Coal news and updates

Shipping and the Fed Rate decision: Financing costs could rise even higher

Regardless of the FED’s decision to raise rates, shipping stands to be influenced by the decision. Shipbroker Allied Shipbroking noted this week, that “the real direct impact which shipping might have to face from the FED’s decision to increase interest rates would be in terms of financing”.

According to Allied’s George Lazaridis, Head of Market Research and Asset Valuations, “with most loans being dollar denominated and the spreads on offer by banks already on the high end compared to what the industry has been offered over the past decade, it would likely make ship financing an even harder task for many to undertake. The lack in availability of finance has been a key characteristic of the market for well over 2-3 years now, and this would likely deteriorate things further. Nevertheless, such difficulties may prove to help in the long run, allowing for a tightening of new investments and especially in terms of further ordering. At the same time the higher financing cost will eventually be absorbed by freight rates as it will be a cost shared by the majority in the industry, while once the freight market finds its footing once more and starts to improve, this cost will start to play a more minor role once more. For the time being what one hopes for more is for a possible escape from the pessimism that has plagued the global markets over the past months, the possible negative side effects seem like small hurdles in comparison”, said Lazaridis.

Analyzing the current macroeconomic climate, Allied’s analyst said that “with the U.S. economy still managing to show fairly promising figures with regards to its trajectory, the Federal Reserve is inching closer to the decision to make its pivotal decision regarding an interest rate hike (something that could materialise as early as this week). Although, the fundamentals are a positive overall sign for shipping there are things to feed worries below the surface and on an indirect basis. The main focus and what helps support an optimistic view towards the current decision revolves around the fact that with the global economy lacking a strong source of economic growth, a positive outcome for the world’s largest economy can be taken as a very favourable move and one that could help drive the rest of the global growth engine as it once did in the past. With such a high consumer base and a strong source of indirect investment, its economy is highly placed to support growth elsewhere around the world”.

Lazaridis added that “yet as things are showing, neither is its current strong growth a given (with some shaky signs having been noted during end of spring early summer) nor is a decision to increase interest rates sure to spring further growth down the line. In regards to the latter, it will likely spur extra lending by banks which is going to drive both investment within the economy and allow for improved earnings from banks themselves. Yet it will also drive for an increase in the default rate of bad loans, as those who are already struggling to meet their debt obligations are likely going to find themselves sooner rather than later in default. This is the least of what this latest development could bring about, as the emerging economies will struggle to maintain the same amount of interest in attracting further investment, while their previous dollar denominated debt will become more expensive to pay off as the dollar strengthens against the borrowers’ local currencies”.

He went to say that “further to this end, corporate profits previously retained in many of these emerging economies by big multinationals will likely be repatriated back to the U.S. as local investment starts to become more favourable. Yet all this might end up as a more favourable outcome for shipping as an economy the size of the U.S. could allow once more for the export-led growth models than many of the emerging economies still focus on. As an example a fast pace increase in consumer spending in the U.S. could allow for increased exports out of both China and India which would in turn drive their economies into further production growth”, Lazaridis concluded.

source: http://coalspot.com