Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Big Money In Equities: "Central banks shift into shares as low rates hit revenues"

If the C-banks become the market are they then both the smart money and the dumb money?
From the Financial Times:
June 15, 2014 6:43 pm
Central banks around the world, including China’s, have shifted decisively into investing in equities as low interest rates have hit their revenues, according to a global study of 400 public sector institutions.

“A cluster of central banking investors has become major players on world equity markets,” says a report to be published this week by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (Omfif), a central bank research and advisory group. The trend “could potentially contribute to overheated asset prices”, it warns.

Central banks are traditionally conservative and secretive managers of official reserves. Although scant details are available of their holdings Omfif’s first “Global Public Investor” survey points out they have lost revenues in recent years as a result of low interest rates – which they slashed in response to the global financial crisis.

The report, seen by the Financial Times, identifies $29.1tn in market investments, including gold, held by 400 public sector institutions in 162 countries....MORE
From a Feb. 2008, i.e. Pre-Lehman collapse, post:

Doom and Gloom: What Can the Federal Reserve Do?
...The question arises "Can the fed intervene in the Equities Markets?"
Again, two answers. 1) It's definitely something Central Bankers have thought about. 2) The Fed may need some enabling legislation which they would probably get if they requested it.
The FT reported February 21, 2002 "Japan Suspected of Stock Market Intervention".
A Google search finds 700 references to the "Stock Buying Body".
Here's a pungent one:

"We must halt this fall in shares. It's like diarrhea, we must stop it. The stock-buying body was set up precisely to absorb such selling (offloading of cross-shareholdings by banks). If February is such a month, there is no excuse for not functioning at that crucial time."Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokaw – Feb 7
More relevant to the American markets are a couple Fed papers, the first of which is astounding for its frankness:

Monetary Policy When the Nominal Short-Term Interest Rate is Zero. 
...