Week of July 15 2016 Weekly Recap & The Week Ahead
Monday, July 18th, 2016“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” – John F. Kennedy
1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party’s Landslide Victory — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its Komeito allies won a stronger majority in Japan’s Upper House election, in a development that will make it far easier to push through his economic agenda. “It is likely that a large-scale economic stimulus program, in the magnitude of at least ¥10T (2% of GDP), will be implemented,” Societe Generale said in a research note.
2. BoE Weighs Curbs On Property Funds — the Bank of England is weighing a raft of emergency measures to stem the flood of money out of Britain’s biggest property funds that caused fresh market panic last week, the Sunday Telegraph reports. These could include “enforced notice periods before redemptions, slashing the price for investors who rush to the door, or additional liquidity requirements for funds.”
3. Hague Tribunal Rejects Beijing’s Claims in South China Sea — backing a case brought by the Philippines, an international tribunal has ruled against Chinese claims to rights in the South China Sea, citing a lack of evidence that the country “historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or their resources.”. Although no U.N. peacekeeping forces are expected in the region, it can tarnish Beijing’s image as it will be looked at as a unilateral actor if it goes against the international community. Beijing has reiterated it will ignore an unfavorable court ruling on its South China Sea maritime claims, warning neighbors it would “take all necessary measures” to protect interests there.
4. Germany Sells First Negative Yield 10-year Bunds — Germany has sold 10-year Bunds with a zero percent coupon, issuing benchmark debt with a negative yield for the first time in history. The €4.038B sale came with a yield of -0.05%, meaning that investors who hold the paper until maturity in August 2026 will receive back less money than they paid.
5. Theresa May Elected as New UK Prime Minister, Assembles Her New Cabinet — Theresa May appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said the country will move swiftly to set broad goals for its new relationship with the EU. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson has been appointed as foreign secretary, fellow Brexiteer David Davis will be May’s Brexit “Tsar,” while former Defense Secretary Liam Fox has been handed the job of establishing new trade links.
6. AAII Bullish Sentiment Increased As Index Makes New High — AAII bullish sentiment increased this week from 31.1% up to 36.9%. It’s the highest weekly reading since early March. At 36.9%, bullish sentiment is still below its bull market average of 39.95%, and has been below 40% for 37 straight weeks! Also, S&P 500 has made a new all-time high and historical average return over the next 12 months courtesy of BIG.
The week ahead — Economic data from Econoday.com: