International Economy Archives — Page 19 of 27

First Quarter Review of Asset Allocation

Heading into 2019, the primary risks facing financial markets were the trade war with China, the U.S. government shutdown, Brexit uncertainty, and further Fed rate hikes. However, in the first quarter the majority of these worries subsided.

In this newsletter, we analyze the current market environment with a review of recent performance and future expectations for each major asset class. As always, we caution investors to stay diversified and rebalance as appropriate. There are always potential disruptors to the financial markets and the most powerful tend to be largely unexpected. We will continue to monitor markets and developments as they occur to guide our clients to the most optimal portfolio decisions given the backdrop of program goals and risk tolerance.

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The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Brexit – Deal or Delay?

With merely 21 days left before Britain is due to leave the European Union, global investors are keenly watching their daily news feeds in hopes of clarity on the likely outcome – deal or delay. Note that hard exit was excluded from the list of options. Many economists and leading global financial institutions, like JPMorgan, Credit Suisse, and RBC, have lowered that probability to less than 10%^1,2 in response to Prime Minister Theresa May’s compromise on February 28th that allows MPs to vote on a short delay and to rule out a no deal exit in the short term.

So what has exactly transpired since the initial divorce deal’s failed vote and May miraculously passing the no-confidence vote on January 25th? There have been several debates within the Parliament chambers on revisions necessary to secure a positive vote, including an option to remove the 21-day wait period required before voting on an international treaty and amendments to the Irish backstop. As of March 6th, a revised deal between Britain and the European Union has yet to be accepted, with recent talks being characterized as difficult and inconclusive. Albeit too early to know, there’s a strong likelihood that one of the following scenarios will occur: 1) May’s top lawyers will come to compromise with EU and present a palatable deal to Parliament by March 12th, or 2) MPs will vote no on the revised deal and agree to an extension on March 14th.

In this week’s chart, we show FRED’s Economic Policy Uncertainty Index for the United Kingdom³ along with U.K.’s Economic Sentiment Indicator over the last three years. As depicted, indecision over the Brexit outcome remains and drives the uncertainty index into the 450 range, up 56 points from January month-end. At the same time, sentiment within the world’s fifth largest-economy continues to wane as both consumers and many businesses hedge their stakes and prepare for the worst-case scenario, a disorderly Brexit.

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1. Bloomberg, “Things Are Looking Up for the Pound, Strategists Say”, March 4, 2019.
2. Business Insider, “The City of London is finally starting to believe that the UK will avoid a no-deal Brexit”, March 3, 2019.
3. Baker, Scott R., Bloom, Nick and Davis, Stephen J., Economic Policy Uncertainty Index for United Kingdom [UKEPUINDXM], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UKEPUINDXM, March 7, 2019.

2019 Market Preview

Coming off a difficult 2018, investors face a litany of questions going into this year, whose potential answers will undoubtedly have an impact on the capital markets. The following set of newsletters examines the primary asset classes we cover for our clients, with in-depth analysis of last year’s performance and more importantly, trends, themes, and projections to watch for in 2019. We hope these materials can assist you and your committees as you plan for the coming year, and please feel free to reach out to any of us should you have further questions about the articles or wish to review the 2019 Market Preview Webinar recording. Here’s to a better year from the capital markets in 2019!

U.S. Economy: The View from the Top?
by Jeffrey Hoffmeyer, CFA, Lead Analyst, Asset Allocation

Fixed Income: Kicking Off the Year with Moderate Valuations, a Less-Hawkish Fed and Growing Global Tariffs
by Ben Mohr, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Fixed Income

U.S. Equities: The Pro-Growth Narrative Fizzles Out
by Samantha T. Grant, CFA, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, U.S. Equities
and Rob Britenbach, CIPM, Research Analyst, U.S. Equities

Non-U.S. Equities: Can They Get Back on Track?
by David Hernandez, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, International Equities
and Nicole Johnson-Barnes, Research Analyst

Real Estate: Navigating Through a Late Market Cycle
by Jeremy Zirin, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, Real Assets

Infrastructure: Stable Cash Flows in an Uncertain Market Environment and the Evolving Landscape
by Jeremy Zirin, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, Real Assets

Hedge Funds: Is Market Volatility Here to Stay?
by Joe McGuane, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Alternatives

Private Equity: Poised for Robust Deployment
by Derek Schmidt, CFA, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, Private Equity

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Brexit Contributes to Global Uncertainty

Political instability increased dramatically in 2018 and the Brexit looms as a major contributor to the uncertainty in 2019. The UK is scheduled to leave the European Union (EU) on March 29th, 2019 however there is no current plan in place for the exit. On Tuesday, January 15th, the UK government resoundingly rejected Prime Minister May’s Brexit plan, 432 votes to 202. May had negotiated this agreement with the EU in an attempt to organize an orderly departure.

On Wednesday January 16th, a day after her plan’s defeat, Prime Minister May survived a vote of no confidence, 325 votes to 306. With her leadership role intact, May must develop an exit plan that the UK leadership will pass, and the EU will approve. This must be done with the clock ticking and as we move closer to March 29th, the possibility of a “no deal” Brexit increases. This is an outcome neither the UK nor the EU want, and if this occurs, volatility in equity markets is likely to spike. To avoid this, we may see a vote to delay the exit and should the UK fail to reach an agreement perhaps we may see a second referendum. Ultimately, as is usually the case with these types of issues, markets will welcome any resolution that clears up the uncertainty surrounding the event.

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Nowhere to Hide in 2018

As we enter 2019, we look back on what was a pretty poor year for investors. There was just nowhere to hide in 2018 as a volatile 4th quarter turned all major indices negative. The downward catalyst occurred when Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said interest rates were “a long way” from what he considered neither stimulative nor restrictive.

For the year, the S&P 500 lost 4.4%, the Russell 2000 lost 11%, and emerging markets (as measured by the MSCI EM index) lost 14.6%. These losses came mostly as volatility spiked with the CBOE Volatility Index up 132% in 2018. Strong market fundamentals have largely been overshadowed by fear as global growth concerns, trade, and rising interest rate worries continue to pressure markets. This broad market correction has been historically unusual, but years with broadly poor returns from a majority of indices are typically followed by a positive year as investors find value in market opportunities.

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The Financial Crisis: A Decade Later

2018 Investment Symposium flash talk by Nat Kellogg, CFA

Ten years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, we look back at the key factors that caused the crisis and reexamine the significant events of 2008. Now, a decade later, we will highlight the critical issues exposed by the crisis, including those that have been resolved and those that remain unaddressed and still pose risks for investors.

A summary of this flash talk can be downloaded here.

An October to Forget?

Stock markets around the globe “corrected” in October, experiencing a sudden and broad-based drop. The sell-off was somewhat unusual as there was no glaring fundamental event that triggered the market drop, but rather a confluence of events that all seemed to come to the forefront of investors’ minds simultaneously. These concerns, coming on the heels of a strong third quarter for stocks that left the market looking modestly overvalued, led to an unpleasant month of returns.

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Italy Looks to Increase Its Budget Deficit

The yield on Italian 10-year government bonds has risen this year as investor concern about the country’s fiscal policies mounts. This week Italy approved its 2019 budget targeting a 2.4% deficit to gross domestic product — a larger number than markets anticipated and a higher targeted deficit than 2018’s 1.8%. The Italian coalition government is targeting higher spending to implement a monthly income for low-income citizens and reduce the retirement age despite its high public debt to GDP ratio, 131% in 2017. The European Union will provide its formal comments on the proposed budget in the coming weeks and this will likely create some short-term market movements.

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