Equities Tag

Is It Still June? Positioning is Still Quite Supportive of Equities

29 Aug, by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets

The most significant element going into the June low was positioning. Investors were hyper-aggressive buying hedges for equity exposure. Nothing has changed, especially after last Friday’s drop, and investors are still looking quite defensive. This is a positive in so far as it is indicative...

Bullish Back Half

01 Jul, by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets

We think we could see a bullish back half of the year for equity markets. Our analysis follows in our Quarterly Strategy Report. Prefer to download this presentation in PDF? Please click here. 1. Summary -In the first half of 2022, markets experienced the largest wealth destruction...

Is It Time to Find New Hedges?

02 Mar, by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets, Portfolio Management

2022 has been a tough year so far for risk management. This appears to us related to the inflation problem the US is experiencing.  As long as inflation persists, the ineffectiveness of duration will likely persist. We think inflation will persist and are thus broadening...

Special Report: Seasonal Tailwinds

01 Nov, by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets, Portfolio Management

We find compelling evidence that seasonal factors exist, historically leading November and December to be the highest 2-month combined returns all year. In our allocation portfolios, we have increased our equity exposure significantly in an effort to capitalize on these year-end trends. Please find below our...

Japan’s Reopening Trade

18 Oct, by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Markets

In this quarter's strategy package, we share our analysis on Japan's Reopening Trade. In the full slide presentation, we cover the following: -Japan seems to have crushed the COVID-19 virus (for now at least) with daily new cases under 400/day. Lockdowns are over and the economy...

What is the Culprit(s) for Recent Equity Weakness?

19 Aug, by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets

Just when everyone thought we had COVID-19 whipped, the delta variant came along and US cases inflected higher. The 7-day moving average was about 13,000 in early July and has jumped about 10-fold to 132,000 as of yesterday. The first place this can be seen is...

Bad News is Good News on Payroll Friday

03 Jul, by Bryce Coward, CFA in Economy, Markets

All eyes will be on the payroll report on Friday for clues about what it means for the Fed's next move. Indeed, the payroll report will be the most important US economic data point between now and the Fed's next meeting at the end of...

The Fed’s Many Options for Tomorrow

18 Jun, by Bryce Coward, CFA in Economy, Markets

Tomorrow will obviously be one of the most important news days of the year for financial markets with the Fed expected at the very least to signal that a rate cutting cycle is in the offing. Indeed, since the Fed last raised rates the yield...

Good For a Bounce in Stocks, But How Much More?

31 Oct, by Bryce Coward, CFA in Markets

The selling over recent weeks has been fast and intense, providing investors almost no relief. This type of short-term selling pressure has reached fever pitch levels that is usually indicative of some sort of relief rally, even if the ultimate lows are still ahead of...

Stocks And Bonds Remain At A Historically High Correlation

18 May, by Knowledge Leaders Team in Markets

For most investors, a negative or low positive correlation between equity prices and long-term bond prices is a preferred and time-tested way of keeping one's portfolio volatility low. However, this has been very difficult over the past two years as the four-year rolling correlation between...

Economic Uncertainty & Equities Markets

02 Jun, by Knowledge Leaders Team in Uncategorized

Economic policy uncertainty continues to fall– along with the oft-quoted VIX– as this week’s much anticipated ECB meeting nears.  Will Europe’s monetary authority act decisively in an effort to combat increasingly common hints of disinflation/deflation?  Does that involve buying asset-backed securities?  Will today’s weak inflation...