Equity markets posted modest gains this week alongside more encouraging U.S. inflation data and amid a wave of Canadian bank earnings.
The S&P 500 gained 0.8%, with banks jumping more than 4%. The TSX rose 1.7%, led by materials and health care.
The banks had a fine week overall, up 1.9%, as the sector rolled out a wide range of Q4 earnings hits and missed, which included a handful of dividend increases.
Bonds
The recent bond rally has its roots in the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed) rate announcement last month, when they adjusted their commentary on which way rates are heading by implying that they’d prefer not to raise them any further. We don’t necessarily need to see actual rate cuts in order for bonds to outperform cash and GICs—we just need investors to believe that the trend is toward lower rates rather than higher. Which point along the yield curve you’ll want to own will depend on where you think the economy is going. This year, High Yield outperformed everything else because of the fact that the economy was resilient; higher-risk credit tends to do well when spreads are shrinking and it’s supported by a strong consumer. As we approach 2024, every economic datapoint is suggesting that GDP numbers should be a little softer and that the consumer will weaken, especially with a slowdown in global growth and a recession potentially on the horizon. That tells us that it may be time to consider reducing the riskiness of your bond portfolio, shifting to exposures that will benefit from the change in the interest rate environment. This means higher-quality core bonds rather than High Yield or Emerging Market Debt (EMD). We haven’t implemented this trade in our portfolios just yet because we’re expecting the year-end rally to continue. But in the new year, I anticipate we’ll adjust our fixed income sleeve based on how the consumer plays out over the rest of 2023, reducing our higher-risk exposures in favour of core bonds.
Bottom Line: Going forward, our preference is to stick to quality bonds and keep our risk on the equity side of the portfolio.
Equities
Speaking of equities: our call is for a rally to end the year, which is based on the big pullback in the fall, seasonality factors, and the Fed’s aforementioned adjustment in rate expectations. We still see an excess of consumer savings, and that should support holiday spending. We’re not necessarily changing that call for 2024, but it will depend on a few factors. Real-time data on holiday spending is starting to come in—for instance, Black Friday numbers appear to be pretty good. If the numbers continue to be strong, then we may extend our optimism about the consumer into the first quarter of 2024 or even beyond. That said, we also have to keep an eye on savings, because consumers may have overspent; credit card debt will be harder to manage with high interest rates, so some households may get their first statement back after the holiday season, see how much they owe, and decide to tighten their belts. My suspicion is that we’ll take some equity risk off the table as we head into the new year, but how much will depend on the data we’re seeing. Central banks will also play a role: rate cuts are good if the economy is good, but cuts are bad if the economy is bad.
Bottom Line: Our outlook for equities in 2024 will depend on the state of the consumer, so we’ll be closely monitoring that data throughout the holiday season.
China
China has lagged behind expectations all year, and we still have concerns in the short term; the crisis in the property sector has sapped consumer confidence and negatively affected spending. But is China dead in the water? Absolutely not. We continue to believe that China is a growth engine that will continue to chug higher over the long term, and as the world’s second-largest economy, it would be unadvisable to avoid it. The trick is timing: in most areas, you want to get there early, but China doesn’t have the best track record on implementation. As such, we’d like to see some concrete developments before jumping in, including more aggressive action on stimulus, more stability in the property sector, and flows going back into the market. That said, we still like broader Emerging Markets (EM) ex-China—that’s why we’re neutral on EM as a whole rather than underweight due to the China exposure.
Bottom Line: Depressed valuations may offer an attractive entry point into China, but we’d like to see some concrete steps before diving in.
Positioning
For a detailed breakdown of our portfolio positioning, check out the latest BMO GAM House View Report, titled Stocking Up for a Hiday Rally.
Disclosures:
The viewpoints expressed by the Portfolio Manager represents their assessment of the markets at the time of publication. Those views are subject to change without notice at any time without any kind of notice. The information provided herein does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy, or an offer to sell securities nor should the information be relied upon as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This communication is intended for informational purposes only.
BMO Global Asset Management is a brand name under which BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Investments Inc. operate.
Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although such statements are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. Investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. In connection with any forward-looking statements, investors should carefully consider the areas of risk described in the most recent simplified prospectus.
This article is for information purposes. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance.
Commissions, management fees and expenses (if applicable) all may be associated with investments in mutual funds. Trailing commissions may be associated with investments in certain series of securities of mutual funds. Please read the fund facts, ETF facts or prospectus of the relevant mutual fund before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
For a summary of the risks of an investment in the BMO Mutual Funds, please see the specific risks set out in the prospectus. ETF Series of the BMO Mutual Funds trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase the risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
BMO Mutual Funds are managed by BMO Investments Inc., which is an investment fund manager and a separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal.
®/™Registered trademarks/trademark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence.
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The China Conundrum
December 4 to 8, 2023
The China Conundrum
December 4 to 8, 2023
Sadiq S. Adatia, CFA, FSA, FCIA
Market Recap
Bonds
The recent bond rally has its roots in the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed) rate announcement last month, when they adjusted their commentary on which way rates are heading by implying that they’d prefer not to raise them any further. We don’t necessarily need to see actual rate cuts in order for bonds to outperform cash and GICs—we just need investors to believe that the trend is toward lower rates rather than higher. Which point along the yield curve you’ll want to own will depend on where you think the economy is going. This year, High Yield outperformed everything else because of the fact that the economy was resilient; higher-risk credit tends to do well when spreads are shrinking and it’s supported by a strong consumer. As we approach 2024, every economic datapoint is suggesting that GDP numbers should be a little softer and that the consumer will weaken, especially with a slowdown in global growth and a recession potentially on the horizon. That tells us that it may be time to consider reducing the riskiness of your bond portfolio, shifting to exposures that will benefit from the change in the interest rate environment. This means higher-quality core bonds rather than High Yield or Emerging Market Debt (EMD). We haven’t implemented this trade in our portfolios just yet because we’re expecting the year-end rally to continue. But in the new year, I anticipate we’ll adjust our fixed income sleeve based on how the consumer plays out over the rest of 2023, reducing our higher-risk exposures in favour of core bonds.
Bottom Line: Going forward, our preference is to stick to quality bonds and keep our risk on the equity side of the portfolio.
Equities
Speaking of equities: our call is for a rally to end the year, which is based on the big pullback in the fall, seasonality factors, and the Fed’s aforementioned adjustment in rate expectations. We still see an excess of consumer savings, and that should support holiday spending. We’re not necessarily changing that call for 2024, but it will depend on a few factors. Real-time data on holiday spending is starting to come in—for instance, Black Friday numbers appear to be pretty good. If the numbers continue to be strong, then we may extend our optimism about the consumer into the first quarter of 2024 or even beyond. That said, we also have to keep an eye on savings, because consumers may have overspent; credit card debt will be harder to manage with high interest rates, so some households may get their first statement back after the holiday season, see how much they owe, and decide to tighten their belts. My suspicion is that we’ll take some equity risk off the table as we head into the new year, but how much will depend on the data we’re seeing. Central banks will also play a role: rate cuts are good if the economy is good, but cuts are bad if the economy is bad.
Bottom Line: Our outlook for equities in 2024 will depend on the state of the consumer, so we’ll be closely monitoring that data throughout the holiday season.
China
China has lagged behind expectations all year, and we still have concerns in the short term; the crisis in the property sector has sapped consumer confidence and negatively affected spending. But is China dead in the water? Absolutely not. We continue to believe that China is a growth engine that will continue to chug higher over the long term, and as the world’s second-largest economy, it would be unadvisable to avoid it. The trick is timing: in most areas, you want to get there early, but China doesn’t have the best track record on implementation. As such, we’d like to see some concrete developments before jumping in, including more aggressive action on stimulus, more stability in the property sector, and flows going back into the market. That said, we still like broader Emerging Markets (EM) ex-China—that’s why we’re neutral on EM as a whole rather than underweight due to the China exposure.
Bottom Line: Depressed valuations may offer an attractive entry point into China, but we’d like to see some concrete steps before diving in.
Positioning
For a detailed breakdown of our portfolio positioning, check out the latest BMO GAM House View Report, titled Stocking Up for a Hiday Rally.
Disclosures:
The viewpoints expressed by the Portfolio Manager represents their assessment of the markets at the time of publication. Those views are subject to change without notice at any time without any kind of notice. The information provided herein does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy, or an offer to sell securities nor should the information be relied upon as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This communication is intended for informational purposes only.
BMO Global Asset Management is a brand name under which BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Investments Inc. operate.
Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although such statements are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. Investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. In connection with any forward-looking statements, investors should carefully consider the areas of risk described in the most recent simplified prospectus.
This article is for information purposes. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance.
Commissions, management fees and expenses (if applicable) all may be associated with investments in mutual funds. Trailing commissions may be associated with investments in certain series of securities of mutual funds. Please read the fund facts, ETF facts or prospectus of the relevant mutual fund before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
For a summary of the risks of an investment in the BMO Mutual Funds, please see the specific risks set out in the prospectus. ETF Series of the BMO Mutual Funds trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase the risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
BMO Mutual Funds are managed by BMO Investments Inc., which is an investment fund manager and a separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal.
®/™Registered trademarks/trademark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence.
Insights
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