Why Are Interest Rates So Low?

Joachim FelsChief Global Fixed Income Economist

Tel +44-20-7425-6138Joachim.Fels@morganstanley.com

April 2005

2

A 300-Year View:Nominal Interest Rates Are Not Exceptionally Low

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16 UK consol rate (%)

Long-term average (1700-2005, 4.62%)

Average for 2005 (1st January - 2nd March)

2005 average (January to 2nd March)

Sources: Datastream, Global Financial Data, DMO, D.Miles, M. Baker, V. Pillonca, Where Should Long-Term Interest Rates Be Today? A 300 Year View, Morgan Stanley, 9 March 2005

UK Nominal Long-Term Interest Rate (2.5% Consol)

3

A 300-Year View:But Real Interest Rates Are Very Low

Sources: Datastream, Global Financial Data, DMO, D.Miles, M. Baker, V. Pillonca, Where Should Long-Term Interest Rates Be Today? A 300 Year View, Morgan Stanley, 9 March 2005

UK Real Long-Term Interest Rate

-7%

-5%

-3%

-1%

1%

3%

5%

7%

9%

11%

1700 1716 1732 1748 1764 1780 1796 1812 1828 1844 1860 1876 1892 1908 1924 1940 1956 1972 1988 2004

Real interest rate

Long-term average (1700-2004)

Estimate for 2005

Estimate for 2005, as of 02 March 2005

Morgan Stanley Research

4

Real Yields on US and French Inflation-Proof Bonds

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Sep-98 Jul-99 Apr-00 Jan-01 Oct-01 Jul-02 May-03 Feb-04 Nov-04

OATi

TIPs

TIPss - discontinuities

OATi - discontinuities

Yields on 10 year index-linkers*

* This is not a continuous series; it links together bonds to approximate a 10-year series. Discontinuities are marked.Source: Bloomberg, French Treasury, Morgan Stanley Research

5

Greenspan’s Conundrum …Resulting in a Flattening of

the US Yield CurveLong-Term Yields Fell During

2004 Despite Fed Tightening…

Source: Datastream, Morgan Stanley Research

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

7.0US 10yr Yield

German 10yr Yield

%

The End of the Bond Rally

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

-100

-50

0

50

100

150

200

250

300US 10yr minus 2yr Yields

German 10yr minus 2yr Yields

Basis Points

6

Five Implausible Explanation for Low Yields

Growth pessimism has depressed real yields But: why then are equities up and risk spreads low?

Deflation fears have depressed nominal yieldsBut: survey- and market-based inflation expectations have risen

Lower risk premium due to higher central bank credibility But: whence a sudden surge in credibility?

Rising risk aversionBut: risky assets have even outperformed bonds until March

Asia central banks’ appetite for TreasuriesBut: Euro bonds have rallied even more

7

Global Credit Spreads: Tight, Tighter, the Tightest

Source: Morgan Stanley Research, MSCI, Yield BookNote: Chart shows premium for owning BBBs over AAs.

bp

Europe U.S. Japan

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

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However, Risk Spreads Have Widened Recently As Are Emerging Market

SpreadsUS and European Credit Spreads

on the Rise

Source: Datastream, Morgan Stanley Research

80

85

90

95

100

105

Jan-04 Apr-04 Jul-04 Oct-04 Jan-05 Apr-05

bp

35

40

45

50

55

60

bp

US IG Corporates (LA) EU IG Corporates (RA)

250

300

350

400

450

Jan-04 Mar-04 May-04 Jul-04 Sep-04 Nov-04 Jan-05 Mar-05

bp

ESBI Stripped Spread

9

US Inflation Expectations on the RiseBreakeven Inflation Rates:

US versus Euro Area

Source: Bloomberg, Morgan Stanley Research

The correlation between US and euro area inflation expectations appears to have broken down recently

Markets are pricing in higer inflation in the US, lower in the euro area

Good reasons for further divergence: EUR/USD strength & productivity growth convergence

More European bond outperformance ahead

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

Sep-98 Sep-99 Sep-00 Sep-01 Sep-02 Sep-03 Sep-04

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

US Breakeven Inflation Rate (2011)

Euroland Breakeven Inflation Rate (2012)

%

10

The Real Culprit: Excess Liquidity …

Record-low interest rates have pumped up money supply and credit

The outstanding stock money and credit relative to nominal GDP is at a record high

ECB to take over from Fed as marginal provider of excess liquidity

Excess liquidity is pushing up the prices of real and financial assets

This raises the two-way risk to future inflation – inflation or deflation could result

Indicators of Global Excess Liquidity

Source: IMF, OECD, Morgan Stanley Research

90

100

110

120

130

140

150

160G-5 + China: Credit to private sector as a share of nominal GDPG-5 + China: Broad money as a share of GDPG-5 + China: Narrow money as a share of GDP

1995 = 100

11

Reflecting Ueber-Expansionary Monetary Policies

The Big Monetary Easing: Real Short Rates in Negative Territory

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6%YoY

Euroland

US

Recession, post-bubble woes and deflation fears led the big central banks to open the floodgates

The consequences of negative real interest rates …

… excess liquidity, over-investment, asset bubbles …

… and a sharp cyclical rebound fuelling an endogenous oil price shock

Source: Datastream, Morgan Stanley Research

12

How Much of a Housing Bubble in Spain?

Valuation model linking long-run trend in house prices to household disposable income and the equity market return

As in UK, interest rates help explain short-run dynamics, but not long-run trend of house prices

As in UK, model suggests Spanish house prices some 30% above fair value

High vulnerability when ECB raises rates and/or economy falters

Spanish House Prices: Actual, Predicted and Gap

Source: Bank of Spain, Morgan Stanley Research

26%

31%

100200

300400500600

700800900

1000

1100120013001400

15001600

1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40% Deviation from predicted prices, RHS

Actual

Fitted

13

Five Scary Parallels with the 1970s

Oil shock: the price of oil quintupled from 1971-74 and from 1999-2004

Competitive shock: new competitors in world markets cause dislocation. Now: China & India, then: Japan and Korea

Productivity slowdown: just as the 1960s productivity boom gave way to the 1970s slowdown, we are now at the tail-end of the recent productivity boom

Expansionary monetary policy: as in the 1970s, central banks appear to be willing to accommodate negative supply shocks

Fiscal slippage: rising budget deficits reflecting economic weakness and (in the US) the financing of an expensive war (then Vietnam, now Iraq)

14

US Productivity Growth: The Best is Behind Us

We are likely at the tail-end of the IT-enabled productivity acceleration that started in the mid-1990s

The easy productivity gains have been made, especially in the US, and productivity growth should normalise in the coming years

If the Fed overestimates trend growth, as it did in the 1970s, its policy will be inflationary

US Productivity Growth Moves in Long Cycles

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Morgan Stanley Research

-2.0

-1.0

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

1948

1953

1958

1963

1968

1973

1978

1983

1988

1993

1998

2003

US Output per hour - business sector

%yoy

15

The Case for Higher Global Inflation

Central banks want it as a safety margin against deflation

Indebted consumers, companies and governments want it to alleviate the real burden of debt

Structurally high demand for oil and other raw materials provides cost push

Expansionary monetary and fiscal policies provide demand pull

The productivity boom in the US is behind us

16

Towards Higher Fiscal Deficits

The Euro’s fiscal framework is in shambles The new Stability and Growth Pact lacks teeth. The political sanction mechanism for fiscal sinners has been virtually abolished.

Markets don’t sanction fiscal profligacy either Yield spreads between government bonds in the euro area are extremely tight

Why markets are unable and unwilling to impose discipline (1) Most countries are fiscal sinners now; (2) excess liquidity compresses yield spreads; (3) markets believe the non-bailout clause in the Maastricht treaty is not credible; (4) the ECB treats all governments as equal at its refi operations

Without sanctions, look for higher deficits Political tensions between member states will rise and more pressure on the ECB to engineer higher inflation will result. The worst case scenario is EMU break-up

17

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Coverage Universe Investment Banking Clients (IBC)

Stock Rating Category Count % of Total Count

% of Total IBC

% of Rating Category

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18

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