BNY Mellon Investment Manager Says Current Deflation Shock Hit Economies Unevenly

NEW YORK and LONDON, March 19, 2013 — The so-called currency wars of today have little in common with the competitive currency devaluations following the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to the March 2013 monthly report from Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC, the Boston-based fixed income specialist for BNY Mellon.

The current loose monetary policies implemented by most developed market countries are intended to spur domestic economies, according to the Standish report: March Bond Market Observations. This is significantly different than the 1930s when countries weakened their currencies to obtain more favorable exchange rates and boost exports, the report said.

Fixed income investors need to understand the underlying causes of the currency trends as they could offer attractive opportunities to enhance their returns, according to Standish.

"The key difference between the 1930s and today is the nature of the economic shock that prompted the monetary policies," said Thomas Higgins, global macro strategist for Standish and co-author of the report.  "During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the deflationary shock hit all countries more or less equally.  This time, developed market economies have been hit much harder than the emerging markets."

That means that policies that apply in developed markets could adversely affect emerging markets, according to the report.  Standish said that most developed market countries are contending with sluggish growth and low inflation, while emerging markets are achieving healthy growth and face somewhat elevated inflation.

"There are exceptions to the primary trends of the current period as Japan and Switzerland appear to be using monetary policy to make their currencies more competitive," said Federico Garcia Zamora, senior currency strategist for Standish and co-author of the report.  "The report concludes both currencies are over-valued.  Their policies, along with other trends are among the reasons cited in the report for being bullish on the U.S. dollar as a safe-haven currency."

Standish also favorably views the currencies of economies expected to benefit from high commodity prices, relatively higher domestic interest rates and a better fiscal profile compared with other developed markets.   

Standish Mellon Asset Management Company LLC, with approximately $167 billion as of January 1, 2013 (all other BNY Mellon AUM numbers are as of December 31, 2012) of assets under management, provides investment management services across a broad spectrum of fixed income asset classes. These include corporate credit, emerging markets debt (dollar-denominated and local currency), core / core plus, tax–sensitive, short duration, stable value and opportunistic (U.S. and global) strategies.  Standish also offers full service capabilities in insurance client strategies and liability driven investing. The firm includes assets managed by Standish personnel acting as dual officers of The Dreyfus Corporation and The Bank of New York Mellon and Alcentra NY, LLC personnel acting as dual officers of Standish.

BNY Mellon Investment Management is one of the world's leading investment management organizations and one of the top U.S. wealth managers, with $1.4 trillion in assets under management. It encompasses BNY Mellon's affiliated investment management firms, wealth management services and global distribution companies. More information can be found at www.bnymellon.com.

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment management and investment services in 36 countries and more than 100 markets. As of December 31, 2012, BNY Mellon had $26.2 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $1.4 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com, or follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon.

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