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

Our outlook remains cautious as we continue to expect heightened volatility and a potential retest of the February 2018 lows over the next several weeks. Near-term we are monitoring for S&amp;P 500 support near 2,600 (i.e., the October low) and resistance near 2,817 or the 100- and 50-day moving averages. In today’s report we outline our current concerns along with developments that would cause us to become more constructive on the market. We also highlight attractive set ups within the Financials, Consumer Discretionary, and Health Care Sectors.

Our outlook remains cautious as we continue to expect heightened volatility and a potential retest of the February 2018 lows over the next several weeks. Near-term we are monitoring for S&amp;P 500 support near 2,600 (i.e., the October low) and resistance near 2,817 or the 100- and 50-day moving averages. In today’s report we outline our current concerns along with developments that would cause us to become more constructive on the market. We also highlight attractive set ups within the Financials, Consumer Discretionary, and Health Care Sectors.

U.S. Equity Strategy: Retest of October Lows Underway; Upgrading Financials

Public Relations and Social Media Manager, Dechert LLP

Peggy Heffner

Public Relations and Social Media Manager

Dechert is a global specialist law firm

Dechert LLP

Dechert is a global specialist law firm.
Focused on sectors with the greatest complexities, legal intricacies and highest regulatory demands, we excel in delivering practical commercial judgment and deep legal expertise for high-stakes matters.

Our work is widely recognized. We have 20 standout practices noted by Chambers Global, including global-wide rankings for arbitration, corporate investigations, anti-corruption, investment funds and life sciences. Named Antitrust Team of the Year, Chambers USA commends our “accomplished group” as “routinely sought after to handle some of the most significant litigation and transactions in the antitrust world.” 

In an increasingly challenging environment, clients look to us to serve them in ways that are faster, sharper and leaner without compromising excellence. We developed a first-of-its kind legal project management department, which uses technology, people and processes to drive efficiency and deliver value for our clients.

We are innovators. Dechert ranked #7 in the Financial Times’ Top North American Innovative Law Firms. Financial Times also recognizes us among the Top European Innovative Law Firms and highly commends World Compass, our marketing compliance service, which offers investment firms advice in more than 100 jurisdictions.

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>The presidential election has opened the possibility of significant changes to the Dodd-Frank Act regime that has been implemented over the last six years.</li><li>It remains to be seen what plans the incoming administration will bring to this area.</li><li>However, new regulatory proposals and other developments continue to present a complicated regulatory climate for banks and other large financial institutions.</li></ul>

The presidential election has opened the possibility of significant changes to the Dodd-Frank Act regime that has been implemented over the last six years.It remains to be seen what plans the incoming administration will bring to this area.However, new regulatory proposals and other developments continue to present a complicated regulatory climate for banks and other large financial institutions.

The New Future of US Banking and Financial Services Regulation

Campaign promises rarely turn into specific actions, but when they do, they are necessarily impacted by the dynamics of the legislative process. History suggests, however, that the policies of candidates can be a predictor of likely regulatory trends.

Campaign promises rarely turn into specific actions, but when they do, they are necessarily impacted by the dynamics of the legislative process. History suggests, however, that the policies of candidates can be a predictor of likely regulatory trends.

Implications of the 2016 Election for Banks and Systemically Important Financial Institutions

Founder Evidente. Top rated quantitative analyst, Evidente

Sam Ferraro

Founder Evidente. Top rated quantitative analyst

Evidente

Evidente is an independent financial education firm that delivers innovative financial advice to wholesale investors, including active long only funds, hedge funds, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds, in Australia and globally.  Drawing on academic research in asset pricing, behavioural finance and portfolio construction, Evidente provides wholesale investors with commercial solutions to stock selection and asset allocation decisions across equities and other asset classes.

Macroeconomics

Concerns about deflation - the phenomenon of falling prices&nbsp;of goods and services - in the wake of the financial crisis, have provided the intellectual cornerstone for central banks around the world - led by the Federal Reserve - to embrace unconventional policy measures, notably forward guidance and large scale asset purchases or quantitative easing. A recently published study by the Bank of International Settlements takes aim at deflation aversion and shows that episodes of goods &amp; services deflation over the past 150 years have been associated with surprisingly small output losses, but asset price deflations &ndash; notably declining property prices &ndash; have led to significantly lower GDP growth. I show that a simple demand-supply framework can be used to discriminate between good and bad deflations, and argue that the synchronized policy easings by many of the world&rsquo;s central banks in January and February were designed to address the Great Disinflation associated with a persistent shortfall in aggregate demand globally. Even if the equilibrium global interest rate has declined &ndash; as argued by Ben Bernanke recently - monetary policy still has an important role to play in boosting the psychology of risk taking in the corporate and household sectors.

Concerns about deflation - the phenomenon of falling prices&nbsp;of goods and services - in the wake of the financial crisis, have provided the intellectual cornerstone for central banks around the world - led by the Federal Reserve - to embrace unconventional policy measures, notably forward guidance and large scale asset purchases or quantitative easing. A recently published study by the Bank of International Settlements takes aim at deflation aversion and shows that episodes of goods &amp; services deflation over the past 150 years have been associated with surprisingly small output losses, but asset price deflations &ndash; notably declining property prices &ndash; have led to significantly lower GDP growth. I show that a simple demand-supply framework can be used to discriminate between good and bad deflations, and argue that the synchronized policy easings by many of the world&rsquo;s central banks in January and February were designed to address the Great Disinflation associated with a persistent shortfall in aggregate demand globally. Even if the equilibrium global interest rate has declined &ndash; as argued by Ben Bernanke recently - monetary policy still has an important role to play in boosting the psychology of risk taking in the corporate and household sectors.

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.
​
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.

<ol><li>Align yourself with the Qatar government, $200bn in GDP, $200bn in assets for 200,000 civilians&nbsp;who own 96% of the stock market. Qatar Investment Fund, a $200m closed end fund listed in&nbsp;London run by Qatar Insurance giving you exposure to the Qatar index at a discount to NAV.&nbsp;Returned over 20% last year (dollar pegged) despite oil prices halving, will likely return double&nbsp;digits over the next 7-10 years annually.</li><li>Buy Iran as soon as it opens, currently under 6x PE with double digit dividends. I believe an Iran&nbsp;deal is likely in the next few months. One of the funds I advise hopes to have an easy to access&nbsp;listed fund to make things easier once SWIFT sanctions are removed</li><li>Buy oil for delivery in 2 years either direct or through options. You may not make as much as&nbsp;spot, but if I (and more importantly T Boone Pickens) are right, it should offer 20%+ return at the&nbsp;least with minimal downside risk unless someone decides to spend hundreds of billions in&nbsp;exploration or the world economy completely collapses. Buy Brent as the Brent-WTI spread will&nbsp;gap out into the middle of the year on Cushing inventory build due to the contango in the curve.</li></ol>

Align yourself with the Qatar government, $200bn in GDP, $200bn in assets for 200,000 civilians&nbsp;who own 96% of the stock market. Qatar Investment Fund, a $200m closed end fund listed in&nbsp;London run by Qatar Insurance giving you exposure to the Qatar index at a discount to NAV.&nbsp;Returned over 20% last year (dollar pegged) despite oil prices halving, will likely return double&nbsp;digits over the next 7-10 years annually.Buy Iran as soon as it opens, currently under 6x PE with double digit dividends. I believe an Iran&nbsp;deal is likely in the next few months. One of the funds I advise hopes to have an easy to access&nbsp;listed fund to make things easier once SWIFT sanctions are removedBuy oil for delivery in 2 years either direct or through options. You may not make as much as&nbsp;spot, but if I (and more importantly T Boone Pickens) are right, it should offer 20%+ return at the&nbsp;least with minimal downside risk unless someone decides to spend hundreds of billions in&nbsp;exploration or the world economy completely collapses. Buy Brent as the Brent-WTI spread will&nbsp;gap out into the middle of the year on Cushing inventory build due to the contango in the curve.

United States

TFS Financial Corporation is the holding company. The Bank attracts deposits from the general public and originates a variety of loans. Third Federal operates throughout Ohio and Florida.

Tfs Financial (TFSL US)

U.S. Equity Strategy: Retest of October Lows Underway; Upgrading Financials

Our outlook remains cautious as we continue to expect heightened volatility and a potential retest of the February 2018 lows over the next several...

Vermilion Research

The New Future of US Banking and Financial Services Regulation

The presidential election has opened the possibility of significant changes to the Dodd-Frank Act regime that has been implemented over the last...

Dechert LLP

Implications of the 2016 Election for Banks and Systemically Important Financial Institutions

Campaign promises rarely turn into specific actions, but when they do, they are necessarily impacted by the dynamics of the legislative process....

Dechert LLP

Who's Afraid of Deflation?

Concerns about deflation - the phenomenon of falling prices of goods and services - in the wake of the financial crisis, have provided the...

Sam Ferraro

Islam, Terror, Politics and Oil - Part 2

Align yourself with the Qatar government, $200bn in GDP, $200bn in assets for 200,000 civilians who own 96% of the stock market. Qatar Investment...

Emad Mostaque