Big Bonds

08/17/12 09:26AM EDT

BIG BONDS

CLIENT TALKING POINTS

BIG BONDS

Keith appeared on CNBC’s Fast Money Halftime Report yesterday and discussed why he’s shorting the S&P 500. In a nutshell, August feels a lot like March. And In March, we went bearish on stocks and bullish on bonds. Thus, we are a buyer of Treasuries and have maxed out our fixed-income asset allocation to 33%. It’s increasingly looking like we’re due for a reversal in equities, especially with the VIX coming precariously close to 13. Short SPY, Long TLT is the name of the game.

MITT’S OUTCOME

Our Director of Research Daryl Jones wrote an interesting piece this morning comparing the (slight) edge that President Obama has compared to Mitt Romney in terms of the polls and the electoral college. The battleground states that Romney will essentially need to win include: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Wisconsin may come easier with the addition of Ryan to the ticket. Jones sees voter engagement as a key factor that gives Republicans an edge. This election cycle, the Republicans are certainly giving it their all in an effort to get Romney into office.

A USA Today / Gallup poll earlier this week which showed that 74% of Republicans are thinking “quite a lot” about the election, while only 61% of Democrats are doing the same. You never know, but that could make all the difference.

CAN YOU FIX SPAIN?

Doubtful. Though the 2-year bond yield slide a few basis points (see our State of the Day below), there’s no economic growth occurring in the country. The IBEX is up +7% over the last three days and is up a whopping +30% in less than a month. That’s short term market rallying, but Keynesian stimulus can only go so far for so long. Spain’s long-term TAIL risk line remains intact at 7835 (resistance).

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ASSET ALLOCATION

Cash:                  Flat

U.S. Equities:   Flat

Int'l Equities:   Flat   

Commodities: Flat

Fixed Income:  UP

Int'l Currencies: Flat   

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TOP LONG IDEAS

JACK IN THE BOX (JACK)

This company is transitioning from cash burn to $75mm annual free cash flow generation thanks to completion of a reimaging program and refranchising of JIB units. Qdoba is the leverage; a maturing and growing store base will bring higher margins. We see 8.5% upside over the next 6-9 months.

  • TRADE:  LONG
  • TREND:  LONG
  • TAIL:      LONG            

FIFTH & PACIFIC COMPANIES (FNP)

The former Liz Claiborne (LIZ) is on the path to prosperity. There’s a fantastic growth story with FNP. The Kate Spade brand is growing at an almost unprecedented clip. Save for Juicy Couture, the company has brands performing strongly throughout its entire portfolio. We’re bullish on FNP for all three durations: TRADE, TREND and TAIL.

  • TRADE:  LONG
  • TREND:  LONG
  • TAIL:      LONG

LAS VEGAS SANDS (LVS)

LVS finally reached and has maintained its 20% Macau gaming share, thanks to Sands Cotai Central (SCC). With SCC continuing to ramp up, we expect that level to hold and maybe, even improve. Macau sentiment has reached a yearly low but we see improvement ahead.

  • TRADE:  LONG
  • TREND:  NEUTRAL
  • TAIL:      NEUTRAL

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THREE FOR THE ROAD

TWEET OF THE DAY

“We have to find ways to encourage non-violence, compassion and respect for others’ rights to achieve a better world in the future.” -@DalaiLama

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are - that is the fact.” – Jean-Paul Sartre

STAT OF THE DAY

Spain’s two-year note yield slid 24 basis points, or 0.24 percentage point, to 3.75 percent

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