Keep Moving

“Move your hands, move your feet!”
-Tim Taylor
 
Tim Taylor was at the helm Yale Hockey for 29 years. His legendary career in American hockey has included coaching the US Olympic Team. Most importantly, he is one of the highest integrity men in the game, so it’s always easy to quote him. When I was thinking about what to do with our ‘Hedgeye Portfolio’ into Thursday and Friday’s +11% and +5% intraday squeezes, I couldn’t help but think of what my mentor would say, “Mucker, keep moving…”
 
If you are in cash, it better be the US denominated kind, because other than Chinese Yuan and Japanese Yen, no other currencies of consequence worked last week. In Asia, 8 out of the 10 currencies factored into my macro model closed down again last week, and currencies levered to commodity prices (Canada, Australia, Brazil, etc…) all continued to fortify their negative down “Trend.” While I had been calling for the “Beware Of The Squeeze” (www.researchedgellc.com, 11/12) “Trade” in Asian and US stock markets, there were two critical assumptions associated with that call: 1. Always keep a “Trade” a trade and 2. Never mistake a “Trade” opportunity in one asset class for that in another.
 
The negative intermediate “Trend” in both commodities and foreign currencies continues to be negative. In the end, this augurs well for trading opportunities in equity markets, particularly those that are building positive immediate term “Trade” momentum, like China. Chinese stocks couldn’t care less about whether or not Goldman’s Lloyd Blankfein pays himself this year. They got the memo on him paying himself size ($70M) at the peak of the “it’s global this time” mania, and they have no reason to trust him or his cronies at “Investment Banking Inc.” anytime soon.
 
China closed up another +2.2% last night, taking the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite to 2030. Irrespective of the S&P500 losing another -6.2% of its value last week, China’s stock market has appreciated +15.4% in her last 6 trading days. China’s government is “moving her feet” by cutting taxes, spending stimulus, and playing with confidence. This is all part of “The New Reality.”
 
Our new Managing Director of Macro Research, Daryl Jones, is lobbying his Washington contacts hard to get “The New Reality” Investment Theme for 2009 penciled in as a capitalist version of Roosevelt’s “New Deal”,  but we aren’t making any promises! Someone sent me an angry crackberry email a while ago suggesting that I must think I could do a better job than Hank “The Market Tank” Paulson has… and upon further review… I think I could! Remember, when we consider an economic scenario within our macro models, what happens on the margin is what matters to us most. Since I don’t think anyone could have been more compromised or conflicted than the ex-CEO of Goldman Sachs was, it’s actually pretty easy to envision doing something better than horrendous. Dear President Obama, “moving Hank’s feet” out the door is at the top of my list of US market squeeze catalysts that you can inspire, immediately.
 
While we aren’t calling for another one today or tomorrow, there are other formidable macro squeeze catalysts to keep in the back of your head. If you watched and listened to Obama very closely last night on “60 Minutes”, you’ll have concluded that he, like Roosevelt, is going to be in it to win it for the first “100 Days” of his Presidency. Obama will have a stimulus package for homeowners of his own to slap on the tape. He will also have Osama (remember him) “smoked out of his hole.” Dear Mr. President, our only advice is to “keep moving…”
 
In the face of the negative “Trend” in commodities is a global deflation of the most relevant geo-macro weapon of mass destruction – the price of oil. This morning, Russia is trading off another -3.3%,. Fully loaded with Middle Eastern stock markets imploding, and Ahmadinejad’s Iranian inflation rate bloating (+30% y/y), this is all part of one big fat positive geo-macro catalyst that ObAmerica could potentially inherit. Does it mean run out and buy Russian stocks? I think the answer to that is the easiest one we can answer. The globally auto correlated stock market mania hath ended folks. Winners and losers are going to be born out of “The New Reality”. In order to proactively prepare for it, you’re going to have to trade this market and keep “moving your hands” and “moving your feet.”
 
The invested exposures in our ‘Hedgeye Asset Allocation’ model were reigned in on Friday. We had 12 position changes - they were all sales. The better part of our selling came in US Equities, where we took the +11% squeeze and locked in some performance. We are longer International Equities than we are US ones right here, primarily because China is the best looking liquid long player on the ice. We like winners who keep moving their feet.
 
Good luck out there this week,
KM
 
Long ETFs
 
EWA –iShares Australia --Australian retail sales increased 0.1 % from Q2, which was weaker than anticipated by economists polled. The spread between Australian 3 month interbank rates and overnight indexed swap rate contracted to 32 basis points, the narrowest since Sept. 4.  Lion Nathan (EWA: 0.38%), announced a $7.5 billion AUD cash and stock bid for Coca-Cola Amatil which has been rejected by Amatil’s management. James Hardie Industries (EWA 0.26%), suspended its first- half dividend after earnings dropped 26 % for Q2.
 
EWG – iShares Germany --Deutsche Bank (EWG: 2.92%) won regulatory approval to acquire a 30% stake in Deutsche Postbank AG (EWG: 0.25%). On the heels of last week’s Q3 loss figures Hypo Real Estate Holding (EWG: 0.15%) guided lower for 08/09 -``We are predicting an extremely negative consolidated result'' for 2008,
 
FXI –iShares China --The Ministry of Finance announced tax rebate increases of up to 13% on exports of Aluminum plates and strips beginning in December (this follows the announced increased rebate for bars and rods also  scheduled to commence next month). Zhuzhou Smelter Group , the largest Chinese zinc smelter, announced an immediate  20% output reduction on low demand.
 
 
Short ETFs
 
UUP – U.S. Dollar Index --The FDIC is considering a revision to the $1.4 trillion debt-insurance program to address concerns that interbank overnight loans may no longer be competitive with foreign market rates.
 
EWW – iShares Mexico – Petroleos  Mexicanos management announced it is considering an external oil E&P contract for deepwater projects or its onshore Chicontepec development . Legislation introduced last month makes this possible for the first time, although partner firms will not own the oil or book the reserves.
 
EWJ – iShares Japan --Japan officially entered a recessionary period as announced GDP contracted by  0.4 % in Q3  which, following  a Q2 reduction of 3.7%.  Fitch placed Toyota Motor (EWJ 5.61%) on Negative Ratings Watch; Toyota currently holds an AAA long term rating. Honda (EWJ: 2.13%) was also downgraded by Fitch from A+ “Positive” to “stable”. 
 
FXY – CurrencyShares Japanese Yen Trust  --The dollar weakened to 96.43 yen as of 6:45 am.