Paul Tudor Jones: Buying Gold and Curve Flatteners

Investing legend, Paul Tudor Jones' has published his latest latest letter to investors.

Here are some excerpts:

Tudor Jones believes there is a better opportunity to buy equities in the year-end period, as he is expecting a pullback in the fall.

While 45% is nothing to ignore, one should take into account that the S&P through July 31 is still down more than 20% on a price basis year-over-year. The bottom line is that we are not inclined to aggressively chase the market here. Rather, we eye a better opportunity to be long equities into year-end on a potential autumnal pullback.

The economy will remain strong until Q2 2010 as a result of ongoing support from the government, easy monetary policy, a weak dollar, and continuing inventory de-stocking:

The forceful policy response to avert depression tail risks posed by the financial crisis has likely unleashed a wave of liquidity which is probably greater than that of 2001-2003. Our job is to identify the best performing assets of this “Great Liquidity Race.” At present, it appears those assets are gold, emerging market equities denominated in local currencies, and commodity related stocks.

Liquidity is making its way into bond purchases by banks, into equity markets, into capital flows to emerging markets and into international reserve accumulation and related diversification away from the dollar. This will be the trend over the next quarter—or two—even before discussing potential portfolio shifts within it.

He likes gold on the basis of easy money and inflationary outlook:

Dealbook says:

Winning the race, Mr. Jones posits, will be gold, emerging-market equities denominated in local currencies and commodity-related stocks. “I have never been a gold bug,” he says in the letter. “It is just an asset that, like everything else in life, has its time and place. And that time is now.” (A link to the entire letter is below.)

Tudor Jones says:

“precious metals exposure has been increasing and is currently the largest commodity exposure. As a result we have included, for this quarter, a separate discussion on gold as an appendix. I have never been a gold bug. It is just an asset that, like everything else in life, has its time and place. And now is that time.”

Tudor notes that curve flatteners provide 'tail risk insurance' against the trades of long gold, short the US dollar, and long equities. Tudor writes, "As deflation recedes to the background, market participants will start expecting a removal of policy accommodation. If the markets begin to price early, fast and large tightening before inflationary expectations are allowed to take hold, then curves could bear-flatten significantly from current historically high levels."

Tudor Jones also likes the Aussie dollar, and equity selections in Brazil and Taiwan. You may read the whole letter here, below inside the Scribd window.

Tudor Third-Quarter Letter