Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
- Job Creation and Destruction: Do Small, Medium, or Large Corporations Account for Job Growth?
- Ukraine Hryvnia Down 17% in Two Weeks as Run on Banks Intensifies; 7% of Bank Deposits Withdrawn in 3 Days
- Saxo Bank's Steen Jakobsen Warns of Global Economic Vacuum, China Slowdown, Germany Growth Negative, 30% S&P Correction
| Job Creation and Destruction: Do Small, Medium, or Large Corporations Account for Job Growth? Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:43 PM PST The hunt for jobs is on. But where is the job growth? Is job growth in small, medium, or large corporations? Unfortunately, that question is insufficient to answer the question. One must also factor in job destruction and the closing of businesses. With that in mind, please consider the Wall Street Journal report: Say It Together: Young Businesses, Not Small Ones, Drive Job Growth It's not size that matters — at least when it comes to job creation. The age of the company is a bigger factor.Small or Large vs. New The above article says job growth is not small vs. large, but rather old vs. new. But what about job destruction? Job Creation and Destruction by Firm Age and Size To help answer the question, please consider the following interactive map from Tableau Software. Tableau Chart of Job Creation vs. Destruction  The above Tableau interactive map is from The Pattern of Job Creation and Destruction by Firm Age and Size by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Here is a snip. Colors represent age categories, and the sizes of the dot represent size categories. So, for example, the biggest blue dot in the far northeast quadrant shows the average rate of job creation and destruction for firms that are very young and very large. The tiny blue dot in the far east region of the chart represents the average rate of job creation and destruction for firms that are very young and very small. If an age-size dot is above the 45-degree line, then average net job creation of that firm size-age combination is positive—that is, more jobs are created than destroyed at those firms. (Note that the chart excludes firms less than one year old because, by definition in the data, they can have only job creation.)Appearances vs. Reality It's not small vs. large but rather old vs. new in conjunction with small vs. large. But what about the influence of regulations, of unions, of Fed policies, of local taxes, federal taxes, and currency manipulations everywhere one looks? Since regulations and tax laws overwhelmingly favor large corporations over small corporations (thanks to huge campaign contributions from the former vs. latter), I ask a simple question: Are the Wall Street Journal and Fed reports totally worthless? Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
| Posted: 26 Feb 2014 10:36 AM PST Ukraine's currency, the Hryvnia, has fallen nearly every day for two weeks straight. US$ vs. Hryvnia  On February 13 the Hryvnia went for 8.41 to the US dollar. Today it sells for 10.15 to the US dollar. That is a decline of 17.14% in two weeks. Ukraine Seeks Help From IMF Reuters reports Ukraine Asks IMF for Help on New Financial Aid Program Ukraine has asked the International Monetary Fund to help prepare a new financial aid program, its central bank chairman said on Wednesday, adding that the new government would soon have its own anti-crisis program ready.7% of Bank Deposits Withdrawn in 3 Days CNBC reports Risk of a Bank Run Heightens in Ukraine Fears of a bank run in Ukraine are rising, as central bank reserves sink and some 7 percent of bank deposits were lost in just 3 days. The lead sentence in the above article is a bit curious. A run on Ukrainian banks has clearly started. The fear is not that a run starts, but rather that it does not soon stop. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
| Posted: 26 Feb 2014 12:45 AM PST Steen Jakobsen, chief economist at Saxo Bank in Denmark, sent an interesting email yesterday regarding China, Germany, the European debt crisis, and equity prices. Steen is one of the speakers at Wine Country Conference II, May 1-2 in Sonoma, California. What follows is from Steen, I dispense with my usual blockquote style for ease in reading. Economic Vacuum China's flag is waving strongly these days, the direction of the economic- and political winds have changed but the present multitude of macro changes is yet to be recognized by consensus and the market. My conclusion is this:
The changes will during 2014 mean that:
I simply believe that China leads the world. They took the burden of world growth in their hands during the peak of the crisis in 2008/09 through the biggest fiscal expansion ever seen (550 billion US Dollars), then they increased their investment to GDP ratios securing export orders for major European and US exporters until late 2013, but since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee in November 2013 the main objectives for the political elite in China have changed from growth and export to rebalancing, fighting graft, reducing pollution and betting a small crisis now is better than a big one later. I have already spent considerable amount of ink explaining why China is proactively seeking a small crisis rather than a big one and how China can no longer afford to keep its investment to GDP levels excessive but now China seems to have engaged in a fundamental change to its FX rates – attempting to weaken the CNY [Yuan]. China is a long term critic of Abenomics and the ensuing devaluations as Japan and Korea remains its key competitors in the export market, but until last week China held their FX tight and tightening but now things have changed:  Source: Bloomberg LLP & Saxo Bank With the present geopolitical tension between China and Japan this chart is cause for concern for all of us: China no longer will play 'nice', they are this time ignoring "best practice" of playing paying lips service to the US-Sino relationship. Clearly Obama once again receiving the Dalai Lama in the White House is not helping the situation. That the rally in USD-CNY happened almost to the day Obama hosted the Dalai Lama is of course a pure coincidence! (They met Friday February 20th!) China is not happy these days: The domestic economy needs rebalancing with the risk for upsetting the population and the bureaucrats. Overseas, Japan's Abe is insisting on a stronger Japan, the US is clearly ignoring China advice on the Dala Lamai and overall the G-20 meeting had the developed world blaming the recent slow-down on the EM. Not a good month for monetary coordination and friendly summits. The political crisis is biting ironically at a time where stock markets across the world is reaching 5, 7, and in the case of the UK 14 year highs! My old economic theory: The Bermuda Triangle of Economics is still in place: Slow growth, high unemployment and high stock market valuations kept in place by a policy where the 20% of the economy which is the listed companies and banks gets 95% of all credit and access to subsidies while the 80%, which creates 100% of all jobs, the SME's [Small and Medium Enterprises] get less than 5% of credit and less than 1% of the political capital. Markets and monetary policy It's the weather! The reason for the disappointing start to 2014 is all to do with the big cold in the US – well partly, I think most investors/pundits forgets that data coming in for December, January really was "born" 3,6, and 9 month before due to that specific times change in outlook, interest rates and the overall cycle. The slow-down in housing was "expected" in our models as I have constantly conveyed it to you through my economic co-op on econo-physics it has to do with spike in rates in mortgage rates between May and August 2013. The US Consumer must have known the weather would be bad already last summer looking at this chart of Retails Sales:  The US consumer remains 2/3 of the economy but he is still conservative: Spending rose 2.0% in 2013 after 2.2% and 3.4% in 2012 and 2011. This is mainly due to low wage growth. Since 2010 the Average after tax income adjusted for inflation have only been 1.6%. To reach the magic 3% growth we will need wages to grow 3% on their own! Not likely to happen in world of excess capacity, but never the less the pundits started the year with a 2.9% average expected growth for 2014. One month into the year, revisions came pouring in as Q1 is already reduced from 2.3% to 2.0%. The blockbuster Q4 growth of 3.2% is now expected to come in at 2.4% only! One has to laugh at how imprecise these measures are – we watch them, take decisions on them but ultimately their reliability is really only valid six months past the first announcement. Talk about reverse engineering! Strategy Fixed income: Still see new lows in 2014 – mainly in Q4- into Q1-2015. ETF flow into fixed income has been +16 billion US Dollars year to date, could be largest inflow since 2002! I mainly like US and Core Europe although Italy and BTP's have done well with the power change from Letta to Renzi. The bet on rates down goes back all the way to last year. [Expected] Dividend yield @ 1.89% vs. [current] 2.72% still attracts my money. Equity: We have had a call for peak in Q1 – admittedly I did not expect 1840 to be broken, but my partner in Economo-physics still see chance of 1870/90 before top is in place. I submit our updated November 2013 forecast which slightly corrected still stands – The risk reward is now wrong: Upside is 50 S&P points vs. 500 points down-side. Remember a 20/30% correction happens every 4-5 years – a 10% correction twice on average in 'normal year'.  FX: Overall the US Dollar should soon find support. The best long term gauge of the US dollar is World Growth minus US Growth. Why? Because US dollar is the reserve currency and often the currency of choice in trade. When the world growth is slowing (now…) then the US and the US Dollar needs to pull ahead to fill the gap. This is one of the catalysts we need to monitor over the next week or two as the US Dollar Index is right on its support line:  Conclusion: The world economic flags is still almost in vacuum but some countries are now changing the position of the flag pole to get better wind conditions. Safe travels, Steen Thanks Steen! Wine Country Conference II Want to hear a live discussion of what Steen Jakobsen thinks about Europe and China? Then come to the second annual Wine Country Conference which will be held May 1st & 2nd, 2014. We have an exciting lineup of speakers for this year's conference.
In addition, we expect confirmation from a number of other highly respected fund managers and speakers. This year's event is two days and will include additional "break-out" groups. For speaker bios, please check out Wine Country Conference Speakers. This Year's Cause: Autism $100,000 of the money raised last year came from a generous matching grant from the John P. Hussman Foundation. Some of us in the industry who have done well are making an effort to help others. John Hussman is at the very top of that list. One of John's kids has severe autism. This year, all net proceeds will go to support autism programs. Conference Details For further details about the 2014 conference, please see Wine Country Conference May 1st & 2nd, 2014 Nothing Like It! This event is not just another "come and hear someone talk" kind of thing. Attendees and their significant others can expect an educational, fun, and relaxed time. Last conference, we arranged wine tours. They were a big hit. We will do so again. One of the wine estates we visited had a Bocce Ball court. On a couple of miracle shots, I won both games I played. Stay an extra day and golf or travel. I did. The conference hotel is a fun place in and of itself. Unlike many other conferences, you will have easy access to speakers. Want to chat with me, Steen, John, or anyone else at the conference? You will have an easy chance. Not only do we have an excellent lineup of speakers, you will have an opportunity to meet with them, have intimate discussions on important investment topics, with a lot of fun on the side, including wine tours and great wine. There's nothing like it in the investment business. And your money goes to a great cause! What can be better? Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
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