Month: January 2018

US firms bullish on prospects in China

Companies from the United States doing business in China are becoming more optimistic about the China-US business environment despite fears of trade tariffs and political rhetoric. According to the 2018 China Business Climate Survey from the American Chamber of Commerce in China and Bain & Company, about 36 percent of respondents believe relations between the two major trading partners will improve this year, up substantially from just 17 percent in 2017. “Regarding the economy, there is cautious optimism that the ‘new normal' rate of growth is sustainable for the foreseeable future, providing opportunities for business to expand,” said William Zarit, chairman of AmCham in China.

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Warning sign: retail investors finally join the party

The global equity markets are off to a red hot start and optimism is at an extreme following the tax reform bill to close out 2017. In Davos, billionaire hedge fund manager called it “stupid to own cash.” Last week saw a record inflow of $33.2 billion into stock ETFs and mutual funds according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Is this a sign of euphoria and potential warning sign for the market?

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GSAM: No recession in sight, stay bullish

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of returning to the New York Stock Exchange for the second time in a week. Last Tuesday was for opening bell and this time it was closing bell with the Aussies ringing the bell for Australia Day. Thanks to Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) for the invite and their insights on their market outlook for 2018. Their tag line for this year is “Pro-growth, Pro-equity, Pro-reality.” They share our view that global growth will continue in 2018 and given the low interest rate environment that means investors should favor stocks over bonds.

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GSAM: bullish on stocks, especially emerging markets

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of returning to the New York Stock Exchange for the second time in a week. Last Tuesday was for opening bell and this time it was closing bell with the Aussies ringing the bell for Australia Day. Thanks to Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) for the invite and the insights on their market outlook for 2018. Their tag line for this year is “Pro-growth, Pro-equity, Pro-reality.” They share our view that global growth will continue in 2018 and given the low interest rate environment that means investors should favor stocks over bonds. GSAM is advising its clients that the emerging market bull market is still in the early innings.

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Ray Dalio predicts a market blowoff rally

This week, the global elite are gathered in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum. Headlines are already being made from fears of protectionism/tariffs to support of a weak US Dollar. Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio has been making the rounds on CNBC and Bloomberg and he's making it clear that he believes that the tax cut could lead to a big surge, which he is calling it “a market blowoff” rally, for the US stock market.

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