Equities

While relative financials stock returns tend to be highly correlated across regions, especially in the developed world (top panel), extremely divergent monetary policy developments and operating metrics suggest that these long-standing tight correlations are destined to loosen. Thus, Global Alpha Sector Strategy has broken down global financials sector coverage into three geographies: U.S., Europe and Japan, following in the footsteps of our recent disentangling of global consumer discretionary coverage (see the March 17 Insights). In that light, the euro area and Japanese financials sectors are at a particularly acute disadvantage relative to the U.S., given diverging leverage, capital cushions and ROEs (please see the next Insight).

Chinese GDP growth may have picked up slightly in the first quarter, and growth numbers will likely continue to exceed expectations in the coming months. The market is overly bearish on China's earnings outlook, and may be on the verge of reassessment. Stay positive on H shares.

Last week we added the overall health care sector to our high-conviction overweight list, given our confidence that defensive sectors will continue to outperform the broad market on a cyclical basis, regardless of the latter's near-term trend. As part of this move, the S&P managed care index now warrants overweight exposure. The pressure on payers of medical services relative to the providers of those services has ebbed, because overall health care outlays are no longer accelerating relative to total spending. That should open the door to another upleg in relative performance, provided costs stay under control. On this front, our medical cost proxy is still moving laterally, despite the previous increase in surgeries, procedures and sector pricing inflation. This will keep a lid on the medical loss ratio, alleviating potential downward pressure on profit margins, and by extension, relative valuations. Keep in mind that the impact of previous consolidation on cost containment has yet to be fully felt. The implication is that discount relative valuations should be exploited. Upgrade to overweight and please see yesterday's Weekly Report for more details. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: BLBG: S5MANH - AET, ANTM, CNC, CI, HUM, UNH.

Our bearish thesis on the S&P cable & satellite index is not playing out. Instead of skinnier cable packages and cord cutting denting profitability, the industry has managed not only to sustain pricing power, but also to increase selling prices at a faster rate than overall inflation. The latest personal consumption expenditures report showed that cable outlays, in real terms, have begun to march higher again after flat-lining for two years. The cable industry has monopolistic properties, enjoying decades of rising 'real' pricing power. Now that real spending has reaccelerated, it will boost the odds that real selling prices will follow suit. One of our fears had been that slowing sales and rising subscriber churn would force cable providers to ramp up investment to retain customers. However, the largest cable distributors reportedly saw their total cable subscribers decline only 1% in the fourth quarter, similar to the loss in the third quarter, reinforcing that cord cutting is ebbing. The downtrend in capital spending-to-sales has been a major driver of the expansion in operating margins. If capital spending is not going to accelerate, then profit margins won't come under much pressure. We made a full shift to overweight in yesterday's Weekly Report. The ticker symbols for the stocks in this index are: BLBG: S5CBST - CVC, CMCSA, TWC.

Equities are back in overshoot territory. We added the health care sector to our high-conviction overweight list, boosted managed care to overweight and put health care equipment on downgrade alert. Buy cable stocks.

We are sending you the Q2 <i>Global Investment Strategy Outlook</i>, which discusses the ten predictions we expect to drive global financial markets throughout the rest of the year.

No significant change in allocation was made. Direction wise, weights in Spain and Switzerland were increased slightly at the expense of Netherland and Sweden.

Special Report

Several tail risks appear less ominous compared to last month. Nonetheless, the earnings outlook has not improved and the FOMC will turn more hawkish ahead of the June meeting. Stay defensively positioned.

Several tail risks appear less ominous compared to last month. Nonetheless, the earnings outlook has not improved and the FOMC will turn more hawkish ahead of the June meeting. Stay defensively positioned.

Monday's Special Report highlighted an overwhelmingly bullish macro backdrop for defensive sector relative performance. Health care is a key defensive component, but it has been hit hard in recent weeks, denting investor confidence. The main culprits behind the pullback have been the bounce in inflation expectations on the back of the dip in the U.S. dollar. The sector had rallied in lockstep with intensifying global deflationary pressures for the past few years, and it is only natural that it be used as a source of funds to lift exposure to cyclical sectors on the first whiff of financial stress relief. However, the path of least resistance for health care earnings is still up, in relative terms. Our Cyclical Macro Indicator is emitting bullish signals, supported by the resurgence in sector pricing power, particularly compared with moribund overall corporate sector selling price inflation. Importantly, valuation and technical factors also argue for a bullish reversal. Our relative valuation gauge is at an extremely undervalued level, while technical conditions are deeply oversold. These conditions are unlikely to last if relative forward earnings keep climbing, as we expect. Consequently, the reward/risk tradeoff is sufficiently upbeat to warrant adding the sector to our high-conviction overweight list.