Today we want to talk about the quarterly SEC filings that came in over the past several days week.
All big investors that are managing over $100 million are required to publicly disclose their holdings every quarter. They have 45 days from the end of the quarter to file that disclosure with the SEC. It’s called a form13F.
While these filings have become very popular fodder for the media, what we care more about is 13D filings. And of course we have our formula for narrowing down the universe to what we deem to be the best ideas.
For a refresher: The 13D forms are disclosures these big investors have to make within 10 days of taking a controlling stake in a company. When you own 5% or more of a company’s stock, it’s considered a controlling stake. In a publicly traded company, with that sized position, you typically become the largest shareholder and, as we know, with that comes influence. Another key attribute of this 13D filing, for us, is that these investors also have to file amendments to the 13D within 10 days of making any change to their position.
By comparison, the 13F filings only offer value to the extent that there is some skilled analysis applied. Thousands of managers file 13Fs every quarter. And the difference in manager talent, strategies and portfolio sizes run the gamut.
With that caveat, there are nuggets to be found in 13Fs. Let’s talk about how to find them, and the take aways from the recent filings.
First, it’s important to understand that some of the positions in 13F filings can be as old as 135 days. Filings must be made 45 days after the previous quarter ends, which is 90 days. We only look at a tiny percentage of filings—just the investors that we know have long and proven track records, distinct approaches, and who have concentrated portfolios.
Through our research and nearly 40 years of combined experience, here’s what we’ve found to be most predictive:
Clustering in stocks and sectors by good hedge funds is bullish. Situations where good funds are doubling down on stocks are bullish. This all can provide good insight into the mindset of the biggest and best investors in the world, and can be a predictor of trends that have yet to materialize in the market’s eye.
For specialist investors (such as a technology focused hedge fund) we take note when they buy a new technology stock or double down on a technology stock. This is much more predictive than when a generalist investor, as an example, buys a technology stock.
The bigger the position relative to the size of their portfolio, the better. Concentrated positions show conviction. Conviction tends to result in a higher probability of success. Again, in most cases, we will see these first in the 13D filings.
New positions that are of large, but under 5%, are worthy of putting on the watch list. These positions can be an indicator that the investor is building a position that will soon be a “controlling stake.”
Trimming of positions is generally not predictive unless a hedge fund or billionaire cuts a position by 75% or more, or cuts below 5% (which we will see first in 13D filings). Funds also tend to trim losers into the fourth quarter for tax loss benefits, and then they buy them back early the following year.
With that in mind, we want to talk about a few things we did glean from these recent filings.
Apple (AAPL)
This biggest news out of the filings this week was that Warren Buffett initiated a new $1 billion plus stake in Apple. Buffett loves to invest in out-of-favor companies that are depressed in price, with strong brand names, low P/Es and high return on capital. Apple checks the boxes on all of the above.
We think Buffett’s stamp of approval will change the sentiment on Apple, which has had a short-term ebb. Apple shares were up 4% on the news Buffett has entered, the biggest one day move in over two months.
Additionally, billionaire David Einhorn added to his Apple position last quarter. He now has more than 15% of his $5.9 billion hedge fund in Apple.
ENERGY
We’ve talked a lot about oil over the past several months. The oil price bust created a binary trade — either it destroyed the global economic recovery (and likely the global economy) or it bounced back aggressively. Thankfully, it’s done the latter. Billionaire oil trader, Boone Pickens said this week that he thinks oil could trade as high as $60 over the next two months.
In the filings from Q1, top billionaires just like in Q4 were initiating and adding new stakes in energy stocks – building some large, high conviction positions.
As we’ve said, we think oil-energy stocks are the macro trade of the year.
Internet
One of most popular growth stocks purchased by top billionaire investors last quarter was Facebook. Another notable tech stock in the cross hairs of influential investors: Yahoo. A couple of top activist investors, a hot macro investor are involved in Yahoo. And news this week that Warren Buffet and billionaire Dan Gilbert could be teaming up to buy parts of Yahoo.
Billionaires Bottom Fishing in Healthcare
Noted contrarian and billionaire John Paulson has doubled down on two beaten down healthcare stocks last quarter, Endo International and Akorn Inc. We think this is an interesting move because Paulson like many of the best billionaire investors have literally made billions from buying when everyone else is selling.
Many other top hedge funds remain heavily invested in healthcare stocks as well, even after their most recent selloff.
Now, a couple of bigger picture views from the filings…
Some of the biggest and best are bullish on stocks. Billionaire David Tepper has 12% of his fund invested in call options on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100. Billionaire global macro trading legend, Louis Bacon, now has more than 7% of his fund in Nasdaq call options. And two other macro investing studs, Paul Tudor Jones and John Burbank have both built big call options on emerging market stocks.
This activity gels nicely with what we’ve been discussing here in our dailynotes. We have a global economic environment that is fueled by central bank support. The risk of the oil price bust has now been removed. And a lot of the economic data is setting up nicely for big positive surprises over the coming months. We think we are in the early stages of seeing a global sentiment shift, away from gloom, and toward optimism. And positive data surprises and changes in sentiment are two very powerful factors in driving markets.
Join us here to get all of our in-depth analysis on the bigger picture, and our carefully curated stock portfolio of the best stocks that are owned by the world’s best investors.
In our Billionaire’s Portfolio we followed the number one performing hedge fund on the planet into a stock that has the potential to triple by the end of the month.
This fund returned an incredible 52% last year, while the S&P 500 was flat. And since 1999, they’ve done 40% a year. And they’ve done it without one losing year. For perspective, that takes every $100,000 to $30 million.
We want you on board. To find out the name of this hedge fund, the stock we followed them into, and the catalyst that could cause the stock to triple by the end of the month, click here and join us in our Billionaires Portfolio.
We make investing easy. We follow the guys with the power and the influence to control their own destiny – and a record of unmatchable success. And you come along for the ride.
Heading into today’s inflation data, the prospects of German 10-year government interest rates going negative had added to the heightened risk aversion in global markets. And we’ve been talking this week about how markets are set up for a positive surprise on the inflation front, which could further support the mending of global confidence.
On cue, the euro zone inflation data this morning (the most important data point on inflation in the world right now) came in better than expected. We know Europe, like Japan, is throwing the kitchen sink of extraordinary monetary policies at the economy in an effort to reverse economic stagnation and another steep fall into deflation. And we know that the path forward in Europe, at this stage, will directly affect that path forward in the U.S. and global economy. So, as we said in one of our notes last week, the world needs to see “green shoots” in Europe.
With the better euro zone inflation data today, we may be seeing the early signs of a bottom in this cycle of global pessimism and uncertainty. German yields are now trading double the levels of Monday. And with that, U.S. yields have broken the downtrend of the month, as you can see in the chart below.
Source: Billionaire’s Portfolio, Reuters
With that in mind, today we want to talk about how we can increase certainty in an uncertain world. Aside from the all-important macro influences, even when you get the macro right, when your investing in stocks, you also have to get a lot of other things right, to avoid the landmines and extract something more than what the broad tide of the stock market gives you (which is about 8% annualized over the long term, and it comes with big drawdowns and a very bumpy road).
In our Billionaire’s Portfolio, we like to put the odds on our side as much as possible. We do so by following big, influential investors into stocks where they’ve already taken a huge stake in a company, and are wielding their influence and power to maximize the probability that they will exit with a nice profit.
This is the perfect time to join us in our Billionaire’s Portfolio. We’ve discussed our simple analysis on why broader stocks can and should go much higher from here. You can revisit some of that analysis here. In our current portfolio, we have stocks that are up. We have stocks that are down. We have stocks that are relatively flat. But they all have the potential to do multiples of what the broad market does. And for depressed billionaire-owned stocks, a broad market rally and shift in economic sentiment should make these stocks perform like leveraged call options – importantly, without the time decay. Join us hereto get your portfolio in line with ours.
As we said yesterday, oil on the mend is the key proxy right now for global economic stability. With that, after closing above $40 yesterday, oil continued its surge today, up 4%. And global stocks had a good day, up 1% in the U.S.
Remember, we get key inflation data over the next couple of days, namely from Europe and the U.S. A hotter inflation number in the U.S. would further support the signal that oil is giving to markets (a positive one).
Today we want to look at a few of very key charts. This first chart is an update on the crude oil/stock market relationship. We’ve looked at this a few times over the past few months. The last time we revisited this chart, oil and stocks had started to diverge from stocks with its recent move back into the mid 30s.
So oil is sustaining above $40 for the first time since November. We know three of the top oil traders in the world are betting on $70-$80 oil by next year. We know central banks have stepped in (in coordination) since the low in oil on February 11 and the result has been a 50%+ bounce in oil. Now, technically, oil looks like a technical breakout is here.
In the above chart, you can see oil breaking above the high of March 22 (which was 41.90). In fact, we get a close above that level – technically bullish. And we also now have a technically bullish pattern (an impulsive C-wave of an Elliott Wave structure) that projects a move to $51.50, which happens to be right about where this big trendline comes in.
Now, with the inflation data in the pipeline for the week, we’ve talked about the negative signal that ultra-weak yields are sending to markets. And German yields have been leading the way on that front. But guess what? German yields reversed sharply off of the lows yesterday, and continued higher today, putting in a long term bullish reversal signal (an outside day – technical jargon, but can be very predictive of tops and bottoms). And that coincides with the U.S. 10-year yield, which is on the verge of breaking the recent downtrend and projecting a move back to 2.15%. We’ll take a look at these very important charts for financial markets and for the global economic outlook tomorrow.
These key markets are signaling what could be the beginning of a big shift in sentiment and the beginning of positive surprises in markets and economies, which tends to happen when expectations have been ratcheted down so dramatically, as we discussed yesterday with the sour earnings outlook and pessimistic economic backdrop.
This is the perfect time to join us in our Billionaire’s Portfolio. We have just added the billionaire’s macro trade of the year to our Billionaire’s Portfolio — a portfolio of deep value stocks owned by the best billionaire investors in the world. You can join us here.
Buffett’s famed annual letter is due to be released this weekend. With that, today we want to talk a bit about his record, his philosophy on markets and successful investing and the high conviction stocks that he has in his $130 billion plus Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio.
First, only one living investor has a length of track record that can compare to Buffett’s. That’s fellow billionaire Carl Icahn. Icahn actually has a better record than Buffett, and it spans a little longer. But he gets a fraction of the attention of the man they call the Oracle of Omaha.(more…)
Today the rebound in oil led a significant turnaround for stocks. With that, the broader sentiment of uncertainty across markets tends to abate. Broader commodities swung from negative to positive. And yields on the U.S. 10-year Treasury, which were in deep decline this morning, swung to positive territory by the afternoon.
If you own stocks, a house, have a job or need to eat, you should cheer for higher oil prices.
As we’ve talked about quite a bit in recent weeks, cheap oil, at this point in the global economic recovery, is a catalyst to destabilize the global economy. While consumers gain a few bucks from cheaper gas, the oil industry leans closer to the edge of bankruptcies and weak oil exporting countries toward default. That would be very bad news (global financial crisis, round 2). So the longer we’re down here, and the more persistent these low levels appear, the riskier the world looks. And when the world looks risky, people sell stocks, and other relatively risky assets and they hold cash or buy U.S. Treasuries (which pushes yields lower).
For proof, here’s a look at the 10-year yield on the U.S. Treasury note.
Keep in mind, the Fed raised rates in December! They did so when the 10 year was trading at a yield of 2.20%. The yield is now 45 basis points lower. And even though a voting Fed member said yesterday that in her view, a second hike was still on the table for next month, the market has still virtually priced out the possibility of any further hikes for the rest of the year.
Why? Because other parts of the world are moving (or are moving deeper) into negative rate territory, because economic conditions continue to soften, mostly driven by sentiment and weakening inflation prospects. A big driver of that mix is the oil price crash.
In the next chart, you can see how yields, despite the December rate hike, have tracked oil lower.
Again, when people think the world looks risky, they pile into the safest parking place for capital on the planet, U.S. Treasuries –and that drives yields on Treasuries lower. While that flow of capital has certainly occurred, the pressure on yields from speculators is also a big component.
If you recall, we discussed a couple of weeks ago how markets can have it wrong – sometimes very wrong. If indeed, the market is wrong on this one, there is a tremendous opportunity to ride yields back to the 2.25% area. And it may be a violent move.
But oil will be the driver.
As we said, oil turned the tide for stocks today. Here’s a look at the relationship of oil and stocks over the past three months.
In this longer term chart above, you can get perspective on where oil prices stand relative to history. You can see in this chart the sharp rise, the sharp fall and the rebound from the depths of the global financial crisis.
That rebound was all China. China stepped in and used their three trillion dollars in foreign currency reserves AND their massive fiscal stimulus package to gobble up cheap commodities.
And you can see this most recent price crash was triggered by move by the Saudis to block an OPEC production cut in November 2014. It was the night of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. and oil was trading about $73. We haven’t seen that price since.
The low at the depths of the financial crisis was 32.40. That’s about where oil closed today. We’ve made the case in recent weeks that, if OPEC refuses to cut production (likely), the central banks could/should step in and buy oil (the ECB, BOJ and/or China).
Bryan Rich is a macro trader and co-founder of Billionaire’s Portfolio,a subscription-based service that empowers average investors to invest alongside the world’s best billionaire investors.
Oil has surged to open the week. If you’ve been reading our daily pieces over the past few weeks, you’ll know how important oil is for global markets at this stage. With that, strong oil today has translated into higher stocks, higher broad commodities, a slight bump higher in interest rates and better investor sentiment in general.
It was just fourteen days ago that Chesapeake Energy, one of the largest producers of oil and natural gas was rumored to be choosing the path of bankruptcy. That rumor was immediately denied by the company. And soon thereafter, the reality set in for markets that a scenario like that would conjure up post-Lehman like outcomes. Oil has since put in a bottom and bounced more than 25%. Chesapeake has now bounced 46% from the lows just the last six trading days.
It’s at extremes in markets where the biggest and best investors have historically made their money – running into risk, when everyone else is running away.
With that, today we want to take a look at a few stocks with the biggest upside, and an important “risk buffer” in what is a high risk sector at the moment (energy). This risk buffer? Each stock has the presence of a big-time billionaire investor.
Self-made billionaire energy trader Boone Pickens has said he expects oil to return to $70 this year. On his $70 prediction, he’s also said that if he misses it will be because oil is “over $70, not under $70.” If Pickens is right about oil prices, each of these stocks below have huge upside:
1) Oasis Petroleum (OAS) – Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson owns nearly 4% of this stock. The activist hedge fund SPO Advisory owns 14% and has been buying the stock on almost every dip. When oil was last $70, OAS was trading $25 or 500% higher than current levels.
2) Chesapeake Energy (CHK) – Billionaire investor Carl Icahn owns 11% of CHK and recently added to his position around $13. The last time oil was $70, Chesapeake was $25. That would be more than a 1000% return from its price today.
3) EXCO Resources (XCO) – Billionaire investors Wilbur Ross and Howard Marks own more than 30% of this energy stock. The last time oil was $70, EXCO was $3.30. That would be almost a 330% return from its price today.
4) Consol Energy (CNX) – Billionaire David Einhorn owns 12.9% of this stock. When oil was last $70, Consol traded for $40 or almost 500% higher than current levels.
5) Williams Companies (WMB) – Carl Icahn Protégé, Keith Meister of the activist hedge fund Corvex Management, owns $1.1 billion worth of WMB. The last time oil was $70, WMB traded for $50 – more than 300% higher than its current levels.
As we’ve said, persistently cheap oil (at these prices) has become the new “too big to fail” — it’s a systemic risk. It’s hard to imagine central banks will sit back and watch an OPEC-rigged price war put the global economy back into an ugly downward spiral. And time is the worst enemy to those vulnerable first dominoes (the energy industry and weak oil producing countries).
The best investors like to go where the biggest risks are — that’s where the biggest returns can follow. And they’ve been getting aggressive in energy and commodities.
Without question, energy stocks have been beaten up and left for dead. If indeed Chesapeake is a leading indicator that it’s all backing away from the edge, there will be big money to be made in these stocks.
We already have one of the best performing stocks in the entire stock market for the month of February in our Billionaire’s Portfolio, billionaire-owned Freeport McMoran. Click here and join us!
Stocks have roared back in the past several days. It’s been led by commodity stocks, the area that has been beaten up and left for dead. Not surprisingly, the bounce in that area has been multiples of the broader stock market bounce (which is 7% in less than a week).
As we’ve discussed in recent weeks, in the world we live in, global economic stability continues to rely on central bank influence. And, indeed, after one of the worst starts for stocks in a New Year ever, it was central bank verbal posturing to open the week that has turned the tide for global markets. On Sunday, the head of the BOJ spoke, warning that they were watching markets closely and stood ready to act, and then on Monday, the head of the European Central Bank said, effectively, the same. The result: the BOJ comments sparked a 10% rally in Japanese stocks in a matter of hours. With that lead, the S&P 500 has now rallied 7% in three days, crude oil has bounced 20%, and global interest rates are bouncing back (which, last week, were pricing in recession).
Like it or not, in a world where the economy remains structurally fragile after the global financial and economic crisis, the central banks remain in the driver’s seat and they know that promoting stability is the key to recovery and ultimately returning to sustainable economic growth. As we approach the March ECB and BOJ meetings, with weak oil prices persisting, we continue to think the central banks may outright buy oil and commodities to remove the risk of oil industry bankruptcies and the domino effect that it would spark. As an additional benefit, it would likely turn out to be a very profitable investment.
Today we want to talk about the quarterly SEC filings that came in this week. All big investors that are managing over $100 million are required to publicly disclose their holdings every quarter. They have 45 days from the end of the quarter to file that disclosure with the SEC. It’s called a form 13F. While these filings have become very popular fodder for the media, what we care more about is 13D filings. Those are disclosures these big investors have to make within 10 days of taking a controlling stake in a company. When you own 5% or more of a company’s stock, it’s considered a controlling stake. In a publicly traded company, with that sized position, you typically become the largest shareholder and, as we know, with that comes influence. Another key attribute of this 13D filing, for us, is that these investors also have to file amendments to the 13D within 10 days of making any change to their position.
By comparison, the 13F filings only offer value to the extent that there is some skilled analysis applied. Thousands of managers file 13Fs every quarter. And the difference in manager talent, strategies and portfolio sizes run the gamut.
With that caveat, there are nuggets to be found in 13Fs. Let’s talk about how to find them, and the take aways from the recent filings.
First, it’s important to understand that some of the positions in 13F filings can be as old as 135 days. Filings must be made 45 days after the previous quarter ends, which is 90 days. We only look at a tiny percentage of filings—just the investors that we know have long and proven track records, distinct approaches, and who have concentrated portfolios.
Through our research over 15 years, here’s what we’ve found to be most predictive:
Clustering in stocks and sectors by good hedge funds is bullish. Situations where good funds are doubling down on stocks is bullish. This all can provide good insight into the mindset of the biggest and best investors in the world, and can be a predictor of trends that have yet to materialize in the market’s eye.
For specialist investors (such as a technology focused hedge fund) we take note when they buy a new technology stock or double down on a technology stock. This is much more predictive than when a generalist investor, as an example, buys a technology stock.
The bigger the position relative to the size of their portfolio, the better. Concentrated positions show conviction. Conviction tends to result in a higher probability of success. Again, in most cases, we will see these first in the 13D filings.
New positions that are of large, but under 5%, are worthy of putting on the watch list. These positions can be an indicator that the investor is building a position that will soon be a “controlling stake.”
Trimming of positions is generally not predictive unless a hedge fund or billionaire cuts a position by 75% or more, or cuts below 5% (which we will see first in 13D filings). Funds also tend to trim losers into the fourth quarter for tax loss benefits, and then they buy them back early the following year.
With that in mind, we want to talk about a few things we did glean from these recent filings.
First, the old adage “buy when there is blood in the streets” was evident last quarter, as many of the top billionaire investors loaded up on stocks in the fourth quarter. That was BEFORE the further declines this year.
Top billionaire investors Paul Singer, David Tepper and Chase Coleman of Tiger Global all increased their equity exposure (buying more stocks) over the last quarter. And billionaire investors still love health care stocks. John Paulson, Bill Ackman, Dan Loeb and Larry Robbins loaded up, with Paulson putting 56% of his portfolio in health care.
Billionaires are starting to bottom fish in energy. Seth Klarman, David Tepper, Carl Icahn and Warren Buffett all either added to, or initiated new stakes in energy stocks. Tepper now has 12% of his entire equity portfolio in energy stocks! This obviously coincides well with the theme that energy and commodity stocks are starting to bottom.
Also notable, in recent weeks, the 13D filings have been coming in fast and furious as investors are taking advantage of the decline this year.
Analyzing these filings is part of our process in our Billionaire’s Portfolio. With that in mind, this week we followed one of the best billion dollar (plus) activist hedge funds into a stock where they own 12.5%, have three board seats, and are in the process of replacing the CEO. These are are three key ingredients in the success of activist campaigns: 1) a big concentrated position (12.5% stake), 2) control (board seats), and 3) change (a new CEO). This activist fund has won on 82% of its campaigns since 2002 and has a price target on this stock that’s more than 150% higher than the current share price. To join us you can subscribe to our Billionaire’s Portfolio (here).
The Fed has manufactured a recovery by promoting stability. And they’ve relied on two key asset prices to do it: stocks and housing. Today we want to look at a few charts that show how important the stock and housing market recoveries have been.
While QE and the Fed’s ultra easy policy stance couldn’t directly create demand in a world of deleveraging, it did (and has) indirectly created demand by promoting stability, which restored confidence. Without the confidence that the world will be stable, people don’t spend, borrow, lend or hire, and the economy goes into a deflationary vortex.
But by promising that they stand ready to act against any futures shocks to the economy (and financial markets), investors feel comfortable investing again (stocks go higher). When stocks go higher and the environment proves stable, employers feel more confident to hire. This all fuels demand and recovery. And, of course, the Fed has pinned down mortgage rates at record lows, which promotes a housing recovery, and gives underwater homeowners (at one point, more than a quarter of all homeowners with mortgages) a since that paper losses will at some point be overcome, and that gives them the confidence to spend money again, rather sit on it.
Along the path of the economic recovery, the Fed (and other key central banks) has been very sensitive to declines in stocks. Why? Because declining stocks has the ability to undo what they’ve done. And if confidence breaks again, it will be far harder to restore it.
The first chart here is the S&P 500. Stocks bottomed in March of 2009, when the Fed announced a $1 trillion QE program.
Stocks surpassed the pre-crisis highs in 2013 after six years in the hole. But even after the dramatic rise you can see in the chart the damage from the crisis is far from restored. If we applied the long term annual rate of growth of the S&P 500 (8%) to the pre-crisis highs, the S&P 500 should be closer to 3,150 (over 60% higher).
How does housing look? Of course, bursting of the housing bubble was the pin that pricked the global credit bubble. Housing prices in the U.S. have been in recovery mode since 2012. Still, housing has a ways to go. This is a very important component for the Fed, for sustainable recovery.
While bloated government debt continues to be a big structural problem for the U.S and the rest of the world, growth goes a long way toward fixing that problem.
And growth, low interest rates, higher stocks and higher housing prices goes a long way toward restoring household net worth. As you can see in the chart below, we have well recovered and surpassed pre-crisis levels in household net worth…
Source: Billionaire’s Portfolio
What is the key long-term driver of economic growth overtime? Credit creation. In the next chart, you can see the sharp recovery in consumer credit since the depths of the economic crisis (in orange). This excludes mortgages. And you can see how closely GDP (economic output) tracks credit growth (the purple line).
Source: Reuters, Forbes Billionaire’s Portfolio
What about deleveraging? It took 10 years to build the global credit bubble that erupted in 2007. Based on historical credit bubbles, it typically takes about as long to de-lever. So 10-years of deleveraging would put us at year 2017. With that, it’s fair to think we could be very near the end of that period, where paying down debt has weighed on economic growth.
You can see in the chart below, the average annual growth rate of consumer credit over the past 55 years is 7.9%. And over the past five years, despite the deleveraging, consumer credit growth has been solid, just under the long term average. And importantly, FICO scores in the U.S. have reached an all-time high.
With the recent correction in stocks, there has been increased scrutiny on the economy. Some are predicting another recession ahead. Others are waving the red flag anywhere they find soft economic data. Consumption makes up more than 2/3 of the U.S. economy. And you can see from the charts above, the consumer is in a solid position. But stocks and housing remain key drivers of the recovery. The Fed is well aware of that. With that, don’t expect the Fed, in the current economic environment, to do anything to alter the health of the housing and stock markets.
This week, in our BillionairesPortfolio.com, we followed one of the best billion dollar (plus) activist hedge funds into a stock where they own 12.5%, have three board seats, and are in the process of replacing the CEO. These are are three key ingredients in the success of activist campaigns: 1) a big concentrated position (12.5% stake), 2) control (board seats), and 3) change (a new CEO). This activist fund has won on 82% of its campaigns since 2002 and has a price target on this stock that’s more than 150% higher than the current share price. To join us you can subscribe to our Billionaire’s Portfolio (here).
Gold has been a core trade for a lot of people throughout the crisis period. When Lehman failed in 2008, it shook the world, global credit froze, banks were on the verge of collapse, the global economy was on the brink of implosion – people ran into gold. Gold was a fear-of-the-unknown-outcome trade.
Then the global central banks responded with massive backstops, guarantees, and unprecedented QE programs. The world stabilized, but people ran faster into gold. Gold became a hyperinflation-fear trade.
In the chart above, you can see gold went on a tear from sub-$700 bucks to over $1,900 following the onset of global QE (led by the Fed).
Gold ran up as high as 180%. That was pricing in 41% annualized inflation at one point (as a dollar for dollar hedge). Of course, inflation didn’t comply. Still eight years after the Fed’s first round of QE (and massive global responses), we have just 13% cumulative inflation over the period.
So the gold bugs overshot in a big way.
Why? The next chart tells the story…
This chart above is the velocity of money. This is the rate at which money circulates through the economy. And you can see to the far right of the chart, it hasn’t been fast. In fact, it’s at historic lows. Banks used cheap/free money from the Fed to recapitalize, not to lend. Borrows had no appetite to borrow, because they were scarred by unemployment and overindebtedness. Bottom line: we get inflation when people are confident about their financial future, jobs, earning potential … and competing for things, buying today, thinking prices might be higher, or the widget might be gone tomorrow. It’s been the opposite for the past eight years.
After three rounds of Fed QE, and now mass scale QE from the BOJ and the ECB, the world is still battling DE-flationary pressures. If gold surged from sub-$700 to $1,900 on Fed/QE-driven hyperinflation fears, and QE has produced little to no inflation, it’s fair to think we can return to pre-QE levels. That’s sub-$700.
We head into the weekend with stocks down 3% for the month. This follows a bad January. In fact, the stock market is working on a fifth consecutive negative month. The likelihood, however, of it finishing down for February is very low. It’s only happened 18 times since 1928. So the S&P 500 has five consecutive losing months just 1.7% of the time, historically.
Heading into today’s inflation data, the prospects of German 10-year government interest rates going negative had added to the heightened risk aversion in global markets. And we’ve been talking this week about how markets are set up for a positive surprise on the inflation front, which could further support the mending of global confidence.
