Equities

Investors are increasingly more optimistic about the trajectory of the US economy and believe that the “Fed put” is in play limiting the downside. While the majority still have cash to put to work, many are waiting to see if the rally broadens thanks to earnings rebound across non-GenAI sectors. Fairly conservative positioning and expectations of the rangebound markets point to a consensus view that the market may be fully valued, and a soft-landing outcome along with rate cuts, are priced in.

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The secret sauce of US equities is this country’s ability to foster technological innovation, thanks to education, immigration, availability of capital, and government policies. However, the emerging concern is that tech companies do not IPO but get acquired, hollowing up the pipeline of future tech giants. That narrows investors’ opportunity set and makes US equities prone to bubbles.

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US assets and the US dollar should remain resilient relative to global peers over the next 12 months as policy uncertainty, election risk, and geopolitical risk reach a climax. After that, investors should reassess their regional allocation.

We close our overweights to Energy and Aerospace & Defense. The macroeconomic backdrop is deteriorating for Energy. As for A&D, the good news is already priced in.

Generative AI-related rally resumed in May. Much of the recent market gains are down to excess liquidity that was begotten by the massive pandemic stimulus, creating a dichotomy between multiple economic challenges and exuberant markets. The Fed is unlikely to step in to prevent the bubble as it is currently more worried about the near-term downside for growth than financial stability.

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Historically, the biggest driver of the small cap premium was “migration” i.e., a subset of small stocks earning extreme positive returns as they become large stocks. However, migration rates between small and large stocks have declined in the US. Small companies that would have grown to become successful large caps are either staying private, getting acquired by larger companies, or are entering public markets when they are already large caps. As a result, only the very worst companies are left in the small cap space. Investors should avoid a structural passive allocation to US small cap indices.

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We recommend overweight in Pharma over a tactical and strategic investment horizon, as challenges, that have recently hampered the industry group’s performance, are dissipating. Likely election outcomes are positive for the industry, while major trends like generative AI applied to drug development and an aging population are long-term tailwinds.

Q1 Earnings and sales growth were strong, but the devil is in the details: Without the Magnificent Five, earnings growth for the index would have been negative. On a positive note, margins have stabilized, and earnings growth is expected to broaden into yearend. Companies are optimistic about the economy. Development of AI applications is in full swing, but few companies are monetizing them yet. Consumer spending is strong but is slowing. We reiterate our underweight of consumer sectors, and overweight of Software and Services as the “don’t fight AI” adage holds.

The broad market took a significant step backward in April, as market jitters gripped investors, stoking fears of higher for longer monetary policy. However, our roundtable investor poll has demonstrated that the majority remain constructive on equities, and have plenty of cash ready to be invested, which could prolong the rally. Economic data is deteriorating while inflation is stubborn. However, so far, bad news is good news as many believe that a “Fed put” is still on.

特別レポート

US equities generally appear to be overvalued compared to European ones for no reason other than being domiciled on US stock markets. They are also cheap relative to US equities with lower concentration risk, a good long-term buy.