Salient to Investors: Ben Inker writes: Capitalism should cause the return on capital to be in line with the cost of capital, and assets with similar risks should offer similar long-term returns. Equities should trade at replacement cost, and the long-term return to equities should be approximately the same as
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Jeremy Grantham writes: The world, in its reckless use of resources and natural systems, shows many of the indicators of potential failure that brought down many prior civilizations. However, we have two saving graces that may save us – declining fertility rates and progress in alternative energy.
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: William Pesek writes: Japan has taught us that slashing interest rates to zero and beyond is much easier than returning them to normalcy. In Japan, credit spreads mean little, the underlying assets on which they are based are drugged up on monetary stimulants, bank balance sheets get muddied, it
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The IMF said: Budget deficits in advanced economies will narrow at a faster pace in 2013 than in 2012 even as countries including the US and Japan lack clear plans to reduce their debt. Fiscal shortfalls will shrink to 4.7 percent of GDP in advanced nations in 2013, the narrowest
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The IMF says: The global economy will expand 3.3 percent in 2013 versus its 3.5 percent forecast in January, and 4 percent in 2014. The euro area will contract 0.3 percent in 2013 versus its forecast of a 0.2 percent retreat in January. Expect a 3-speed recovery led by emerging
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Frederic Neumann at HSBC said it will be very difficult for the G-20 to be critical of Japan because Japan has ultimately only done what the US, UK, and Europe have implemented – Japan is justified because something needed to be done to revive growth. Gao Xiqing at China Investment Corp
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Canada, the 11th largest economy, is being hobbled by weak global demand. Avery Shenfeld at CIBC World Markets said the Canadian numbers show no silver lining whatsoever. Robert Kavcic at Bank of Montreal said as bad as the headline was, there was not much below the surface to make it better,
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Ryan Sweet at Moody’s Analytics said global markets are holding up well even as Europe struggles, and domestic demand is improving in the US which will increase imports. The median economists expects China growth to rise to 8.1 percent in 2013. Read the full article at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-05/trade-deficit-in-u-s-unexpectedly-narrows-on-lower-oil-imports.html Click here to
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: A. Gary Shilling at A. Gary Shilling & Co. says 5 of the 7 varieties of deflation are present in the US economy. Commodity price deflation will continue as oversupply continues to swamp demand amid weak global growth and a hard landing in China, which remains export-driven. The slow global
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Paul Farrell writes: We are at a market top and an economic turning point. Bernanke’s non-stop cheap-and-easy-money printing presses are loved by Wall Street banks but are bad for the rest of America. His reappointment – certain to become Obama’s greatest domestic blunder – so shocked Nassim Taleb
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