CoreMacro

The crucial question for 2023 is: will the US and UK Beveridge Curves shift back inwards to their pre-pandemic versions, ushering in a soft landing? Or, will we slide down the new post-pandemic Beveridge Curves into recession? Plus: we reveal the most important chart for Europe and the most important chart for China in early 2023.

Why will Chinese consumer spending recover but not its industrial sectors? Will China's reopening boost the global business cycle and inflation? How fast will US core inflation fall and what are the implications for corporate profits? Are global equities pricing in enough bad news/profit contraction?

Special Report

China’s semiconductor demand and imports will continue to contract in 2023H1. Despite economic reopening, Chinese consumers will hold back spending on smartphones, personal computers (PC) and other consumer electronics over the next six months. Meanwhile, overseas customers will continue to reduce their orders for electronic goods made in China following the excessive consumption experienced during the pandemic. There is more downside for both Chinese and global semiconductor share prices. We recommend a relative trade: long Chinese semiconductor stocks / short global semi stocks.

Special Report

This digest version of our Special Report contains its conclusion along with a high-level review of how we reached it. It is structured identically to the full document, but with less than half the word count, so a reader can swiftly absorb the punch line while easily moving between the versions to zoom in on the details most relevant to his/her process.

India’s lofty EPS growth expectations are set for a major disappointment. The RBI has overtightened monetary policy despite the absence of any genuine inflationary pressures in India. Fiscal stance is also restrictive. Stay underweight this bourse in EM and Emerging Asian equity portfolios.

Special Report

Workers have a cyclical wind at their backs as labor demand exceeds supply, but a wage-price spiral is no more than a remote possibility. The structural backdrop has turned significantly against them since the last bout of high inflation 40-plus years ago and they are no longer price makers.

Special Report

Find out the latest updates of our Combined Mechanical Valuation Indicators (CMVIs) and our Rotation Maps.

Relative to beaten-down expectations, global growth will surprise on the upside in 2023. Investors should overweight equities for now but look to turn more defensive in the second half of the year.

How to play China's reopening? What are the dichotomies in the performance of China's plays in financial markets? Why has the Chinese central bank tightened liquidity since October and what has been the impact on local rates and the RMB? Is global growth about to bottom? What is the outlook for EM stocks, currencies, credit markets as well as the broad-trade weighted US dollar?

China's economic recovery will be led by consumer spending on services rather than the industrial sector. The current equity market leadership – outperformance by tech stocks – is unsustainable. Persistent deflationary forces will compel policymakers to inject more liquidity and bring down interest rates to reflate the economy. Hence, the RMB will resume its decline against the USD soon.