Wednesday 7 February 2018

Coutts say the stock markets are all right

Well, Coutts say all sorts of things, don't they? Should we believe them? 'I believe them, boss.' Yes, Voice, but what do you know ... about anything?

Anyway, I got a PR email from Coutts. And, uh ... Sven Balzer has some thoughts ...

This week's stock market falls show a much needed market correction after a long period of strong performance, and little more. Global economic growth remains strong and there are no signs of a US recession, which usually heralds a wider sell-off.

Thank God for that!

At Coutts we think this is a short-term development and, with our highly diversified portfolios and funds, stand ready to take advantage of any opportunities that may arise.

Nice one!

Since Friday, equity markets have reversed direction and given up all of January's gains. The selling intensified overnight on Monday in the US and Asia, and we have seen markets falling further this morning.

Uh, yesterday morning. Yes, I'm afraid this email is from yesterday. God knows what the situation is now! 'Well, can't you check, boss?' Er ... in theory, Voice, yes, I could check, but ... 'What's the problem?!' I'm just too lazy these days. 'Christ! All you've got to do is go to a financial news website.' Yeah, yeah, but I try to avoid those, these days. 'Why?!' Listen, the readers know what's happening. The readers aren't idiots, man.

In our view, this is a short-term correction driven by technical factors rather than concerns about the underlying economic picture or corporate health. While this can be unnerving for investors, we see a robust economic and corporate environment that should continue to support equities.

But this ain't news, you see? It's comment. And comment from utter Coutts, which must be worth something ... ?

Right, there's stuff about positive growth indicators. Let's skip that and go straight to the summary -

We see markets undergoing a long overdue, albeit sharp, correction. This is very healthy. After over a year of low volatility which made investors desperate for such a correction - we finally have one. While it is human nature for investors to become cautious in the midst of volatility, this sell-off is unlikely to lead to an economic downturn or affect corporate health.

Okay, okay. Everything is fine.

This is not a time to panic. Coutts portfolios and funds are highly diversified and we have cash at hand to take advantage of the opportunities that these short-term sell offs can bring to the surface. We will continue to monitor the situation very closely and will keep you updated regularly.

Okay, okay. Thanks, Coutts! / There's nothing to worry about. And they will keep us updated.

...

Anything else? No.