Russia and the Impact on Markets

BP has done a good job of getting cash flow out of their asset base,said Matthew Beeseley of Henderson Global Investors.We hold some of it.The company is throwing off lots of cash,but there are risks in their partnership with Russian energy titan Rosneft.*
For now,the markets have thrown off Russia/Ukraine and Syria.We're certainly concerned about the low levels of volatility across the markets.It's not normal,and at some point,one would expect the markets to normalise.The optimism has really been found in the US and the emerging markets.The glass has been half empty in Europe and Japan.*
We're exposed to a company called Epam Systems Inc,a computer outsourcing firm.It has one third of its workers in Ukraine.We want a high level of conviction about our holdings.Across parts of Russia,it's hard to invest because of the lack of a high level of conviction.*
Current sanctions on Russia are on future debt and equity.Sanctions on present debt and equity would have a major impact.*
Investors are being paid to be complacent,and when the Fed raises rates in six months to a year,geopolitical risk will begin to be factored in,Mr.Beeseley cautioned.

Trust Company Distrusts the Market

This is a financially engineered market,said Michael Crofton,President and CEO of The Philadelphia Trust Company,engineered by central banks.Bonds and commodities are telling us that stocks are too high,and there could be a crash.
The pullback will come from a macro-event that will surprise everyone.The Federal Reserve won't be able to do much more to help.Those high points of similar markets in the past coincided with the peak of financial engineering.
We rotated out of consumer staples in March and into underperforming energy and technology.The rise of staples had been unsustainable.You just keep rotating,and when the music stops,you'd better hope you're sitting down.
The Philadelphia Trust is an independent private bank serving affluent investors and institutions.The company says it brings old-fashioned values such as attention and discretion into the post-modern world.It offers a full range of services,from custody and trading to income distribution,CDs and scheduled client reviews.
In equity investing,the Trust strictly adheres to the growth at a reasonable price discipline.
On Wednesday,the Federal Reserve said it would continue its quantitative easing policy of bond-buying to keep interest rates low,in effect driving investors more into equities.