South Africa

Highlights Analyses on Indonesia and South Africa are available below. The slowdown in Chinese domestic demand has been the main culprit behind the global trade contraction - not the U.S.-China trade confrontation. China’s economy is not reliant on exports to the U.S. and there has been little damage to Chinese total exports. In contrast, Chinese imports have been contracting, dampening global trade. A recovery in the former is contingent on credit stimulus. Feature Chart I-1Chinese Imports Are Contracting Yet U.S. Ones Are Not Chinese Imports Are Contracting Yet U.S. Ones Are Not Chinese Imports Are Contracting Yet U.S. Ones Are Not With odds of a potential trade deal between the U.S. and China rising, the question now becomes whether an imminent acceleration in global trade will occur, sparking a rally in EM risk assets and currencies. We believe the trade confrontation between the U.S. and China has not been the main culprit behind the global trade contraction and manufacturing recession. The latter has primarily been due to a slowdown in Chinese domestic demand. Chart I-1 illustrates that Chinese imports for domestic consumption (excluding processing trade) are shrinking at 6% while U.S. total imports are still growing at 2% from a year ago. Consequently, an improvement in the global business cycle due to a potential trade agreement between the U.S. and China will be limited. Provided the global business cycle is the main factor driving EM risk assets and currencies, there is no sufficient reason to turn bullish on EM at the current juncture. Origin Of The Global Trade Slowdown Tariffs have mainly affected global growth indirectly (via dampening business confidence) rather than directly – by derailing Chinese exports to the U.S. or by affecting American consumer spending. First, U.S. household spending is still reasonably robust, and U.S. imports from the rest of the world have slowed but have not contracted (Chart I-2). Hence, the trade confrontation has not derailed U.S. household spending, and the latter’s impact on global trade has been mildly positive rather than negative. An improvement in the global business cycle due to a potential trade agreement between the U.S. and China will be limited. Second, Chinese exports have been more resilient than those of other Asian economies (Chart I-3). If the tariffs on Chinese exports to the U.S. were the main cause of the global trade slump, Chinese exports would be shrinking the most. Yet Chinese exports are not contracting – their growth rate is close to zero while Korean and Japanese exports have been plummeting (Chart I-3). Chart I-2U.S. Consumer Spending And Imports Have Not Been A Drag On Global Trade U.S. Consumer Spending And Imports Have Not Been A Drag On Global Trade U.S. Consumer Spending And Imports Have Not Been A Drag On Global Trade Chart I-3Exports In China Are Faring Better Than Those In Japan And Korea Exports In China Are Faring Better Than Those In Japan And Korea Exports In China Are Faring Better Than Those In Japan And Korea   While China’s shipments to the U.S. have certainly plunged, there is both anecdotal and empirical evidence that mainland-produced goods have been making their way to the U.S. via Taiwan, Vietnam and other economies (Chart I-4). This is why Chinese aggregate exports are not contracting. Third, Chinese exports are doing better than imports (Chart I-5). This tells us that the underlying reason for the slowdown both in China and globally is not tariffs, but rather the weakness in Chinese domestic demand. Chart I-4China's Exports To U.S. Have Been Re-Routed Via Rest Of Asia China's Exports To U.S. Have Been Re-Routed Via Rest Of Asia China's Exports To U.S. Have Been Re-Routed Via Rest Of Asia Chart I-5Chinese Imports Are Worse Than Its Exports Chinese Imports Are Worse Than Its Exports Chinese Imports Are Worse Than Its Exports   Importantly, ongoing contraction in Chinese imports excluding processing trade (i.e., excluding imports of inputs that are assembled and then re-exported) is a clear indication of a slump in Chinese domestic demand (please refer to Chart I-1 on page 1). Capital outlays in general and construction activity in particular remain very weak (Chart I-6). This is consistent with shrinking import volumes of capital goods, base metals, chemicals and lumber (Chart I-7). Chart I-6China: Capex Is In Doldrums China: Capex Is In Doldrums China: Capex Is In Doldrums Chart I-7China: Capex-Exposed Imports Are Shrinking China: Capex-Exposed Imports Are Shrinking China: Capex-Exposed Imports Are Shrinking   Chart I-8China's Economy Is Not Reliant On Exports To The U.S. China's Economy Is Not Reliant On Exports To The U.S. China's Economy Is Not Reliant On Exports To The U.S. Finally, Chart I-8 shows that Chinese exports to the U.S. before the commencement of the trade war represented less than 4% of Chinese GDP. In contrast, capital spending in China is 42% of GDP. Hence, China’s economy is not reliant on exports to the U.S. This is why in our research and strategy we emphasize the mainland’s money/credit cycle – which leads capital spending – much more than its exports. To be clear, we are not implying that the U.S.-China trade confrontation has had no bearing on global growth. It has certainly affected business and consumer sentiment in China and hurt confidence among multinational companies. Hence, a trade deal could boost sentiment among these segments, leading to some improvement in their spending. Nevertheless, odds are that businesspeople in China and multinational CEOs around the world will realize that we are witnessing a secular rise in the U.S.-China confrontation, and that any trade deal will be temporary. The basis is that the genuine interests of the U.S. go against China’s national interests, since the U.S. has an interest in preventing the formation of a regional empire that can then challenge it for global supremacy. Conversely, whatever is in the long-term interests of China will not be acceptable for the U.S., particularly China’s rapid military and technological advancement. As such, global CEOs may see through a trade deal and any improvement in their confidence will likely be muted. In fact, if a China-U.S. trade détente leads Chinese authorities to resort to less stimulus going forward, odds are that China’s domestic demand revival will be delayed. Hence, the positive boost to global trade will not be substantial. The underlying reason for the slowdown both in China and globally is not tariffs, but rather the weakness in Chinese domestic demand. In such a case, global manufacturing and trade contraction will likely last longer than financial markets are presently pricing in. Asset prices will need to be reset in this scenario before a new cyclical rally begins. Bottom Line: The trade confrontation has not been the main reason behind the global trade slowdown. Consequently, its temporary resolution may not be enough to produce a cyclical recovery in global trade. Given financial markets have already bounced back in recent weeks, they may follow a “buy the rumor, sell the news” pattern regarding the trade deal. Investors should continue to underweight EM equities, sovereign credit and currencies within respective global portfolios. In absolute term, risks to EM assets and currencies are still tilted to the downside too. Arthur Budaghyan Chief Emerging Markets Strategist arthurb@bcaresearch.com Indonesia: Relapsing Growth Risks Foreign Outflows Indonesian stocks and the rupiah have been benefiting from falling U.S. interest rate expectations. This has been occurring even though domestic fundamentals, namely economic growth and the outlook for corporate profits, have been deteriorating. The Indonesian economy is undergoing a sharp slowdown: The private credit impulse is declining (Chart II-1, top panel). Retail sales volume of various goods are heading south (Chart II-1, middle panel). Mirroring the weakness in investment expenditures, capital goods imports are shrinking (Chart II-1, bottom panel). Passenger car sales are shrinking and sales of other types of vehicles have stalled. The real estate sector has entered a weak spot as well. House prices are only growing at 2% in nominal local currency terms according to data from the central bank. Growth in rail freight transport has stalled and the manufacturing PMI has dipped below the critical 50 level (Chart II-2, top and middle panels). Domestic cement consumption is contracting (Chart II-2, bottom panel). Chart II-1Indonesia: Domestic Demand Is Slumping Indonesia: Domestic Demand Is Slumping Indonesia: Domestic Demand Is Slumping Chart II-2Indonesia: Business Activity Is Anemic Indonesia: Business Activity Is Anemic Indonesia: Business Activity Is Anemic Finally, exports are dwindling at an annual rate of -8% from a year ago. Chart II-3Borrowing Costs Are Elevated Relative To Nominal Income Growth Borrowing Costs Are Elevated Relative To Nominal Income Growth Borrowing Costs Are Elevated Relative To Nominal Income Growth This growth deceleration is due to the ongoing contraction in exports, slowing domestic loan growth and somewhat conservative fiscal policy. These factors have altogether hit nominal incomes and hurt spending. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s lending rates remain elevated and well above nominal growth (Chart II-3). Such a gap between nominal income growth and borrowing costs is exerting deflationary pressures on the Indonesian economy. Consistent with worsening growth dynamics, non-financial stocks have been struggling and small cap stocks have been in a bear market since 2013 (Chart II-4). The basis is poor and deteriorating profitability among non-financial firms (Chart II-5). Chart II-5Indonesia: Poor Profitability Among Non-Financial Companies Indonesia: Poor Profitability Among Non-Financial Companies Indonesia: Poor Profitability Among Non-Financial Companies Chart II-4Non-Financial & Small Caps Stocks: Dismal Performance Non-Financial & Small Caps Stocks: Dismal Performance Non-Financial & Small Caps Stocks: Dismal Performance   Only shares prices of three banks - Bank Central Asia, Bank Rakyat and Bank Mandiri - have been in a genuine bull market. These three stocks now account for 40% of the overall Indonesia MSCI Index and their rally has prevented an outright decline in the bourse. Chart II-6Indonesian Banks: Higher Provisions, Lower Profits Indonesian Banks: Higher Provisions, Lower Profits Indonesian Banks: Higher Provisions, Lower Profits We agree that these three banks are well provisioned and extremely well capitalized. Nevertheless, at a price-to-book value ratio of 4.7 for Bank Central Asia, 2.8 for Bank Rakyat and 1.8 Bank Mandiri, they are expensive. Given the ongoing economic slowdown and still high real borrowing costs, these three banks as well as all commercial banks in Indonesia will face higher NPLs and will be forced to provision for them. As NPL provisioning rise, banks’ profits will slow (Chart II-6). Such a scenario will likely lead to a 10-15% decline in these banks’ share prices in local currency terms. In U.S. dollars terms, the decline will be larger. Finally, as foreign investors in Indonesia begin digesting the magnitude of the country’s ongoing growth slump, their expectations for Indonesia’s return on capital will decline and they will likely reduce their exposure. This will trigger a selloff in the rupiah. Historically, foreign investors in Indonesia have cumulatively pumped $175 billion into debt securities and $105 billion into equity and investment funds. Indonesia’s lending rates remain elevated and well above nominal growth. Moreover, foreign ownership of local currency bonds and equities is high at 38% and 45%, respectively. Therefore, a decline in the rupiah will likely intensify the selloffs in the bond and equity markets. Bottom Line: For now, we continue recommending EM dedicated investors to remain underweight Indonesian equities, local currency bonds and U.S. dollar sovereign credit within their respective portfolios. We continue to recommend a short position in the IDR versus USD trade. Ayman Kawtharani, Editor/Strategist ayman@bcaresearch.com South Africa: On An Unsustainable Path The backdrop for South African financial assets remains poor, despite the recent surge in precious metals prices and Federal Reserve easing. The rand will continue to depreciate, even if precious metals prices continue to rise. Such a decoupling will not be historically unprecedented. Chart III-1 shows the long-term relationship between gold and the rand. The rand has failed to rally on several occasions during periods of rising gold prices. Chart III-1Rand Has Diverged Historically From Gold Prices Rand Has Diverged Historically From Gold Prices Rand Has Diverged Historically From Gold Prices What’s more, contrary to popular narrative, the rand and the majority of EM currencies do not typically appreciate when U.S. interest rate expectations drop. We have elaborated on this topic in depth in previous reports. Ultimately, widening twin deficits, dwindling growth and declining return on capital will continue to depress the rand and risk assets. Supply constraints are preventing South Africa from capitalizing on rising gold prices – gold mining output is plummeting (Chart III-2). In fact, the trade deficit has been widening, despite surging gold prices (Chart III-3). Chart III-2Contracting Mining Output Contracting Mining Output Contracting Mining Output Chart III-3Rising Gold Prices ≠ Improving Trade Balance Rising Gold Prices Improving Trade Balance Rising Gold Prices Improving Trade Balance   The overall and primary fiscal deficits are also widening, as government revenues are slumping (Chart III-4). On top of this, the government recently announced a $4.2 billion (ZAR 59 billion) bailout for state-owned utility company Eskom, further worsening the country’s debt sustainability position. The combination of plummeting nominal GDP growth and still-high borrowing costs (Chart III-5) have also worsened debt dynamics among private borrowers, hurting private consumption and investment. Chart III-4Fiscal Deficit Will Widen Further Fiscal Deficit Will Widen Further Fiscal Deficit Will Widen Further Chart III-5Interest Rates Are Restrictive For Growth Interest Rates Are Restrictive For Growth Interest Rates Are Restrictive For Growth   Both business and household demand remain lackluster. South African non-financial companies’ return on assets (RoA) has been declining and has dropped below EM for the first time in the past 20 years (Chart III-6). Falling RoA has been due not only to cyclical growth headwinds but also structural issues such as lack of productivity growth. The falling RoA explains South African financial assets’ underperformance versus their EM counterparts. Finally, the rand is not very cheap (Chart III-7). Given poor fundamentals, including but not limited to a lack of productivity growth and a low and falling return on capital, the currency may need to get much cheaper. Chart III-6Non-Financials: Return On Assets Non-Financials: Return On Assets Non-Financials: Return On Assets Chart III-7The Rand Needs To Get Cheaper! The Rand Needs To Get Cheaper! The Rand Needs To Get Cheaper!   Overall, South Africa’s current macro dynamics are unsustainable. On the one hand, widening twin deficits will augment the country’s reliance on foreign funding. FDI inflows have been rather meager and are likely to stay that way. Hence, South Africa remains extremely dependent on volatile foreign portfolio inflows. Historically, foreign investors have cumulatively pumped $100 billion into debt securities and $120 billion into equity and investment funds. In turn, foreign portfolio inflows are contingent on a firm currency and high interest rates. Widening twin deficits, dwindling growth and declining return on capital will continue to depress the rand and risk assets. On the other hand, the economy is choking and public debt dynamics are worsening at a torrid pace due to high interest rates. Much lower domestic interest rates and a cheaper currency are necessary to reflate the economy and stabilize the public debt-to-GDP ratio. Ultimately, financial markets will likely push for a resolution of these contradictions. In the medium to long run, international capital flows gravitate towards countries that offer a high or rising return on capital. Provided return on capital in South Africa is very low and falling, foreign portfolio inflows will at some point diminish or grind to a halt. This will likely coincide with a negative global trigger for overall EM.  Reduced inflows or mild outflows of foreign portfolio capital will cause sizable rand depreciation. Bottom Line: The economy requires a cheaper rand and much lower interest rates to grow. The rand will likely act as a release valve: it will depreciate a lot, improving the trade balance, which in turn will ultimately allow interest rates to decline - although local bond yields will spike initially on rand weakness.  Investment recommendations: Remain short the rand versus the U.S. dollar, and underweight stocks and sovereign credit in respective dedicated EM portfolios. Concerning bonds, a depreciating rand will initially cause a selloff in local currency government bonds, warranting an underweight position for now. In the sovereign credit space, we are maintaining the following trade: sell CDS on Mexico / buy CDS on South Africa and Brazil. Andrija Vesic, Research Analyst andrijav@bcaresearch.com   Footnotes Equities Recommendations Currencies, Credit And Fixed-Income Recommendations

Highlights Analysis on South Africa is published below. The “EM” label does not guarantee a secular bull market. None of the individual EM bourses has outperformed DM on a consistent basis over the past 40 years. EM share performance in both absolute terms and relative to DM has exhibited long-term cycles of around seven to 10 years. Getting these cycles right is instrumental to successful investing in EM. EM investing is predominantly about exchange rates. From a long-term (structural) perspective, EM equities are only modestly cheap in absolute terms but are very cheap versus the U.S. Feature We often receive questions from asset allocators about the long-term outlook for EM equities and currencies. The general perception among longer-term allocators is that while EMs may underperform over the short term, they always outperform developed markets (DM) in the long run. Consistently, the overwhelming majority of investors’ long-term return forecasts ascribe the highest potential return to EM equities and bonds among various regions and asset classes. This week we focus on the historical long-term performance of EMs. Contrary to popular sentiment, our findings show that EM stocks and currencies have not outperformed their U.S./DM peers in the past 40 years – as long as EMs have existed as an asset class. Hence, there is no guarantee that EM share prices and currencies will always outperform their DM counterparts on a secular basis going forward. Notably, EM share performance in both absolute terms and relative to DM has exhibited long-term cycles of around seven to 10 years. Getting these cycles right is instrumental to successful investing in EM. At the moment, the odds are that the current bout of EM equity and currency underperformance is not yet over, and more downside is likely before a major upturn emerges. The “EM” Label Does Not Guarantee A Secular Bull Market EM share prices have been in a wide trading range since 2010 (Chart I-1), despite the 10-year bull market in the S&P 500. Chart I-1Lost Decade For EM Stocks Lost Decade for EM Stocks Lost Decade for EM Stocks Remarkably, there is no single EM bourse that has been in a bull market during this decade (Chart I-2 and Chart I-3). This proves that this has indeed been a “lost” decade for EM. Chart I-2Individual EM Bourses: A Very Long-Term Perspective Individual EM Bourses: A Very Long-Term Perspective Individual EM Bourses: A Very Long-Term Perspective Chart I-3Individual EM Bourses: A Very Long-Term Perspective CHART 2B Individual EM Bourses: A Very Long-Term Perspective CHART 2B Individual EM Bourses: A Very Long-Term Perspective Historically, secular bull markets have been followed by bear markets not only in the boom-bust economies of Latin America, EMEA and Southeast Asia but also in former Asian tiger economies including Korea, Taiwan and Singapore (Chart I-4). This is despite the fact that per-capita real income has been growing rather rapidly in these Asian economies. Chart I-4Former Asian Tigers: Long-Term Equity Performance Former Asian Tigers: Long-Term Equity Performance Former Asian Tigers: Long-Term Equity Performance Remarkably, China and Vietnam have been exhibiting similar dynamics over the past 20 years – rapid per-capita real income growth and poor equity market returns (Chart I-5). Chart I-5China And Vietnam: Stock Prices And GDP Per Capita China And Vietnam: Stock Prices And GDP Per Capita China And Vietnam: Stock Prices And GDP Per Capita The message from all of these charts is as follows: Periods of industrialization and urbanization – even if successful – do not always entail structural bull markets. The U.S. fits this pattern as well. During the period between 1870 and 1900, the U.S. was experiencing industrialization and urbanization along with many productivity enhancements such as the steam engine, electricity and infrastructure construction. Even though America’s prosperity and real income per-capita levels surged during this period, corporate earnings per share and stock prices were rather flat (Chart I-6). Chart I-6The U.S. In The Late 1800s: Stocks, Profits And GDP The U.S. In The Late 1800s: Stocks, Profits and GDP The U.S. In The Late 1800s: Stocks, Profits and GDP Hence, rising per-capita real income and prosperity do not translate into higher share prices on a consistent basis. This is not to say that no country can ever deliver healthy stock market gains in the long run. Some certainly will, and it is our job to identify and expose these to clients. The point is that the “emerging market” status does not guarantee a structural bull market. Asset Allocation: Play Cycles Chart 7 illustrates that EM relative equity performance versus DM in general and the U.S. in particular has gone through several major swings over the past 40 years. Remarkably, none of the individual EM bourses has outperformed DM on a consistent basis over this time frame (Chart I-8A and I-8B). Chart I-7EM Versus DM: Relative Total Equity Returns EM Versus DM: Relative Total Equity Returns EM Versus DM: Relative Total Equity Returns Chart I-8ANo Single EM Bourse Has Outperformed DM In Past 40 Years No Single EM Bourse Has Outperformed DM In Past 40 Years No Single EM Bourse Has Outperformed DM In Past 40 Years Chart I-8BNo Single EM Bourse Has Outperformed DM In Past 40 Years No Single EM Bourse Has Outperformed DM In Past 40 Years No Single EM Bourse Has Outperformed DM In Past 40 Years Failure to outperform DM stocks is not only inherent for bourses in twin-deficit and inflation-prone regions/countries such as Latin America, Russia, Turkey, South Africa and South East Asia (including India), but it has also been true for share prices in rapidly growing countries such as China and Vietnam (Chart I-9). Chart I-9Chinese And Vietnamese Stocks Have Not Outperformed DM Chinese And Vietnamese Stocks Have Not Outperformed DM Chinese And Vietnamese Stocks Have Not Outperformed DM Remarkably, equity markets in the former Asian tigers – Korea, Taiwan and Singapore – have also failed to outperform their DM peers in the past 40 years (Chart I-10). This is in spite of the fact that real income per-capita growth in these Asian nations has by far outpaced that in both the U.S. and DM (Chart I-11). Chart I-10Former Asian Tigers Have Not Outperformed DM Equities... Former Asian Tigers Have Not Outperformed DM Equities... Former Asian Tigers Have Not Outperformed DM Equities... Chart I-11…Despite Economic Outperformance GDP Per Capita In Asian Tigers Has Massively Outperformed U.S. ...Despite Economic Outperformance GDP Per Capita In Asian Tigers Has Massively Outperformed U.S. ...Despite Economic Outperformance Evidently, the assumption that EM stocks will outperform DM equities on the back of higher potential growth rates is not validated by historical data. First, higher potential growth does not always ensure robust realized GDP growth. Second, even if real GDP-per-capita growth rises considerably, this does not always guarantee superior equity market returns. Some of the reasons for this include productivity benefits being transferred to employees rather than to shareholders, chronic equity dilution, and a misallocation of capital that boosts economic growth at the expense of shareholders. Bottom Line: EM relative stock performance versus DM has been fluctuating in well-defined long-term cycles. In our view, EM relative equity performance has not yet reached the bottom in this downtrend. We downgraded EM stocks in April 2010 and have been recommending a short EM equities / long S&P 500 strategy since December 2010 (please refer to Chart I-7 on page 5). EM Investing Is Primarily About Exchange Rates Exchange rates hold the key to getting EM equity cycles right for international investors. As demonstrated in Chart I-12, historically the bulk of EM equity return erosion has been due to currency depreciation. Chart I-12EM Investing Is All About Exchange Rates EM Investing Is All About Exchange Rates EM Investing Is All About Exchange Rates Exchange rates of structurally weak EM economies depreciate chronically. Common reasons include lack of productivity growth, high inflation, current account deficits, uncontrolled fiscal expansion, and reliance on volatile foreign portfolio flows. Periods of currency depreciation also occur in emerging Asian economies that have low inflation and typically run current account surpluses. Chart I-13 shows spot rates for Korea, Taiwan and Singapore versus the SDR which is a weighted average of USD, the euro, JPY, GBP, and CNY.1 Chart I-13Former Asian Tiger Currencies: Wide Fluctuations Former Asian Tiger Currencies: Wide Fluctuations Former Asian Tiger Currencies: Wide Fluctuations None of these Asian-tiger currencies has consistently appreciated versus the SDR. As in the case of share prices, there have been multi-year exchange rate swings. Further, U.S. dollar total returns on EM local bonds are also primarily driven by their currencies (Chart I-14). Consequently, the cycles in EM local currency bonds match EM exchange rate cycles. Chart I-14Total Return On Local Currency Bonds Total Return On Local Currency Bonds Total Return On Local Currency Bonds EM credit spread fluctuations are also by and large contingent on their exchange rates. Credit spreads on EM sovereign and corporate U.S. dollar bonds gauge debt servicing risk. The latter is highly influenced by exchange rates. Currency depreciation (appreciation) increases (decreases) debt servicing costs thereby affecting credit spreads. Bottom Line: Exchange rate fluctuations are driven by macro crosscurrents, making macro an indispensable know-how for EM investing. We maintain that EM currencies are susceptible to renewed weakness against the U.S. dollar as China’s growth continues to weaken, weighing on EM growth and thereby their respective exchange rates (Chart I-15). In turn, the U.S. dollar is a countercyclical currency and does well when global growth decelerates. Chart I-15EM Currencies Are Pro-Cyclical EM Currencies Are Pro-Cyclical EM Currencies Are Pro-Cyclical Valuations: The Starting Point Matters… In recent years, a long-term bullish case for EM equities and currencies has often been made on the grounds of cheap valuations. Chart I-16 illustrates the equity market-cap weighted real effective exchange rate for EM ex-China, Korea and Taiwan – a measure that is pertinent for both EM equity and fixed-income investors.2 It reveals that EM currency valuations are only slightly below their historical mean. Chart I-16EM Ex-China, Korea, Taiwan Currencies Are Modestly Cheap EM Ex-China, Korea, Taiwan Currencies Are Modestly Cheap EM Ex-China, Korea, Taiwan Currencies Are Modestly Cheap As to the CNY, KRW and TWD, their valuations are not at an extreme, and the CNY holds the key. The main long-term risk to the RMB is capital outflows from Chinese households and companies as discussed in February 14 report. For long-term investors, the pertinent equity valuation yardstick is the cyclically adjusted P/E (CAPE) ratio. The idea behind the CAPE model is to remove cyclicality of corporate profits when computing the P/E ratio – i.e., to look beyond a business cycle. Hence, the CAPE ratio is a structural valuation model – i.e., it works in the long term. Only investors with a time horizon greater than three years should use this valuation measure in their investment decisions. Our CAPE model gauges equity valuations under the assumption of per-share earnings converging to their trend line. The latter is derived by a regression of the cyclically adjusted EPS in real U.S. dollar terms on time. The EM CAPE ratio presently stands at 0.5 standard deviations below its historical mean (Chart I-17). This means EM stocks are modestly cheap from a long-term perspective. Meanwhile, the U.S.’s CAPE ratio is very elevated (Chart I-18). Chart I-17EM Equities Are Modestly Cheap From AA1 Structural Perspective EM Equities Are Modestly Cheap From A Structural Perspective EM Equities Are Modestly Cheap From A Structural Perspective Chart I-18U.S. Stocks Are Expensive From AA1 Structural Perspective U.S. Stocks Are Expensive From A Structural Perspective U.S. Stocks Are Expensive From A Structural Perspective On a relative basis, EMs are very attractive relative to U.S. stocks (Chart I-19). This entails that the probability of EM stocks outperforming U.S. equities is very high from a secular perspective – longer than three years. Chart I-19EM Equities Are Cheap Versus U.S. From AA1 Structural Perspective EM Equities Are Cheap Versus U.S. From A Structural Perspective EM Equities Are Cheap Versus U.S. From A Structural Perspective Nevertheless, a caveat is in order. Our CAPE model assumes that EPS in real U.S. dollar terms will rise at the same pace as it has historically. The slope of the time trend – the historical compound annual growth rate (CARG) of EPS in inflation-adjusted U.S. dollar terms – is 2.8% for EM and 2% for the U.S. Please note that we determined the earnings time trend (trend line) using historical ranges – 1983 to present for EM, and 1935 to present for the U.S. Hence, these CAPE models assume that EM EPS will grow 0.8 percentage points (2.8% minus 2%) faster than U.S. corporate EPS in inflation-adjusted U.S. dollar terms, as they have done historically. Under this assumption, EM stocks are considerably cheaper than the U.S. market. That said, in the medium term, corporate earnings are the key driver of EM share prices, and contracting profits pose a risk to EM performance, as discussed in our February 21 report. Bottom Line: From a long-term perspective, EM equities and currencies are only modestly cheap in absolute terms. Based on our CAPE ratio model, EM stocks are very cheap versus the U.S. However, the CAPE ratio is a structural valuation measure, and only investors with a time horizon of longer than three years should put considerable emphasis on it. …But Beware Of A Potential Value Trap If for whatever reason there is a change in the slope of the EM EPS long-term trend – i.e., per-share earnings fail to expand in the coming years at their historical rate, as discussed above, our CAPE model would be invalidated. In such a case, EM share prices are unlikely to enter a secular bull market in absolute terms and outperform their U.S. counterparts structurally. The key to sustaining the current upward slope in the long-term trajectory of EPS in real U.S. dollar terms is for EM/Chinese companies to undertake corporate restructuring and increase efficiency. Critically, recurring Chinese credit and fiscal stimulus as well as cheap and abundant money from international investors have not fostered corporate restructuring in China, nor in other EM countries. The basis is that easy and cheap financing and economic growth propped-up by periodic Chinese stimulus has made companies complacent, undermining their productivity and efficiency. The ultimate outcome will be weak corporate profitability over the long run. Another long-term risk to corporate earnings in China and some other EMs is the expanding role of the state in the economy. In these circumstances, China/EM corporate profitability will also suffer over the long run. The basis is that in any country the private sector is better than the government in generating strong corporate earnings. Bottom Line: Without structural reforms and corporate restructuring in EM/China, EM stocks are unlikely to outperform their DM peers on a secular basis. Investment Conclusions The medium-term EM outlook remains poor for the reasons we elaborated on in last week’s report titled, EM: A Sustainable Rally or A False Start? Further, investor sentiment on EM is very bullish, and positioning in EM equities and currencies is elevated (Chart I-20). We continue to recommend underweighting EM stocks, credit markets and currencies versus their DM counterparts and the U.S. in particular. Chart I-20Investors Are Very Bullish On EM Investors Are Very Bullish On EM Investors Are Very Bullish On EM From a long-term perspective, EM equity and currency valuations are modestly cheap. However, a durable long-term expansion in EM economies is contingent on a sustainable bottom in Chinese growth. The latter hinges on deleveraging and corporate restructuring in China, neither of which have occurred to a meaningful extent. For EM equity portfolios, we presently recommend overweighting Mexico, Brazil, Chile, central Europe, Russia, Thailand and Korean non-tech stocks. Our current (not structural) underweights are South Africa, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Peru. Within the EM equity space, two weeks ago we booked triple-digit profits on our strategic long positions in EM tech versus both the overall EM index and EM materials stocks, respectively. These positions were initiated in 2010. The basis for these strategic recommendations was our broader theme for the decade of being long what Chinese consumers buy, and short plays on Chinese construction, which we initiated on June 8, 2010. This week we are closing our long central European banks / short euro area banks equity position. We recommended it on April 6, 2016, and it has produced a 14% gain since then. Arthur Budaghyan Chief Emerging Markets Strategist arthurb@bcaresearch.com South Africa: Debt Deflation Or Currency Depreciation? South Africa’s public debt dynamics are on an unsustainable track. Two prerequisites for public debt sustainability are (1) for interest rates to be below nominal GDP growth or (2) continuous robust primary fiscal surpluses. Hence, a government can stabilize its debt-to-GDP ratio by either having nominal GDP above its borrowing costs, or by running persistent and sizable primary fiscal surpluses. Neither of these two stipulations are presently satisfied in South Africa. The gap between government local currency bond yields and nominal GDP growth is at its widest in over the past 10 years (Chart II-1). Meanwhile, the primary fiscal deficit is 0.75% of GDP (Chart II-2). Chart II-1South Africa: An Unsustainable Gap South Africa: An Unsustainable Gap South Africa: An Unsustainable Gap Chart II-2South Africa Has Not Had A Primary Fiscal Surplus In A Decade South Africa Has Not Had A Primary Fiscal Surplus In A Decade South Africa Has Not Had A Primary Fiscal Surplus In A Decade Faced with very low real potential GDP growth stemming from the economy’s poor structural backdrop, the authorities in South Africa ultimately have two choices to stabilize the public debt-to-GDP ratio: Tighten fiscal policy substantially, trying to achieve persistent large primary budget surpluses; or Inflate their way out of debt, which would require a large currency depreciation to boost nominal GDP growth above borrowing costs. With this in mind, we performed a simulation on public debt, assuming fiscal tightening but no substantial currency depreciation (Table II-1). The first scenario uses the 2019 consolidated budget government assumptions and projections for nominal GDP, government revenues and expenditures, i.e., it is the government's scenario. In this scenario, the public debt-to-GDP ratio rises only to 58% by the end of the 2021-‘22 fiscal year. Chart II- However, government forecasts always end up being optimistic. We believe this scenario is implausible due to its overestimation of nominal GDP, and hence government revenue growth. As the government tightens fiscal policy, nominal GDP growth and ultimately government revenue will disappoint substantially. For the second scenario, we used government projections for fiscal spending in the coming years, but our own estimates for nominal GDP and government revenue growth. Notably, excluding interest payments and fiscal support for ailing state-owned enterprises like Eskom, nominal growth of government expenditures in the current year is at 7.5%, and estimated to be 6.8% the next two fiscal years. That is why we project nominal GDP and government revenue growth to be very weak. The basis of our assumption is as follows: Barring considerable currency depreciation, as the authorities undertake substantial fiscal tightening in the next three years, nominal GDP and consequently government revenue growth will plunge. Importantly, government revenues exhibit a non-linear relationship with nominal GDP – government revenues fluctuate much more than nominal GDP (Chart II-3). Chart II-3Government Revenues Are 'High-Beta' On Nominal GDP Growth Government Revenues Are 'High-Beta' On Nominal GDP Growth Government Revenues Are 'High-Beta' On Nominal GDP Growth As government revenue growth underwhelms, the primary deficit will widen and the public debt-to-GDP ratio will escalate, reaching 70% of GDP by the end of the 2021-‘22 fiscal year, according to our projections (Table II-1). Overall, without considerably lower interest rates and material currency depreciation, the government’s financial position will enter a debt deflation spiral. Fiscal tightening will hurt nominal growth damaging fiscal revenues. As a result, the fiscal deficit will widen – not narrow – and the debt-to-GDP ratio will rise. Therefore, the only feasible option for South Africa to stabilize public debt is to reduce interest rates dramatically and depreciate the currency. This will engender higher inflation and nominal growth, thereby boosting government revenues and capping the public debt burden. At 10%, the share of foreign currency debt as part of South Africa’s public debt is low. Hence, currency depreciation will do less damage to public debt dynamics than keeping interest rates at high levels. On the whole, the rand is a very structurally weak currency, and is bound to depreciate due to deteriorating public debt dynamics. Chart II-4 plots the real effective exchange rate of the rand based on CPI and PPI. It is evident that its valuation is not yet depressed. Chart II-4The Rand Is Modestly Cheap The Rand Is Modestly Cheap The Rand Is Modestly Cheap Meanwhile, cyclical headwinds also warrant currency depreciation (Chart II-5). Chart II-5Widening Trade Deficit Warrants Currency Depreciation Widening Trade Deficit Warrants Currency Depreciation Widening Trade Deficit Warrants Currency Depreciation Market Recommendations Continue shorting the ZAR versus the U.S. dollar and the MXN. Consistent with the negative outlook for the exchange rate, investors should underweight South African local currency government bonds and sovereign credit within respective EM portfolios. Finally, we recommend EM equity portfolios remain underweight South African equities. Andrija Vesic, Research Analyst andrijav@bcaresearch.com Arthur Budaghyan Chief Emerging Markets Strategist arthurb@bcaresearch.com   Footnotes 1       Special Drawing Rights. The value of the SDR is based on a basket of five currencies: the U.S. dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the Japanese yen, and the British pound sterling. 2      We exclude these three currencies since their bourses have very large equity market cap in the EM stock index and, hence, would make any aggregate currency measure unrepresentative for the rest of EM.   Equity Recommendations Fixed-Income, Credit And Currency Recommendations

South Africa’s public debt dynamics are on an unsustainable track. Two prerequisites for public debt sustainability are (1) for interest rates to be below nominal GDP growth or (2) continuous robust primary fiscal surpluses. Hence, a government can stabilize its debt-to-GDP ratio by either having nominal GDP above its borrowing costs, or by running persistent and sizable primary fiscal surpluses. Neither of these two stipulations are presently satisfied in South Africa. The gap between government local currency bond yields and nominal GDP growth is at its widest in over the past 10 years (Chart II-1). Meanwhile, the primary fiscal deficit is 0.75% of GDP (Chart II-2). Chart II-1South Africa: An Unsustainable Gap South Africa: An Unsustainable Gap South Africa: An Unsustainable Gap Chart II-2South Africa Has Not Had A Primary Fiscal Surplus In A Decade South Africa Has Not Had A Primary Fiscal Surplus In A Decade South Africa Has Not Had A Primary Fiscal Surplus In A Decade   Faced with very low real potential GDP growth stemming from the economy’s poor structural backdrop, the authorities in South Africa ultimately have two choices to stabilize the public debt-to-GDP ratio: Tighten fiscal policy substantially, trying to achieve persistent large primary budget surpluses; or Inflate their way out of debt, which would require a large currency depreciation to boost nominal GDP growth above borrowing costs. With this in mind, we performed a simulation on public debt, assuming fiscal tightening but no substantial currency depreciation (Table II-1). The first scenario uses the 2019 consolidated budget government assumptions and projections for nominal GDP, government revenues and expenditures, i.e., it is the government's scenario. In this scenario, the public debt-to-GDP ratio rises only to 58% by the end of the 2021-‘22 fiscal year. Chart II- However, government forecasts always end up being optimistic. We believe this scenario is implausible due to its overestimation of nominal GDP, and hence government revenue growth. As the government tightens fiscal policy, nominal GDP growth and ultimately government revenue will disappoint substantially. For the second scenario, we used government projections for fiscal spending in the coming years, but our own estimates for nominal GDP and government revenue growth. Notably, excluding interest payments and fiscal support for ailing state-owned enterprises like Eskom, nominal growth of government expenditures in the current year is at 7.5%, and estimated to be 6.8% the next two fiscal years. That is why we project nominal GDP and government revenue growth to be very weak. Chart II-3Government Revenues Are 'High-Beta' On Nominal GDP Growth Government Revenues Are 'High-Beta' On Nominal GDP Growth Government Revenues Are 'High-Beta' On Nominal GDP Growth The basis of our assumption is as follows: Barring considerable currency depreciation, as the authorities undertake substantial fiscal tightening in the next three years, nominal GDP and consequently government revenue growth will plunge. Importantly, government revenues exhibit a non-linear relationship with nominal GDP – government revenues fluctuate much more than nominal GDP (Chart II-3). As government revenue growth underwhelms, the primary deficit will widen and the public debt-to-GDP ratio will escalate, reaching 70% of GDP by the end of the 2021-‘22 fiscal year, according to our projections (Table II-1). Overall, without considerably lower interest rates and material currency depreciation, the government’s financial position will enter a debt deflation spiral. Fiscal tightening will hurt nominal growth damaging fiscal revenues. As a result, the fiscal deficit will widen – not narrow – and the debt-to-GDP ratio will rise. Therefore, the only feasible option for South Africa to stabilize public debt is to reduce interest rates dramatically and depreciate the currency. This will engender higher inflation and nominal growth, thereby boosting government revenues and capping the public debt burden. At 10%, the share of foreign currency debt as part of South Africa’s public debt is low. Hence, currency depreciation will do less damage to public debt dynamics than keeping interest rates at high levels. On the whole, the rand is a very structurally weak currency, and is bound to depreciate due to deteriorating public debt dynamics. Chart II-4 plots the real effective exchange rate of the rand based on CPI and PPI. It is evident that its valuation is not yet depressed. Meanwhile, cyclical headwinds also warrant currency depreciation (Chart II-5). Chart II-4The Rand Is Modestly Cheap The Rand Is Modestly Cheap The Rand Is Modestly Cheap Chart II-5Widening Trade Deficit Warrants Currency Depreciation Widening Trade Deficit Warrants Currency Depreciation Widening Trade Deficit Warrants Currency Depreciation   Market Recommendations Continue shorting the ZAR versus the U.S. dollar and the MXN. Consistent with the negative outlook for the exchange rate, investors should underweight South African local currency government bonds and sovereign credit within respective EM portfolios. Finally, we recommend EM equity portfolios remain underweight South African equities. Andrija Vesic, Research Analyst andrijav@bcaresearch.com Arthur Budaghyan Chief Emerging Markets Strategist arthurb@bcaresearch.com Footnotes

Risks Are To The Downside For The Rand Risks Are To The Downside For The Rand From the beginning of 2016 to early 2018, the South African rand enjoyed various tailwinds: rising metal prices, an improving trade balance, strong foreign portfolio inflows and lastly, hopes that the new president Ramaphosa would implement structural reforms, in turn enhancing the country's structural backdrop. These tailwinds have turned into headwinds since early this year and seem likely to persist. Hence, we believe the rand will remain in a downward spiral for now. First and foremost, metal prices have been under serious downward pressure. Typically, they correlate with the South African rand. Chart II-1 illustrates our new indicator for the rand, which is calculated as the annual growth rate in metal prices minus South Africa's broad money (M3) impulse. When the indicator drops below zero, like it has done recently, the rand tends to sell-off. In short, the bear market in the rand is not yet over. The broad money impulse in this indicator serves as a proxy for underlying domestic demand, and hence, import growth. Also, we use the average of the Goldman Sachs industrial and precious metal price indexes for metal prices. The latter is used as a proxy for export growth. Worryingly, not only export prices are plummeting but export volumes are also weak and mining production is contracting (Chart II-2). As a result, the trade and current account deficits will widen again. Chart II-3 illustrates that the rand depreciates when the annual change in trade balance turns down. Mining Output Is Shrinking Mining Output Is Shrinking Trade Balance Momentum Points To Currency Depreciation Trade Balance Momentum Points To Currency Depreciation   It will be difficult for South Africa to finance its widening trade and current account deficits given the poor global backdrop and the slowing fund flows to EM. Since 2013, foreign capital inflows have by and large been comprised of volatile portfolio inflows rather than stable foreign direct investments (Chart II-4). Presently, the gap between the two stands at its widest in history. Additionally, foreign ownership of domestic bonds remains extremely elevated. Our big picture view is that the liquidation in EM financial markets will persist and foreign investors in South African domestic bonds will be under pressure to reduce their holdings or hedge their currency risk exposure. Politics served as a justification for investors to buy South African risk assets at the start of the year. We downplayed that optimism back then and still remain negative on politics today. Ramaphosa has recently endorsed a constitutional change that would allow the confiscation of land without compensation. Whether this policy will actually materialize and get implemented is impossible to know. That said, as outlined in our June 28 2017 Special Report entitled South Africa: Crisis of Expectations,1 our fundamental political analysis suggests that the median voter in South Africa will continue favoring populism. As such, populist policies are likely to continue being proposed to appease the ANC base, and some of them might be implemented. Constant pressure on the ANC from South Africa's far-left political party Economic Freedom Fighters, before next year's election, entails a very low likelihood that painful structural reforms will be enacted. As such, the productivity outlook will remain poor for now. On the fiscal front, there has been little to no improvement since Ramaphosa assumed office in February of this year (Chart II-5). In terms of valuation, South African risk assets are not particularly attractive at the moment. The rand is not very cheap (Chart II-6) and neither are equities (Chart II-7). Odds are that the rand will become as cheap as in 2015 based on its real effective exchange rate - before a bottom is reached. Putting all these factors together, the path of least resistance for South African risk assets is down. We recommend EM dedicated equity and fixed-income (both local currency and sovereign credit) investors to maintain an underweight allocation on South Africa. We also continue recommending shorting general retailer stocks. For currency traders, we suggest maintaining the following trades: short ZAR vs. USD and short ZAR vs. MXN. Excessive Reliance On Foreign Portfolio Inflows Excessive Reliance On Foreign Portfolio Inflows There Has Been No Improvement In Fiscal Accounts There Has Been No Improvement In Fiscal Accounts The Rand Will Likely Get Cheaper Before It Bottoms The Rand Will Likely Get Cheaper Before It Bottoms South African Equities Are Not Cheap Yet South African Equities Are Not Cheap Yet   Stephan Gabillard, Senior Analyst stephang@bcaresearch.com Footnotes 1 Please see BCA Emerging Markets Strategy & Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "South Africa: Crisis Of Expectations," dated June 28, 2017, available at ems.bcaresearch.com.

Highlights A sovereign debt default in Argentina is unlikely in the next 12 months, the primary reason being IMF financing. The peso and the stock market appear close to two standard deviations cheap. Consequently, it makes sense to argue that financial market adjustments in Argentina are probably advanced, and investors should avoid temptation to become more bearish. However, we are not yet comfortable taking unhedged bets. For fixed income and currency investors, we recommend the following relative positions: short Brazilian / long Argentine sovereign credit, and long Argentine peso / short Brazilian real. Feature Chart I-1The Argentine Peso Is Cheap The Argentine Peso Is Cheap The Argentine Peso Is Cheap Argentine financial markets have plunged dramatically, and the question is whether the country is heading into another sovereign default. Argentina has defaulted eight times and devalued its currency many times in the past 60 years. Hence, odds of a government debt default cannot be dismissed lightly. This is also a valid question, given that Argentina's foreign currency public debt stands at $220 billion, and that after the latest currency devaluation, it is equal to 71 % of GDP. Total public (foreign and local currency) debt stands at 87% of GDP. Yet, our assessment is that a sovereign debt default is not likely in the next 12 months because of IMF financing. The latter will be ready to increase the size of its funding to Argentina's current government, if needed, for both political and economic reasons. The IMF has a good working relationship with Argentine President Mauricio Macri's government, which is packed with orthodox economists who share the IMF's philosophies. Besides, the U.S. administration will welcome IMF financial support for Argentina, as it will not want the latter country to request credit lines from China, like it did under its previous government. Given that a sovereign debt default is likely to be avoided in the next 12 months before Macri's current term expires, should investors buy Argentine financial assets? On one hand, the currency seems to have become quite cheap - Chart I-1 illustrates that the peso's real effective exchange rate has plunged close to 40% below its fair value. On the other hand, both the near-term domestic outlook and broader EM dynamics remain risky. What Went Wrong? Argentina's woes this year have been due to excessive reliance on foreign financing as well as tardy fiscal tightening. The government had been delaying crucial fiscal tightening due to political considerations. Further, it used its access to global capital markets last year to raise an immense amount of foreign funds to finance its ballooning fiscal deficit. In particular, portfolio net inflows amounted to $35 billion in 2017 amid the buying frenzy in emerging markets (Chart I-2). Meantime, net FDI inflows were meager. The outstanding amount of portfolio debt securities and portfolio equity investment owned by foreigners has risen sharply since Macri's government came to power in December 2015 (Chart I-3). The most recent data points on this chart are as of the end of March 2018. Hence, they do not incorporate security liquidations that have occurred by foreigners since that time. Chart I-2Argentina: Heavy Reliance On##br## Foreign Portfolio Flows Argentina: Heavy Reliance On Foreign Portfolio Flows Argentina: Heavy Reliance On Foreign Portfolio Flows Chart I-3Securities Holdings By Foreigners Have ##br##Surged Since Macri's Election Securities Holdings By Foreigners Have Surged Since Macri's Election Securities Holdings By Foreigners Have Surged Since Macri's Election In brief, Macri's government relied on plentiful global portfolio flows into EM to finance the country's large fiscal deficit in 2016 and 2017. As soon as foreign portfolio inflows into EM reversed, Argentina immediately began to feel the punch. Some commentators blame the central bank for excessive money printing, and have recommended Argentina dollarizing its economy: i.e., adopting the U.S dollar.1 These accusations and recommendations are misplaced and misguided. In the short term, commercial banks have expanded their loans aggressively in the past 18 months (Chart I-4). This is what has contributed to the peso's plunge. The central bank was late to hike interest rates accommodating this credit binge and the collapse in the exchange rate value was the price to be paid for this mistake. From a structural perspective, however, local currency broad money (M3) supply in Argentina is not excessive at all. It is equal to mere 24% of GDP, which is a very low ratio compared to Turkey's 52%, Brazil's 90% and China's 240% (Chart I-5). Therefore, there has structurally been no excessive money creation. Chart I-4Private Credit Boom This Year Private Credit Boom This Year Private Credit Boom This Year Chart I-5Money Supply Is Not Excessive In Argentina Money Supply Is Not Excessive In Argentina Money Supply Is Not Excessive In Argentina The currency meltdown can be attributed to persistent hyperinflation that makes residents reluctant to hold and save in pesos. Inflation is a structural problem in Argentina, and it is not due to excessive demand, but rather due to lack of supply. Structural supply deficiency - the inability of the economy to produce goods and services efficiently - is the primary reason for structurally high inflation and large current account deficits. Each time demand recovers in Argentina, it can only be satisfied by ballooning imports and a widening current account deficit since domestic production/supply is weak. Chronic supply deficiency can be cured by structural reforms, though it will take years to show progress. It cannot be solved by fiscal and monetary policies within a year or two. Painful Adjustments Are In The Making In near term, the currency will remain volatile but over the next six months, it will likely find a floor because of the following. First, the nation's foreign debt obligations (FDO) will drop from $68 billion this year to $40 billion in 2019 (Chart I-6, top panel). This will alleviate pressure on the balance of payments that has been severe this year. Therefore, the outlook for foreign funding should improve over the next year. The negotiated new tranche from the IMF of about $30-35 billion will cover a considerable portion of Argentina's foreign funding needs over the next 16 months. If more funding is required, the IMF will likely provide it as well. Second, in the past year the government has already been reducing its primary fiscal spending - i.e. excluding interest payments on public debt (Chart I-7). The crisis has forced Macri's government to slash public expenditures more aggressively. In recent weeks alone the government announced cuts in several government ministries and raised taxes on exports of agricultural goods. Overall, the primary deficit target for 2019 has been revised in from -1.3% of GDP to a balanced budget (Chart I-8). Chart I-6Argentina: Lower Foreign Debt ##br##Obligations Due Next Year Argentina: Lower Foreign Debt Obligations Due Next Year Argentina: Lower Foreign Debt Obligations Due Next Year Chart I-7Argentina: Government Spending Has##br## Been Substantially Curtailed Argentina: Government Spending Has Been Substantially Curtailed Argentina: Government Spending Has Been Substantially Curtailed Chart I-8Argentina: No Primary ##br##Fiscal Deficit In 2019 Argentina: No Primary Fiscal Deficit In 2019 Argentina: No Primary Fiscal Deficit In 2019 The key risk to this target is government revenues that may underwhelm because the economy is in a major recession. If this occurs, additional spending cuts are likely. This is bad for the economy, but if the government implements these expenditure cuts it will be positive for the currency and government creditors. Third, the current account and trade balances will improve in the next 12 months as the peso's plunge and higher interest rates are already crashing domestic demand and imports (Chart I-9). Imports of both consumer and capital goods are already plunging, and total imports will likely drop by at least 30-35% in the next 12 months (Chart I-10). Finally, given the peso's 50% plunge this year, inflation is set to surge. Based on the regression of inflation on the exchange rate, consumer price inflation could reach 55% by year end (Chart I-11). This will impair household purchasing power - erode their income in real terms - as the government will likely maintain the growth ceiling of 13% for minimum wages in 2018. The minimum wage serves as a benchmark for wage negotiations nationwide. In real terms, wage diminution will reinforce a contraction in consumer spending. Chart I-9Argentina: Current Account Balance ##br##Was Unsustainably Wide Argentina: Current Account Balance Was Unsustainably Wide Argentina: Current Account Balance Was Unsustainably Wide Chart I-10Argentina: Imports Are##br## Set To Plummet Argentina: Imports Are Set To Plummet Argentina: Imports Are Set To Plummet Chart I-11Argentina: Inflation Will Surge##br## To About 50% Argentina: Inflation Will Surge To About 50% Argentina: Inflation Will Surge To About 50% In a nutshell, the unfolding crash in domestic demand will cap inflation next year. Bottom Line: A dramatic domestic demand retrenchment (a major recession) along with lower foreign debt obligations in 2019 will reduce the country's foreign funding requirements next year. Besides, the IMF will likely disburse the remaining $35 billion in the next 16 months. It will, in our opinion, also be disposed to providing additional funding to avoid a public debt default in Argentina in the next 12 months at least. In this vein, investors should be asking whether the peso and asset prices have become sufficiently cheap to warrant bottom-fishing. What Is Priced In? There is little doubt that economic growth and corporate profits in Argentina will be disastrous in the months ahead. Nevertheless, financial markets have already crashed and investors should be looking to make a judgment on whether the peso, equities and sovereign credit are cheap enough to warrant bottom-fishing. We have the following observations: Currency: The peso is about 40% below its fair value, according to our valuation model (Chart 1 on page 1). This model is built using the real effective exchange rate (REER) based on consumer and producer prices. Previous episodes of devaluation drove the peso's REER 40-55% below its fair value. Hence, there still could be up to 15% of downside in the REER or in the peso's total return adjusted for carry. However, from a big-picture perspective, the peso may not be too far from bottoming in real inflation-adjusted terms. This does not mean that the nominal exchange rate will appreciate. It entails that the peso will bottom in real terms or adjusted for the carry (on a total return basis). Stocks: The aggregate Argentine equity index has plunged by 60% in dollar terms, and bank stocks have dropped by 75% in dollar terms. As a result, our cyclically adjusted P/E ratio has fallen to 5 for the overall bourse and to 3 for bank stocks (Chart I-12A & Chart I-12B). Chart I-12AOverall Equities Are Cheap... Overall Equities Are Cheap... Overall Equities Are Cheap... Chart I-12B... As Are Bank Stocks ...As Are Bank Stocks ...As Are Bank Stocks Yet there might be a tad more downside before these cyclically-adjusted P/E ratios reach two standard deviations below their fair value. Furthermore, if we were to compare the magnitude of the crash in Argentine share prices relative to the Asian crisis (specifically, Thailand and Korea), there seems to be further downside in Argentine equities (Chart I-13). Sovereign credit: Argentine sovereign credit spreads have reached 850 basis points (Chart I-14, top panel), which is 450 basis points wider than the spread for the aggregate EM benchmark (Chart I-14, bottom panel), but they are still well below their 2013 highs. Clearly valuations are not yet sufficiently attractive in the credit space to warrant bottom-fishing. However, assuming our call that the IMF will do everything to preclude a public debt default, at least in the next 12 months, sovereign credit spreads may not widen excessively from current levels. Chart I-13There Is More Downside When Compared With Asian Crisis There Is More Downside When Compared With Asian Crisis There Is More Downside When Compared With Asian Crisis Chart I-14Sovereign Credit Spreads: Absolute And Relative To EM Sovereign Credit Spreads: Absolute And Relative To EM Sovereign Credit Spreads: Absolute And Relative To EM Investment Conclusions The peso and stock market appear close to two standard deviations cheap. Consequently, it makes sense to argue that financial market adjustments in Argentina are probably advanced, and that investors should avoid the temptation to become more bearish. For investors who own the currency, stocks, or sovereign credit, and can withstand further volatility, it likely makes sense to stay the course. Even though the economy has entered yet another major recession, investors should keep in mind that financial markets are forward looking and may have already priced in a major economic contraction. In the equity space, we will wait before recommending a long position in the overall market or in bank stocks, as disastrous corporate profits could produce a final down leg in share prices. Our negative view on EM risk assets also argues for being patient. In the sovereign credit space, we are not yet comfortable taking a unhedged absolute bet, and continue to recommend maintaining the following relative position: short Brazilian / long Argentine sovereign credit (Chart I-15). Chart I-15Argentina Versus Brazil: Sovereign Credit Spreads Argentina Versus Brazil: Sovereign Credit Spreads Argentina Versus Brazil: Sovereign Credit Spreads Relative to Argentina, Brazil's financial markets are expensive at a time when Brazil's macro fundamentals and politics are problematic. We discussed our view on Brazil in detail in our July 27, 2018 Special Report,2 and will not repeat it here. Our recommendation - from January 16th 2017 - of buying Argentine long-dated local currency bonds has incurred large losses. We are closing this position and opening a new trade going long the peso to earn the high carry at the front end of the curve. The high carry could provide enough downside protection. Yet we do not have strong conviction as to whether the peso has reached an ultimate bottom. Therefore, we recommend a relative currency trade: long Argentine peso / short Brazilian real. This trade has a 35% positive carry, and certainly the selloff in the Argentine peso is far more advanced than that of the real. Arthur Budaghyan, Senior Vice President Emerging Markets Strategy arthurb@bcaresearch.com Andrija Vesic, Research Analyst andrijav@bcaresearch.com 1 Please refer to Wall Street Journal article entitled: Argentina Needs to Dollarize, dated September 10th 2018. 2 Please see BCA Emerging Markets Strategy Special Report, "Brazil: Faceoff Time," dated July 27, 2018, available on page 18. South African Rand: Engulfed In A Downward Spiral? 13 September 2018 Chart II-1Risks Are To The Downside For The Rand Risks Are To The Downside For The Rand Risks Are To The Downside For The Rand From the beginning of 2016 to early 2018, the South African rand enjoyed various tailwinds: rising metal prices, an improving trade balance, strong foreign portfolio inflows and lastly, hopes that the new president Ramaphosa would implement structural reforms, in turn enhancing the country's structural backdrop. These tailwinds have turned into headwinds since early this year and seem likely to persist. Hence, we believe the rand will remain in a downward spiral for now. First and foremost, metal prices have been under serious downward pressure. Typically, they correlate with the South African rand. Chart II-1 illustrates our new indicator for the rand, which is calculated as the annual growth rate in metal prices minus South Africa's broad money (M3) impulse. When the indicator drops below zero, like it has done recently, the rand tends to sell-off. In short, the bear market in the rand is not yet over. The broad money impulse in this indicator serves as a proxy for underlying domestic demand, and hence, import growth. Also, we use the average of the Goldman Sachs industrial and precious metal price indexes for metal prices. The latter is used as a proxy for export growth. Worryingly, not only export prices are plummeting but export volumes are also weak and mining production is contracting (Chart II-2). As a result, the trade and current account deficits will widen again. Chart II-3 illustrates that the rand depreciates when the annual change in trade balance turns down. It will be difficult for South Africa to finance its widening trade and current account deficits given the poor global backdrop and the slowing fund flows to EM. Since 2013, foreign capital inflows have by and large been comprised of volatile portfolio inflows rather than stable foreign direct investments (Chart II-4). Presently, the gap between the two stands at its widest in history. Additionally, foreign ownership of domestic bonds remains extremely elevated. Our big picture view is that the liquidation in EM financial markets will persist and foreign investors in South African domestic bonds will be under pressure to reduce their holdings or hedge their currency risk exposure. Chart II-2Mining Output ##br##Is Shrinking Mining Output Is Shrinking Mining Output Is Shrinking Chart II-3Trade Balance Momentum Points ##br## To Currency Depreciation Trade Balance Momentum Points To Currency Depreciation Trade Balance Momentum Points To Currency Depreciation Chart II-4Excessive Reliance On ##br##Foreign Portfolio Inflows Excessive Reliance On Foreign Portfolio Inflows Excessive Reliance On Foreign Portfolio Inflows Politics served as a justification for investors to buy South African risk assets at the start of the year. We downplayed that optimism back then and still remain negative on politics today. Ramaphosa has recently endorsed a constitutional change that would allow the confiscation of land without compensation. Whether this policy will actually materialize and get implemented is impossible to know. That said, as outlined in our June 28 2017 Special Report entitled South Africa: Crisis of Expectations,3 our fundamental political analysis suggests that the median voter in South Africa will continue favoring populism. As such, populist policies are likely to continue being proposed to appease the ANC base, and some of them might be implemented. Constant pressure on the ANC from South Africa's far-left political party Economic Freedom Fighters, before next year's election, entails a very low likelihood that painful structural reforms will be enacted. As such, the productivity outlook will remain poor for now. On the fiscal front, there has been little to no improvement since Ramaphosa assumed office in February of this year (Chart II-5). In terms of valuation, South African risk assets are not particularly attractive at the moment. The rand is not very cheap (Chart II-6) and neither are equities (Chart II-7). Odds are that the rand will become as cheap as in 2015 based on its real effective exchange rate - before a bottom is reached. Chart II-5There Has Been No Improvement##br## In Fiscal Accounts There Has Been No Improvement In Fiscal Accounts There Has Been No Improvement In Fiscal Accounts Chart II-6The Rand Will Likely Get ##br##Cheaper Before It Bottoms The Rand Will Likely Get Cheaper Before It Bottoms The Rand Will Likely Get Cheaper Before It Bottoms Chart II-7South African Equities##br## Are Not Cheap Yet South African Equities Are Not Cheap Yet South African Equities Are Not Cheap Yet Putting all these factors together, the path of least resistance for South African risk assets is down. We recommend EM dedicated equity and fixed-income (both local currency and sovereign credit) investors to maintain an underweight allocation on South Africa. We also continue recommending shorting general retailer stocks. For currency traders, we suggest maintaining the following trades: short ZAR vs. USD and short ZAR vs. MXN. Stephan Gabillard, Senior Analyst stephang@bcaresearch.com 3 Please see BCA Emerging Markets Strategy & Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "South Africa: Crisis Of Expectations," dated June 28, 2017, available at ems.bcaresearch.com. Equity Recommendations Fixed-Income, Credit And Currency Recommendations

This week we are publishing Part 1 of an overview of the cyclical profiles of emerging market (EM) economies. This all-in-charts presentation illustrates the business cycle conditions of the largest EMs. The aim of this report is to provide investors with a quick assessment of where each EM economy stands. In addition, we provide our view on each market. The rest of the countries will be covered in next week’s Part 2. Chart A CHART A CHART A Chart B CHART B CHART B Korea: Overweight Equities Korea: Overweight Equities CHART 1 CHART 1 Korea: Overweight Equities CHART 2 CHART 2 Korea: Overweight Equities CHART 3 CHART 3 ...But Negative On Currency ...But Negative On Currency CHART 6 CHART 6 ...But Negative On Currency CHART 4 CHART 4 ...But Negative On Currency CHART 5 CHART 5 ...But Negative On Currency CHART 7 CHART 7 Taiwan: Overweight Equities But... Taiwan: Overweight Equities... CHART 8 CHART 8 Taiwan: Overweight Equities... CHART 10 CHART 10 Taiwan: Overweight Equities... CHART 9 CHART 9 Taiwan: Overweight Equities... CHART 11 CHART 11 ...Absolute Return Investors Should Mind Cracks In Semi Sector ...Absolute Return Investors Should ##br##Mind Cracks In Semi Sector CHART 12 CHART 12 ...Absolute Return Investors Should ##br##Mind Cracks In Semi Sector CHART 13 CHART 13 India: Remain Overweight India: Remain Overweight CHART 14 CHART 14 India: Remain Overweight CHART 17 CHART 17 India: Remain Overweight CHART 15 CHART 15 India: Remain Overweight CHART 16 CHART 16 India: Strong Domestic Growth & Advanced NPL Recognition India: Strong Domestic Growth & ##br##Advanced NPL Recognition CHART 18 CHART 18 India: Strong Domestic Growth & ##br##Advanced NPL Recognition CHART 20 CHART 20 India: Strong Domestic Growth & ##br##Advanced NPL Recognition CHART 19 CHART 19 India: Strong Domestic Growth & ##br##Advanced NPL Recognition Cyclical Profiles Of EM Economies: Part 1 Cyclical Profiles Of EM Economies: Part 1 South Africa: On Shaky Foundations - Underweight South Africa: On Shaky Foundations CHART 22 CHART 22 South Africa: On Shaky Foundations CHART 23 CHART 23 South Africa: On Shaky Foundations CHART 24 CHART 24 South Africa: On Shaky Foundations CHART 25 CHART 25 South Africa: Strong Consumption, No CAPEX And No Competitiveness South Africa: Strong Consumption, ##br##No CAPEX And No Competitiveness CHART 26 CHART 26 South Africa: Strong Consumption, ##br##No CAPEX And No Competitiveness CHART 28 CHART 28 South Africa: Strong Consumption, ##br##No CAPEX And No Competitiveness CHART 27 CHART 27 South Africa: Strong Consumption, ##br##No CAPEX And No Competitiveness CHART 29 CHART 29 Brazil: Heading Towards A Fiscal Debacle - Underweight Brazil: Heading Towards A Fiscal Debacle CHART 30 CHART 30 Brazil: Heading Towards A Fiscal Debacle CHART 31 CHART 31 Brazil: Heading Towards A Fiscal Debacle CHART 32 CHART 32 Brazil: More Downside In Financial Assets Brazil: More Downside In Financial Assets CHART 33 CHART 33 Brazil: More Downside In Financial Assets CHART 35 CHART 35 Brazil: More Downside In Financial Assets CHART 34 CHART 34 Brazil: More Downside In Financial Assets CHART 36 CHART 36 Mexico: Domestic Fundamentals Are Improving - Overweight Mexico: Domestic Fundamentals Are Improving CHART 44 CHART 44 Mexico: Domestic Fundamentals Are Improving CHART 45 CHART 45 Mexico: Domestic Fundamentals Are Improving CHART 46 CHART 46 Mexico: External Sector Is Faring Well Mexico: External Sector Is Faring Well CHART 47 CHART 47 Mexico: External Sector Is Faring Well CHART 49 CHART 49 Mexico: External Sector Is Faring Well CHART 48 CHART 48 Russia: Orthodox Monetary And Fiscal Policies Russia: Orthodox Monetary And Fiscal Policies CHART 37 CHART 37 Russia: Orthodox Monetary And Fiscal Policies CHART 38 CHART 38 Russia: Orthodox Monetary And Fiscal Policies CHART 39 CHART 39 Russia: Orthodox Monetary And Fiscal Policies CHART 40 CHART 40 Russia: Gradual Cyclical Improvements - On Upgrade Watchlist Russia: Gradual Cyclical Improvements CHART 40 CHART 40 Russia: Gradual Cyclical Improvements CHART 42 CHART 42 Russia: Gradual Cyclical Improvements CHART 43 CHART 43 Turkey: A Genuine Inflation Breakout Amidst Credit Excesses Turkey: A Genuine Inflation ##br##Breakout Amidst Credit Excesses CHART 50 CHART 50 Turkey: A Genuine Inflation ##br##Breakout Amidst Credit Excesses CHART 51 CHART 51 Turkey: A Genuine Inflation ##br##Breakout Amidst Credit Excesses CHART 54 CHART 54 Turkey: A Genuine Inflation ##br##Breakout Amidst Credit Excesses CHART 52 CHART 52 Turkey: A Genuine Inflation ##br##Breakout Amidst Credit Excesses CHART 53 CHART 53 Turkey: Still In Dangerous Territory - Underweight Turkey: Still In Dangerous Territory CHART 55 CHART 55 Turkey: Still In Dangerous Territory CHART 58 CHART 58 Turkey: Still In Dangerous Territory CHART 56 CHART 56 Turkey: Still In Dangerous Territory CHART 57 CHART 57 Equity Recommendations Fixed-Income, Credit And Currency Recommendations

Feature Valuations, whether for currencies, equities or bonds, are always at the top of the list of the determinants of any asset's long-term performance. This means that after large FX moves like those experienced so far this year, it is always useful to pause and reflect on where currency valuations stand. In this optic, this week we update our set of long-term valuation models for currencies that we introduced In February 2016 in a Special Report titled, "Assessing Fair Value In FX Markets". Included in these models are variables such as productivity differentials, terms-of-trade shocks, net international investment positions, real rate differentials and proxies for global risk aversion.1 These models cover 22 currencies, incorporating both G-10 and EM FX markets. Twice a year, we provide clients with a comprehensive update of all these long-term models in one stop. The models are not designed to generate short- or intermediate-term forecasts. Instead, they reflect the economic drivers of a currency's equilibrium. Their purpose is therefore threefold. First, they provide guideposts to judge whether we are at the end, beginning or middle of a long-term currency cycle. Second, by providing strong directional signals, they help us judge whether any given move is more likely to be a countertrend development or not, offering insight on its potential longevity. Finally, they assist us and our clients in cutting through the fog, and understanding the key drivers of cyclical variations in a currency's value. The U.S. Dollar Chart 1Dollar: Back At Fair Value Dollar: Back At Fair Value Dollar: Back At Fair Value 2017 was a terrible year for the dollar, but the selloff had one important positive impact: it erased the dollar's massive overvaluation that was so evident in the direct wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's election. In fact, today, based on its long-term drivers, the dollar is modestly cheap (Chart 1). Fair value for the dollar is currently flattered by the fact that real long-term yields are higher in the U.S. than in the rest of the G-10. Investors are thus betting that U.S. neutral interest rates are much higher than in other advanced economies. This also means that the uptrend currently evident in the dollar's fair value could end once we get closer to the point where Europe can join the U.S. toward lifting rates - a point at which investors could begin upgrading their estimates of the neutral rate in the rest of the world. This would be dollar bearish. For the time being, we recommend investors keep a bullish posturing on the USD for the remainder of 2018. Not only is global growth still slowing, a traditionally dollar-bullish development, but also the fed funds rate is likely to be moving closer to r-star. As we have previously showed, when the fed funds rate rises above r-star, the dollar tends to respond positively.2 Finally, cyclical valuations are not a handicap for the dollar anymore. The Euro Chart 2The Euro Is Still Cheap The Euro Is Still Cheap The Euro Is Still Cheap As most currencies managed to rise against the dollar last year, the trade-weighted euro's appreciation was not as dramatic as that of EUR/USD. Practically, this also means that despite a furious rally in this pair, the broad euro remains cheap on a cyclical basis, a cheapness that has only been accentuated by weakness in the euro since the first quarter of 2018 (Chart 2). The large current account of the euro area, which stands at 3.5% of GDP, is starting to have a positive impact on the euro's fair value, as it is lifting the currency bloc's net international investment position. Moreover, euro area interest rates may remain low relative to the U.S. for the next 12 to 18 months, but the 5-year forward 1-month EONIA rate is still near rock-bottom levels, and has scope to rise on a multi-year basis. This points toward a continuation of the uptrend in the euro's fair value. For the time being, despite a rosy long-term outlook for the euro, we prefer to remain short EUR/USD. Shorter-term fair value estimates are around 1.12, and the euro tends to depreciate against the dollar when global growth is weakening, as is currently the case. Moreover, the euro area domestic economy is not enjoying the same strength as the U.S. right now. This creates an additional handicap for the euro, especially as the Federal Reserve is set to keep increasing rates at a pace of four hikes a year, while the European Central Bank remains as least a year away from lifting rates. The Yen Chart 3Attractive Long-Term Valuation, But... Attractive Long-Term Valuation, But... Attractive Long-Term Valuation, But... The yen remains one of the cheapest major currencies in the world (Chart 3), as the large positive net international investment position of Japan, which stands at 64% of GDP, still constitutes an important support for it. Moreover, the low rate of Japanese inflation is helping Japan's competitiveness. However, while valuations represent a tailwind for the yen, the Bank of Japan faces an equally potent headwind. At current levels, the yen may not be much of a problem for Japan's competitiveness, but it remains the key driver of the country's financial conditions. Meanwhile, Japanese FCI are the best explanatory variable for Japanese inflation.3 It therefore follows that any strengthening in the yen will hinder the ability of the BoJ to hit its inflation target, forcing this central bank to maintain a dovish tilt for the foreseeable future. As a result, while we see how the current soft patch in global growth may help the yen, we worry that any positive impact on the JPY may prove transitory. Instead, we would rather play the yen-bullish impact of slowing global growth and rising trade tensions by selling the euro versus the yen than by selling the USD, as the ECB does not have the same hawkish bias as the Fed, and as the European economy is not the same juggernaut as the U.S. right now. The British Pound Chart 4Smaller Discount In The GBP Smaller Discount In The GBP Smaller Discount In The GBP The real-trade weighted pound has been appreciating for 13 months. This reflects two factors: the nominal exchange rate of the pound has regained composure from its nadir of January 2017, and higher inflation has created additional upward pressures on the real GBP. As a result of these dynamics, the deep discount of the real trade-weighted pound to its long-term fair value has eroded (Chart 4). The risk that the May government could fall and be replaced either by a hard-Brexit PM or a Corbyn-led coalition means that a risk premia still needs to be embedded in the price of the pound. As a result, the current small discount in the pound may not be enough to compensate investors for taking on this risk. This suggests that the large discount of the pound to its purchasing-power-parity fair value might overstate its cheapness. While the risks surrounding British politics means that the pound is not an attractive buy on a long-term basis anymore, we do like it versus the euro on a short-term basis: EUR/GBP tends to depreciate when EUR/USD has downside, and the U.K. economy may soon begin to stabilize as slowing inflation helps British real wages grow again after contracting from October 2016 to October 2017, which implies that the growth driver may move a bit in favor of the pound. The Canadian Dollar Chart 5CAD Near Fair Value CAD Near Fair Value CAD Near Fair Value The stabilization of the fair value for the real trade-weighted Canadian dollar is linked to the rebound in commodity prices, oil in particular. However, despite this improvement, the CAD has depreciated and is now trading again in line with its long-term fair value (Chart 5). This lack of clear valuation opportunity implies that the CAD will remain chained to economic developments. On the negative side, the CAD still faces some potentially acrimonious NAFTA negotiations, especially as U.S. President Donald Trump could continue with his bellicose trade rhetoric until the mid-term elections. Additionally, global growth is slowing and emerging markets are experiencing growing stresses, which may hurt commodity prices and therefore pull the CAD's long-term fair value lower. On the positive side, the Canadian economy is strong and is exhibiting a sever lack of slack in its labor market, which is generating both rapidly growing wages and core inflation of 1.8%. The Bank of Canada is therefore set to increase rates further this year, potentially matching the pace of rate increase of the Fed over the coming 24 months. As a result of this confluence of forces, we are reluctant to buy the CAD against the USD, especially as the former is strong. Instead, we prefer buying the CAD against the EUR and the AUD, two currencies set to suffer if global growth decelerates but that do not have the same support from monetary policy as the loonie. The Australian Dollar Chart 6The AUD Is Not Yet Cheap The AUD Is Not Yet Cheap The AUD Is Not Yet Cheap The real trade-weighted Australian dollar has depreciated by 5%, which has caused a decrease in the AUD's premium to its long-term fair value. The decline in the premium also reflects a small upgrade in the equilibrium rate itself, a side effect of rising commodity prices last year. However, despite these improvements, the AUD still remains expensive (Chart 6). Moreover, the rise in the fair value may prove elusive, as the slowdown in global growth and rising global trade tensions could also push down the AUD's fair value. These dynamics make the AUD our least-favored currency in the G-10. Additionally, the domestic economy lacks vigor. Despite low unemployment, the underemployment rate tracked by the Reserve Bank of Australia remains nears a three-decade high, which is weighing on both wages and inflation. This means that unlike in Canada, the RBA is not set to increase rates this year, and may in fact be forced to wait well into 2019 or even 2020 before doing so. The AUD therefore is not in a position to benefit from the same policy support as the CAD. We are currently short the AUD against the CAD and the NZD. We have also recommended investors short the Aussie against the yen as this cross is among the most sensitive to global growth. The New Zealand Dollar Chart 7NZD Vs Fair Value NZD Vs Fair Value NZD Vs Fair Value After having traded at a small discount to its fair value in the wake of the formation of a Labour / NZ first coalition government, the NZD is now back at equilibrium (Chart 7). The resilience of the kiwi versus the Aussie has been a key factor driving the trade-weighted kiwi higher this year. Going forward, a lack of clearly defined over- or undervaluation in the kiwi suggests that the NZD will be like the Canadian dollar: very responsive to international and domestic economic developments. This gives rise to a very muddled picture. Based on the output and unemployment gaps, the New Zealand economy seems at full employment, yet it has not seen much in terms of wage or inflationary pressures. As a result, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand has refrained from adopting a hawkish tone. Moreover, the populist policy prescriptions of the Ardern government are also creating downside risk for the kiwi. High immigration has been a pillar behind New Zealand's high-trend growth rate, and therefore a buttress behind the nation's high interest rates. Yet, the government wants to curtail this source of dynamism. On the international front, the kiwi economy has historically been very sensitive to global growth. While this could be a long-term advantage, in the short-term the current global growth soft patch represents a potent handicap for the kiwi. In the end, we judge Australia's problems as deeper than New Zealand's. Since valuations are also in the NZD's favor, the only exposure we like to the kiwi is to buy it against the AUD. The Swiss Franc Chart 8The SNB's Problem The SNB's Problem The SNB's Problem On purchasing power parity metrics, the Swiss franc is expensive, and the meteoric rise of Swiss unit labor costs expressed in euros only confirms this picture. The problem is that this expensiveness is justified once other factors are taken into account, namely Switzerland's gargantuan net international investment position of 128% of GDP, which exerts an inexorable upward drift on the franc's fair value. Once this factor is incorporated, the Swiss franc currently looks cheap (Chart 8). The implication of this dichotomy is that the Swiss franc could experience upward pressure, especially when global growth slows, which is the case right now. However, the Swiss National Bank remains highly worried that an indebted economy like Switzerland, which also suffers from a housing bubble, cannot afford the deflationary pressures created by a strong franc. As a result, we anticipate that the SNB will continue to fight tooth and nail against any strength in the franc. Practically, we are currently short EUR/CHF on a tactical basis. Nonetheless, once we see signs that global growth is bottoming, we will once again look to buy the euro against the CHF as the SNB will remain in the driver's seat. The Swedish Krona Chart 9What The Riksbank Wants What The Riksbank Wants What The Riksbank Wants The Swedish krona is quite cheap (Chart 9), but in all likelihood the Riksbank wants it this way. Sweden is a small, open economy, with total trade representing 86% of GDP. This means that a cheap krona is a key ingredient to generating easy monetary conditions. However, this begs the question: Does Sweden actually need easy monetary conditions? We would argue that the answer to this question is no. Sweden has an elevated rate of capacity utilization as well as closed unemployment and output gaps. In fact, trend Swedish inflation has moved up, albeit in a choppy fashion, and the Swedish economy remains strong. Moreover, the country currently faces one of the most rabid housing bubbles in the world, which has caused household debt to surge to 182% of disposable income. This is creating serious vulnerabilities in the Swedish economy - dangers that will only grow larger as the Riksbank keep monetary policy at extremely easy levels. A case can be made that with large exposure to both global trade and industrial production cycles, the current slowdown in global growth is creating a risk for Sweden. These risks are compounded by the rising threat of a trade war. This could justify easier monetary policy, and thus a weaker SEK. When all is said and done, while the short-term outlook for the SEK will remained stymied by the global growth outlook, we do expect the Riksbank to increase rates this year as inflation could accelerate significantly. As a result, we recommend investors use this period of weakness to buy the SEK against both the dollar and the euro. The Norwegian Krone Chart 10The NOK Is The Cheapest Commodity Currency In The G-10 The NOK Is The Cheapest Commodity Currency In The G-10 The NOK Is The Cheapest Commodity Currency In The G-10 The Norwegian krone has experienced a meaningful rally against the euro and the krona this year - the currencies of its largest trading partners - and as such, the large discount of the real trade-weighted krone to its equilibrium rate has declined. On a long-term basis, the krone remains the most attractive commodity currency in the G-10 based on valuations alone (Chart 10). While we have been long NOK/SEK, currently we have a tactical negative bias towards this cross. Investors have aggressively bought inflation protection, a development that tends to favor the NOK over the SEK. However, slowing global growth could disappoint these expectations, resulting in a period of weakness in the NOK/SEK pair. Nonetheless, we believe this is only a short-term development, and BCA's bullish cyclical view on oil will ultimately dominate. As a result, we recommend long-term buyers use any weakness in the NOK right now to buy more of it against the euro, the SEK, and especially against the AUD. The Yuan Chart 11The CNY Is At Equilibrium The CNY Is At Equilibrium The CNY Is At Equilibrium The fair value of the Chinese yuan has been in a well-defined secular bull market because China's productivity - even if it has slowed - remains notably higher than productivity growth among its trading partners. However, while the yuan traded at a generous discount to its fair value in early 2017, this is no longer the case (Chart 11). Despite this, on a long-term basis we foresee further appreciation in the yuan as we expect the Chinese economy to continue to generate higher productivity growth than its trading partners. Moreover, for investors with multi-decade investment horizons, a slow shift toward the RMB as a reserve currency will ultimately help the yuan. However, do not expect this force to be felt in the RMB any time soon. On a shorter-term horizon, the picture is more complex. Chinese economic activity is slowing as monetary conditions as well as various regulatory and administrative rules have been tightened - all of them neatly fitting under the rubric of structural reforms. Now that the trade relationship between the U.S. and China is becoming more acrimonious, Chinese authorities are likely to try using various relief valves to limit downside to Chinese growth. The RMB could be one of these tools. As such, the recent strength in the trade-weighted dollar is likely to continue to weigh on the CNY versus the USD. Paradoxically, the USD's strength is also likely to mean that the trade-weighted yuan could experience some upside. The Brazilian Real Chart 12More Downside In The BRL More Downside In The BRL More Downside In The BRL Despite the real's recent pronounced weakness, it has more room to fall before trading at a discount to its long-term fair value (Chart 12). More worrisome, the equilibrium rate for the BRL has been stable, even though commodity prices have rebounded. This raises the risk that the BRL could experience a greater decline than what is currently implied by its small premium to fair value if commodity prices were to fall. Moreover, bear markets in the real have historically ended at significant discounts to fair value. The current economic environment suggests this additional decline could materialize through the remainder of 2018. Weak global growth has historically been a poison for commodity prices as well as for carry trades, two factors that have a strong explanatory power for the real. Moreover, China's deceleration and regulatory tightening should translate into further weakness in Chinese imports of raw materials, which would have an immediate deleterious impact on the BRL. Additionally, as we have previously argued, when the fed funds rate rise above r-star, this increases the probability of an accident in global capital markets. Since elevated debt loads are to be found in EM and not in the U.S., this implies that vulnerability to a financial accident is greatest in the EM space. The BRL, with its great liquidity and high representation in investors' portfolios, could bear the brunt of such an adjustment. The Mexican Peso Chart 13The MXN Is A Bargain Once Again The MXN Is A Bargain Once Again The MXN Is A Bargain Once Again When we updated our long-term models last September, the peso was one of the most expensive currencies covered, and we flagged downside risk. With President Trump re-asserting his protectionist rhetoric, and with EM bonds and currencies experiencing a wave of pain, the MXN has eradicated all of its overvaluation and is once again trading at a significant discount to its long-term fair value (Chart 13). Is it time to buy the peso? On a pure valuation basis, the downside now seems limited. However, risks are still plentiful. For one, NAFTA negotiations are likely to remain rocky, at least until the U.S. mid-term elections. Trump's hawkish trade rhetoric is a surefire way to rally the GOP base at the polls in November. Second, the leading candidate in the polls for the Mexican presidential elections this summer is Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City. Not only could AMLO's leftist status frighten investors, he is looking to drive a hard bargain with the U.S. on NAFTA, a clear recipe for plentiful headline risk in the coming months. Third, the MXN is the EM currency with the most abundant liquidity, and slowing global growth along with rising EM volatility could easily take its toll on the Mexican currency. As a result, to take advantage of the MXN's discount to fair value, a discount that is especially pronounced when contrasted with other EM currencies, we recommend investors buy the MXN versus the BRL or the ZAR instead of buying it outright against the USD. These trades are made even more attractive by the fact that Mexican rates are now comparable to those offered on South African or Brazilian paper. The Chilean Peso Chart 14The CLP Is At Risk The CLP Is At Risk The CLP Is At Risk We were correct to flag last September that the CLP had less downside than the BRL. But now, while the BRL's premium to fair value has declined significantly, the Chilean peso continues to trade near its highest premium of the past 10 years (Chart 14). This suggests the peso could have significant downside if EM weakness grows deeper. This risk is compounded by the fact that the peso's fair value is most sensitive to copper prices. Prices of the red metal had been stable until recent trading sessions. However, with the world largest consumer of copper - China - having accumulated large stockpiles and now slowing, copper prices could experience significant downside, dragging down the CLP in the process. An additional risk lurking for the CLP is the fact that Chile displays some of the largest USD debt as a percent of GDP in the EM space. This means that a strong dollar could inflict a dangerous tightening in Chilean financial conditions. This risk is even more potent as the strength in the dollar is itself a consequence of slowing global growth - a development that is normally negative for the Chilean peso. This confluence thus suggests that the expensive CLP is at great risk in the coming months. The Colombian Peso Chart 15The COP Is Latam's Cheapest Currency The COP Is Latam's Cheapest Currency The COP Is Latam's Cheapest Currency The Colombian peso is currently the cheapest currency covered by our models. The COP has not been able to rise along with oil prices, creating a large discount in the process (Chart 15). Three factors have weighed on the Colombian currency. First, Colombia just had elections. While a market-friendly outcome ultimately prevailed, investors were already expressing worry ahead of the first round of voting four weeks ago. Second, Colombia has a large current account deficit of 3.7% of GDP, creating a funding risk in an environment where liquidity for EM carry trades has decreased. Finally, Colombia has a heavy USD-debt load. However, this factor is mitigated by the fact that private debt stands at 65% of Colombia's GDP, reflecting the banking sector's conservative lending practices. At this juncture, the COP is an attractive long-term buy, especially as president-elect Ivan Duque is likely to pursue market-friendly policies. However, the country's large current account deficit as well as the general risk to commodity prices emanating from weaker global growth suggests that short-term downside risk is still present in the COP versus the USD. As a result, while we recommend long-term investors gain exposure to this cheap Latin American currency, short-term players should stay on the sidelines. Instead, we recommend tactical investors capitalize on the COP's cheapness by buying it against the expensive CLP. Not only are valuations and carry considerations favorable, Chile has even more dollar debt than Colombia, suggesting that the former is more exposed to dollar risk than the latter. Moreover, Chile is levered to metals prices while Colombia is levered to oil prices. Our commodity strategists are more positive on crude than on copper, and our negative outlook on China reinforces this message. The South African Rand Chart 16The Rand Will Cheapen Further The Rand Will Cheapen Further The Rand Will Cheapen Further Despite its more than 20% depreciation versus the dollar since February, the rand continues to trade above its estimate of long-term fair value (Chart 16). The equilibrium rate for the ZAR is in a structural decline, even after adjusting for inflation, as the productivity of the South African economy remains in a downtrend relative to that of its trading partners. This means the long-term trend in the ZAR will continue to point south. On a cyclical basis, it is not just valuations that concern us when thinking about the rand. South Africa runs a deficit in terms of FDI; however, portfolio inflows into the country have been rather large, resulting in foreign ownership of South African bonds of 44%. Additionally, net speculative positions in the rand are still at elevated levels. This implies that investors could easily sell their South African assets if natural resource prices were to sag. Since BCA's view on Chinese activity as well as the soft patch currently experienced by the global economy augur poorly for commodities, this could create potent downside risks for the ZAR. We will be willing buyers only once the rand's overvaluation is corrected. The Russian Ruble Chart 17The Ruble Is At Fair Value The Ruble Is At Fair Value The Ruble Is At Fair Value There is no evidence of mispricing in the rubble (Chart 17). Moreover the Russian central bank runs a very orthodox monetary policy, which gives us comfort that the RUB, with its elevated carry, remains an attractive long-term hold within the EM FX complex. On a shorter-term basis, the picture is more complex. The RUB is both an oil play as well as a carry currency. This means that the RUB is very exposed to global growth and liquidity conditions. This creates major risks for the ruble. EM FX volatility has been rising, and slowing global growth could result in an unwinding of inflation-protection trades, which may pull oil prices down. This combination is negative for both EM currencies and oil plays for the remainder of 2018. Our favorite way to take advantage of the RUB's sound macroeconomic policy, high interest rates and lack of valuation extremes is to buy it against other EM currencies. It is especially attractive against the BRL, the ZAR and the CLP. The only EM commodity currency against which it doesn't stack up favorably is the COP, as the COP possesses a much deeper discount to fair value than the RUB, limiting its downside if the global economy were to slow more sharply than we anticipate. The Korean Won Chart 18Despite Its Modest Cheapness, The KRW Is At Risk Despite Its Modest Cheapness, The KRW Is At Risk Despite Its Modest Cheapness, The KRW Is At Risk The Korean won currently trades at a modest discount to its long-term fair value (Chart 18). This suggests the KRW will possess more defensive attributes than the more expensive Latin American currencies. However, BCA is worried over the Korean currency's cyclical outlook. The Korean economy is highly levered to both global trade and the Chinese investment cycle. This means the Korean won is greatly exposed to the two largest risks in the global economy. Moreover, the Korean economy is saddled with a large debt load for the nonfinancial private sector of 193% of GDP, which means the Bank of Korea could be forced to take a dovish turn if the economy is fully hit by a global and Chinese slowdown. Moreover, the won has historically been very sensitive to EM sovereign spreads. EM spreads have moved above their 200-day moving average, which suggests technical vulnerability. This may well spread to the won, especially in light of the global economic environment. The Philippine Peso Chart 19Big Discount In The PHP Big Discount In The PHP Big Discount In The PHP The PHP is one of the rare EM currencies to trade at a significant discount to its long-term fair value (Chart 19). There are two main reasons behind this. First, the Philippines runs a current account deficit of 0.5% of GDP. This makes the PHP vulnerable in an environment where global liquidity has gotten scarcer and where carry trades have underperformed. The second reason behind the PHP's large discount is politics. Global investors remain uncomfortable with President Duterte's policies, and as such are imputing a large risk premium on the currency. Is the PHP attractive? On valuation alone, it is. However, the current account dynamics are expected to become increasingly troubling. The economy is in fine shape and the trade deficit could continue to widen as imports get a lift from strong domestic demand - something that could infringe on the PHP's attractiveness. However, on the positive side, the PHP has historically displayed a robust negative correlation with commodity prices, energy in particular. This suggests that if commodity prices experience a period of relapse, the PHP could benefit. The best way to take advantage of these dynamics is to not buy the PHP outright against the USD but instead to buy it against EM currencies levered to commodity prices like the MYR or the CLP. The Singapore Dollar Chart 20The SGD's Decline Is Not Over The SGD's Decline Is Not Over The SGD's Decline Is Not Over The Singapore dollar remains pricey (Chart 20). However, this is no guarantee of upcoming weakness. After all, the SGD is the main tool used by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to control monetary policy. Moreover, the MAS targets a basket of currencies versus the SGD. Based on these dynamics, historically the SGD has displayed a low beta versus the USD. Essentially, it is a defensive currency within the EM space. The SGD has historically moved in tandem with commodity prices. This makes sense. Commodity prices are a key input in Singapore inflation, and commodity prices perform well when global industrial activity and global trade are strong. This means that not only do rising commodity prices require a higher SGD to combat inflation, higher commodity prices materialize in an environment where this small trading nation is supported by potent tailwinds. Additionally, Singapore loan growth correlates quite closely with commodity prices, suggesting that strong commodity prices result in important amounts of savings from commodity producers being recycled in the Singaporean financial system. To prevent Singapore's economy from overheating in response to these liquidity inflows, MAS is being forced to tighten policy through a higher SGD. Today, with global growth softening and global trade likely to deteriorate, the Singaporean economy is likely to face important headwinds. Tightening monetary policy in the U.S. and in China will create additional headwinds. As a result, so long as the USD has upside, the SGD is likely to have downside versus the greenback. On a longer-term basis, we would expect the correction of the SGD's overvaluation to not happen versus the dollar but versus other EM currencies. The Hong Kong Dollar Chart 21The HKD Is Fairly Valued The HKD Is Fairly Valued The HKD Is Fairly Valued The troughs and peaks in the HKD follow the gyrations of the U.S. dollar. This is to be expected as the HKD has been pegged to the USD since 1983. Like the USD, it was expensive in early 2017, but now it is trading closer to fair value (Chart 21). Additionally, due to the large weight of the yuan in the trade-weighted HKD, the strength in the CNY versus the USD has had a greater impact on taming the HKD's overvaluation than it has on the USD's own mispricing. Moreover, the HKD is trading very close to the lower bound of its peg versus the USD, which has also contributed to the correction of its overvaluation. Even when the HKD was expensive last year, we were never worried that the peg would be undone. Historically, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority has shown its willingness to tolerate deflation when the HKD has been expensive. The most recent period was no different. Moreover, the HKMA has ample fire power in terms of reserves to support the HKD if the need ever existed. Ultimately, the stability created by the HKD peg is still essential to Hong Kong's relevance as a financial center for China, especially in the face of the growing preeminence of Shanghai and Beijing as domestic financial centers. As a result, while we could see the HKD become a bit more expensive over the remainder of 2018 as the USD rallies a bit further, our long-term negative view on the USD suggests that on a multiyear basis the HKD will only cheapen. The Saudi Riyal Chart 22The SAR Remains Expensive The SAR Remains Expensive The SAR Remains Expensive Like the HKD, the riyal is pegged to the USD. However, unlike the HKD, the softness in the USD last year was not enough to purge the SAR's overvaluation (Chart 22). Ultimately, the kingdom's poor productivity means that the SAR needs more than a 15% fall in the dollar index to make the Saudi economy competitive. However, this matters little. Historically, when the SAR has been expensive, the Saudi Arabia Monetary Authority has picked the HKMA solution: deflation over devaluation. Ultimately, Saudi Arabia is a country that imports all goods other than energy products. With a young population, a surge in inflation caused by a falling currency is a risk to the durability of the regime that Riyadh is not willing to test. Moreover, SAMA has the firepower to support the SAR, especially when the aggregate wealth of the extended royal family is taken into account. Additionally, the rally in oil prices since February 2016 has put to rest worries about the country's fiscal standing. On a long-term basis, the current regime wants to reform the economy, moving away from oil and increasing productivity growth. This will be essential to supporting the SAR and decreasing its overvaluation without having to resort to deflation. However, it remains to be seen if Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman's ambitious reforms can in fact be implemented and be fruitful. Much will depend on this for the future stability of the riyal. Mathieu Savary, Vice President Foreign Exchange Strategy mathieu@bcaresearch.com 1 For a more detailed discussion of the various variables incorporated in the models, please see Foreign Exchange Strategy Special Report, "Assessing Fair Value In FX Markets", dated February 26, 2016, available at fes.bcaresearch.com 2 For a more detailed discussion of the various variables incorporated in the models, please see Foreign Exchange Strategy Special Report, "Assessing Fair Value In FX Markets", dated February 26, 2016, available at fes.bcaresearch.com 3 Please see Foreign Exchange Strategy Weekly Report, titled "Yen: QQE Is Dead! Long Live YCC!", dated January 12, 2018, available at fes.bcaresearch.com Trades & Forecasts Forecast Summary

Highlights Major and drawn-out financial market downturns usually occur in phases and often resemble a domino effect. There have been a number of noteworthy divergences in the EM space of late. They are probably part of a domino effect - some tiles have begun to drop, but other tiles down the chain still remain standing. The selloff in EM risk assets will broaden and intensify. A defensive positioning is warranted. India's relative equity performance has by and large been undermined by rising oil prices. A potential roll-over in crude prices will aid the Indian bourse's relative performance versus its EM peers. The South African rand remains on shaky foundation; stay short. Feature There have been a number of noteworthy divergences in financial markets of late, in particular between emerging markets (EM) and commodities, as well as between Chinese investable stocks trading outside the mainland and equity prices listed domestically. In our view, these divergences are part of a domino effect - some tiles have begun to drop, but other tiles down the chain still remain standing. In dominos, tiles do not all fall simultaneously. They fall one by one, and there is a time lag between the first domino and the last-standing domino to drop. Also, unlike in natural sciences, time lags and speed in economics and finance vary with each experiment - because they are contingent on complex human psychology and behavior, not on well defined natural phenomena such as gravity or motions of objects. Hence, they are impossible to forecast with much precision. A Message From Our Risky Versus Safe-Haven Currency Ratio Although U.S. share prices have lately been firm, EM stocks have broken below their 200-day moving average (Chart I-1, top panel). So has our risky versus safe-haven currencies ratio 1 (Chart I-1, bottom panel). Indeed, while having held up at its 200-day moving average several times in the past two years, the ratio has recently decisively broken below this technical support line. This indicator correlates extremely well with EM share prices, and its message is presently unambiguous: The rally in EM is over, and a bear market has likely commenced. Crucially, this ratio measures commodities currencies versus the average of the Japanese yen and Swiss franc - two defensive currencies - not against the U.S. dollar. Hence, it is not impacted by the greenback's trend. Given that all six risky currencies used in the numerator of this ratio - AUD, CAD, NZD, BRL, ZAR and CLP - are commodity currencies, it is not surprising that the ratio also correlates with commodities prices. In this context, it currently suggests the outlook for both industrial metals and oil is troublesome (Chart I-2). Chart I-1Beware Of These Breakdowns Beware Of These Breakdowns Beware Of These Breakdowns Chart I-2A Red Flag For Commodities Prices bca.ems_wr_2018_06_14_s1_c2 bca.ems_wr_2018_06_14_s1_c2 The common denominator that links all these financial variables is global growth. The risky versus safe-haven currencies ratio typically leads world trade cycles by several months, and it currently points to a notable slowdown in global export volumes (Chart I-3). Chart I-3Global Export Growth Is Set To Slow bca.ems_wr_2018_06_14_s1_c3 bca.ems_wr_2018_06_14_s1_c3 Further, commodities prices have exhibited a rare decoupling from the U.S. dollar. It is very unlikely that this divergence can be sustained for much longer. Our bias is that global trade will slow as China/EM demand weakens despite robust U.S. growth. Growth dynamics shifting in favor of the U.S. entails that the greenback will continue to appreciate. Consistently, EM/China growth disappointments and U.S. dollar's persisting strength suggest that commodities will reverse their current trend sooner rather than later. A relapse in commodities prices will reinforce EM currency depreciation, triggering more outflows from EM equities and fixed-income markets. Decoupling Or A Time Lag? Chart I-4Domino Effect In 2007-08 Domino Effect In 2007-08 Domino Effect In 2007-08 Major and drawn-out financial market downturns usually occur in phases and often resemble a domino effect. The EM crises in 1997-98 did not occur simultaneously across all EM countries. It began in July 1997 with Thailand, then it spread to Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia and finally, to the rest of Asia. In August 1998, Russian financial markets collapsed triggering the LTCM debacle. The last leg of this crisis appeared in Brazil and culminated in the real's devaluation in January 1999. Similarly, the U.S. financial/credit crisis commenced with the selloff in sub-prime securities in March 2007. Following that, corporate spreads began widening and bank share prices rolled over in June 2007. In the meantime, the S&P 500 and EM stocks peaked on October 9 and 29, 2007, respectively. Despite all of these developments, commodities prices and EM currencies continued rallying until summer of 2008 and then quickly collapsed in the second half of that year (Chart I-4). Finally the Lehman crash took place on September 29 of 2008. That marked the apogee of the crisis, causing a complete unravelling of financial markets and the global economy, and lasting until March of 2009. It seems some sort of domino effect is now taking hold of the EM universe. Initially, it started with Turkey and Argentina. Then, it spread to Indonesia, India and Brazil. The currency weakness across the wider EM universe has already led to EM credit spread widening. Yet, there are a few EM financial markets, particularly Chinese, Korean and Taiwanese, that are still holding up relatively well. Moreover, U.S. share prices and high-yield credit spreads have done quite well too. How should investors interpret these divergences? Our view has been, and remains, that EM risk assets will do poorly regardless of the direction of the S&P 500. In fact, an escalation in EM turmoil and a slowdown in developing economies are among the main risks to American share prices themselves. The primary link from EM financial markets to the S&P 500 is via the exchange rate - a strong dollar along with an EM/China growth slump will weigh on American multinationals' profits. The following three questions are presently vital for investors: 1. Can EM and U.S. risk assets de-couple from each other, and has a sustainable divergence happened in the past? Although short-term moves in U.S. and EM equity indexes often appear correlated, from a big-picture perspective there have been considerable divergences. The overall EM stock index is now at the same level it was in 2007 (Chart I-5). Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index is a hair below its all-time high. Chart I-5EM Share Prices And The S&P 500: A Long-Term Perspective EM Share Prices And The S&P 500: A Long-Term Perspective EM Share Prices And The S&P 500: A Long-Term Perspective The same is true for many EM currencies and the S&P 500. A substantial decoupling did occur in the not-so-distant past: EM currencies depreciated from 2011 to early 2016, while U.S. share prices rallied strongly from late 2011 until 2015 (Chart I-6). With respect to U.S. credit spreads, Chart I-7 illustrates that EM and U.S. credit spreads have had a much higher correlation than their respective equity indexes. During the 1997-'98 EM crises and the 2014 -'15 EM turmoil, U.S. high-yield corporate spreads widened. In brief, there has historically been little decoupling between U.S. and EM credit markets. Hence, the U.S. high-yield credit market's latest resilience in the face of widening in EM credit spreads is historically exceptional. Chart I-6EM Currencies And The S&P 500 EM Currencies And The S&P 500 EM Currencies And The S&P 500 Chart I-7EM Sovereign And U.S. Corporate Credit Spreads: A Long-Term Perspective EM Sovereign And U.S. Corporate Credit Spreads: A Long-Term Perspective EM Sovereign And U.S. Corporate Credit Spreads: A Long-Term Perspective As EM currencies continue to depreciate versus the U.S. dollar, EM sovereign and corporate credit spreads will widen. Given their past high correlation with U.S. credit markets, odds point to widening corporate credit spreads in the U.S. On the whole, if EM risk assets continue to sell off, which is our baseline scenario, the S&P 500 and U.S. credit markets could defy gravity for a while, but not forever. At some point, risks stemming from EM turbulence will cause a selloff in American stocks and corporate bonds. It is impossible to know when and by how much U.S. stocks will suffer. Our bias is that a U.S. equity selloff will likely be on par with the 2015-'16 episode. 2. Can North Asian equity markets such as China, Korea and Taiwan remain relatively resilient if the turbulence in other EM countries continues? Based on history, they can, but only for a short period of time. There have been a few episodes when emerging Asian and Latin American stocks de-coupled: In 1997-'98, the home-grown Asian crisis devastated regional markets, but Latin American stocks continued to rally until mid-1998 - at which point they began plummeting (Chart I-8, top panel). In 2007-'08, emerging Asian equities started tumbling along with the S&P 500 in late 2007, but Latin American bourses fared well until the middle of 2008 due to surging commodities prices (Chart I-8, middle panel). Finally, the bottom panel of Chart I-8 illustrates that in early 2015, Asian stocks performed well, supported by the inflating Chinese equity bubble. Meanwhile, Latin American stocks plunged. In all of these episodes, the de-coupling between Asia and Latin America proved to be unsustainable, and the markets that showed initial resilience eventually re-coupled to the downside. Regarding Asia's business cycle conditions, the slowdown is already taking place and will likely intensify. Leading indicators of exports and manufacturing such as Korea's manufacturing shipments-to-inventory ratio and Taiwan's semiconductor shipments-to-inventory ratio herald further deceleration in their respective export sectors (Chart I-9). Chart I-8Asian And Latin American Equities: ##br##Unsustainable Divergences Asian And Latin American Equities: Unsustainable Divergences Asian And Latin American Equities: Unsustainable Divergences Chart I-9Asia's Export Slowdown Is In Making Asia's Export Slowdown Is In Making Asia's Export Slowdown Is In Making 3. Is there any other notable financial market decoupling that investors should be aware of? Chart I-10China: A Decoupling In Various Equity Segments China: A Decoupling In Various Equity Segments China: A Decoupling In Various Equity Segments Since early this year, there has been substantial decoupling between Chinese investable stocks and the onshore A-share market. First, the overall A-share index has dropped since early this year, but the MSCI Investable Chinese stock index has so far been resilient (Chart I-10). Second, while it might be tempting to explain this decoupling by discrepancies in the sectors' weights in these indexes, this has not been the case this time around. The fact remains that there has been considerable divergence between share prices of the same sectors. For example, onshore and offshore equity prices have diverged for the following sectors: real estate stocks, materials, industrials, technology, utilities and consumer discretionary (Chart I-11A and Chart I-11B). Only defensive sectors such as consumer staples and health care have done well in both universes. Share prices of financials and telecoms have dropped in both the onshore and offshore markets. Chart I-11AChinese Equity Sectors: Puzzling Decoupling Chinese Equity Sectors: Puzzling Decoupling Chinese Equity Sectors: Puzzling Decoupling Chart I-11BChinese Equity Sectors: Puzzling Decoupling Chinese Equity Sectors: Puzzling Decoupling Chinese Equity Sectors: Puzzling Decoupling Finally, a similar performance gap has appeared between Chinese small cap stocks trading onshore and in Hong Kong (Chart I-12). Chart I-12China's Small-Cap Stocks: A Perplexing Gap China's Small-Cap Stocks: A Perplexing Gap China's Small-Cap Stocks: A Perplexing Gap How do we explain these divergences? Our bias is that local investors in China are much more concerned about the mainland growth outlook than foreign investors. This is the opposite of what occurred in 2015. Back then, international investors were somewhat cautious on China - commodities prices and other China-related global financial market plays were in a bear market. Meanwhile, local investors were caught up in a full-fledged equity mania that ended with a crash. Given our downbeat outlook on China's capital spending and related plays in financial markets, we reckon that domestic investors in China will be proven right in the months ahead, while the international investment community will be left flat-footed. Importantly, there has been an unexplainable mismatch between monetary/credit tightening in China and complacency among international investors about the outlook for the mainland economy. Specifically, the cost of borrowing has gone up, and credit standards have tightened. Chart I-13 illustrates that both onshore and offshore corporate bond yields have risen to new cycle highs, Chinese banks' lending rates are rising, while banks' loan approvals are dropping. Consistently, money and credit growth have plunged. Importantly, this is occurring in an economy with immense credit excesses. Nevertheless, commodities prices have so far defied such a pronounced deceleration in money and credit aggregates in China (Chart I-14). Chart I-13China: Ongoing Credit Tightening China: Ongoing Credit Tightening China: Ongoing Credit Tightening Chart I-14China's Money/Credit And Commodities Prices China's Money/Credit And Commodities Prices China's Money/Credit And Commodities Prices All in all, we interpret these divergences by varying lead and lags rather than as a fundamental breakdown in the relationship between money/credit and the real economy. We continue to expect tightening liquidity and credit to escalate the growth slowdown in China. As a result, there continues to be considerable downside risks for Chinese investable stocks and commodities prices. Bottom Line: The dominos have begun to fall. We continue to recommend a defensive strategy and an underweight position in EM equities, credit and currencies versus their U.S./DM peers. High-yield local currency bonds that are a de-facto bet on the underlying currencies are vulnerable too. For investors willing to go short, it is not too late to short EM stocks and currencies. Arthur Budaghyan, Senior Vice President Emerging Markets Strategy arthurb@bcaresearch.com 1 Average of cad, aud, nzd, brl, clp & zar total return (including carry) indices relative to average of jpy & chf total returns. India's Equity Underperformance: Blame It On Oil Indian stocks have been underperforming their EM counterparts. Rising oil prices have created a toxic macro mix for India, triggering the equity underperformance (Chart II-1): Rising crude prices have led to widening current account and trade deficits. Oil price swings are often instrumental to trends in India's current account balance (Chart II-2). The deterioration in the nation's external accounts has been behind the rupee's poor performance. Chart II-1Higher Crude Oil Prices Hurt Indian Stocks Higher Crude Oil Prices Hurt Indian Stocks Higher Crude Oil Prices Hurt Indian Stocks Chart II-2Crude Oil And Current Account Deficit Crude Oil And Current Account Deficit Crude Oil And Current Account Deficit Given that India is a major oil importer, falling commodities prices - especially crude oil - will benefit India's stock market. The recent surge in oil prices has also reinforced inflation dynamics in India (Chart II-3). Chart II-3Higher Crude Oil Boosts Inflation Higher Crude Oil Boosts Inflation Higher Crude Oil Boosts Inflation The basis for the high correlation between core consumer price inflation (excluding energy and food) and oil prices is due to the fact that core inflation includes components that are heavily influenced by fluctuations in oil prices. For instance, the transportation and communication component of inflation is very sensitive to changes in oil prices. This component accounts for 18% of core consumer price index. Further, the personal care and effects component also correlates with crude oil. Personal care goods use petroleum products as an important input in their production process. This component accounts for 8% of core consumer price index. Together these components account for a non-trivial 26% of core consumer price index, and will likely subside as oil prices fall. On the inflation front, we highlighted in our April 19 Weekly Report that risks to inflation are tilted to the upside due to strong consumer and government spending in an otherwise under-invested economy.1 Domestic demand has been accelerating, providing tailwinds for higher inflation (Chart II-4). Higher inflation and currency weakness has led to a considerable rise in both government and corporates local currency bond yields (Chart II-5). Chart II-4Domestic Economy Is Strong Domestic Economy Is Strong Domestic Economy Is Strong Chart II-5Rising Borrowing Rates Rising Borrowing Rates Rising Borrowing Rates Given the very high equity valuations, share prices in India are especially sensitive to rising local borrowing costs. All in all, India's relative equity performance has by and large been undermined by rising oil prices. BCA's Emerging Markets Strategy team believes the risk-reward for oil prices is skewed to the downside due to the expected deterioration in EM/China oil demand, investors' extremely high net long positions in crude and appreciating dollar.2 That is why we are still reluctant to downgrade Indian stocks within the EM equity universe. It is vital to emphasize, however, that our overweight call is relevant to dedicated EM equity portfolios. We have been, and remain, negative on Indian share prices in absolute U.S. dollar terms. Bottom Line: Odds are that commodities prices will drop meaningfully in the months ahead and that will support India's relative equity performance versus the EM benchmark. EM dedicated investors should keep an overweight stance on Indian equities for now. Ayman Kawtharani, Associate Editor ayman@bcaresearch.com 1 Please see Emerging Markets Strategy Weekly Report "Country Perspectives: India And Turkey," dated April 19, 2018, link available on page 21. 2 The Emerging Markets Strategy team's view on oil differs from BCA's house view which remains bullish. The South African Rand Remains On Shaky Foundations Although the rand has not been among the worse hit EM currencies, investors should remain cautious on it. The currency presently finds itself resting on very shaky foundations, raising odds of substantial depreciation for the remainder of the year: First, South Africa's external funding has solely been driven by portfolio inflows, leaving the exchange rate highly exposed to potential portfolio outflows. As illustrated in Chart III-1, net portfolio inflows reached all-time highs while net FDIs reached all-time lows at the end of 2017 (the latest available statistics). Meanwhile, foreign ownership of domestic bonds has reached new highs (Chart III-2). The total return in dollar terms on South Africa's local currency bond index1 has failed to break above its previous highs and has relapsed (Chart III-3). It seems this asset class has entered a new bear market. Further decline in the total return of bonds will spur more selling or hedging of currency risks by international bond investors. Chart III-1South Africa: Highly Exposed To Portfolio Flows South Africa: Highly Exposed To Portfolio Flows South Africa: Highly Exposed To Portfolio Flows Chart III-2Foreign Holdings Of South African Local Bonds Is Elevated Foreign Holdings Of South African Local Bonds Is Elevated Foreign Holdings Of South African Local Bonds Is Elevated Chart III-3South African Bonds Were Unable To Break Out South African Bonds Were Unable To Break Out South African Bonds Were Unable To Break Out Second, the country's trade balance is set to deteriorate. Despite continued episodes of currency weakness throughout last decade, there has been little to no import substitution in South Africa. Consequently, a reviving domestic demand will prompt higher imports. That, and a potential relapse in export (raw materials) prices, will lead to a widening trade balance. Chart III-4The Rand Is Not Cheap The Rand Is Not Cheap The Rand Is Not Cheap Finally, the rand is not cheap; its valuation is neutral (Chart III-4). When an exchange rate is close to its fair value, it can either appreciate or depreciate. In short, the rand's valuation is not extreme enough to be a major factor in driving the market right now. Bottom Line: Currency traders should stay short the ZAR versus both the USD and the MXN. Relative trade balance dynamics and valuations continue to play in favor of the Mexican peso relative to the South African rand. Predicated by our negative view on the rand, we recommend EM dedicated equity and fixed-income investors to maintain an underweight allocation to South Africa. Stephan Gabillard, Senior Analyst stephang@bcaresearch.com 1 JP Morgan GBI-EM Global Diversified Emerging Markets Government Bond Index for South Africa. Equity Recommendations Fixed-Income, Credit And Currency Recommendations

Highlights There is growing evidence that China's industrial sector is slowing, as are Asian trade flows. EM stocks have seen their tops. Even though current trade tensions between the U.S. and China could well dissipate, we are at the beginning of a long-term geopolitical standoff between these two superpowers. We are reinstating our long MXN / short BRL and ZAR trade. We are also upgrading Mexican sovereign credit and local bonds to overweight within their respective EM benchmarks. This week we review our recommended country allocation for the EM sovereign credit space. Feature The combination of budding signs of deceleration in both China and global trade, the trade confrontation between the U.S. and China as well as elevated equity valuations, leaves EM stocks extremely vulnerable. Odds are that EM share prices have made a major top. A few financial indicators point to a top in EM risk assets and commodities, while several leading economic indicators herald a global trade slowdown. Taken together we are reiterating our bearish stance on EM risk assets. Market- And Liquidity- Based Indicators Financial market indicators are signalling a major top in EM risk assets and commodities prices: The relative total return (carry included) of four equally weighted EM (ZAR, RUB, BRL and CLP) and three DM (AUD, NZD and CAD) commodities currencies versus an equally weighted average of two safe-haven currencies - the Japanese yen and Swiss franc - has rolled over at its previous highs, and is about to break below its 200-day moving average (Chart I-1). This technical profile points to rising odds of a major down-leg in this carry adjusted ratio of seven 'risk-on' versus two 'safe-haven' currencies, herein referred to as the risk-on / safe-haven currency ratio. Importantly, Chart I-2 demonstrates that this risk-on / safe-haven currency ratio has historically been coincident with EM share prices. A breakdown in this ratio would herald a major downtrend in EM equities. This is consistent with our qualitative assessment that EM equities have seen the peak in this rally. Chart I-1A Major Top In Risk-On Versus ##br##Safe-Haven Currency Ratio bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c1 bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c1 Chart I-2Risk-On Versus Safe-Haven Currency Ratio##br## And EM Share Prices: Twins? bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c2 bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c2 The annual rate of change in the risk-on / safe-haven currencies ratio leads global export volumes by several months. It currently indicates that global trade has already peaked, and a meaningful slowdown is in the cards (Chart I-3). As we documented in March 15 report,1 global cyclical sectors - mining, machinery and chemicals - have been underperforming since January. Industrial metals prices, including copper, are gapping down, as are steel and iron ore prices in China (Chart I-4). Chart I-3Global Trade Is Set To Slow bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c3 bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c3 Chart I-4A Breakdown In Metals Prices Is In The Making A Breakdown In Metals Prices Is In The Making A Breakdown In Metals Prices Is In The Making Our aggregate credit and fiscal spending impulse for China projects considerable downside risks for industrial metals prices (Chart I-5). In this context, a question arises: Why is oil doing well so far? Chart I-6 illustrates that industrial metals prices typically lead oil at peaks. Oil prices have historically been a lagging variable of global business cycles. Chart I-5China's Slowdown Is Far From Over China's Slowdown Is Far From Over China's Slowdown Is Far From Over Chart I-6Industrial Metals Lead Oil Prices At Tops Industrial Metals Lead Oil Prices At Tops Industrial Metals Lead Oil Prices At Tops Furthermore, our two measures of U.S. dollar liquidity have rolled over. These two measures have a high correlation with EM share prices and are inversely correlated with the trade-weighted U.S. dollar (Chart I-7A and Chart I-7B). The dollar is shown inverted on Chart I-7B. The rollover in these measures of U.S. dollar liquidity is due to shrinking U.S. banks' excess reserves at the Federal Reserve. The Fed's ongoing balance sheet reduction and the Treasury's replenishment of its account at the Fed will continue to shrink banks' excess reserves, and thereby weigh on these measures of U.S. dollar liquidity. In short, downside risks to EM stocks and upside risks to the U.S. dollar have increased. Last but not least, China's yield curve has recently ticked down again and is about to invert, signaling weaker growth ahead (Chart I-8). Chart I-7AU.S. Dollar Liquidity And EM Stocks... U.S. Dollar Liquidity And EM Stocks... U.S. Dollar Liquidity And EM Stocks... Chart I-7B...And Trade-Weighted Dollar (Inverted) ...And Trade-Weighted Dollar (Inverted) ...And Trade-Weighted Dollar (Inverted) Chart I-8China's Yield Curve Is About To Invert China's Yield Curve Is About To Invert China's Yield Curve Is About To Invert Hard Data In addition, certain economic data have also decisively rolled over, in particular: Taiwanese shipments to China lead global trade volumes by several months, and they now portend a meaningful slowdown in global export volumes (Chart I-9). The basis for this relationship is that Taiwan sends a lot of intermediate products to mainland China. These inputs are in turn assembled by China and then shipped worldwide. Therefore, diminishing trade flow from Taiwan to China is a sign of a slowdown in world trade. The three-month moving average of Korea's 20-day exports growth rate, which includes the March data point, reveals that considerable softness in global trade is underway (Chart I-10). Chart I-9Another Sign Of Peak In Global Trade Another Sign Of Peak In Global Trade Another Sign Of Peak In Global Trade Chart I-10Korean Export Growth Is Already Weak Korean Export Growth Is Already Weak Korean Export Growth Is Already Weak China's shipping freight index - the freight rates for containers out of China - is softening, and its annual rate of change points to weaker Asian exports (Chart I-11). The annual growth rate of vehicle sales in China has dropped to zero, with both passenger cars and commercial vehicles registering no growth in the past three months from a year ago (Chart I-12). Chart I-11Container Freight Rates In Asia Are Softening Container Freight Rates In Asia Are Softening Container Freight Rates In Asia Are Softening Chart I-12China's Auto Sales: Post-Stimulus Hangover China's Auto Sales: Post-Stimulus Hangover China's Auto Sales: Post-Stimulus Hangover Finally, measures of industrial activity in China such as total freight volumes and electricity output growth continue to downshift (Chart I-13). Next week we are planning to publish a Special Report on China's property market. Our initial research shows that structural imbalances remain acute in the nation's real estate market, and a downturn commensurable if not worse than those that occurred in 2011 and 2014-'15 is very likely. Will the Fed and the People's Bank of China (PBoC) reverse their stance quickly to stabilize growth or preclude a downdraft in global risk assets? In the U.S., the primary trend in core inflation is up. Chart I-14 demonstrates that measures of core inflation have recently risen. This, along with the tight labor market, potential upside surprises in U.S. wages and a still-large fiscal stimulus entails that the bar for the Fed to turn dovish will be somewhat higher this year. It may take a large drawdown in the S&P 500 and a meaningful appreciation in the dollar for the Fed to come to the rescue of risk assets. Chart I-13Chinese Industrial Sector Is Decelerating Chinese Industrial Sector Is Decelerating Chinese Industrial Sector Is Decelerating Chart I-14U.S. Core Inflation Has Bottomed U.S. Core Inflation Has Bottomed U.S. Core Inflation Has Bottomed The Chinese authorities on the other hand, had already been facing enormous challenges in balancing the needs for structural reforms and achieving robust growth before the eruption of the trade confrontation with the U.S. As such, the balancing task is becoming overwhelming. Even if the Chinese authorities stop tightening liquidity now, the cumulated impact of earlier liquidity and regulatory tightening will continue to work its way into the economy, thereby slowing growth. Bottom Line: There is growing evidence that China's industrial sector is slowing, as are Asian trade flows. This is bearish for commodities and EM risk assets. Geopolitics: Icing On The Cake The recent U.S. trade spat with China has arrived at a time when global trade and China's industrial cycle have already begun to downshift, as discussed above. At the same time, investor sentiment on global risk assets remains very complacent, and equity and credit markets are pricey. As such, the U.S.-China trade confrontation has become the icing on the cake. U.S. equity valuations are elevated - the median stock's P/E ratio is at an all-time high (Chart I-15). While EM share prices are not at record expensive levels, valuations are on the pricey side. The top panel of Chart I-16 shows the equal-weighted average of trailing and forward P/E, price-to-book, price-to-cash earnings and price-to-dividend ratios for the median EM sub-sector. This valuation indicator is about one standard deviation above its historical mean. Chart I-15U.S. Equities: Median P/E ##br##Is At Record High U.S. Equities: Median P/E Is At Record High U.S. Equities: Median P/E Is At Record High Chart I-16EM Stocks Are Expensive##br## In Absolute Term bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c16 bca.ems_wr_2018_03_29_s1_c16 The bottom panel of Chart I-16 illustrates the same valuation ratio relative to DM. Contrary to prevailing consensus, EM equities are not cheap relative their DM peers. Using median multiples of sub-sectors helps remove outliers. We discussed EM stock valuations in greater detail in our January 24 and March 1 special reports; the links to these reports are available on page 17. As to the duration and depth of the U.S.-China trade confrontation, we have the following remarks: If the U.S.'s plan to impose import tariffs on Chinese goods is primarily about domestic politics ahead of the mid-term elections later this year, as well as to obtain some trade concessions from China, then the current standoff will be resolved in a matter of months. If the true intention of the U.S. is to contain China's geopolitical rise to preserve its global hegemony, this episode of import tariffs will likely mark the beginning of a much longer and drawn-out geopolitical confrontation. In such a case, the U.S.-China relationship will likely witness a roller-coaster pattern with periods of ameliorations followed by periods of escalation and confrontation. Critically, mutual distrust will set in - if not already the case - which will hamper cooperation on various issues. As trade tensions ebb and flow in the months ahead, the reality is that America is worried about losing its geopolitical hegemony to the Middle Kingdom. Our colleagues at BCA's Geopolitical Strategy service have been noting for several years that a U.S.-China confrontation is unavoidable.2 Bottom Line: Even though the current trade tensions between the U.S. and China could well dissipate, we are at the beginning of a long-term geopolitical standoff between these two superpowers. Re-Instating Long MXN / Short BRL and ZAR Trade Chart I-17MXN's Carry Is Above Those Of BRL And ZAR MXN's Carry Is Above Those Of BRL And ZAR MXN's Carry Is Above Those Of BRL And ZAR Odds are that the Mexican peso will begin outperforming the Brazilian real and the South African rand. The main reason why we closed these trades in October was due to NAFTA renegotiation risks. Presently, with the U.S.-Sino trade confrontation escalating, the odds of NAFTA abrogation are declining. In fact, the U.S. may attempt to strike a deal with its allies, including its NAFTA partners, to focus more directly on China. Consequently, a menace hanging over the peso from the Sword of Damocles, i.e., NAFTA retraction, will continue to diminish. Consistently, the risk premium priced into Mexican risk assets will wane, helping Mexican markets outperform their EM peers. Interestingly, for the first time in many years, the Mexican peso's carry is above those of the Brazilian real and the South African rand (Chart I-17). Therefore, going long MXN versus ZAR and BRL are carry positive trades. Importantly, the Mexican peso is cheap. Chart I-18A illustrates the peso is cheap in absolute terms, according to the real effective exchange rate (REER) based on unit labor costs. Chart I-18B shows the peso's relative REER against those of the rand and real. These measures are constructed using consumer and producer prices-based REERs. The peso is cheaper than the South African and Brazilian currencies. Not only is Mexico's currency cheap versus other EM currencies, but Mexican domestic bonds and sovereign spreads also offer great value relative to their EM benchmarks (Chart I-19).Finally, the Mexican equity market has massively underperformed the EM benchmark and is beginning to look attractive on a relative basis. Chart I-18AMXN Is Cheap In Trade-Weighted Terms... MXN Is Cheap In Trade-Weighted Terms... MXN Is Cheap In Trade-Weighted Terms... Chart I-18B...And Relative BRL And ZAR ...And Relative BRL And ZAR ...And Relative BRL And ZAR Chart I-19Mexican Local Currency And Dollar Bonds Offer Value Mexican Local Currency And Dollar Bonds Offer Value Mexican Local Currency And Dollar Bonds Offer Value If and as dedicated EM portfolios rotate into Mexican domestic bonds and equities, this will bid up the peso. Brazil and South Africa are leveraged to China and metals, while Mexico is exposed to the U.S. and oil. Our main theme remains that U.S. growth will do much better than that of China. While a potential drop in oil prices is a risk to the peso, Mexican goods shipments to the U.S. will remain strong, benefiting the nation's balance of payments. Macro policy in Mexico has been super-orthodox: the central bank has hiked interest rates significantly, and the government has tightened fiscal policy (Chart I-20, top panel). This has hurt growth but is positive for the trade balance and the currency (Chart I-20). Mexico will elect a new president in July, and odds of victory by leftist candidate Lopez Obrador are considerable. However, we do not expect a massive U-turn in macro policies after the elections. Importantly, the starting point of Mexico's macro settings is very healthy. In Brazil, government debt dynamics remain unsustainable, yet its financial markets have been extremely complacent. Brazil needs much higher nominal GDP growth and much lower interest rates to stabilize its public debt dynamics. As we have repeatedly argued, a major currency depreciation is needed to boost nominal GDP and government revenues. Besides, Brazil is set to hold general elections in October, and there is no visibility yet on the type of government that will enter office. In South Africa, financial markets have cheered the election of President Cyril Ramaphosa, but the outlook for structural reforms is still very uncertain. The recent decision to consider a constitutional change in Parliament that would allow the confiscation of land from white landlords may be an indication that investors have become overly optimistic on the outlook for structural reforms. In short, the median voter in both Brazil and South Africa favors leftist and populist policies. This entails that the odds of supply side reforms without meaningful riots in financial markets are not great. Finally, the relative performance of the MXN against the BRL and ZAR, including carry, seems to be attempting to make a bottom (Chart I-21). Chart I-20Mexico: Improved Macro Fundamentals Mexico: Improved Macro Fundamentals Mexico: Improved Macro Fundamentals Chart I-21A Major Bottom In MXN's Cross? A Major Bottom In MXN's Cross? A Major Bottom In MXN's Cross? Bottom Line: Go long MXN versus an equally weighted basket of BRL and ZAR. Consistently, we also recommend overweighting Mexican local currency bonds and sovereign credit relative to their respective EM benchmarks. We will review the outlook for Mexican stocks in the coming weeks. EM Sovereign Credit Space: Country Allocation Asset allocators should compare EM sovereign and corporate credit with U.S. and European corporate bonds rather than EM local bonds or equities. The basis is that EM sovereign U.S. dollar bonds are a credit market, and vastly differ from local bonds and equities in terms of volatility, risk-reward trade-off and many other parameters. In short, EM credit markets should be compared to DM credit markets and EM equities to DM equities. EM local currency bonds are a separate, unique asset class.3 We continue to recommend underweighting EM sovereign and corporate credit versus U.S. and European corporate bonds. Within the EM sovereign space, our overweights are: Mexico, Argentina, Russia, Hungary, Poland, the Philippines, Chile and Peru. Neutral: Colombia, Indonesia, Egypt and Nigeria. Our underweights are: Brazil, Venezuela, Malaysia, Turkey and South Africa. Arthur Budaghyan, Senior Vice President Emerging Markets Strategy arthurb@bcaresearch.com 1 Please see Emerging Markets Strategy Weekly Report "EM: Disguised Risks", dated March 15, 2018; the link is available on page 17. 2 Please see Geopolitical Strategy Weekly Report "We Are All Geopolitical Strategies Now", dated March 28, 2018, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 3 You may request May 7, 2013 Emerging Markets Strategy Weekly Report discussing our perspectives on how asset allocation for EM financial markets should be done. Equity Recommendations Fixed-Income, Credit And Currency Recommendations

Highlights The political path of least resistance leads to fiscal profligacy - in the U.S. and beyond. The response to populism is underway. The U.S. midterm election is market-relevant. Gridlock between the White House and Congress does, in fact, weigh on equity returns, after controlling for macro variables. The Democratic Party's chances of taking over Congress have fallen, but remain 50% in the House of Representatives. A divided House and Senate is the worst combination for equities, but macro factors matter most. China is clearly rebooting its "reform" agenda as Xi Jinping becomes an irresistible force. We remain long H-shares relative to EM, for now. Emerging markets - including an improved South Africa - will suffer as politics become a tailwind for U.S. growth and a headwind for Chinese growth. Feature The bond market has been shocked into action this month by the twin realizations that the Republican-held Congress is not as incompetent as believed and that the Republican Party is not as fiscally conservative as professed. When combined with steady U.S. wage growth and rising inflation expectations (Chart 1), our core 2018 theme - that U.S. politics would act as an accelerant to growth - has been priced in by the bond market with impressive urgency.1 The tax cuts alone were not enough to wake the bond market. First, the realization that a tax cut would pass Congress struck markets in late October, when it became increasingly clear that the $1.5 trillion Tax Cuts And Jobs Act would indeed pass the Senate. Second, the bill's passage along strict party lines - including the slimmest of margins in the Senate thanks to reconciliation rules - convinced investors that there would be no further compromises down the pipeline. The real game changer was the realization that the political path of least resistance leads towards profligacy. This happened with the signing into law of the February 9 two-year budget compromise (the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018) that will see fiscal spending raised by around $380 billion.2 The deal failed to gain the support of a majority of Republicans in the House, despite House Speaker Paul Ryan's support, but 73 Democrats crossed the aisle to ensure its passage. They did so despite a lack of formal assurances that the House would consider an immigration bill. The three-day shutdown in late January has forced Democrats, who largely took the blame, to assess whether they care more about preserving their liberal credentials on fiscal policy or immigration policy. The two-year budget agreement is a testament to their concern for the former. The deal will see the budget deficit most likely rise to about 5.5% of GDP in FY2019, up from 3.3% in last year's CBO baseline forecast (Chart 2). Chart 1Rising U.S. Inflation Expectations Rising U.S. Inflation Expectations Rising U.S. Inflation Expectations Chart 2Fiscal Policy Gets Expansive Fiscal Policy Gets Expansive Fiscal Policy Gets Expansive Adding to the newly authorized fiscal spending could be a congressional rule-change that reintroduces earmarks - leading to a potential $20 billion additional spending per year. There is also a 10-year infrastructure plan that could see spending increase by another ~$200 billion over the next decade. The new budget compromise, combined with last year's tax cuts, will massively increase U.S. fiscal thrust beyond the IMF's baseline (Chart 3). The IMF's forecast, done before the tax cuts were passed, suggested that fiscal thrust would contract by about 0.5% of GDP this year, and would only slightly expand in 2019. Now we estimate that fiscal thrust will be a positive 0.8% of GDP in 2018 and 1.3% in 2019. These figures are tentative because it is not clear exactly how much of the spending will take place this year versus 2019 and 2020. Our colleague Mark McClellan, author of BCA's flagship The Bank Credit Analyst, has stressed that the impact on GDP growth will be less than these figures suggest because the economic multipliers related to tax cuts are less than those for spending.3 Our theme that the political path of least resistance will lead to profligacy is not exclusive to the U.S. After all, populism is not exclusive to the U.S, with non-centrist parties consistently capturing around 16% of the electoral vote in Europe (Chart 4). Chart 3The Budget Deal And Tax Cuts##br## Will Expand U.S. Fiscal Thrust Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Chart 4Populism Will Fuel Fiscal##br##Spending Beyond The U.S. Populism Will Fuel Fiscal Spending Beyond The U.S. Populism Will Fuel Fiscal Spending Beyond The U.S. Policymakers are not price-setters in the political marketplace, but price-takers. The price-setter is the median voter, who we believe has swung to the left when it comes to economic policy in developed markets after a multi-year, low-growth, economic recovery.4 Broadly speaking, investors should prepare for higher fiscal spending globally on the back of this dynamic. Aside from the U.S., the populist dynamic is evident in the world's third (Japan), fourth (Germany), and sixth (the U.K.) largest economies. Japan may have started it all, as a political paradigm shift in 2011-12 spurred a historic reflationary effort.5 Geopolitical pressure from China and domestic political pressures on the back of an extraordinary rise in income inequality, and natural and national disasters, combined to create the political context that made Abenomics possible. While the fiscal arrow has somewhat disappointed - particularly when PM Shinzo Abe authorized the 2014 increase in the consumption tax - Japan has still surprised to the upside on fiscal thrust (Chart 5). On average, the IMF has underestimated Japan's fiscal impulse by 0.84% since the beginning of 2012. Investors often understate the ability of centrist, establishment policymakers to rebrand anti-establishment policies - whether on fiscal spending or immigration - as their own. In January 2015, we asked whether "Abenomics Is The Future?"6 We concluded that rising populism in Europe would require a policy response not unlike the policy mix favored by Tokyo. Today, the details of the latest German coalition deal between the formally fiscally conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) means that even Germany has now succumbed to the political pressure to reflate. The CDU has agreed to fork over the influential ministry of finance to the profligate SPD and apparently spend an additional 46 billion euros, over the duration of the Grand Coalition, on public investment and tax cuts. Finally, in the U.K., the end of austerity came quickly on the heels of the Brexit referendum, the ultimate populist shot-across-the-bow. The new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, announced a shift away from austerity almost immediately, scrapping targets for balancing the budget by the end of the decade. The change in rhetoric has carried over to the new government, especially after the Labour Party pummeled the Tories on austerity in the lead up to the June 2017 election. The bond market action over the past several weeks suggests that investors have not fully appreciated the political shifts underway over the past several years. Bond yields had to "catch up" to the political reality essentially over the course of February. However, the structural upward trajectory is now in place. The end of stimulative monetary policy will accelerate the rise in bond yields. Quantitative easing programs have soaked up more than the net government issuance of the major economies. Chart 6 shows that the flow of the major economies' government bonds available for the private sector to purchase was negative from 2015-2017. This flow will now swing to the positive side as fiscal spending necessitates greater issuance and as central banks withdraw demand. Real interest rates may therefore be higher to the extent that government bonds will have to compete with private-sector issuance for available savings. Chart 5Japan's Abenomics Leads The Way To More Spending Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Chart 6Lots Of Bonds Hitting The Private Market Lots Of Bonds Hitting The Private Market Lots Of Bonds Hitting The Private Market Bottom Line: The U.S. electorate chose the populist, anti-establishment Donald Trump as president with unemployment at a multi-decade low of 4.6%. The message from the U.S. election, and the rise of anti-establishment parties in Europe, is that the electorate is restless, even with the post-Great Financial Crisis recovery now in its ninth year. Policymakers have heard the message, loud and clear, and are adjusting fiscal policy accordingly. Over the course of the next quarter, BCA's Global Investment Strategy expects the rapid rise in bond yields to peter out, but investors should use any bond rallies as an opportunity to reduce duration risk. BCA's House View calls for the 10-year Treasury yield to finish the year at about 3.25%.7 Our U.S. bond strategists expect the end-of-cycle level of the nominal 10-year Treasury yield to be between 3.3% and 3.5%.8 Does The U.S. Midterm Election Matter? The three-day government shutdown that ended on January 22 has hurt the chances of the Democratic Party in the upcoming midterm election. The Democrats' lead in the generic congressional ballot has gone from a high of 13% at the end of 2017 to just 9% today (Chart 7). As Chart 8 illustrates, this generic ballot has some predictive quality. However, it also suggests that for Democrats, the lead needs to be considerably larger than for Republicans to generate the type of seat-swing needed to win a majority in the House of Representatives in 2018. Chart 7Democrats Have Lost Some Steam Democrats Have Lost Some Steam Democrats Have Lost Some Steam Chart 8Democrats Need Big Polling Lead To Win Majority Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China There are three reasons for this built-in advantage for the Republican Party in recent midterm elections. First, the Republicans dominate the rural vote, which tends to be overrepresented in any electoral system that draws electoral districts geographically. Second, redistricting - or gerrymandering - has tended to favor the Republican Party in the past several elections. While the Supreme Court has recently struck down some of the most egregiously drawn electoral districts, the overall impact of gerrymandering since 2010 overwhelmingly favors the GOP. Third, midterm elections tend to have a lot lower voter turnout than general elections, which hurts the Democrats who rely on the youth and minority vote. Both constituencies tend to shy away from participation in the midterm election. Does the market care who wins the House and Senate? On the margin, yes. If the current GOP control of the White House, House of Representatives, and Senate were to be broken, markets might react negatively. It is often stated that gridlock has a positive effect on stock prices, as it reduces the probability of harmful government involvement in the economy and financial markets. However, research by our colleague Jonathan LaBerge, which we have recently updated, suggests otherwise. After controlling for the macro environment, gridlock between the White House and Congress is actually associated with modestly lower equity market returns.9 This conclusion is based on the past century of data. For most of that period, polarization has steadily risen to today's record-setting levels (Chart 9). As such, the negative impact of gridlock could be higher today. Table 1 illustrates the impact of four factors on monthly S&P 500 price returns. The first two columns demonstrate the effect on returns of recessions and tightening monetary policy, respectively, whereas the last two columns measure the effects of executive/legislative disunity and reduced uncertainty in the 12-months following presidential and midterm elections.10 The table presents the beta of a simple regression based on dummy variables for each of the four components (t-statistics are shown in parentheses). Chart 9U.S. Polarization Has Risen For 60 Years U.S. Polarization Has Risen For 60 Years U.S. Polarization Has Risen For 60 Years Table 1Divided Government Is, In Fact, Bad For Stocks Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China As expected, the macro context has a much larger impact on stock returns than politically driven effects. The impact of political gridlock is shown to be negative regardless of timeframe. The takeaway for equity investors is that, contrary to popular belief, political gridlock is not positive for stock prices after controlling for important macro factors. Absolute results are similarly negative, with the average monthly S&P 500 returns considerably larger during periods of unified executive and legislative branches (Chart 10). Intriguingly, the less negative constellation of forces is when the president faces a unified Congress ruled by the opposing party. We would reason that such periods force the president to compromise with the legislature, which constitutionally has a lot of authority over domestic policy. The worst outcome for equity markets, by far, is when the president faces a split legislature. In these cases, we suspect that uncertainty rises as neither party has to take responsibility for negative policy outcomes, making them more likely. Chart 10A Unified Congress Is A Boon For Stocks Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China In the current context, gridlock could lead to greater political volatility. For example, a Democratic House of Representatives would begin several investigations into the Trump White House and could potentially initiate impeachment proceedings against the president. But as we pointed out last year, impeachment alone is no reason to sell stocks.11 The Democrats would not have the ability to alter President Trump's deregulatory trajectory - which remains under the purview of the executive - nor would they be likely to gain enough seats to repeal the tax cut legislation. Yet given President Trump's populist bias, center-left Democrats could find much in common with the president on spending. This would only reinforce our adage that the political path of least resistance will tend towards profligacy. The only thing that President Trump and the Democrats in Congress will find in common, in other words, will be to blow out the U.S. budget deficit. Bottom Line: The chances of a Democratic takeover following the midterm elections have fallen, but remain at 50% for the House of Representatives. A gridlocked Congress is mildly negative for equity markets, taking into consideration that macro variables still dominate. Nonetheless, investors should ignore the likely higher political volatility and focus on the fact that President Trump and the Democrats are not that far apart when it comes to spending. China: The Reform Reboot Is Here And It Is Still Winter He told us not to believe the people who say it's spring in China again. It's still winter. - Anonymous Chinese government official referring to Liu He, the top economic adviser.12 The one risk to the BCA House View of a structural bond bear market - at least in the near term - is a peaking of global growth and a slowdown in emerging markets. The EM economies, which normally magnify booms in advanced economies, particularly in latter stages of the economic cycle, are currently experiencing a relative contraction in their PMIs (Chart 11). BCA Foreign Exchange Strategy's "carry canary" indicator - which shows that EM/JPY carry trades tend to lead global industrial activity - is similarly flashing warning signs (Chart 12).13 Chart 11EM Economies Underperforming EM Economies Underperforming EM Economies Underperforming Chart 12Yen Carry Trades Signal Distress Yen Carry Trades Signal Distress Yen Carry Trades Signal Distress At the heart of the divergence in growth between EM and DM is China. Beijing has been tightening monetary conditions as part of overall structural reform efforts, causing a sharp deceleration in the Li Keqiang index (Chart 13). In addition, the orders-to-inventories ratio has begun to contract, import volumes are weak, and export price growth is slowing sharply (Chart 14). Chart 13Li Keqiang Index Surprises Downward Li Keqiang Index Surprises Downward Li Keqiang Index Surprises Downward Chart 14China's Economy Weakens... China's Economy Weakens... China's Economy Weakens... The Chinese slowdown is fundamentally driven by politics. Last April we introduced a checklist for determining whether Chinese President Xi Jinping would "reboot" his reform agenda during his second term in office. We define "reform" as policies that accelerate the transition of China's growth model away from investment-driven, resource-intensive growth. Since then, political and economic events have supported our thesis. Most recently, interbank lending rates have spiked due to China's new macro-prudential regulations and monetary policy (Chart 15), and January's total credit growth clocked in at an uninspiring 11.2% (Chart 16). Tight credit control in the first calendar month typically implies that credit expansion will be limited for the rest of the year (Chart 17). A strong grip on money and credit growth is entirely in keeping with the three-year "battle" that Xi Jinping has declared against systemic financial risk.14 Chart 15...While Policy Drives Up Interbank Rates ...While Policy Drives Up Interbank Rates ...While Policy Drives Up Interbank Rates Chart 16January Credit Growth Disappoints... January Credit Growth Disappoints... January Credit Growth Disappoints... Chart 17... And January Credit Is The Biggest Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China In short, we have just crossed the 50% threshold on our checklist, confirming that China is indeed rebooting its reform agenda (Table 2). Going forward, what matters is the intensity and duration of the reform push. Three events at the start of the Chinese New Year suggest that the market will be surprised by both. Table 2How Do We Know China Is Reforming? Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China First, the National People's Congress (NPC), which convenes March 5, is reportedly planning to remove term limits for the president and vice-president, thus enabling Xi Jinping to remain as president well beyond March 2023. Xi was already set up to be the most powerful man in China's politics through the 2020s,15 so we do not consider this a material change in circumstances: the material change occurred last October when "Xi Thought" received the status of "Mao Zedong Thought" in the Communist Party's constitution and reshaped the Politburo to his liking. The point is that Xi's position is irresistible which means that his policies will have greater, not lesser, effectiveness as party and state bureaucrats scramble to enact them faithfully.16 Chart 18Crackdown On Shadow Lending Has Teeth Crackdown On Shadow Lending Has Teeth Crackdown On Shadow Lending Has Teeth Second, the Communist Party is reportedly convening its "Third Plenum" half a year early this year - that is, in late February and early March, just before the annual legislative meeting that begins March 5. This is a symbolic move. The third plenum is known as the "reform plenum," and this year is the fortieth anniversary of the 1978 third plenum that launched China's market reform and opening up to the global economy under Deng Xiaoping. However, the last time China convened a third plenum - in 2013 when Xi first announced his agenda - the excitement fizzled as implementation proved to be slow.17 As we have repeatedly warned clients, China's political environment has changed dramatically since 2013: the constraints to painful structural reforms have fallen.18 If the third plenum is indeed held early, some key decisions on reform initiatives will be made as we go to press, and any that require legislative approval will receive it instantly when the National People's Congress convenes on March 5.19 This will be a "double punch" that will supercharge the reform agenda this year. It is precisely the kind of ambition that we have been expecting. Third, one of the most important administrative vehicles of this new reform push, the Financial Stability and Development Commission (FSDC), has just made its first serious move.20 On February 23, China's top insurance regulator announced that it is taking control of Anbang Insurance Group for one year, possibly two, in order to restructure it amid insolvency and systemic risks. Anbang's troubles are idiosyncratic and have received ample media attention since June 2017.21 Nevertheless, China's government has just seized a company with assets over $300bn. Clearly the crackdown on the shadow financial sector has teeth (Chart 18). Anbang's case will reverberate beyond the handful of private companies involved in shadow banking and highly leveraged foreign acquisitions abroad. Beijing's focus is systemic risk, not merely innovative insurance products. The central government is scrutinizing state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and local governments as well as a range of financial companies and products. We provide a list of reform initiatives in Table 3. Table 3China Is Rebooting Economic Reforms Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China What is the cumulative effect of these three developments? Basically, they raise the stakes for Xi's policies dramatically this year. If Xi makes himself president for life, and yet this year's third plenum is as over-hyped and under-delivered as in 2013, then we would expect China's economic future to darken rapidly. China will lose any pretext of reform just as the United States goes on the offensive against Beijing's mercantilism. It would be time to short China on a long-term time line. However, it would also spell doom for our positive U.S. dollar outlook and bearish EM view. If, on the other hand, Xi Jinping couples his power grab with renewed efforts to restructure China's economy and improve market access for foreigners, then he has a chance of deleveraging, improving China's productivity, and managing tensions with the U.S. This is the best outcome for investors, although it would still be negative for Chinese growth and imports, and hence EM assets, this year. The next political indicator to watch is the March 5 NPC session. This legislative meeting will be critical in determining what precise reforms the Xi administration will prioritize this year. The NPC occurs annually but is more important this year than usual because it installs a new government for the 2018-23 period and will kick off the new agenda. In terms of personnel, there is much speculation (Table 4).22 Investors should stay focused on the big picture: four months ago, the news media focused on Xi Jinping's Maoist thirst for power and declared that all reform efforts were dead in the water. Now the press is filled with speculation about which key reformer will get which key economic/financial position. The big picture is that Xi is using his Mao-like authority in the Communist Party to rein in the country's economic and financial imbalances. His new economic team will have to establish their credibility this year by remaining firm when the market and vested interests push back, which means more policy-induced volatility should be expected. Table 4China's New Government Takes Shape At National People's Congress Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China The risk is that Beijing overcorrects, not that reforms languish like they did in 2015-16. Our subjective probability of a policy mistake remains at 30%, but we expect that the market will start to price in this higher probability of risk as the March political events unfold. As Liu He declared at Davos, China's reforms this year will "exceed the international community's expectations."23 The anti-corruption campaign is another important factor to monitor. In addition to any major economic legislation, the most important law that the NPC may pass is one that would create a new nationwide National Supervisory Commission, which will expand the Communist Party's anti-corruption campaign into every level of the state bureaucracy. In other words, an anti-corruption component is sharpening the policy effectiveness of the economic and financial agenda. In the aforementioned Anbang case, for instance, corporate chief Wu Xiaohui was stung by a corruption probe in June 2017 and is being tried for "economic crimes" - now his company and its counterparty risks are being restructured. The combination of anti-corruption campaign and regulatory crackdown has the potential to cause significant risk aversion among financial institutions, SOEs, and local governments. Add in the ongoing pollution curbs, and any significant SOE restructuring, and Chinese policy becomes a clear source of volatility and economic policy uncertainty this year that the market is not, as yet, pricing (Chart 19). On cue, perhaps in anticipation of rising domestic volatility, China has stopped updating its home-grown version of the VIX (Chart 20). Chart 19Market Expects No Political Volatility Yet Market Expects No Political Volatility Yet Market Expects No Political Volatility Yet Chart 20Has China Halted Its Version Of The VIX? Has China Halted Its Version Of The VIX? Has China Halted Its Version Of The VIX? We would not expect anything more than a whiff, at best, of policy easing at the NPC this March. For instance, poverty alleviation efforts will require some fiscal spending. But even then, the point of fiscal spending will be to offset credit tightness, not to stimulate the economy in any remarkable way. Monetary policy may not get much tighter from here, as inflation is rolling over amid the slowdown (Chart 21),24 but anything suggesting a substantial shift back to easy policy would be contrary to our view. More accommodative policy at this point in time would suggest that Xi has no real intention of fighting systemic risk and - further - that global growth faces no significant impediment from China this year. In such a scenario, the dollar could fall further and EM would outperform. We expect the contrary. We are long DXY and short EUR/JPY. We remain overweight Chinese H-shares within emerging markets, but we will close this trade if we suspect either that reform is a fig leaf or that authorities have moved into overcorrection territory. Otherwise, reform is a good thing for Chinese firms relative to EM counterparts that have come to rely on China's longstanding commodity- and capital-intensive growth model (Chart 22). Chart 21Monetary Policy May Not Tighten From Here Monetary Policy May Not Tighten From Here Monetary Policy May Not Tighten From Here Chart 22Tighter-Fisted China Will Hit EM Tighter-Fisted China Will Hit EM Tighter-Fisted China Will Hit EM Bottom Line: Xi Jinping has rebooted China's economic reforms. The new government being assembled is likely to intensify the crackdown on systemic financial risk. Reforms will surprise to the upside, which means that Chinese growth is likely to surprise to the downside amidst the current slowdown, thus weighing on global growth at a time when populism provides a tailwind to U.S. growth. What It All Means For South Africa And Emerging Markets We spent a full week in South Africa last June and came back with these thoughts about the country's economy and the markets:25 The main driving force behind EM risk assets, year-to-date, has been U.S. TIPS yields and the greenback (Chart 23). Weak inflation data and policy disappointments as the pro-growth, populist, economic policy of the Trump Administration stalled have supported the ongoing EM carry trade. The actual emerging market growth fundamentals and politics are therefore unimportant. Chart 23Weak Inflation And Dollar Drove EM Assets Weak Inflation And Dollar Drove EM Assets Weak Inflation And Dollar Drove EM Assets Chart 24Market Likes Ramaphosa, Unlike Zuma Market Likes Ramaphosa, Unlike Zuma Market Likes Ramaphosa, Unlike Zuma In the near term, South African politics obviously do matter. Markets have cheered the election of Cyril Ramaphosa to the presidency of the African National Congress (ANC), a stark contrast to the market reaction following his predecessor's ascendancy to the same position (Chart 24). However, the now President Ramaphosa's defeat of ex-President Jacob Zuma's former cabinet minister and ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was narrow and has split the ANC down the middle. On one side is Ramaphosa's pragmatic wing, on the other is Dlamini-Zuma's side, focused on racial inequality and social justice. Chart 25Chronic Youth Unemployment Chronic Youth Unemployment Chronic Youth Unemployment Chart 26Few Gains In Middle Class Population Few Gains In Middle Class Population Few Gains In Middle Class Population For now, the ANC bureaucracy has served as an important circuit-breaker that will limit electoral choices in the 2019 election to the pro-market Ramaphosa, centrist Democratic Alliance, and radical Economic Freedom Fighters. From investors' perspective, this is a good thing. After all, it is clear that if the South African median voter had her way, she would probably not vote for Ramaphosa, given that the country is facing chronic unemployment (Chart 25), endemic corruption, poor healthcare infrastructure, and a desire for aggressive, and targeted, redistributive economic policies. South Africa stands alone amongst its EM peers when it comes to its tepid rise in the middle class as a percent of the population (Chart 26) and persistently high income inequality (Chart 27). We see no evidence that the electorate will welcome pro-market structural reforms. Chart 27Inequality Remains Very High Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Politics Are Stimulative, Everywhere But China Nonetheless, Ramaphosa's presidency is a positive given the recent deterioration of South Africa's governance, which should improve as the new regime focuses on fighting corruption and restructuring SOEs. Whether Ramaphosa will similarly have the maneuvering room to correct the country's endemically low productivity (Chart 28) and still large twin deficits (Chart 29) is another question altogether. Chart 28A Distant Laggard In Productivity A Distant Laggard In Productivity A Distant Laggard In Productivity Chart 29Twin Deficits A Structural Weakness Twin Deficits A Structural Weakness Twin Deficits A Structural Weakness Will investors have time to find out the answer to those latter questions? Not if our core thesis for this year - that politics is a tailwind to U.S. growth and a headwind to Chinese growth - is right. In an environment where the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield is rising, DXY stabilizes, and Chinese economy slows down, commodities and thus South African assets will come under pressure. As our colleague Arthur Budaghyan, BCA's chief EM strategist, recently put it: positive political developments are magnified amid a benign external backdrop. Conversely, in a negative external environment, positive political transformations can have limited impact on the direction of financial markets. Bottom Line: Markets are cheering Ramaphosa's ascendancy to the South African presidency. We agree that the development is, all other things being equal, bullish for South Africa's economy and assets. However, the structural challenges are vast and we do not see enough political unity in the ANC to resolve them. Furthermore, we are not sure that the global macro environment will remain sanguine for long enough to give policymakers the time for preemptive structural reforms. To reflect the potential for a positive political change and forthcoming orthodox macro policies, we are closing our recommendation to bet on yield curve steepening in South Africa, which has been flat since initiation on June 28, 2017. However, we will maintain our recommendation to buy South African 5-year CDS protection and sell Russian, even though it has returned a loss of 17.08 bps thus far. We expect that Russia will prove to be a low-beta EM play in the next downturn, whereas South Africa will not be so lucky. On a different note, we are booking gains of 2525bps on our short Venezeulan vs. EM 10-yr sovereign bonds, as our commodity team upgrades its oil-price forecast for this year. Marko Papic, Senior Vice President Chief Geopolitical Strategist marko@bcaresearch.com Matt Gertken, Associate Vice President Geopolitical Strategy mattg@bcaresearch.com 1 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "Three Questions For 2018," dated December 13, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 2 Please see the Congressional Budget Office, "Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018," February 8, 2018, available at www.cbo.gov. 3 Please see BCA The Bank Credit Analyst Monthly Report, "March 2018," dated February 22, 2018, available at bca.bcaresearch.com. 4 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Monthly Report, "Introducing: The Median Voter Theory," dated June 8, 2016, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 5 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "Japan's Political Paradigm Shift: Investment Implications," dated December 21, 2012, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 6 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Monthly Report, "Is Abenomics The Future?" dated February 11, 2015, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 7 Please see BCA Global Investment Strategy Weekly Report, "A Structural Bear Market In Bonds," dated February 16, 2018, available at gis.bcaresearch.com. 8 Please see BCA U.S. Bond Strategy Weekly Report, "The Two-Stage Bear Market In Bonds," dated February 20, 2018, available at usbs.bcaresearch.com. 9 Please see BCA U.S. Investment Strategy Weekly Report, "A Party On The QE2," dated November 8, 2010, available at usis.bcaresearch.com. 10 We include the last factor in the regression because it could be that the market responds positively in the post-election period, irrespective of the election outcome, simply because political uncertainty is diminished. 11 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "Break Glass In Case Of Impeachment," dated May 17, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 12 Please see Tom Mitchell, "Xi's China: The Rise Of Party Politics," Financial Times, July 25, 2016, available at ft.com. See also BCA Geopolitical Strategy and China Strategy Special Report, "Five Myths About Chinese Politics," dated August 10, 2016, available at www.bcaresearch.com. 13 "Carry Canary" indicator tracks the performance of EM/JPY carry trades. These trades short the Japanese Yen and long an emerging market currency with a high interest rate (Brazilian real, Russian ruble, or South African rand), and as such they are highly geared to a positive global growth back-drop. Please see BCA Foreign Exchange Strategy Weekly Report, "The Yen's Mighty Rise Continues ... For Now," dated February 16, 2018, available at fes.bcaresearch.com. 14 The other two battles are against pollution and poverty. 15 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "China: Looking Beyond The Party Congress," dated July 19, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 16 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Weekly Report, "Xi Jinping: Chairman Of Everything," dated October 25, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 17 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Monthly Report, "Reflections On China's Reforms," in "The Great Risk Rotation - December 2013," dated December 11, 2013, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 18 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "China: Party Congress Ends ... So What?" dated November 1, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. 19 Consider that the standard political calendar would have called for Xi to make personnel adjustments at the second plenum (which was held in January), then to formalize those personnel changes at the legislature in March, and then to announce reform initiatives at the third plenum in the fall, leaving implementation until late in the year or even March 2019. Instead, all of this will be done by March of this year, leaving the rest of the year for implementation. 20 The Financial Stability and Development Commission was created last July at an important financial gathering that occurs once every five years. We dubbed it a "Preemptive Dodd Frank" at the time because of China's avowed intention to use it to tackle systemic financial risk. Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Weekly Report, "The Wrath Of Cohn," dated July 26, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com. The FSDC's purpose is to coordinate the People's Bank of China with the chief financial regulators - the banking, insurance, and securities regulatory commissions (CBRC, CIRC, and CSRC) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE). There is even a possibility under discussion (we think very low probability of happening) that the FSDC will preside above the central bank - though the precise organizational structure will remain unclear until it is formalized, probably during the March legislative session. 21 Anbang is part of a group of companies, including Foresea, Fosun, HNA, Ping An, and Dalian Wanda, that have been targeted over the past year for shady financial doings, corruption, excessive debt, and capital flight. In particular, Anbang was integral to the development of universal life products, which have been highly restricted since last year. These were not standard insurance products but risky short-term, high-yield shadow investment products. Investors could redeem them easily so there was a risk that purchasers could swamp insurance companies with demands for paybacks if investment returns fell short. This would leave insurance companies squeezed for cash, which in turn could shake other financial institutions. The systemic risk not only threatened legitimate insurance customers but also threatened to leave insurance companies unable to make debt payments on huge leveraged buyouts that they had done abroad. Anbang and others had used these and other shadow products to lever up and then go on a global acquisition spree, buying assets like insurance subsidiaries, hotels, and media/entertainment companies. The targeted firms are also in trouble with the central government for trying to divest themselves of China's currency at the height of the RMB depreciation and capital flight of 2015. They were using China's shadow leverage to springboard into Western assets that would be safe from RMB devaluation and Chinese political risk. The government wants outward investment to go into China's strategic goals (such as the Belt and Road Initiative) instead of into high-profile, marquee Western assets and brands. 22 Particularly over whether Xi Jinping's right-hand man, Liu He, will be appointed as the new central bank governor, to replace long-serving Governor Zhou Xiaochuan, and/or whether he will replace Vice Premier Ma Kai as chairman of the FSDC. It is important whether Liu He takes the place of central banker or chief reformer because those roles are so different. Making him PBoC chief would keep a reformer at the helm of a key institution at an important point in its evolution, but will raise questions about who, if anyone, will take charge of structural reform. Giving him the broader and more ad hoc role of Reformer-in-Chief would be reminiscent of Zhu Rongji at the historic NPC session in March 1998, i.e. very optimistic for reforms. Of course, Liu He is not the only person to watch. It is also important to see what role former anti-corruption czar Wang Qishan gets (for instance, leading U.S. negotiations) and whether rising stars like bank regulator Guo Shuqing are given more authority (he is a hawkish reformer). 23 Please see Xie Yu and Frank Tang, "Xi picks team of problem solvers to head China's economic portfolios," South China Morning Post, dated February 21, 2018, available at www.scmp.com. 24 Please see BCA China Investment Strategy Weekly Report, "Seven Questions About Chinese Monetary Policy," dated February 22, 2018, available at cis.bcaresearch.com. 25 Please see BCA Geopolitical Strategy Special Report, "South Africa: Crisis Of Expectations," dated June 28, 2017, available at gps.bcaresearch.com.