As winter takes hold in the northern hemisphere, there are those that choose to escape to warmer climates and those that embrace the season and choose the mountains. Anyone familiar with downhill skiing knows that every ski trail is marked with a shape and color to designate its difficulty. For those unfamiliar with these ratings, the North American system looks like this:
Of course, weather and trail conditions can also impact a trail’s difficulty and must be accounted for when turning down the mountain: environment and terrain matter. Similarly, investment prognostications must recognize the current setting. By now, the environment is all too well known: high inflation, aggressive Fed policy, Russia–Ukraine war, labor supply shortages, and a potential recession. These topics have been covered extensively in recent letters and continue to loom over markets as we start 2023. At a high level, general consensus is that the majority of rate hikes from the Fed are behind us (two are expected for 2023 at time of writing), and inflation will continue to normalize in 2023, thus further supporting the thesis of fewer rates hikes from the Fed over the next year. If a recession comes to fruition, expectations are for it to be short-lived and shallow which reduces the long-term threat to markets.
With this backdrop in mind, we turn our attention to an asset class by asset class outlook for the coming year, assessing the degree of difficulty for each to deliver positive returns in 2023. In some cases, the difficulty will change as the year goes on — similar to trails that are “Most Difficult” for the first half and become more palatable as the journey goes on…which brings to mind a certain trail in Utah that the author found himself on last year that literally had him over his skis…but I digress. Tighten your boots and click into those skis!
Read > Trail Guide to 2023 Asset Class Performance
Download > 2023 Market Preview Report with 100+ additional charts and data, organized by asset class
Watch > 2023 Market Preview Video recording of our research team’s live webinar analyzing last year’s performance as well as trends, themes, opportunities, and risks to watch for in 2023
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. Marquette is an independent investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about Marquette including our investment strategies, fees, and objectives can be found in our ADV Part 2, which is available upon request.
