On the Minds of Investors
Drawing on the depth and breadth of their market and economic expertise, our global macro strategists offer insight into today's big investment themes to enable more confident portfolio decisions.
You asked, we answer. On the Minds of Investors tackles the big questions we hear in our conversations with clients – it’s our latest thinking on the issues that matter to you.
For investors that can stomach potential risks, small cap stocks may offer opportunities for meaningful upside, particularly as the economic recovery strengthens in 2021.
The holiday shopping season is upon us again, but with economic hardship caused by the ongoing pandemic, there is some concern as to whether this retail season will be merry and bright.
Although rates have moved higher during the past few weeks, investors are still struggling to generate income without increasing portfolio volatility. More and more, however, alternative investments are providing a solution.
In a recent post, we argued that the main way the U.S. election had been impacting international markets was through the U.S. dollar, this continued after Election Day, with a significant move down in the dollar of 1.4% in the three days after the election was held.
In the midst of the busiest political week of the year and with the outcome of the presidential election still uncertain, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) did its best to fly under the radar at its November meeting.
The 3Q 2020 GDP print revealed the full strength of the U.S. economic rebound in the aftermath of one of the worst recessions in living memory.
After a sharp decline in economic activity during the first half of the year, the U.S. economy bounced back strongly in the third quarter.
Over the last decade, there have been many trends in market leadership, such as large cap outperformance over small cap equities, growth over value equities, and U.S. over international equities.
All eyes have been on the upcoming U.S. election. Its twists and turns have not only been affecting domestic markets, but also international markets, especially via the U.S. dollar.
Over the last four years, the frequent refrain about election polling is the polls were so wrong in 2016. But just how far off were the polls?
As we think about the trajectory of the energy industry going forward, it is evolving in more ways than one.
Discover the benefits of lump sum investing during the current low-interest rate regime, and its consistent outperformance of dollar cost averaging.
Many investors find this disconnect between the equity market and the economy perplexing and are constantly asking us: is it justified?
As we approach Election Day, investors look to best position their portfolios for the next administration.
In recent months, the prospects of higher inflation has become front of mind for many investors.
As we highlight in our 3Q20 Guide to Alternatives, core real assets like real estate and infrastructure can provide both diversification and income, while certain types of hedge fund strategies can zig when the stock market zags.
After the dramatic market declines in March, many investors expected markets would continue to fall.
The rebound from the late-March lows capped the shortest bear market in history and marked the fastest round trip back to all-time highs.
With the presidential election just under two months away, investors are considering how a change in fiscal policies may impact the various sleeves of their overall investment portfolio.
After a strong run, the end of last week saw U.S. equity markets come under pressure.
As the economy & markets continued to grind higher, investors entered into 2020 with prominent portfolio overweight’s into U.S. and Growth oriented equities.
Fortunately, like the experience in the U.S., this second increase in cases is not being accompanied by the same rise in fatalities as the first.
The Federal Open Market Committee officially announced an update to its Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy.
While markets are likely to experience volatility in the lead up to and the aftermath of the election, ultimately, it’s policy, not politics, that matter most.
Loss aversion refers is the preference to avoid losing compared to gaining an equivalent amount.
Last week, we learned that the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% in July.
Last week, we learned that the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% in July.
This paper, written by Gabriela Santos, discusses the outlook for U.S.-China tensions amidst COVID-19 and the upcoming election season.
We revisit asset allocation views as the global economy appears to be in the early innings of recovery, but stares down the limitations to growth in a pre-vaccine world.
Last week’s GDP report showed that the U.S. economy contracted at a real, annualized rate of -32.9% in 2Q20.
The U.S. economy contracted at its fastest pace on record in the second quarter, reflecting the nationwide lockdown and halt in economic activity.
Coming into 2020 – against a backdrop of steady and stable economic growth, along with a positive earnings outlook – many investors were worried about the market highs reached over the last few years.
Over the past ten years, European equities have underperformed the U.S. by 174% pts in U.S. dollar terms.
The Business Cycle Dating Committee marked the peak month of the previous expansion in February 2020, officially marking an end to the longest expansion on record.
China’s imposition of a strict quarantine in response to the COVID-19 pandemic plunged its economy into a deep contraction in the first quarter of 2020, -6.8% year-over-year, its first negative GDP print in over 40 years.
The dramatic increase in federal debt and the expansion of monetary policy has many investors wondering if a surge in inflation is on the horizon.
May and June saw economic activity improve relative to the April lows, and we expect that economic growth will be positive in the back half of the year.
After crushing the curve in the U.S., cases of COVID-19 have begun to rise rapidly again, with the resurgence occurring in new hotspots.
Due to COVID-19 and the discussions around social issues and climate change, Sustainable Investing (SI) is more relevant today than ever before.
The past few weeks have seen COVID-19 case growth accelerate in parts of the United States, with the total number of confirmed cases now well above 2.5 million.
Since the start of the year, the U.S. dollar has appreciated by roughly 1%, continuing a near-decade long trend that was only briefly interrupted in 2017.
One of the best trades to put on in the aftermath of the financial crisis was going long high yield. Spreads blew out to nearly 18% in November 2008, implying a default rate of almost 30%. Looking back, this is far from what actually materialized, as default rates on U.S. high yield peaked at a level of 11% in November of the following year. With the Federal Reserve (Fed) becoming increasingly active in credit markets, we have been getting more and more questions on the outlook for high yield; the bottom line is that while valuations are not terribly compelling, the near-term path for credit spreads may be tighter.
Over the past 15 years, investors have been frustrated with the performance of European equities.
At the end of last week, it looked like the equity market pullback that everyone had been expecting was finally beginning to materialize.
The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met this week and provided investors with a fresh set of economic and interest rate projections after a six month hiatus.
While fundamentals– valuations, earnings and economic growth – dominate in the long run, the short run is a different matter.
Earlier this week, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced that defined contribution (DC) plan sponsors can begin to include private equity strategies in diversified investment options like target date funds (TDFs) or balanced funds.
Investors have had to process a torrent of information and wild swings in sentiment so far this year.
The S&P 500 has marched steadily higher from its March 23rd low against a backdrop of investor skepticism. In previous posts, we have discussed how this rally is being driven by three things.
The balance sheet of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) has increased by 2.9 trillion USD since the start of March, meaning that in just over eleven weeks it has grown more than it did in the five years following the Financial Crisis.
Global governments have been swift and bold in supporting their economies, building a bridge to get consumers, small businesses and corporates over the present abyss to the other side. Given the unknown breadth and depth of the abyss, more stimulus may be required.
Year-to-date, emerging market (EM) equities are down -17.6%, as a combination of the COVID-19 recession and the oil price shock has led to downward revisions to earnings expectations, as well as weaker currencies relative to the U.S. dollar.
Ultimately, the Fed’s next step will be dictated by the pathway of the virus, says Dryden.
In the aftermath of the global financial crisis (GFC), investors have embraced equity markets as a source of income. With the COVID-induced lockdown pushing policy rates back to the zero-bound and government bond yields near all-time lows, this trend has since gained additional momentum.
During the first three weeks of March, investors stampeded out of riskier markets and rushed to safe assets. In the process, 100 billion USD flowed out of emerging market (EM) stocks and bonds –more than three times the outflows seen during each of the previous three risk-off periods.
This edition of On the Minds of Investors comes from, Katherine Roy, our Chief Retirement Strategist here at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Her team oversees The Guide to Retirement (GTR), which is a best-in-class resource for breaking down and simplifying complex retirement issues like Social Security and Medicare.
Nearly half of S&P 500 companies have reported 1Q20 earnings, and our current estimate is for a -20% decline relative to a year prior. Against this backdrop, however, equity markets have continued trending higher.
Global markets have roiled in the face of COVID-19 and social distancing, and many investors are looking to “pick up the pieces,” eagerly hunting for the next big opportunity.
While many changes are likely to emerge, one clear trend, with far-reaching macro and market implications, is the increase in leverage, says Azzarello.
Earlier this week, oil prices turned negative for the first time in history, with WTI trading as low as -$37 a barrel.
Over the past two months investors have digested the COVID-19 shock: the fast spread of the virus around the world, the social distancing measures implemented and the resulting economic and earnings recession.
1Q20 earnings season will provide an important first look at how the ongoing pause in global activity is impacting corporate earnings.
The industries most impacted by social distancing account for 20% of payroll employment, and consumer spending across those industries account for 20% of GDP.
With the equity market having hit its last new high on February 19th of this year, the depth and speed of the market drop has been ferocious.
Today’s objectively complicated credit market may be an excellent source of future portfolio growth, says Dryden.
The recent U.S. equity market drop and subsequent swings in prices have been dramatic.
Ultimately, how high the unemployment rate gets is dependent on one key question: will American small business fire its workers, says Manley.
Initial claims for unemployment insurance surged to the highest level ever: 3,283,000, spiking from a slightly revised 282,000 last week.
This paper, written by Dr. David Kelly, reviews the U.S> relief bill and its investment implications.
The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) has pulled out its alphabet bazooka in an effort to ensure sufficient liquidity and the smooth functioning of financial markets, while also providing credit to businesses that are affected by the spread of COVID-19 and the stall in global economic activity.
As economists continue to revise down their 2020 GDP estimates, a lot of clients have been asking us about the potential impact on earnings.
This past Sunday, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) fired a last desperate salvo in an attempt to stabilize financial conditions, the second emergency inter-meeting cut in two weeks.
Coming into this year, we expected an improvement in global economic growth, as 2019’s policy uncertainty clouds dissipated.
The COVID-19 crisis confirms, once again, the value of a diversified portfolio, says David Kelly.
It is important to avoid trying to predict the future; rather, clients are best served by monitoring the present situation and maintaining composure.
There is not a clear answer. However, what we can provide perspective on, is where we are finding value, according to David Lebovitz.
Former Vice President Joe Biden made a surprise comeback during the Super Tuesday contests, paving the way for a two-person race to the Democratic nomination.
Even with this Fed action, there will likely be calls for fiscal action to support to businesses suffering from the response to virus fears, says David Kelly.
Sentiment, and valuations, are likely to keep markets relatively contained until there is clarity about the extent and length of the outbreak, says Tyler Voigt.
Investors realize efficiency can be a key component to profitability and assessing how a company is run is at the heart of governance, says Samantha Azzarello.
Equity investors spend a lot time looking for where earnings growth will be strong; what doesn't get as much attention is what happens after they're generated.
Taken at face value, the fall in job openings is concerning and warrants careful monitoring.
AUM growth and focus by investors globally suggest interest and adoption of sustainable investing is unlikely to subside anytime soon, says Samantha Azzarello.
Financial markets have fallen sharply on concerns of the coronavirus, a respiratory illness first identified in Wuhan, China, spreading globally.
Equity market valuations have risen substantially in recent months, with the forward P/E ratio of the S&P 500 now at a level of 18.6x.
Buying the dip - the coveted strategy (almost) all investors like to employ.
Rising geopolitical tensions with Iran have led to some fears over potential oil supply shocks out of the Middle East.
Rising geopolitical tensions with Iran have led to some fears over potential oil supply shocks out of the Middle East.
Global Market Strategist
Global Market Strategist
Market Analyst
Market Analyst