Global

MacroQuant sees the risks to US growth as being to the downside and the risks to inflation as being to the upside. Such a stagflationary brew justifies an underweight on stocks.

MacroQuant sees the risks to US growth as being to the downside and the risks to inflation as being to the upside. Such a stagflationary brew justifies an underweight on stocks.

US Treasuries typically outperform both equities and global government bonds during downturns. Recent political shifts could lessen that outperformance this cycle, but we doubt it will disappear completely.

This report is an edited transcript of our recent conversation with Mr. X and his daughter, Ms. X, who visited our office to discuss the rapidly evolving economic outlook. The US and global economies are likely to enter a recession this year barring a decisive tariff reversal or the passage of significant fiscal stimulus. Even the latter is not clearly bullish for stocks, as it risks a stagflationary outcome. Investors should be underweight stocks versus bonds and should respond to clear signs of stagflation by lowering fixed-income portfolio duration. We continue to recommend defensive equity sector positioning, an overweight stance toward value stocks, an underweight stance toward small caps, and gold over cyclically sensitive commodities.