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nikkei-225" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22909:1" rel="noopener">Nikkei 225 (NKY)</a> September rebalance ended yesterday. There should be three index changes, potential stepwise inclusion, no <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fast-retailing-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:751:1" rel="noopener">Fast Retailing</a> capping and a big funding trade.</li>
<li>There appears to be decent positioning on the potential adds, while it is the close adds that are spiking along with a big increase in traded volumes.</li>
<li>If the three changes are on expected lines, estimated one-way turnover at the rebalance is 2.01% resulting in a one-way trade of JPY 461bn (US$3.24bn). </li>
</ul>


The review period for the Nikkei 225 (NKY) September rebalance ended yesterday. There should be three index changes, potential stepwise inclusion, no Fast Retailing capping and a big funding trade.
There appears to be decent positioning on the potential adds, while it is the close adds that are spiking along with a big increase in traded volumes.
If the three changes are on expected lines, estimated one-way turnover at the rebalance is 2.01% resulting in a one-way trade of JPY 461bn (US$3.24bn). 


Nikkei 225 Index Rebalance Preview (Sep 2023): Final Look as Review Period Ends

Chief Economist & Political Strategist, CrossASEAN Research

Prasenjit K. Basu

Chief Economist & Political Strategist

CrossASEAN Research

At CrossASEAN Research we strive to produce unbiased and differentiated on the ground insights on companies across South East Asia. Our Research is produced for the most part after face to face meetings and conversations with company management to dig deep into the long term vision and strategy of the companies we cover. We seek to deliver investable and actionable themes on sectors and markets across SE Asia, often in collaboration with other Insight Providers across the region, pooling the vast experience of the analysts within the Smartkarma Ecosystem. We also offer bespoke work and tailor made trips for our clients. 

Insights across South East Asia

Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>The hike to 22-year-high 5.375% restores a clearly positive real policy rate. Powell said there's "still a long way to go" before reaching 2% target, so policy must remain restrictive.</li>
<li>We think a mild recession coupled with 6+ months of YoY declines in M2 will enable core PCE inflation to recede to 3.5%YoY by Nov'23 and 2.5% by Jun'24. </li>
<li>Key indicator is MoM change in core PCE. The cumulative MoM gain in core PCE has averaged over 4.5% in the past 29 months. 5.5% peak FF rate by Sep'23. </li>
</ul>


The hike to 22-year-high 5.375% restores a clearly positive real policy rate. Powell said there's "still a long way to go" before reaching 2% target, so policy must remain restrictive.
We think a mild recession coupled with 6+ months of YoY declines in M2 will enable core PCE inflation to recede to 3.5%YoY by Nov'23 and 2.5% by Jun'24. 
Key indicator is MoM change in core PCE. The cumulative MoM gain in core PCE has averaged over 4.5% in the past 29 months. 5.5% peak FF rate by Sep'23. 


With a Positive Real FF Rate Restored, FOMC Hiking Cycle Is Nearly Done

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>Ever since our 5/30/23 ETF Pathfinder, our view has been that we cannot be bearish unless a key support level breaks (at the time, that was 4050 on the SPX).</li>
<li>The S&amp;P 500 is now above 4300-4325 -- a level that, in January this year, we had anticipated would cap upside for 2023.</li>
<li>We believe 4300-4325 will act as major support moving forward, and we are bullish as long as the SPX is above 4300; we discussed this in our 7/3/23 ETF Pathfinder.</li>
</ul>


Ever since our 5/30/23 ETF Pathfinder, our view has been that we cannot be bearish unless a key support level breaks (at the time, that was 4050 on the SPX).
The S&amp;P 500 is now above 4300-4325 -- a level that, in January this year, we had anticipated would cap upside for 2023.
We believe 4300-4325 will act as major support moving forward, and we are bullish as long as the SPX is above 4300; we discussed this in our 7/3/23 ETF Pathfinder.


DXY Break Below $101 Suggests Breakouts Likely Coming for Equal-Weight SPX, Dow, and Russell 2000

<ul>
<li>The S&amp;P 500 is 1% above the 4300-4325 area which we anticipated would cap upside for 2023.</li>
<li>Our view since our 5/30/23 ETF Pathfinder is that we cannot be bearish if the SPX is above 4050, and we subsequently moved that line-in-the-sand up to 4165-4200 on 6/6/23.</li>
<li>We are moving that threshold up to 4300, which is short-term support to watch; a break below it could bring selling pressure.</li>
</ul>


The S&amp;P 500 is 1% above the 4300-4325 area which we anticipated would cap upside for 2023.
Our view since our 5/30/23 ETF Pathfinder is that we cannot be bearish if the SPX is above 4050, and we subsequently moved that line-in-the-sand up to 4165-4200 on 6/6/23.
We are moving that threshold up to 4300, which is short-term support to watch; a break below it could bring selling pressure.


Consolidation Likely, But Little Reason to Be Bearish; Buys Within Biotech, Latin American Banks

United States

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 blue-chip stocks that are generally the leaders in their industry. It has been a widely followed indicator of the stock market since October 1, 1928.

Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU INDEX)

Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU INDEX)

Portfolio Watch: Steep, Steeper, Steepest!

What a week in global fixed income! We thankfully rotated out of bonds and into cyclical exposures in steepeners, commodities, energy and...

Steno Research

Nikkei 225 Index Rebalance Preview (Sep 2023): Final Look as Review Period Ends

The review period for the NKY Sep rebal ended yesterday. There should be 3 index changes, potential stepwise inclusion, no Fast Retailing capping...

Brian Freitas

With a Positive Real FF Rate Restored, FOMC Hiking Cycle Is Nearly Done

Core PCE has risen annualised 4.5%+ since CY21. M2 contraction since Dec'22, and imminent recession, should enable core PCE inflation to recede...

Prasenjit K. Basu

DXY Break Below $101 Suggests Breakouts Likely Coming for Equal-Weight SPX, Dow, and Russell 2000

$DXY Break Below $101 Suggests Breakouts Likely Coming for Equal-Weight SPX $RSP, Dow $DJI, and Russell 2000 $IWM $RTY. $SPX remains bullish as...

Vermilion Research

Consolidation Likely, But Little Reason to Be Bearish; Buys Within Biotech, Latin American Banks

$SPX is 1% above 4300-4325 which we anticipated would cap upside for 2023. Our view since May 30 (ETF Pathfinder) is we cannot be bearish if SPX is...

Vermilion Research