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In January we had some upside surprises, encompassing import prices, producer prices, both the headline and core Consumer Price Index, and the Personal Consumption Expenditure deflator. We think prices were in part boosted by seasonal factors which are not fully accounted for in the usual seasonal adjustment. The weakness in January retail sales and a downward revision of November and December readings signal, in our opinion, a potential downshift in consumer spending. Credit card and auto loan delinquency rates continue to rise according to the New York Fed report; consumption so far has been supported by the depletion of excess savings but US households have also taken on more debt, and some of those loans are becoming delinquent, especially credit card and auto loans, which are now above pre-COVID levels.
We believe valuations are excessive in some segments, such as mega-caps, where profit margins are also high. But the key question is whether these high margins justify current valuations? And will these companies be able to grow their top line quickly, while maintaining margins in a context of increased global competition and exhausted consumers? On the other hand, judging the direction of the economy is becoming increasingly difficult.
Passive strategies have generally have fared well over the past decade, which has made it easy to forget the long periods during which active managers outpaced passive approaches. The reasons we believe market concentration will decline include (1) a shrinking earnings advantage for the top ten companies, and (2) seemingly unsustainably high valuations. We believe investors may benefit from investing with active managers that thoughtfully select their exposure based on the earnings and valuation profile of each stock.
Three key arguments support the Japanese market: (1) A recovery in profits (2) A strong incentive from the Tokyo Stock Exchange for companies to improve their capital efficiency and (3) The shift out of deflation is boosting a market rerating. The risks to these positive arguments are mostly linked to the yen. A strong comeback by the yen, should global equity volatility increase sufficiently in 2024 to encourage the unwinding of carry trades, would weigh on the performance of Japan's equities in local currency It would penalize profits and, everything else being equal, slow the process of increasing inflation, weighing on valuations at the same time.
Recent advances in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to potentially disruptive changes across a wide range of industries. Will AI significantly increase aggregate economic growth through its impact on labor markets and increases in productivity? And will it enhance the productivity of labor or displaced workers? We believe that it is inevitable that AI will be widely adopted in the long term, and that it will have a positive impact on productivity and economic growth. But while it could be a huge gain for countries where the labor force is projected to decline, investors should be mindful that AI will be disruptive in the short term and will likely adversely affect profitability and returns in a number of sectors.
The strength in the US economy keeps us confident that the Federal Reserve will not begin policy cuts before the end of May, and the European Central Bank will also remain vigilant on disinflation. Sluggish growth expectations going forward mean the emphasis on quality credit and valuations will likely increase. Equities markets are continuing to display acute anomalies relative to the historical norm, with high valuation dispersion between growth and value and an extraordinary concentration in the largest securities. We are prioritizing fundamentals, and exploring strong businesses in Japan and US value sectors.
For most of the last year, savers have been earning a reasonable return in cash. But how long can these compelling cash rates last? Historically, the answer has been: not very long. In every rate hike cycle since the 1970s, the US Federal Reserve has "paused at the peak" federal funds rate for a matter of months, not years, and history suggests the rate cuts could begin soon. Furthermore, once the Fed starts cutting its policy rate, cash rates could move hundreds of basis points lower in a very short period of time. We believe rotating from cash into short-term bonds can help investors reduce this reinvestment risk without taking on the full price volatility inherent in longer-duration fixed income exposures.
The US Federal Reserve has indicated that its "Higher for longer" narrative is over. The Fed does not want to restrict the economy longer than necessary, and is attentive to the impact of higher rates on growth. It is now back to the point where both mandates (price stability and maximum sustainable employment) are important. Despite recent positive developments, Christine Lagarde said the European Central Bank (ECB) shouldn't lower its guard as inflation tumbles, admitting that "we did not discuss a rate cut at all." The divergence between the Fed and the ECB is particularly notable given the eurozone's recent weaker economic performance and more rapid disinflation compared to the US.
Strong fourth-quarter returns reduced US high yield spreads from 403 basis points over Treasuries at the end of the third quarter to 339 basis points at yearend. Generating positive performance with spreads at these levels is much more challenging than at the long-term average spread of 537 basis points since yearend 1996. Of course, positive performance can also potentially be generated from falling Treasury bond yields. The case for falling Treasury yields currently is built on the depth and cadence of Fed rate cuts, which we believe will be a function of decreasing service sector inflation and how much the US economy slows. Additionally, we continue to be concerned about defaults.
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