It's The Economy Stupid: Pill Gross of Pimco's 2012 Investment Outlook

Bill Gross of PIMCO on Investment Outlook for 2012:

 

{http://www.pimco.com/EN/Insights/Pages/Towards-the-Paranormal-Jan-2012.aspx}

 

The New Normal, previously believed to be bell-shaped and thin-tailed in its depiction of growth probability and financial market outcomes, appears to be morphing into a world of fat-tailed, almost bimodal outcomes.

 

A new duality – credit and zero-bound interest rate risk – characterizes the financial markets of 2012, offering the fat left-tailed possibility of unforeseen policy delevering or the fat right-tailed possibility of central bank inflationary expansion.

 

Until the outcome becomes clear, investors should consider ways to hedge their bets, including: maximizing durations, U.S. Treasury bonds that may potentially offer capital gains, long-term Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS), high quality corporates and senior bank debt, and select U.S. municipal bonds.

 

English Translation:

 

Bell-shaped and thin-tailed/fat-tailed & bimodal:  Normal distribution and standard deviation graph attempting to describe the possible outcomes of economic growth. 

Bell-shaped:  Normal distribution of outcomes.  Expects a normal return of economic growth

Thin-tailed:  Relatively modest risk of ABnormal outcomes

Fat-tailed:  Lots of risk for ABnormal outcomes

 

What Bill Gross is saying is that the range of outcomes for the economy is far from normal and has much greater risk of abnormal outcomes.

 

So, the fact that we are STILL discussing economic recovery and de-leveraging & central banks economic management risk in 2012 after the 2008 financial meltdown makes this an economic/investment outlook made by looking in the rearview mirror.

 

Boudin Chaud. Cous Cous Froide. Allons Tigres--Poussez Poussez Poussez

 

John Broussard

Assistant State Treasurer

Chief Investment Officer

State of Louisiana

Department of the Treasury

Ph:  225-342-0013

Fx:  225-342-9721

Email:  jbroussard@treasusry.state.la.us

Street Address:

445 North Blvd, 7^th Floor

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 44154 Capitol Station

Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4154

Physical Location:

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Exit 1B I-110 Convention Street, Turn Left to get to North Blvd