Corporate

Lean against rally attempts until leading profit indicators improve. The conditions for a tradable oilfield services rebound remain elusive. Capital markets may bounce, but we would sell on strength.

There is no sign that the Chinese economy has suddenly lost momentum. The credit and monetary cycle appears to be picking up. Meanwhile, our bottom-up analysis shows no evidence of a rapid buildup in leverage in China's corporate sector, as commonly perceived.

Value in the U.S. Treasury market is rapidly deteriorating, and the 10-year Treasury yield is now consistent with our fair value projections. Investors should shift from an above-benchmark to a benchmark duration stance.

U.S. dollar softness may be sparking a subtle shift in sub-surface dynamics, to the benefit of select deep cyclical industries. Switch from rails into electrical equipment, and take profits in data processing.

This week we are publishing a new thematic chartpack <i>The BCA China Industry Watch</i> in an effort to monitor the growth profiles, balance sheet strength and stock market performances of major Chinese industrial sectors.

Economic disappointment represents a serious obstacle for stocks. Stay with non-cyclical plays, including telecom services and health care. Upgrade the managed care group, and stay clear of banks, regardless of cheap valuations.

Stay cautious. The Fed is only beginning to acknowledge what markets already realize. Eventually, they will back off, which reduces the odds of a further sustained equity decline. So far, however, the central bank is lagging deflationary forces acting on the U.S. economy, markets and profits. The weak ISM surveys are consistent with this. The risk is that employment follows suit.

It is highly unusual for equities to enter a bear market without the economy going into recession. Since we see the risk of recession as low, we recommend a neutral allocation between bonds and equities.

The oversold bounce is not supported by policy or profits, and should be treated as countertrend. Lift machinery to neutral and differentiate between pharmaceuticals and the unwinding of the biotech mania.

The U.S. corporate re-leveraging cycle is far more advanced than is widely believed. Corporate health looks only mildly better excluding the troubled energy and materials sectors. Mushrooming leverage ratios are not restricted to junk issuers either.