The following
are some thoughts about the market outlook for the first quarter, 2024. I am quietly optimistic that we are looking
at the start of a long-term recovery after the challenges of the last few
years. At the very least, we have seen
off the worst of the high inflationary environment brought about by the
confluence of events, such as the logistics bottleneck at the supply side, the
concerns about the war in Ukraine and the aftereffects of the pandemic.
J.P. Morgan’s
Global Investment Strategy Group (GIS) believes the US economy could see a
growth slowdown in the first half of 2024.
However, it will likely avoid a recession this year. As it is, the expected recession of 2023
never materialised. The higher bond
yields and the reasonable stock valuations mean that forward-looking returns
look more promising than they have been in more than a decade. The lower likelihood of an economic downturn
bodes well for your investment portfolio going into the new year. As the market consolidates, we are going to
see market growth in the 2nd half of the year. I think it unlikely,
because of the presidential cycle. Politics
is still the major driver of economic uncertainty in 2024. This includes the US presidential election
which could have unpredictable consequences for geopolitics, trade, and the
wars in Ukraine and the Mideast.
The reduced
risk of a recession is just one element in a shifting financial landscape. Emerging from the pandemic over the past few
years, the markets experienced a historic increase in bond yields. It is critical to recognise of the impact of
higher interest rates. There is a
shrinking gap between job openings and unemployed workers in the US. The cooldown in US wage growth to less than
5% from a peak over 7% suggest that the Federal Reserve is making progress in
its fight to reduce inflation.
It is estimated
that the Federal Reserve could start cutting interest rates sometime in the
second half of 2024. If the rate cuts
come in response to normalised inflation rather than a recession, the cutting
cycle will likely be slower than during the early 2000s, Great Financial Crisis
(GFC) and pandemic. US inflation has
fallen to between 3.5% and 4% on an annual basis, down from its highs of over
8% in the summer of 2022. Inflation is
expected to continue declining towards the Federal Reserves’ target, likely
settling between 2% and 2.5%. The
normalised labour market, and lower impact of energy price swings on the
overall price basket should help keep inflation in check.
In March, the
FDIC took over Silicon Valley Bank after it experienced a classic bank
run. Higher interest rates made its bond
portfolio less valuable, threatening its balance sheet and spooking its
customers. Signature Bank and First
Republic failed shortly thereafter.
Higher interest rates have been working their way through the economy,
denting the balance sheets of bondholders, and raising the cost of
borrowing. This is also an indictment of
the poor US regulatory framework, allowing banks to put so much of their
reserves in long-term bonds, and not diversify.
This lack of liquidity caused the collapse more than the market
conditions. Corporate bankruptcies rose
sharply in the US, in 2023, but are still well below the highs of the GFC. Again, it was a liquidity issue.
However, there
are still several inflationary pressure points to consider. Industrial policy and the transition to clean
energy could support higher commodity prices.
We need to consider the impact of the carbon tax, which will drive
prices of some sectors up. GIS also
predicts a challenging macro backdrop for equity markets in 2024, due to
sluggish growth and stubborn inflation.
They estimate S&P 500 earnings growth of 2% to3%, and a price target
of 4,200, with a downside bias. GIS
expects U. and global growth to slow by the end of 2024, since geopolitical
risks remain high, and equity volatility is expected to generally trade higher
in 2024 than in 2023. Meanwhile, the US
continues to command a quality premium over other markets, given its sector
composition and cash-rich mega-capitalisation stocks.
GIS foresees a
bumpy start to the year is expected for Emerging Markets given high rates,
geopolitical developments, and lasting US dollar strength considering the
aforementioned geopolitical tensions. However, Emerging Markets should become
more attractive through 2024 on Emerging Markets -Developed Market growth
divergence, demand for diversification away from the US, and low investor
positioning.
BlackRock sees
quality stocks in a strong relative position as the rate hikes end. The greater market breadth is creating
stock-picking opportunities. BlackRock’s
overall strategy is to retains focus on quality and lower-beta equities,
because they sees attractive stock selection opportunities in 2024 amid a Federal
Reserve pause and outlook for broadening market breadth.
Goldman Sachs
Research’s baseline assumption is that the US economy continues to expand at a
modest pace and avoid a recession. They
project an earnings rise by 5%, and the valuation of the equity market equals
18x, close to the current P/E level. They
expect the Federal Reserve has finished its hiking cycle and Treasury yields
have peaked. They forecast most of these
ownership categories will be net sellers of stocks in 2024. They expect
positive returns to equities, but a 5% return risk-free in cash remains a
competitive alternative.
GIS believes the
Federal Reserve’s dovish pivot has tipped the odds away from recession and
toward a soft landing. The sub trend growth
is now the base case probability at 60%, and they have dropped the likelihood
of Recession to 25%. They favour the
higher yielding credit sectors of the bond market: corporate bonds and securitised
bonds, including agency pass-throughs, non-agency commercial mortgage-backed
securities and short-duration securitised credit.
Morgan Stanley
contends investors need to pay close attention to monetary policy if they want
to avoid a variety of potential pitfalls and find opportunities in a cooling
but still-too-high inflation and slowing global growth. 2024 should be a good year for income
investing, with Morgan Stanley Research strategists calling bright spots in
high-quality fixed income and government bonds in developed markets, among
other areas.
Following
interest rate hikes by central banks, global inflation has moderated from a
peak of close to 10% in mid-2022 to a current pace of less than 5%. While geopolitics and energy prices pose a
risk, we see more gravity weighing down inflation than buoyancy pushing it
up. Higher yields have also been a
headwind to the broad global economy. As
such, global multi-asset portfolios have not gained much ground since November
2020, and investment-grade debt has posted negative total returns for three
years in a row. High rates may be
beneficial in some ways, but there has been relatively underwhelming returns in
global portfolios as a result.
Other themes
for 2024 include a potential boost in productivity from artificial intelligence
(AI) and governments incentivising politically important industries. The US is amidst a presidential primary. It is in the interest of the incumbent
administration of President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., to roll out initiatives
to grow the economy. The Bipartisan
Infrastructure Bill, CHIPS Act and Inflation Reduction Act have contributed to
an unprecedented surge in manufacturing construction over the past two years. We will be better placed to assess how
successful they have been this year. Artificial
intelligence (AI) may see a potential boost in productivity, with governments
incentivising certain industries like financials, airlines and healthcare. Governments around the globe are also
incentivising investments in important areas like national security, the energy
transition, semiconductors, infrastructure, supply chains, and anything exposed
to climate change.
The higher
interest rates mean bonds are now as competitive with stocks as they have been
since before the GFC. US aggregate bonds
should deliver 5%-plus returns over the next 10-15 years with just a quarter of
the volatility of large-capitalisation stocks.
Because of the added volatility, US large-capitalisation stocks should
reward investors with returns of 7% over the same time frame. For conservative investors, in order to lower
downside risk, and limit the range of potential outcomes, I suggest a shift
towards more bond exposure. However, for
those aiming to maximise upside potential, they should keep their portfolio
tilted toward equity.
In a
higher-yield environment, some of you might be considering cash and money
market, while waiting for better opportunities later. However, cash is expected to underperform
most asset classes in 2024. We must
consider currency and interest rate exposure for global portfolios.
Looking at
China, while many expected a surge in consumer spending and a big spike in oil
prices, once China eased travel restrictions, this did not happen. For one, there is the trade conflict with the
US. The Chinese government is also
adjusting the economy by balancing GDP away from the real estate sector, which
once stood at almost 30% of GDP, and by curbing other industries such as tuition. These are wise measures for long-term growth,
but the result is short-term pain.
Otherwise, Chinese growth would not be sustainable.
China is pivoting
to investing in levels of manufacturing capacity to seize a long-term strategic
advantage. This includes electric cars,
batteries, solar panels, renewable energy developments, high-end manufacturing,
precision engineering, and metallurgy.
China is no longer the factory of the world for mass-produced goods
only. We should expect disruption in the
short-term, but substantial long-term growth.
Asia is
expected to account for 60% of global GDP growth in 2024. Despite the higher risk attached to
geopolitics and China’s economy, it remains the main region for growth
opportunities. Bangladesh, and ASEAN are
likely to see accelerated growth in the medium term. The anticipated robust growth and a
relatively promising outlook in Asia could present attractive potential for
discerning investors in 2024. A
significant theme is the potential for disruptive technological innovation,
providing investors with rewarding and untapped opportunities in companies well
positioned to benefit from ongoing transformations. Asia’s continued strong growth momentum and
relatively promising outlook should provide attractive potential for selective
equity investors in 2024.
Goldman Sachs
Research predicts a resurgence in the Japanese equity market in 2024, driven by
robust global economic growth and reforms in the stock market. The TOPIX, a gauge of Japanese stocks, is
expected to climb by about 13%, reaching 2650 by the conclusion of 2024.
In summary, after considering the various factors, and
reading the extent economic reports, I personally recommend a slight overweigh
on US equity and bond in the near-term, before reviewing at the start of the 3rd
Quarter. Areas of growth include
healthcare, and technology. East Asia
and Southeast Asia remain important growth regions, and still look good for
long-term investment.