Portfolio Update: Argentina, Greece and India

Argentina 9.7% (International Book)

Argentina has been a long-held thesis in the portfolio, it is approaching its 3^rd anniversary, with the initial thesis being that the 2015 elections would bring significant change.  The crucial fact was that President Cristina Fernandez de Krichner couldn’t run in the election, after being term-limited and failing to secure the necessary votes for a constitutional amendment.  Under Cristina, Argentina had largely been isolated from the world markets with capital controls and a pegged currency that traded at a significantly different level in the black market (the ‘blue rate’).  The country was also involved in a long-running argument with bond hold-outs that ended with Argentina losing in court and being shut out of the global debt markets.  The result was an economy with significant imbalances (government subsidies/interventions), a large government deficit, runaway inflation, and exceptionally high interest rates. However, this also meant that Argentina was a country with very limited government debt - a benefit of not being able to borrow internationally!

The opportunity was that all 3 candidates, including the one favored by President Kirchner, were all likely to be substantial improvements.  As luck would have it, President Macri, the eventual winner, was viewed as the most market-friendly candidate (and no ally of President Kirchner).   Any doubts were dispelled in the first 100 days with an array of actions including floating the currency, removing capital controls, granting independence to the central bank (with a mandate to reduce inflation), announcing substantial reforms/ cuts to subsidies, settling with the old bond holdouts, and subsequently raising debt in the international capital markets. 

Unsurprisingly, markets rejoiced…including Our Man’s Argentinean basket of stocks, which are up 140%+.    OM expressed the Argentina theme through a small basket (5-6) of stocks as the ETF (ARGT) was a poor reflection of the opportunity (commodity heavy + largest position is focused outside Argentina).   The basket has steadily been pared back to OM's 2 favorite names, Pampa Energie (a beneficiary of electricity subsidies being cut) and Adecoagro (an agricultural company).

The recent strong win by President Macri’s party in congressional elections only increases the chances of reforms, and the possibility that Macri will run again.  With a low-level of government debt and wide-open credit markets, Argentina will continue to have the opportunity to reform at a reasonable pace.  Add to that a newly independent central bank that has been willing to raise rates to conquer inflation.  There are positive signs as inflation has started to fall and this is widely projected to continue.   

To Our Man this rather rhymes of a certain 1980’s US President who reformed an economy and saw the Federal Reserve defeat inflation.  That started a multi-decade boom for numerous asset classes in the US. So don't expect Our Man to exit Argentina any time soon (even if he can’t invest in Argentinean PE, which is likely the best asset class)!!  

Greece 2.7% (International Book)

Our Man’s previous Greece exposure was exceptionally disappointing – too early and over-sized – but like a moth to a flame, he has returned.  Yes, OM can see you shaking your heads sadly – so, why now?

The French.

Yup, I kid you not.  The Frogs have gone and done it!  It being, breaking the impasse between the Eurogroup (*cough* Germans) and the IMF over a longer-term plan on Greek debt sustainability - “The Eurogroup formally agreed to a longer-term French plan to link the scale of Greek bond repayments to the country’s economic growth…”

So, now we’re finally near the end of the tunnel and by golly there’s light!  The light is Greece exiting the bailouts in mid-2018, with the banks looking like they are in decent shape to pass the final stress tests, and the market being prepared for new Greek debt.  And the tunnel?  After a 45% fall in GDP – the same decline as the US saw during the Great Depression - finally some stability and growth and a small government surplus.   And so, OM is back and hoping that the clearer catalysts (stress tests, exiting the bailout, issuing debt in the market and perhaps even elections) will stop the portfolio from seeing a second Greek tragedy. 

India 3.3% (International Book)

Our Man has a small position in India.  Though the % of NAV is larger than Greece, it is a much safer investment.  It has neither the substantial risk nor the same massive potential short-medium term upside as the Greek position.   

The long-term bull case for India is very widely known, and OM doesn’t have any special insight bar noting that the speed and prolonged nature of these changes is often under-appreciated.  The long-term bull case starts with the 2^nd largest country in the world, which also (unlike the largest) has great demographics (working age population is not expected to peak for at least the next 10yrs).    

This is supplemented by some self-help.  The Modhi government has been busy (not always in a good way) and has made some structural shifts (taxation changes, bankruptcy code reform, financial reforms, etc) that will have long-term benefits.  However, the most interesting to OM is the push to digitize the economy, highlighted by the introduction of Aadhar (a unique individual ID number based on biometric information).  Unfortunately, most of the potential applications (loans, credit history, transaction confirmations, to name the obvious ones….) of this are “in the future” and many will initially be captured in the private markets (and OM is not a VC).  Thus, until OM has a clearer idea of how to directly benefit, expect India to be a small but consistent part of the portfolio.

Disclaimer:  Nothing above represents a recommendation in any way, shape or form so please don’t even think of trying to take the above that way.  For added clarity, while Our Man is invested in all of the securities mentioned that’s a terrible reason for anyone else to do so.  Our Man also holds some cash and a few other securities (of negligible value).  You should not buy any of these securities because Our Man has mentioned them, but should do your own work and decide what’s best for you given your own circumstances/risk tolerance/etc.