Global Warning from Economic Warming?

The threats keep coming, Russia, Syria, Brexit, Inflation, trade wars, radioactivity, Middle East and Korea. The IMF report and the Global Financial Stability report did not help allay my concerns, instead, it added to them. Add to that, 75% of the ultra rich say a recession is likely in the next two years.

IMF

They even said: “Financial vulnerabilities, which have accumulated during years of extremely low rates and volatility, could make the road ahead bumpy and could put growth at risk.”

“Valuations of risky assets are still stretched, with some late-stage credit cycle dynamics emerging, reminiscent of the pre-crisis period… This makes markets exposed to a sharp tightening in financial conditions, which could lead to a sudden unwinding of risk premiums and a repricing of risky assets” they added.

World Debt

Add to this that the world debt is at a record $164 trillion, just as EU, UK and US Central Banks are raising rates.

GDP Growth

And there is more, GDP growth is set to slow in 2019 compared to 2018.

Interest Rates

Combine with this, rising rates, as warned by the likes of Goldman Sachs, and you have an explosive mix potentially.

Oil

What would possible reason with growth on the cards worldwide OPEC and Russia have to cut supply? It’s hard to work out any reason and so the price of oil would bubble up would be the logical deduction. You only have to look at oil consumption, and China and India are the second and third largest consumers to know combined with their GDP growth rates, demand is in place.

And now for good news

Well, Goldman Sachs is not worried. The CEO of the firm says it looks ‘awfully good’. UBS thinks the risks will start in 3 years. They like Goldman Sachs do not see a trade war coming.

UBS put well: “Global equities are supported by solid earnings growth. US companies, which make up about half of the global stock market, are benefiting from tax relief and a new fiscal spending package. By price-to-earnings ratio, the global stock valuation is slightly below long-term average. We remain overweight Eurozone versus UK stocks. Given their cyclical sector composition and high operational leverage, Eurozone companies are well placed to benefit from robust global demand, while UK firms should lag other regions in terms of earnings growth. We are also overweight emerging market (EM) versus Australian stocks.

What I love about big banks is when they are direct. UBS certainly were that:

Traders at brokers such as 24option are able to use ‘long’ and ‘short’ positions and it is times when the fear of falls rises, that the ability to short comes in handy.

Alpesh B Patel (@alpeshbp) –Alpesh is a hedge fund manager and Author of Trading Online (Financial Times). He is a partner to 24option (FX Empire Best Educational Broker 2017) who offer CFD trading on forex, stocks, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies.

The content of this article constitutes Marketing Communication and does not qualify as Investment Advice or Investment Research. This article is produced by Alpesh Patel. Any views or opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of 24option. The article is of a general nature and does not take into consideration individual readers’ personal circumstances, investment experience, and current financial situation. 24option accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.