Insights

04/08/2024 Global Investment Views, Equity, Fixed income

The late-cycle environment continues to play out

Stocks are pricing in a rosy scenario in terms of economic growth, which has led to strong upside already this year, with some broadening of the rally evident recently. These movements are further aided by ample liquidity and robust earnings, particularly in the US. The messaging from the Fed and the ECB has been focused on how important it is for inflation to come down for them to reduce rates, even though the debate continues on whether the neutral rate has moved higher.

04/05/2024 Investment Talks

Bonds Take Center Stage

For most of the last year, savers have been earning a reasonable return in cash. But how long can these compelling cash rates last? Historically, the answer has been: not very long. In every rate hike cycle since the 1970s, the US Federal Reserve has “paused at the peak” federal funds rate for a matter of months, not years, and history suggests the rate cuts could begin soon. With history as a guide, we believe investors may benefit from locking in some of today’s historically elevated interest rates by moving out of cash and into short-term bonds.

03/15/2024 Cross Asset

Six questions concerning the weakness behind US resiliency

 In January we had some upside surprises, encompassing import prices, producer prices, both the headline and core Consumer Price Index, and the Personal Consumption Expenditure deflator. We think prices were in part boosted by seasonal factors which are not fully accounted for in the usual seasonal adjustment. The weakness in January retail sales and a downward revision of November and December readings signal, in our opinion, a potential downshift in consumer spending. Credit card and auto loan delinquency rates continue to rise according to the New York Fed report; consumption so far has been supported by the depletion of excess savings but US households have also taken on more debt, and some of those loans are becoming delinquent, especially credit card and auto loans, which are now above pre-COVID levels.

03/04/2024 Global Investment Views, Equity, Fixed income

Markets, economy and valuations: debate rages on

We believe valuations are excessive in some segments, such as mega-caps, where profit margins are also high. But the key question is whether these high margins justify current valuations? And will these companies be able to grow their top line quickly, while maintaining margins in a context of increased global competition and exhausted consumers? On the other hand, judging the direction of the economy is becoming increasingly difficult.

03/01/2024 Investment Talks

Passive to Active: Words of Wisdom from Ted Lasso

Passive strategies have generally have fared well over the past decade, which has made it easy to forget the long periods during which active managers outpaced passive approaches. The reasons we believe market concentration will decline include (1) a shrinking earnings advantage for the top ten companies, and (2) seemingly unsustainably high valuations. We believe investors may benefit from investing with active managers that thoughtfully select their exposure based on the earnings and valuation profile of each stock.

02/13/2024 Cross Asset

Japan equity: top performer in 2023; remains attractive option for 2024

Three key arguments support the Japanese market: (1) A recovery in profits (2) A strong incentive from the Tokyo Stock Exchange for companies to improve their capital efficiency and (3) The shift out of deflation is boosting a market rerating. The risks to these positive arguments are mostly linked to the yen. A strong comeback by the yen, should global equity volatility increase sufficiently in 2024 to encourage the unwinding of carry trades, would weigh on the performance of Japan's equities in local currency It would penalize profits and, everything else being equal, slow the process of increasing inflation, weighing on valuations at the same time.

02/09/2024 Research / Market

Will Artificial Intelligence increase economic growth?

Recent advances in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to potentially disruptive changes across a wide range of industries. Will AI significantly increase aggregate economic growth through its impact on labor markets and increases in productivity? And will it enhance the productivity of labor or displaced workers? We believe that it is inevitable that AI will be widely adopted in the long term, and that it will have a positive impact on productivity and economic growth. But while it could be a huge gain for countries where the labor force is projected to decline, investors should be mindful that AI will be disruptive in the short term and will likely adversely affect profitability and returns in a number of sectors.

02/08/2024 Global Investment Views, Equity, Fixed income

A challenging rate-cut path for central banks

The strength in the US economy keeps us confident that the Federal Reserve will not begin policy cuts before the end of May, and the European Central Bank will also remain vigilant on disinflation. Sluggish growth expectations going forward mean the emphasis on quality credit and valuations will likely increase. Equities markets are continuing to display acute anomalies relative to the historical norm, with high valuation dispersion between growth and value and an extraordinary concentration in the largest securities. We are prioritizing fundamentals, and exploring strong businesses in Japan and US value sectors.

02/07/2024 Investment Talks

Cash May Not Be King Much Longer

For most of the last year, savers have been earning a reasonable return in cash. But how long can these compelling cash rates last? Historically, the answer has been: not very long. In every rate hike cycle since the 1970s, the US Federal Reserve has "paused at the peak" federal funds rate for a matter of months, not years, and history suggests the rate cuts could begin soon. Furthermore, once the Fed starts cutting its policy rate, cash rates could move hundreds of basis points lower in a very short period of time. We believe rotating from cash into short-term bonds can help investors reduce this reinvestment risk without taking on the full price volatility inherent in longer-duration fixed income exposures.