Equities

In Section I, we discuss why the rally in stock prices over the past month reflects the soft-landing view, and why that is not a likely economic outcome. US inflation is slowing, but target inflation remains elusive. Meanwhile, cracks in the US labor market are already apparent, and there is strong evidence against the view that US stocks are appropriately priced for an eventual US recession. This underscores that conservative investment positioning is still warranted. In Section II, we check in on the indebtedness risk of several major economies, and examine whether these risks exist primarily in the household, nonfinancial corporate, or government sectors. While there are limited cyclical implications of recent trends in global indebtedness, there are several problems that will eventually “come home to roost” – particularly in the US and China.

An important annual event is when long-time client Mr. X visits BCA strategists at the end of each year to talk about the economic and financial outlook and a write-up of the discussion is published as our Annual Outlook report. Recently, BCA’s former Chief Economist Martin Barnes had the pleasure of a chance encounter with Mr. X at an airport lounge, and this report is an edited transcript of their conversation.

First Republic Bank’s earnings report showed how its struggles have exaggerated the perception of other banks’ distress. Ex-FRC, the banking system appears to be coping with the post-Silicon Valley Bank turmoil pretty well.

Inflation is hot, but inflation expectations are not. We explain the answer to this apparent puzzle and discuss the investment implications. Plus we identify two commodities that are at imminent risk of reversal.

European equities continue to inch closer to record highs, yet, their earnings outlook is deteriorating. How can investors build hedging portfolios using the message from earnings and valuations to protect themselves against the growing risk of a pullback?