IMF Economist Sees Two-Speed Recovery In 2011

IMF Economist Sees Two-Speed Recovery In 2011

(RTTNews) – A two-speed economic recovery will be extended into 2011 with rich nations facing weak growth and emerging markets moving ahead with strong recovery, according to IMF’s chief economist Olivier Blanchard.

In an interview to the Fund’s online magazine, IMF survey, Blanchard noted that along with their strong rebound, emerging economies will be facing tough challenges like managing possible overheating and capital flows. At the same time, growth in advanced economies will remain low, barely enough to bring down unemployment.

“The two-speed recovery, low in advanced countries, fast in emerging market countries, is striking and its features are increasingly stark. They will probably dominate 2011, and beyond,” Blanchard said.

He also warned that countries will be risking a healthy recovery in the absence of continued focus on rebalancing their economies in the coming year, including structural measures and exchange rate adjustments.

Countries with excessive budget deficit must rely more on external demand or exports. And, by symmetry, surplus countries, many of them emerging markets, must do the reverse, shift from external demand to domestic demand and reduce their dependence on exports, the economist noted.

Regarding the economic prospects of low-income countries, he said recovery in trade and high commodity prices have bettered economic conditions in these nations. Private domestic demand also remained quite strong

Source: http://marketpin.blogspot.com/

M&A tops $2.2 trillion in first yearly rise since 2007

M&A tops $2.2 trillion in first yearly rise since 2007

LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters) – Mergers and acquisitions rose for the first year since 2007, potentially marking the start of a new, multiyear M&A cycle in which emerging economies account for a bigger share of global dealmaking.

Thomson Reuters data showed announced M&A grew nearly a fifth this year, to $2.25 trillion globally. The preliminary figures show emerging markets made up a record 17 percent of transactions, and energy was the busiest sector.

Next year could be busier still. Executives, bankers, big investors such as Schroders, and analysts at banks including Credit Suisse, Nomura, and Societe Generale are among those predicting a further rise.

Cheap debt, record cash piles, the need to outpace sluggish economic growth, and positive market reactions to many deals in 2010 should embolden companies to strike more deals, they say.

“We feel M&A volumes will improve next year, there’s certainly going to be more cross-border activity than ever, and Asia — again — will be a bigger part of the equation,” said Scott Matlock, chairman of international M&A at Morgan Stanley .

Deutsche Bank , the world’s fifth-busiest merger adviser, said next year could bring a bigger rise.

“The increase in M&A activity in 2011 should exceed that of 2010,” said Henrik Aslaksen, Deutsche’s global head of M&A.

“There’s more confidence, there’s ample liquidity, financing costs are attractive, and there’s an intense focus amongst corporates to identify growth opportunities,” he added. “The pipeline is very broad-based. It’s not just confined to one to two sectors.”

Senior executives on average expect $3 trillion of M&A next year, a recent Thomson Reuters/Freeman survey found.

GOLDMAN LEADS

That means 2011 could be the second of several years of rising deals — earlier this year Citi analysts said the world was “in the foothills” of a new M&A cycle. These cycles typically last years: the last peaks came in 2000 and 2007.

Bankers say a combination of cheap stocks, as measured by price-to-earnings ratios, and even cheaper debt means many deals would offer a big boost to earnings.

The optimism comes despite a slower fourth quarter and the worst spate of withdrawn deals since the height of the credit crisis: two collapsed BHP Billiton deals, in Canada and Australia, alone cut $100 billion from M&A volumes.

Jeffrey Kaplan, global head of M&A at Bank of America Merrill Lynch , said it was still “challenging to get deals done,” despite “good momentum going into 2011 for both corporate and private equity activity.”

With about a fortnight to go, Morgan Stanley is lagging archrival Goldman Sachs , after beating it to the No. 1 ranking last year for the first time in 13 years.

Goldman Sachs, under M&A head Gordon Dyal, has advised on $513.1 billion of deals to Morgan Stanley’s $499.5 billion.

‘LAND-GRAB’

Emerging markets deals hit a record $378 billion, while developed markets lagged. Global M&A increased 19 percent, while U.S. M&A rose 11 percent and activity in Europe climbed 5 percent.

Colin Banfield, Citigroup’s head of M&A for Asia-Pacific, said currency rates were aiding the region’s companies, which were growing “more ambitious” and contemplating bigger deals.

But aside from several major telecommunications tie-ups in the developing markets, and the odd banner deal such as Chinese carmaker Geely’s purchase of Volvo from Ford, many deals from newer markets were aimed at securing resources or technologies.

“We’re still in the early days of emerging markets M&A,” said Matlock at Morgan Stanley.

“When it gets really hot is when people decide they want to buy and build truly global multinational corporations, and we’re not there yet. It’s more focused on acquiring natural resources or on opportunistic deals.”

Energy and power was the year’s busiest sector, with a near-40 percent rise in announced deals to $482 billion, followed by the financial and basic materials sectors.

Asian companies including China’s Sinopec Corp and Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production struck deals that ranged from buying stakes in oil fields to Korea National Oil Corp’s hostile takeover of Britain’s Dana Petroleum.

“Asian players, led by China, are making a land-grab for resources to fuel their economies for many years into the future,” said Jeremy Wilson, co-head of natural resources at JPMorgan .

Emerging Market Equity Fund Inflows Exceed $6 Billion in Week, EPFR Says

Emerging Market Equity Fund Inflows Exceed $6 Billion in Week, EPFR Says

Overseas investors pumped the most cash into emerging-market equities since late 2007 in October and Asia bond funds attracted more capital on further signs growth in developed nations is slowing, according to EPFR Global.

The equity funds received net inflows of more than $6 billion in the week ended Oct. 6, the biggest amount in 33 months, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based research company said in an e-mailed statement. Investors added $1.1 billion to funds dedicated to emerging-market debt, it said. They took out $3.2 billion from U.S. stock funds, the most in five weeks.

Inflows are breaking records since EPFR started tracking the data in 1995 on speculation central banks will join Japan’s monetary easing, releasing more capital that can be invested in higher-yielding assets. The Bank of Japan cut its benchmark interest rate to near-zero on Oct. 5, while the European Central Bank yesterday left borrowing costs at 1 percent, unchanged since May 2009.

“Liquidity is really ample, driving equities higher,’ said Chu Moon Sung, a fund manager at Shinhan BNP Paribas Asset Management Co. in Seoul, which manages about $28 billion. Rate policies “should continue to boost asset prices and money inflows into emerging countries will continue.”

Keeping His Promise, Bernanke Says Fed “Will Do All That It Can” To Boost Economy

Keeping His Promise, Bernanke Says Fed “Will Do All That It Can” To Boost Economy

The U.S. economy “remains vulnerable to unexpected developments” and growth is “less vigorous than we expected,” Ben Bernanke said Friday at the Fed’s annual Jackson Hole confab.

As a result, the Fed “will do all that it can” to support the economy, he said, including “provide additional monetary accommodation through unconventional measures if its proves necessary.”

At the top of Bernanke’s ‘tool box’ are “additional purchases of longer-term securities,” including Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities.

In sum, Bernanke defended the Fed’s Aug. 10 decision to start buying Treasuries again and pledged to do more, if necessary, to boost the economy.