China

If we look at global growth as an aircraft, the plane is experiencing failing engines and will lose more altitude in the coming months. Yet, neither Chinese authorities, nor the Fed or the ECB will be quick to come to the rescue as global growth downshifts. These dynamics herald a stronger US dollar and lower EM risk asset prices.

The CCP’s fiscal measures and property-market support are important steps to deal with China’s liquidity trap. The fiscal measures are the first such direct aid to households and small firms seen since 2020, which included tax relief and waived social security contributions, according to the IMF. The size of the programs has not been disclosed. If they are successful, global commodity demand will get a boost at the margin, particularly oil and base metals. We remain long equity ETFs to retain exposure to energy and metal producers and refiners, and long the COMT ETF for direct commodity exposure.

The geopolitical backdrop remains negative despite some marginally less negative news. China’s stimulus is not yet large or fast enough to prevent a market riot. Two of our preferred equity regions, ASEAN and Europe, are struggling to outperform. Investors should stay defensive overall.

A global recession continues to be likely over the next 12 months. The impact of tighter monetary policy is slowly being felt. Government bonds look increasingly attractive as a safe haven.

In Part 2 of this series, we prescribe the treatment needed to produce a recovery for the ailing Chinese economy. Authorities will only panic and unleash “irrigation-style” stimulus if the unemployment rate rises sharply, or a financial crisis unravels in onshore markets. This is not yet the case.

Contrary to the widespread belief in the investment community, the global copper supply-demand balance is no longer in deficit. Red metal prices are set to decline by another 10-15% as the global copper market will shift to a larger surplus in the next six months.

The stock market’s pre-eminent growth sector is not US tech, it is French luxuries. No other sector can compare with French luxuries’ massive and sustained pricing power. The risk for French luxuries is not a China slowdown, the risk is that the structural increase in super-wealth comes to an end. If anything though, the coming disruption from generative AI will boost super-wealth. Ironically therefore, the best investment play on generative AI might be French luxuries.