Investment Strategy Second Quarter 2015 Economic Outlook US – solid growth but Europe – near its inflation is lagging low but slow going We expect the US economy to further strengthen in 2015, supporting a pickup in GDP growth to 3.0%, up from 2.4% in 2014. Increasing investment is the primary driver, with segments like communications equipment and information processing looking particularly strong, growing at around 10%. Residential investment continues to recover adding 8% in 2015 while the strongest segment in non-residential construction is commercial and healthcare which is growing by 16%. The worst part of the economy relates to oil. We’ve already witnessed a 27% fall in the number of US drilling rigs deployed in 2015 which we think will contribute to a fall in mining and petroleum investment of 30%. Despite solid growth, inflation remains stubbornly low. There is still excess capacity available in the US economy. With unemployment at 5.5%, wages growth is low and this is putting little upward pressure on inflation. The GDP deflator in 2015 should be only 1.2%. Core inflation (excluding food and energy) should be only 1.7%. The headline CPI inflation rate should actually be negative and may be as low as -0.4%. 2 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 The European Central Bank (ECB) began its program of Quantitative Easing during the quarter. This meant that the ECB began purchasing Euro denominated public sector securities in the secondary market. They also continued purchasing asset backed securities and covered bank bonds. The combined monthly purchases of public and private sector securities will amount to 60 billion euros, with the program to continue into late 2016. Thereafter, the program will be maintained until the ECB sees a sustained adjustment in the path of inflation which is consistent with their aim of achieving inflation rates below but close to 2.0%. The European Union statistician Eurostat estimates that real GDP grew by 0.3% in the final quarter of 2014 which was slightly higher than previously anticipated. The ECB staff estimate that the Euro area will see annual GDP grow by 1.5% in 2015, 1.9% in 2016 and 2.1% in 2017. These estimates have been revised upwards from those published in December 2014. Eurostat says that European area inflation was -0.3% in 2015. They think this will rise to an average of 0.0% in 2015, then recover to 1.5% in 2016 and 1.8% in 2017. These estimates are slightly lower than the estimates in December 2014. China – growth in services and consumption We think that the Chinese economy will grow at around 7% in calendar 2015 supported by strong fixed asset investment growing at 14.5%. The Chinese economy is becoming less industrial based. We think that retail sales growth at about 12% will outpace growth in industrial production at about 7%. China’s oversized industrial sector is giving a little away to make space for growth in Chinese service production. Nevertheless, 2015 should be another good year for Chinese merchandise exports which are estimated at US$2.48 trillion, against imports of US$2.02 trillion, generating a trade balance of US$0.466 trillion. China is still adding significantly to its foreign exchange reserves year on year. In the long term, China will need to move from a current account surplus to a balance. A higher real exchange rate than this will lead to a higher level of Chinese imports relative to exports. This strong RMB policy will continue to support both imports and domestic demand. Australia – more rate cuts required The December quarter national accounts showed that the Australian economy is still soft. Year-on-year GDP growth was a seasonally adjusted 2.5% in 2014. The Australian economy needs to be growing by at least 3.0% for growth in employment to equal growth in the labour force. Until the economy reaches that level of growth, unemployment will continue to drift up. The weakness in the Australian economy is caused by a decline in gross fixed capital formation. This is because mining investment is falling after the end of the mining boom. The void in mining investment needs to be replaced by investment in residential construction. As we go through calendar 2015, we expect higher levels of residential construction will generate higher levels of employment growth, lifting the economy out of the current growth recession. We think that Australian GDP growth will rise from 2.5% in 2014 to 3.2% in 2015 before settling to 3.0% in 2016. The relatively high level of employment above 6.3% means that wages growth is continuing to slow. This lower wages growth should lead to lower core inflation in the Australian economy. This lower core inflation should allow the RBA to make further rate cuts. We think there will be between one and three more rate cuts in calendar 2015. Low interest rates are necessary to generate enough domestic investment to absorb the current level of unemployed. Stockmarkets – trading ahead of fundamentals The fall in oil prices has led to a fall in the earnings of ‘big oil’ companies listed on the US equities market. This led to a fall in quarterly operating earnings per share for the S&P500 for the fourth quarter of 2014. Prior to the earnings season, these earnings were estimated at $US30.89 per share. When the earnings season finally arrived, these operating earnings came in at a surprisingly low US$26.80 per share. This meant that 12 month operating earnings per share for the S&P500 finished at US$112.82 in Q4 2014. We think this moves to US$112.30 in Q1 2015. This gives us a moderate fair value of the S&P500 based on operating earnings and 10 year bond yield of only 1820 points. We do believe that operating earnings per share for the S&P500 will move up again in 2015. Still, even with this rise in fair value, our current fair value for the S&P500 in December 2015 is only 1902 points. With the S&P500 trading at 2100 points, it is moderately overvalued. This is nowhere near high enough to suggest a major selloff, but it does suggest that most of the movement in US equities this year will be sideways, rather than up. The situation is similar in the Australian market for equities. Australia saw a relatively flat earnings season in March 2015. The result of this earnings season suggests that operating earnings per share for Australian companies will be basically stable with little upside throughout calendar 2015. Our current fair value for the Australian market stands at 5,690. With the market currently trading close to 6,000 points, there remains limited further upside in Australian shares in the short term. Watch Chief Economist Michael Knox outline his thoughts on current investment conditions with Senior Analyst Tom Sartor. http://www.morgans.com.au/videos/economic-outlook-2015 have fallen from 3.8% a year ago to only 2.5% now. A further fall in bond yields would increase the fair value of our model of Australian equities, however we caution that such upside is a function of ultralow rates and not a strengthening economy. The good news is that 10 year bond yields have fallen dramatically since last year. Australian 10 year bond yields The Chicago Fed National Activity Index confirms that US economic growth is steadily trending upwards. 1.0 above trend 0.0 trend Our modelling suggests that most of the movement in equities this year will be sideways, rather than up. -1.0 -2.0 below trend -3.0 -4.0 -5.0 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 Source: Chicagofed.org, Morgans Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 | 3 Asset Allocation Asset allocation explained Morgans approach explained Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) is the process of allocating funds between asset classes to optimise investors’ return objectives and risk tolerance with long-run capital market expectations. It is perhaps the most important, but one of the most overlooked aspects of wealth management. Morgans takes a systematic approach to SAA. We first determine where investing conditions sit within the economic cycle with respect to the relative attractiveness of each asset class. We then apply recommended longer term Benchmark allocations per asset class. Within portfolios, actual allocations have scope to vary by up to 10-15% around Benchmark allocations. These ‘Tactical Tilts’ represent an investing bias generated by shorter term drivers. Here we take into account: The essence of SAA is diversification. Spreading investments across different types of assets can smooth out higher and lower return variations that occur through the economic cycle. This balances long-term return and risk objectives. The asset classes The four main asset classes are Equities (shares), Income Assets, Property and Cash. Within Income Assets we include Listed Income Securities (hybrids), Government Bonds, Corporate Bonds and Term Deposits. SAA simply provides a framework for how they should be integrated within portfolios. §§ the economic cycle §§ key forecasts for growth, interest rates and inflation, and §§ risks to these forecasts. Morgans reviews its SAA settings quarterly in conjunction with Investment Strategy, thus ensuring a stable risk profile. Inflation rises OVERHEAT wth COMMODITIES Cyclical Value BONDS Defensive Growth CASH Defensive Value REFLATION Yield curve steepens moves belo w trend STOCKS Cyclical Growth wth Gro Yield curve flattens Gro mo ves abov e tr end RECOVERY STAGFLATION I n fl a tio n f a ll s Source: Fidelity, Morgans 4 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 The economic cycle We find it useful to reference the economic cycle when explaining our approach. Fidelity’s well known ‘Investment Clock’ separates the economic cycle into four phases based on the strength of economic growth and inflation. This illustrates the relative attractiveness of various asset classes, which tend to outperform others at various stages of the economic cycle. We use this as a guide only and note that not all phases of each economic cycle are the same. Recovery stage, but not without risk We continue to believe that global markets are in the early stages of the Recovery phase as governments continue to adjust interest rate settings to promote economic growth. In 2015, the US economy is set to record its best sustained growth since before the global financial crisis. This is a strong driver for US trading partners including Australia. However, while Equity and Income Asset markets have been very strong in early 2015, there are several areas of concern for us: §§ global inflation is stagnant, despite the best attempts of central governments §§ subsequently the growth recovery has been slower than expected §§ excess liquidity is driving asset prices well above fundamentals §§ prices for Income assets and high yield Equities look stretched and hence unsustainable, and §§ this suggests that risk in some asset classes is being mispriced. With interest rates at ultra-low levels, the point we’re making here is that investors are facing unprecedented market conditions. It’s clear the era of low rates is driving abnormal premiums on particular assets. We’re concerned that this dynamic cannot continue indefinitely, and, that when interest rates do eventually normalise, then capital values will face significant risk. Speculation on the timing of US interest rate rises has created market volatility on several occasions. The dilemma facing investors is that we just don’t know when the adjustment may happen. Income investors in particular cannot afford to sit out of markets earning negative returns after inflation waiting for genuine growth to reassert itself. We aren’t making wholesale changes to our investing strategy but we do highlight the need for investors to tread cautiously though 2015. Recommended asset allocations and active tilts The Recovery stage of the economic cycle is supportive of reducing allocations to defensive assets in favour of increasing exposure to assets which capture the early stages of economic growth. This includes a higher allocation to Equities incorporating small positions in early stage cyclical stocks in retail, technology and industrials. However what we are witnessing is currently the slowest recovery from a major recession on record in the US, coupled with a ‘multispeed’ global economy. We see little reason why inflation won’t continue to stay at low levels and think that upward movement on interest rate settings in the US will occur more slowly than expected. This will continue to support defensive and high yield assets, until a global recovery gains more momentum. We are reluctant to allocate higher weightings to growth assets (equities) versus income assets until the recovery is broader based, but are conscious of the premiums at which Income Assets are trading versus fundamentals. Given the upward re-pricing in Income assets and Equities through the first quarter of 2015, and coupled with the systemic issues above, we have made several changes to our Tactical Tilts to reflect a more defensive stance on asset markets. We have lifted our cash tilt to -3% (from -6%) and lowering our equities tilt from +11% to +8%. Benchmark long term Asset Allocations and Tactical Tilts Conservative Moderate Balanced Assertive Aggressive Tactical Tilts Equities 11% 22% 40% 59% 74% 10% Property 4% 8% 10% 11% 11% Income Assets 49% 40% 30% 18% 9% -6% Cash 36% 30% 20% 12% 6% -4% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% Source: Morningstar, Morgans Morgans recommended Asset Allocations inclusive of Tactical Tilts 100% 80% 32% 24% 60% 40% 20% 34% 43% 4% Conservative Equities 8% 12% 11% 2% 3% 11% 10% 8% 21% 0% 26% 16% 69% 84% 50% 32% Moderate Property Balanced Income Assets Assertive Cash Aggressive Source: Morningstar, Morgans Quick views per Asset class Equities Economic conditions in the US and Australia remain in equity friendly recovery mode, however we are cautious that some segments are mispricing risk at current levels. Listed Property REITs should retain their premiums while interest rates fall however we’re very cautious about capital values should interest rates normalise earlier than expected. Listed Fixed Interest Some bank issued securities do offer genuine value. However, an increase in volatility, combined with a resumption in new product issuance in 2015 is likely to cap near term upside. Government Bonds Prices have continued to rally as expectations around the pace of global interest rate normalisation have tempered. We retain an underweight call given retail investors can access term deposits at comparable returns (or better) with government guarantees up to $250k. Term Deposits Deposit rates continue to decline as the market prices in the expectation of lower cash rates for longer. The premium being paid to investors on one year term deposits above the one year swap continues to erode. Cash Market expectations are for a downward rates trajectory through 2015. Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 | 5 Investment Themes We continue to structure our investing strategies around core and tactical themes: Leverage superior growth in the US Further weakening of the Australian dollar §§ Lower for longer interest rates sustaining premiums for reliable dividend payers §§ A preference for leverage to superior growth dynamics in the US §§ Further downward pressure on the Australian dollar, and §§ Premiums for stocks offering capital management and/or M&A optionality. The US is currently the locomotive of global growth providing opportunities linked to improved consumer spending, stronger housing and export growth. It’s difficult to find such compelling economic drivers elsewhere. Australia sets to benefit from stronger US growth, however it will take time to navigate the transition from mining, back to housing and services led growth. China looks stable, however its own transition toward consumer led growth makes stock selection here more difficult. Meanwhile Europe looks anaemic. Updated macro-economic fundamentals support further AUD weakness towards Michael Knox’s revised target of 72 cents, namely: Lower Australian interest rates for longer Given the risks of rising unemployment in the Australian economy, we expect a further 1 to 3 cuts in the cash rate by the RBA through 2015. Coupled with our view that rate rises in the US will occur more slowly than expected, this should prolong the dynamics supporting the premiums in high yield equities. The equity premiums in utilities, property trusts, banks and high yield industrials look set to be sustained well into 2015. However we are cognisant that interest rates will eventually normalise and that a rapid unwind could hit some stocks being priced more like bonds than equities (e.g. utilities). That said, our Income Strategy as reflected in our Income Equity Model Portfolio focusses on companies capable of sustainably growing their dividends, rather than those just attracting the yield arbitrage. Select financial stocks fit into this category. Morgans’ International Strategy publication details offshore investing opportunities ranging across direct share ownership (including global franchises like Amcor, Brambles and Macquarie Group), ETFs, LICs and managed funds. Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) offer low cost exposure to offshore market indices. The Vanguard US Total Market ETF (VTS) offers the simplest proxy to a US market index. Betashares’ FTSE US 1000 ETF (QUS) is similar, but offers higher returns at equivalent risk. Magellan’s Global Equities Fund (MGE) targets much higher returns from an actively managed strategy, reflected in higher fees. §§ the US is growing faster than Australia §§ US unemployment is trending lower §§ US equity earnings are growing faster §§ Australian bond yield premiums are narrowing, and §§ the US Fed will raise rates ahead of the RBA. Add to this Australia’s deteriorating terms of trade due to lower commodity prices and it’s clear that downward pressure on the AUD will remain. A lower AUD provides a boost for Australian exporters (mining, agriculture, manufacturing), service industries and industrials with strong offshore franchises translating profits (and dividends) back into AUD. We expect key offshore industrials to continue to enjoy EPS and share price momentum. Betashares’ US Dollar ETF (USD) offers the simplest direct exposure to the US dollar, which we recommend investors consider as an alternative hedge to holding cash in Australian dollar terms. Capital management and M&A optionality Prudent cost management and a focus on cash flow generation were again dominant themes throughout the February reporting season. This continued the recent trend where companies capable of generating strong cashflows, and returning the surplus to shareholders in the form of higher dividends command market premiums. Notable examples include Telstra, Wesfarmers and Suncorp. Key equity market themes and how to play them Macro themes Australian rates lower for longer Superior growth offshore International exposure via ETFs Weakening in the AUD Capital management or M&A potential TLS, TCL, SYD, Banks, REITs MQG, AMC, BXB VTS, QUS, MGE USD (ETF), MQG, QBE TLS, SUN, WES, Major miners Tactical themes Brace for higher volatility Adjust to the lower oil price environment Rise of the emerging market middle class The E-commerce and online boom Australia’s ageing population Source: Morgans 6 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 Key exposures Retain spare cash OSH, WPL SEK, SYD, CWN SEK, DMP, IPP CGF, REG Weak nominal GDP growth and a low cost of capital mean firms are increasingly considering M&A and asset divestments. In a market with range-bound global interest rates, we advocate tactical positioning into potential targets or stocks unshackling underperforming assets including Oil Search, M2 Group and Challenger Group. The correction in the Aussie dollar also adds spice to the potential targeting of Australian companies by offshore predators. ASX Performance versus global volatility We also continue to position around several tactical themes Source: IRESS, Morgans Bracing for higher volatility The inevitable normalisation of global interest rates could easily trigger market volatility given the abnormal drivers of recent market strength. Volatility surged several times in 2014 at the merest suggestion of an uptick in bond yields. Higher volatility threatens the re-pricing of market risk leading to lower returns. Crucial for investors in this environment we believe is: §§ to hold higher than usual levels of cash §§ to constantly monitor portfolio risk and §§ to moderate expectations of future returns. Markets may feel great, but we caution investors not to become complacent about capital value. The impacts of lower oil pricing The potential impacts of the lower oil price can be spun in both positive and negative ways. What is certain is that the shock will have huge reverberations, take many months to unfold and elevate investor uncertainty in the 6100 40 5900 35 5700 30 5500 5300 25 5100 20 4900 15 4700 10 4500 4300 Jun-13 Sep-13 Dec-13 Mar-14 ASX200 Index meantime. We remind investors that the best time to accumulate exposure to energy stocks is when they are making slim profits rather than super-profits. We believe that Oil Search and Woodside offer compelling direct exposure to our anticipated normalisation of oil markets, but that investors need to hold a 1-2 year timeframe. The rise of the emerging market middle class In Asia alone, 525 million people already rank in the middle class, more than the European Union’s total population. Over the next two decades, the middle class is expected to expand by another three billion people, coming almost exclusively from the emerging world including Asia and India. This offers up enormous opportunities within sectors where Australia has natural advantages including gas exports (energy demand), agribusiness (food demand), tourism (travel) and education (up-skilling). The e-commerce/technology revolution We hear many successful company CEO’s talking about Jun-14 Sep-14 Dec-14 Mar-15 5 CBOE Market Volatility how benign economic drivers are being outpaced by the evolution of technology in areas including: §§ mobility §§ the ‘internet of things’ (connected devices) §§ big data, and §§ cloud computing. Huge opportunities are being won by first movers into disruptive technologies, online and ‘e-commerce’ penetrating into traditional retail, advertising, education and employment markets. The best exponents include SEEK and Domino’s Pizza. Servicing Australia’s ageing population It is predicted that over the next 40 years the proportion of the Australian population over 65 years will almost double to around 25%, increasing demand for services within the healthcare (Ramsay Health Care), retirement accommodation (Regis Healthcare) and wealth management industry (Challenger Group). Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 | 7 Shares Treading cautiously through 2015 Australian shares have enjoyed a stunning start to 2015. While this strength may feel great at face value, the underlying market drivers actually give us cause to feel very cautious. It’s clear that recent market strength is linked to downward pressure on risk free (interest) rates, supporting high yield equities. Remember that interest rates have not been this low in anyone’s lifetime – a situation we think is unsustainable. Several other elements also add to our caution: §§ global inflation (and growth) remains low despite years of economic stimulus and ultra-low interest rates §§ excess liquidity is helping to fuel the pricing of many asset classes rather than productive returns on those assets, and §§ economic imbalances in Australia after the mining boom risk the current era of uninterrupted growth. It’s clear that the current dynamic cannot continue indefinitely and that when global interest rates do eventually rise then capital values will face significant risk. The dilemma facing investors is that we just don’t know when the adjustment may happen and income investors cannot afford to sit out of markets earning negative returns (after inflation) waiting for genuine growth to reassert itself. of cost cutting initiatives should position businesses well for when economic growth returns, allowing for margin expansion as well as top line growth. Further devaluation of the AUD and the low interest rate environment should help drive a broader domestic recovery. However, we are still waiting for the wave of infrastructure construction projects to emerge, driven by government spending and PPP’s, which would kick East coast economic growth into gear. Our point here is that we are living through unprecedented times. We aren’t changing our investing strategy but we are highlighting the need for investors to tread cautiously though 2015. We believe companies leveraged to residential building activity (both new build and renovations) should remain strong with housing starts at a ten year high. Other companies leveraged to tourism, education services, logistics and manufacturing should also be impacted positively, helping to drive some earnings growth. Industrials While we have previously discussed the patchy outlook for industrial companies given the flat economy and weak consumer spending, we believe recent economic stimulus (RBA rate cut and falling oil price) will begin to positively impact (non-mining) industrial stocks in the coming 12 months. In the meantime we still stand by our view that years However, we think the clear outperformers will be those stocks generating strong offshore earnings which enjoy the translation benefits of a weakening AUD (Slater & Gordon), and those March quarter relative sector performance Banks Financials-x-A-REIT Consumer Discretionary Utilities Healthcare ASX200 Index A-REIT Industrials Telecoms Small Ordinaries Consumer Staples Resources Energy -10% Source: IRESS, Morgans 8 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 -5% 0% 5% 10% 15% stocks leveraged to the entrenched economic recovery underway in the US (Brambles). Healthcare Early 2015 has seen the Healthcare sector move broadly in line with the ASX200 after significant outperformance in 2014. The strong sector thematics (ageing population, medical innovation and public sector outsourcing), focus on ‘defensive growth’ and likelihood for continued AUD weakness should continue to attract investors into the sector through 2015. Anticipation of the May Budget may see some weakness creep into domestic Healthcare names (like Primary Healthcare and Sonic Healthcare) until clarity around any changes are known. The strong share price performance in Ansell may be an opportunity for investors to re-balance positions and Sirtex remains overvalued post the failure of its clinical trial. Ramsay Healthcare and Resmed remain our High Conviction calls. Telco Further falls in Australian interest rates should support defensive telecommunications stocks like Telstra. That said, we did moderate our Telstra recommendation back to a Hold for valuation reasons when the stock hit a 13 year high in February. We believe that single digit dividend and earnings growth across the sector are comfortably achievable and that the key telco stocks remain a crucial part of any portfolio. However we do feel that short term valuations are slightly stretched. We are comfortable owning the sector and recommend selectively adding to exposures on any weakness. The National Broadband Network rollout is now gaining scale. This combined with competitive conditions have resulted in ongoing consolidation. Telstra’s recent bid for Asian based Pacnet was followed by the fourth largest household Internet Service Provider, TPG Telecom, bidding for the second largest player, iiNet. TPG’s bid for iiNet has met some resistance but we still think the deal is likely to proceed. The combined group would have ~26% market share which would knock Optus from its #2 perch but remains well below Telstra’s ~51% market share. The combined group would be a sizable competitor generating annualised EBITDA in excess of A$800m. Our preferred telecommunications picks are NextDC and BigAir. Banks Multiple interest rate cuts are looking increasingly likely in Australia through 2015 which should see the major banks well supported. Key banking dynamics are unlikely to change in the coming year. We expect reasonably subdued growth in property lending and accelerated mortgage repayments to result in subdued net property credit growth and modest business lending. We also expect relatively subdued business lending, although the M&A cycle is picking up which is a positive lead indicator. We expect tight management of interest margins (with some improvement due to lower funding costs) and finally tight cost control delivering low single digit profit growth. Our preferred picks reflect where we expect credit growth to come from. The performance of Australian credit growth remains mixed with business lending being subdued and property lending varying greatly across different geographies. Sydney and Melbourne are performing strongly with property prices up 12% and 8% respectively during 2014. Queensland and Adelaide reported 4-5% growth in property prices while Perth eked out 2% growth for the year. With this in mind we prefer Commonwealth Bank which is both Australia’s largest property lender and has the most relative exposure to Sydney and Melbourne property prices. We also favour ANZ Banking Group for its exposure to Asian lending and its undemanding valuation. We expect that tight management of interest rates and costs will deliver low, single digit profit growth for the banks. Morgans large cap High Conviction stock performance (last 12 months) Sold positions avg. TSR = 8% (abs) Held positions TSR = 15% 35% 25% 15% 5% -5% -15% SUN AZJ BHP STO SHL HVN SEK OSH SUN FLT SYD CWN TPI TLS CGF CSL BXB ORG OSH SGP TCL SEK RHC ANZ MQG RMD FDC -25% Source: Morgans Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 | 9 Shares Diversified financials Financials stocks surged in the first quarter of 2015. Gains were led by our sector high conviction stock Macquarie Group (up around 35%), which we remain positive on in the medium-term. Macquarie is enjoying solid earnings momentum which will be aided by further devaluation in the Australian Dollar given 65% of MQG’s earnings are derived offshore. Several themes are in play in the sector: §§ the emergence of a more competitive environment for the domestic general insurers (Suncorp and Insurance Australia) §§ solid earnings momentum for stocks with offshore earnings; §§ the ongoing shift of superannuation funds to retirement phase (positive for Challenger Group), and §§ improving markets and fund flows for offshore managers. With improving US growth and a falling AUD, we expect fund managers with an offshore focus to continue to perform well, including Magellan Financial Group and BT Investment Management. We maintain a neutral view on General Insurers given the increasingly competitive environment in domestic general and commercial insurance. Whilst we regard Suncorp Group as a solid portfolio holding, our stock view is neutral given the growth headwinds from here. For those with a higher risk appetite, QBE Insurance has commenced its turnaround and there is scope for the group to return to a higher dividend payout ratio over the coming 12-18 months. Resources Resources stocks trended flat in the first quarter due to some commodity price relief, although this has proved only temporary. A weakening Australian dollar is a natural buffer for domestic producers and a far more competitive services market is helping the miners to lower costs. We continue to remain neutral on the sector. Our core strategy remains the accumulation of BHP Billiton on weakness whilst collecting c5-6% fully franked yields. Dividends are paid in US dollars so investors will enjoy a currency kicker in 2015 coupled with shares in the planned South32 demerger, scheduled for completion by mid-2015. The energy sector has been hit hard since late 2014 on sharply lower oil prices. The market is now discounting companies with poor cash costs and balance sheets and removing any premiums applied to companies with potential for upside surprise on cashflow or dividends, let alone growth. Oil companies are now cutting planned capital expenditure including deferring projects and exploration. We believe that oil pricing will improve once the US dollar stabilises into mid 2015, assisted by the normal seasonal 10 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 demand increase. Only the lowest cost produces will garner investor support in the interim. We think that Oil Search offers the best risk-adjusted return should we see an oil price recovery. Woodside and Origin Energy both offer some protection in a declining oil price environment, but offer lower leverage to an oil price recovery. Consumer staples and discretionary The state of the consumer is always very topical and is often used as a barometer for the state of the broader economy. Whilst the March monthly consumer sentiment reading dropped slightly, this is still 9.2% above the December lows and back to levels seen before the Federal budget in May last year. While broader sentiment indicators are sitting only slightly below average, the consumer is still fragile and we have witnessed this in the recent earnings results of Myer and Kathmandu. Both apparel retailers delivered significantly lower profit numbers versus last year, having to discount further to drive sales. The sharp fall in the AUD is also a headwind for retailers. Most are hedged through 2015 after which they will have to lift prices (or lower product quality) or suffer margin pressure. Lifting prices amid fragile consumer confidence will be difficult, hence we believe that margins will be squeezed across the sector. Lower fuel prices, further interest rate cuts, and a buoyant housing market do offer potential stimulus to consumer spending, although these are balanced against poor wage inflation, possible Government spending cuts and a questionable unemployment outlook. On this front, we continue to maintain a market weight exposure to consumer staples and a clear preference for Wesfarmers. We also favour those retailers exposed to the strong housing segment such as Harvey Norman and Beacon Lighting. We also maintain a preference for speciality retailers with strong structural growth and offshore exposure being Domino’s Pizza and Lovisa. Online media The online media sector has performed well in the wake of the March reporting season, with most stocks in the sector rising 5-10% in the weeks after the results, which were in line with or slightly above expectations. The underlying trends supporting further earnings growth for the sector remain sound but some stocks should do better over the next 6-12 months than others. Among the large capitalisation stocks we still prefer SEEK due to the consistent trends for rising job ad volumes in all of the countries in which it operates. Among smaller capitalisation stocks we favour iProperty Group which we expect to report a year of progressive double-digit increases in quarterly revenue growth. The prices of iron ore and oil both look likely to take a long time to recover. We maintain our underweight positioning in Resources in the Morgans Equity Model portfolios. 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Jan-06 Jan-07 Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Spot iron ore (USD) Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Brent Oil (USD) Source: IRESS, Morgans Infrastructure We are approaching a period of heightened risk for regulated infrastructure, as key regulatory decisions are imminent. In electricity distribution, the Australian Energy Regulator is expected to publish its Draft Decisions for the South Australian and Victorian electricity distribution networks by 30 April and 31 October 2015 respectively. Spark Infrastructure, DUET Group and AusNet Services are exposed to these decisions. We estimate that reductions in interest rates may see rate of return (or WACC) allowances shrink by 350-400bps per annum from those driving current revenues. The AER is also expected to be tough on operating and capital cost allowances, which may drive further revenue reductions. For networks, interest costs are likely to drop as out-of- the-money interest rate swaps expire, but not enough to offset revenue declines. This may put pressure on credit metrics and sustainability of distributions. Aurizon’s Network business is due to receive its Final Decision from the Queensland Competition Authority in July 2015. A number of the WACC parameters have been determined, reducing the risk related to the WACC allowance. Operating and maintenance cost allowances look likely to be the key swing factors. Our preference remains for stocks with solid yields and underlying growth. APA Group, Sydney Airport and Transurban remain the highest quality plays in the sector, albeit share price increases have been strong. Agriculture/Food The agricultural sector outperformed the broader market during the first quarter of 2015 due to solid rainfall in January, the fall in the AUD and the rally in the cattle price. Investors also continued to focus on the benefits of new Free Trade Agreements signed with our key trading partners and we think that there may be some rotation from mining into agriculture given a more positive outlook. Our key pick in the sector is Capilano Honey which is the largest packer and marketer of honey in Australia. It is benefiting from increased consumer awareness (both domestically and overseas) about the health benefits of consuming honey which has placed the company on a strong profit growth trajectory. We believe that Capilano is attractively priced for its growth profile. The potential for further corporate activity also continued to support the sector. Consequently, we believe that a few of the ag stocks have overshot based on their current fundamentals. Everyone forgets that the summer crop sales were terrible given how dry it was leading up to Christmas. The cattle price is also now coming off and the rainfall across key agricultural regions has slowed. Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 | 11 Property After a stellar run in 2014, the property sector continues to perform solidly delivering a total return of around 9.4% over the past quarter. Key drivers of the performance remains the ongoing low interest rate environment and search for yield as well as merger and acquisition activity which many groups may seek as a growth strategy. Our preferred REIT exposures include: 360 Capital Industrial Fund (industrial exposure: the lease expiry profile is strong at 5.8 years and the distribution yield is around 8% paid quarterly FY15 and FY16 DPS guidance provided). Cromwell Property Group (office exposure) has a five year weighted average lease expiry and a track record of managing cycles (net seller of assets over the past 12 months) which we believe will help buffer against near term challenging office markets (the yield remains attractive at around 7% paid quarterly). We continue to also prefer REITs with exposure to niche sectors/high barriers to entry such as APDC Group (data centres), Generation Healthcare REIT (healthcare) and National Storage REIT (self-storage). Our preferred retail exposure remains Federation Centres and we have recently added it to our High Conviction list following the announcement that it proposes to merge with Novion Property Group. The new merged entity will be a top 30 stock with a market cap of around $11 billion and the third largest REIT with $22 billion of assets under management. We expect given the increased size and scale the merged group will become meaningful for both offshore and domestic investors. The deal is expected to be highly accretive and we expect it will deliver a yield of around 6%. For diversified exposure we continue to prefer Stockland Group which has good leverage to the residential markets. For global exposure we highlight Westfield Corporation although we note it’s not for pure yield investors. AREITs: FY15 forecast distribution yields 10% 9% 8% 7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% WFD GMG MGR IOF GPT LEP DXS CHC SGP ABP GHC BWP SCP NSR NVN FDC SCG ARF HPI FET CQR CMW GOZ GMF AJD TIX TOF ANI IDR GDI Source: Factset, Morgans 12 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 Income Cash Government Bonds The RBA cut the Official Cash Rate by 25bp during the quarter to 2.25%. Expectations are for further interest rate cuts over the remainder of 2015 and some commentators are forecasting a cash rate below 2.00%. The best at call money account remains the ANZ V2 PLUS which offers investors a rate of 2.5%. Australian Government bond prices continued to be well supported by investors and yields fell across the board over the quarter. Yields on 3 year government bonds have fallen to be trading below 1.80%, while 10 year yields are now below 2.40%, having declined from levels at the end of the last quarter of 2.13% and 2.73% respectively. The chart below illustrates how government bond yields have shifted over the past 12 months as economic growth and interest rate expectations have been pared back by investors. Term Deposits The steady decline of term deposit rates continued over the quarter and resulted in the lowering of income returns for investors, forcing many to look to higher risk investments to generate higher returns. This strategy is clearly not without risk. While low returning, we continue to recommend clients retain deposits as part of a well diversified portfolio and the best 180 day term deposit rate is 3.1% while the highest rate on offer for 365 days is 3.15%. II which came in at the bottom end of the bookbuild range while the offer size was increased. Our preferred corporate issued security is ORGHA (Add, 5.96% YTC) given the security’s term to call of under 2 years. We expect that ORG will look to redeem ORGHA and refinance it on the Call Date of 20 December 2016. For those clients seeking exposure to financial issued securities we continue to highlight ANZPA (Add, 4.62%) as our favourite major bank issued CPS/Capital Note. Further cuts to Australian interest rates are likely to sustain the current demand for high yield instruments. Listed Fixed Interest Investors continue to look for exposure to attractively priced corporate issuance to create diversification away from the heavy financial issuance seen over recent times on the ASX. This demand was reflected in the pricing of the Crown Subordinated Notes 3-year government bond yield versus the RBA cash rate % 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Cash rate Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 3-year Government Bonds Source: IRESS, Morgans Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 | 13 Model Portfolios We publish monthly updates of our Equity Model Portfolios – Income, Balanced and Growth. These provide detailed performance tracking, sector positioning, rationale for all portfolio changes and positioning. Below is a quick overview of the current portfolios but we encourage readers to visit the Morgans website to access their full details via our monthly Model Portfolio reports. Income Portfolio The Income Portfolio continues to significantly outperform the market over the medium-long term. Given the steady deterioration in the outlook for Australian interest rates, we think that high yield investments will continue to command market premiums through 2015. That said, we are mindful that the current ultra-low interest rate environment is unsustainable in the long term, and that investors should not become complacent about risks to capital value when that adjustment inevitably does occur. Adjustments to the portfolio this quarter centred around reducing our weightings to income stocks which are struggling against structural headwinds like Woodside and Bank of Queensland. We lifted our financials weighting via Perpetual and Challenger, and also added Coca-cola in belief that new management will successfully turn the company around. Balanced Portfolio The portfolio has slightly underperformed the surging market in early 2015 due to its limited exposure to the major banks, major miners and large cap retail sectors which have largely driven monthly moves. We’re comfortable with a diverse portfolio balance, particularly with several names generating offshore earnings. We do expect the eventual rotation from overweight market positioning in Income stocks into Growth, in line with a steady economic recovery to the benefit of Balanced and Growth portfolios. However we believe the timing of this trajectory has pushed out compared with last quarter. We continue to gradually re-balance sector weightings to address our underweight Financials and overweight Industrials position. Growth Portfolio The portfolio continued its stellar run into 2015, significantly outperforming the surging market. High conviction house stocks Domino’s Pizza, IPH, Shine, Corporate Travel and Beacon all performed strongly through their February results and more impressively have largely held their ground since. The portfolio has now outperformed the market over the medium term despite benign growth in Australia. We continue to seek leverage to relatively stronger growth potential offshore, with half the Portfolio’s revenues derived either in US dollars or from outside Australia. Equity model portfolio performance 25% 22.2% 20.9% 20% 15% 18.0% 14.1% 11.4% 11.0% 14.1% 11.0% 10% 5% 0% 3 Months 1 Year Income Portfolio Growth Portfolio Balanced Portfolio S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index Source: Morgans, Iress Cumulative Equity Model Portfolio Performance Since Inception (November 2011) $550k $500k Income $450k $400k Growth $350k Balanced $300k ASX200 Accumulation $250k $200k Oct 2011 Apr 2012 Oct 2012 Source: Morgans, Iress 14 | Investment Strategy – Second Quarter 2015 Apr 2013 Oct 2013 Apr 2014 Oct 2014 Morgans Equity Model Portfolio constituents Income Balanced CASH CASH 10% 10% WOW WOW 3% 3% CGF CGF 3% 3% CCL 4% CCL 4% SUN 4% SUN 4% APA 5% APA 5% NAB 5% TLS 12% TLS 12% ANZ 10% ANZ 10% WES 8% NAB 5% PPT PPT 6% 6% HVN 6% BOQ 8% HVN 6%TCL 8% SYD TCL 8% 8% CASH CASH TLS OSH OSH 5% 5% 10% 4% 4% BOQ BOQ 4% 4% SHL SHL 4% 4% MPL 4% ANZ 7% ANZ 7% MPL 4% CGF CGF WES5% 5% 8% SEK SEK 5% 5% BOQ 8% MQG 5% MQG 5% NAB 5% SYD 8% CSL 7% CSL 7% BHP 6% BHP 6% BXB 6% NAB 5% WBC 5% Growth WBC TCL 5% 6% WES TCL 6%6% AMC WES6% BXB 6% AMC 6% 6% Property CASH CASH 13% 13% NAB 5% LOV 5% TLS 10% CSL 9% DMP 8% NAB 5% CTD 5% IPH 5% IPH 5% SEK 5% SEK 5% OSH 5% DMP 8% GMF 5% LOV 5% CTD 5% CASH CASH 8% AAD AAD8% 4% 4% TOF TOF 5% 5% CSL 9% OSH 5% RHC 6% RHC WBC 6%6% CGF WBC 6% 6% SHJ 6% CGF 6% GMF 5% BLX 8% BLX NSR 8% 5% NSR 5% MQG 8% TIX MQG 6% 8% TIX 6% SHJ 6% CMW CMW 13% 13% LLC 6% SGP 13% AJD 10% LLC 6% BWP 6% BWP 6% WFD 9% WFD 9% FDC 10% SGP 13% AJD 10% FDC 10% Source: Morgans Investment Strategy – First Quarter 2015 | 15 Queensland New South Wales Brisbane – Head Office +61 7 3334 4888 Armidale Brisbane – Edward St +61 7 3121 5677 Ballina Brisbane – Tynan +61 7 3152 0600 Balmain Partners Bowral Bundaberg +61 7 4153 1050 Chatswood Cairns +61 7 4222 0555 Coffs Harbour Caloundra +61 7 5491 5422 Gosford Emerald +61 7 4988 2777 Hurstville Gladstone +61 7 4972 8000 Merimbula Gold Coast +61 7 5581 5777 Neutral Bay Ipswich/Springfield +61 7 3202 3995 Newcastle Kedron +61 7 3350 9000 Newport Morgans Financial Limited Mackay +61 7 4957 3033 Orange ABN Milton49 010 669 726 +61AFSL 7 3114235410 8600 Port Macquarie AMtParticipant of ASX+61 Group | 5466 A Professional Partner Gravatt/Capalaba 7 3245 Scone of the Financial Planning Association of Australia Noosa +61 7 5449 9511 Sydney – Level 9 Redcliffe 7 3897 3999 Level 29 123 Eagle+61 Street Brisbane Sydney – Level 7 Rockhampton QLD 4000 Australia+61 7 4922 5855 Currency House Spring Hill 202 Brisbane +61 7 QLD 3833 4001 9333 Australia Sydney Hunter St GPO Box Sunshine Coast +61 7 5479 2757 Toowoomba +61 7 4639 1277 Sydney Reynolds Equities Townsville +61 7 4725 5787 Yeppoon +61 7 4939 3021 Wollongong Victoria +61 2 6770 3300 +61 2 6686 4144 +61 2 8755 3333 +61 2 4851 5515 +61 2 8116 1700 +61 2 6651 5700 +61 2 4325 0884 +61 2 9570 5755 +61 2 6495 2869 +61 2 8969 7500 +61 2 4926 4044 +61 2 9998 4200 +61 2 6361 9166 +61 2 6583 1735 +61 2 6544 3144 +61 2 8215 5000 +61 2 8216 5111 Brighton Camberwell Carlton Farrer House Geelong Melbourne Richmond South Yarra Traralgon Warrnambool Western Australia +61 3 9519 3555 +61 3 9813 2945 +61 3 9066 3200 +61 3 8644 5488 +61 3 5222 5128 +61 3 9947 4111 +61 3 9916 4000 +61 3 8762 1400 +61 3 5176 6055 +61 3 5559 1500 ACT Canberra Perth +61 8 6462 1999 West Perth +61 8 6160 8700 South Australia Adelaide Norwood +61 8 8464 5000 +61 8 8461 2800 Corporate Advice Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Perth +61 7 3334 4888 +61 2 8215 5055 +61 3 9947 4111 +61 8 6160 8700 +61 2 6232 4999 Northern Territory Darwin +61 8 8981 9555 Tasmania Hobart +61 3 6236 9000 +61 2 9125 1788 +61 2 9615 4500 +61 2 9373 4452 Make investing easy. 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