6 top questions for investors today

This week has been a tale of two halves. 

The start of the week was dominated by Tuesday’s hotter-than-expected U.S. CPI print that sent both stocks and bonds reeling. But after some softer data that quelled those worries, the S&P 500 was back to making new highs.

Since releasing our Outlook 2024, our strategists have hit the road across the globe to bring our views to investors. Today, we share the top questions we’re hearing–and our answers.

1) How can you be so sure the inflation problem is over? The economy seems pretty strong.

This week’s U.S. CPI print reminded investors that the path back to 2% inflation probably isn’t a straight line. The reality check may have been needed: Heading into the year, markets had been betting on an arguably overexuberant path for rate cuts (at one point calling for ~170 basis points (bps) worth of cuts in 2024).

Expectations seem more reasonable today, and looking at the bigger picture, inflation is still trending in the right direction. That is good news, given that Federal Reserve Chair Powell was clear that we just need to see a continuation rather than an improvement of current inflation trends to get comfortable with rate cuts this year. Each of the three key drivers of inflation–the labor market, shelter, and supply chains–are still showing promising signs.

But why would the Fed cut rates at all if the economy is so strong? At today’s levels, policy rates are restrictive. Consider that the real policy rate has actually risen as inflation has decelerated, even though the Fed has stopped hiking. This means that as inflation continues to move lower, central banks need to cut just in order to maintain the same level of restrictiveness. Policymakers are thus tasked with balancing the risks of inflation reaccelerating against the risks of overtightening. We think 125bps worth of rate cuts this year seems reasonable.

2) What do geopolitical tensions in the Middle East mean for inflation?

We’ve already seen shipping costs spike, and some companies have been citing supply chain worries in their earnings calls.

However, context is important. Disruptions in the Red Sea just make trade more difficult, with container ships circumnavigating around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal–far from a complete stop as we saw during the pandemic. This has meant that while shipping costs have spiked, they remain more than 60% below their 2020 highs.

The pressure we are feeling also may abate soon. Consider what we heard this week from shipping giant Maersk, oft viewed as a barometer for global trade. While it acknowledged the uncertainty around the situation, it also noted that more new vessels were on their way to market than needed to send ships around Africa instead, cushioning the impact of higher expected journey times and higher freight rates.

Finally, we anticipate little feed through into inflation as it is. Goods account for just about one-third of U.S. PCE (the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation)--and only about one-third of that can also be traced to imports. Moreover, only 4% of the cargo through the Suez Canal is traveling to America, compared to ~40% for Europe and ~30% for Asia.

3) Stocks have already rallied a lot. Should I just wait to invest?

U.S. stocks have rallied over 20% in just a matter of months. Questions abound over whether sitting on the sidelines means you’ve “missed it.” 

History tells us that investing when the market is at an all-time high often spells for solid future returns. Over the last 50-odd years (going back to 1970), if you invested in the S&P 500 at an all-time high, your investment would have been higher a year later 70% of the time, with an average return of 9.4%—versus the 9.0% on average when investing at any time.

We also think today’s backdrop is a good one for stocks. Some inflation (i.e., headline CPI within a 2-3% range) tends to be good for corporate earnings. Indeed, this Q4 earnings season stands to mark a second straight quarter of growth after almost a year of contraction. Stellar results from big tech have shown those companies as worthy of their rallies. Chipmaker Nvidia overtook both Alphabet and Amazon this week to become the third-largest company in the world. Meanwhile, other sectors are also joining in. Since late October, the equally -weighted S&P 500 has kept pace with the market cap-weighted index, and small caps have actually outperformed.

4) If [insert Trump or Biden here] wins the U.S. election, what does this mean for markets?

The U.S. election came up in virtually every event. To start, it’s worth remembering that returns in election years and non-election years haven’t been all that different, with both producing solid returns.

As we get closer to November, we’re starting to piece together what potential Trump and Biden policy proposals might mean for our outlook. Trump has already proposed a new round of tariffs on imports from foreign countries, an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, more defense spending and deregulation. On net, our initial sense is that such a scenario could lift bond yields, support small- and mid-cap stocks, and push the dollar higher. On the other hand, Biden may keep some parts of the TCJA but make shifts toward Democrats’ preferences, signal tighter regulation (we’ve already seen a rise in big tech antirust cases), protect and build on the Affordable Care Act, and focus on multilateralism and the energy transition.

In the end, long-term investors have a good track record when it comes to dealing with elections. After all, they happen every four years. Historically, macro factors tend to matter most for broad markets, with policy shifts most impactful at the industry and asset class level. Based on the economic backdrop we see today, we think either candidate’s potential administrations will have solid earnings momentum on their side to support markets.

5) The U.S. debt situation is worrying. Is this a problem, and what's the potential impact?

Alongside election chatter, we also heard lingering concerns over mounting U.S. debt. While this might lead to some tough battles ahead over taxes and government spending, we don’t foresee a U.S. fiscal crisis.

For those looking to manage the risks, tax-efficient investing should be a priority. From there, currency markets have historically shouldered most of the burden of a sovereign fiscal crisis. We don’t think the dollar looks at risk of losing its reserve status anytime soon, especially given its dominant position within global trade and other transactions, but it might be prudent to diversify exposure across other global currencies. Furthermore, real assets can play an important role as a potential portfolio diversifier and income source to hedge against the long-term risk.

6) Why bother with active management? It doesn’t feel worth the cost.

The concentration of last year’s rally in big tech created a challenging backdrop for active managers. And while we still think those names will keep pushing higher this year, our constructive view on equities is also predicated on more sectors joining in. However, not all sectors are created equal and experiencing solid profit growth. Dispersion is wide.

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