A Re-Run: “Who Will Relent – Xi or Trump? On Actual and Perceived Payoff Matrices”

“Re-run” is an archaic phrase from my generation. It means to replay a previously recorded and broadcast television show. Here, this “rerun” seems appropos. I think that the cost to Xi of backing down is even greater given Trump’s tariff threat came close to the day of the 100th Anniversary of the May 4th Movement — a sensitive occasion for the CCP. From an August 2018 post.

Notable differences. US GDP fundamentals less robust than in August. Chinese growth fundamentals (in the short run) are stronger. Remember this despite the fact that that Liu He is joining the negotiating team coming to Washington, D.C.

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If Campbell Harvey’s Specification Is Right, We’re (Still) in Trouble

Robust GDP growth, employment rising on pace, perceived recession risk declining… as in this headline. The latest issue of the Economist has an article entitled Fears of recession have faded. But I’m reminded that Campbell Harvey, who wrote early papers on the subject of yield curve predictors, relies on the 5yr-3mo spread (for growth, not recession). And that implied specification signals 44% probability of recession in 2020M04.

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Winning: US Agriculture Edition

Figure 1: Real proprietor farm income with inventory valuation adjustment and capital consumption allowance (dark blue), and 4 quarter trailing moving average (red), both in billions of Ch.2012$, SAAR. Deflated using GDP deflator. Source: BEA 2019Q1 advance release, and author’s calculations. 

Demented Things People Write

From reader JBH today:

Trump may well be Patton reincarnated as he was born ½ earth revolution after Patton nearly to the day. Enemies of America off balance and greatly confused by Trump’s classic Art of War style. Massive infrastructure rebuilding project coming. Trump will build that… along with the Wall.

I have seen this abbreviation “TDS” for “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. I’ll just say seems like plenty of people have just plain “DS”.

This is by way of alerting readers to the following: I will not censor any comments on reincarnation, George S. Patton, and sealed indictments. However, comments giving credence to Q-anon, racist jokes and misogynistic observations, and arguments that there were indeed “fine people on both sides” of the Charlottesville protests of 2017 will be censored.

 

Of Chinese Swine, US Hog Exports, Soybean Prices, and News

Soybean prices continue to plunge (July ’19 futures). Some have argued that decreased demand for soybeans, due to the ongoing African swine fever epidemic in China. The April 9th USDA FAS report contained information on both this, and soy market conditions. If decreased demand for soybeans was due to news about Chinese swine stocks, we would have expected rising US hog and declining soy prices. Yet hog prices have fallen for most of the time since then.

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Crazy Things People Write

Reader Zi Zi writes:

Higher short rate actually precedes better [US GDP] growth (not lower): GBP3M

I … don’t … think…so.

Figure 1: Libor 3 month based on British pound (dark blue, left scale), four quarter growth rate of US real GDP (red, right scale), both in %. NBER defined recession dates. Source: IBA, BEA via FRED, NBER, and author’s calculations.

Granger causality (2 lags) test fails to reject US growth rate causes Libor; rejects Libor causes US growth rate.