Neil Record - Wolfson Economics Prize 2012
In 2011, as the eurozone lurched from summit to summit,
caught in the throes of the sovereign debt crisis, Lord
Wolfson offered £250,000 to the architect of the most
elegant mechanism for the unwinding of the
eurozone. From the 425 entries received for the Wolfson
Economics Prize, a short-list of five finalists was chosen,
and announced Tuesday 3rd April 2012. Neil Record's submission was
one of the five short-listed entries. In the full paper, which can
be downloaded below, Neil outlines in some detail the steps
required in a number of areas if a transition from the currency
union were to be necessitated. It is Neil's firm view that if both
the turmoil of patchwork solutions and the catatstrophe of
unplanned default are to be avoided, the currency union must be
dissolved immediately and fully as soon as one member state's exit
becomes inevitable. Moreover, the transition is to be planned by a
secret, completely deniable task force led by Germany, whose threat
of walk-out and centrality as a player in the crisis would
hold the other nations together.
You can download Neil's full and fascinating entry directly here.
James Mackenzie Smith - Wolfson Economics Prize
2012
In 2011 Lord Wolfson offered a prize of £250,000 for the most
elegant and imaginative suggestion for unwinding the euro zone. The
second largest prize after the Nobel in monetary terms, the
prize caused a clamour in eurosceptic circles and received 425
entries. Record Senior Research Strategist James Mackenzie Smith
submitted an entry for the prize, titled 'Plan B', which outlines
the legal, political and economic challenges in dismantling
the currency union. Whilst Neil Record, in his
submission, argues that the breakup would have to be planned
in secret, James disagrees and has written a paper which diverges
from Neils in several respects. Although not on the short-list
for the Wolfson Economics Prize, James' entry is a
high-quality piece of economic argument and makes an interesting
counter-point to Neil's piece.
James' entry can be downloaded directly here.
What Next for the Eurozone?
The recent dislocation in currency and credit
markets over the travails of the Eurozone has put concerns
regarding fiscal sustainability, current account imbalances, and
the economic recovery back to the forefront of investors' radar
screens. At Record we believe that these as yet unresolved issues
are critical and merit further attention and scrutiny. Indeed, what
had been termed theunthinkable is now thinkableand distinctly
possible.
We believe that the most recent sovereign debt
downgrades and the continued volatility in peripheral bond yields
are probably not the end of the story. It may have assuaged markets
temporarily, but this means that the worst case scenarios are
thusnot fully reflected in current asset price valuations. In
particular, we feel that there are particular outcomes that have
not yet been properly considered and that could drastically affect
the evolution of risk appetite, volatility, and asset class
returns. Furthermore, the impact of any of these outcomes could
come in the form of a sudden, unpredictable event, or 'black swan'.
The scenarios all point towards future paths that the Eurozone may
embark upon, either willingly or unwillingly, and which require
consideration for any investor.
Download here
01/01/2012
Event Risk and Black Swans
Event Risk and Black Swans - what is in store for 2012?
This note outlines what Record's
research strategists perceive as the major themes and critical tail
risks to be monitored in 2012. While we do not expect all of these
risks to materialise over the course of the year, we believe
investors should pay heed to the portfolio and liquidity risks that
would be created by the scenarios below.
Download here
01/12/2011
The Potential for Capital Controls in Switzerland
The Potential for Capital Controls in Switzerland
Switzerland's Finance Minister has said that Switzerland is
examining capital controls and/or negative interest rates as a way
of controlling capital inflows. This note looks at the
possible options.
Download here
The Euro - Consequences of a Break-up
A few short years ago, countenancing
the break up of the Euro was the preserve of sceptics, heretics and
the lunatic fringe, a position that has changed dramatically with
the unfolding of the Euro crisis. Not only is there now a
willingness to contemplate the possibility, but it has moved into
the mainstream of political, economic and financial debate. The
concerns Record has articulated since October 1998, before the Euro
came into being, are now playing out and this paper is a guide to
considering outcomes from an institutional perspective.
Specifically this paper considers institutional pension funds which
make up the core of Record's client base. These entities have
entered into hedging assignments strategically to match their
assets, i.e. international investments, to their future liability
stream which tends to be in a single currency typically where the
pension fund is domiciled.
Download here
FX Transaction Costs - Plugging the Leakage in Returns
Custodian banks provide a service to their clients - to
safeguard their assets - and undertake ancillary transactions as
required. Some of these transactions require an accompanying
FX trade: this necessity has proved to be a hidden source of
revenue for custodians for at least a decade. Plan Sponsors
do not necessarily see custodians as requiring to be monitored on a
regular basis, nor do they typically consider the possibility of
transferring FX execution responsibility to an independent agent;
this paper argues that they should.
This document offers several suggestions including the
publication of time-stamps for each trade; a regular audit of FX
execution; and execution of FX by an independent agent. In short:
greater pricing transparency and/or elimination of conflicts of
interest is required.
Download here
The Euro - Greece in Context
The Eurozone is facing a serious crisis. This is not the
first challenge it has faced - there have been several in the
Euro's 11-year life, most notably the March 2005 softening of the
Growth and Stability pact to (in effect) sanction prior-year
breaches of the 3% deficit rule by France and Germany. But
none has yet gone to the heart of the Eurozone's constitution.
In the following pages, Neil Record revisits a paper he
wrote in October 1998 (published in early 1999), just before the
Euro came into being. He has annotated in the right hand
margin his observations on the scenarios in the paper, updated for
the conditions of the current crisis.
Download here