Bert Flossbach (Flossbach von Storch) | The AI boom has also had an impact on the equity markets, and not just on the supposedly immediate winners. The valuation of US equities, which make up a good two-thirds of the MSCI World Index, has recently risen further and, with a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) of 23.4, has reached an above-average level, even in an historical context. It is now common knowledge…
Mona Mahajan (Allianz GI) | With equities rallying more than 30% since late March, driven most recently by cyclicals, financial markets were perhaps due for a period of consolidation. New risks could emerge, but we continue to believe in the ongoing economic re-opening story — so cyclical sectors may remain market leaders in the near term. Markets could be supported further as elevated levels of cash are put back to work.
Yves Bonzon (Julius Baer) | The global equity market has seen a multi-percent- age correction for a variety of reasons, from re- newed fears of a second wave of coronavirus infec- tions to disappointment about Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell’s policy stance. In the wake of a rally of almost 50% from the lows of March, it is fair to say that such a decline cannot come as a surprise.
DWS | How should a hedge fund have positioned itself if it had known the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) decisions and press release a day ahead of the market? Until lunchtime on Wednesday noon its staff might have reasonably concluded that the material contained preciously little actionable information. On paper, it would have all looked exactly as expected, leaving limited scope for any meaningful market reaction. This is not, of course, how things actually turned out.
Neil Dwane (Allianz) | The response of central banks to the financial crisis 10 years ago may have saved the world from a devastating depression, but it also created a host of unforeseen effects – from more indebtedness to more economic inequality. Looking back at what we got right – and what went wrong – what lessons can we take away for the future?
In the IMF blog there is a brief view of how well the year has gone and the promises for the future which we can extract from this good performance. For me it’s proof of an excess confidence which in the past was a trap into which the markets systematically fell. But the IMF has to accept the rationalistic view that the markets don’t get it wrong, while I maintain they quite often make mistakes.
In the aftermath of Mr Trump’s victory, stock markets surged, building on promises of strong stimuli and sizeable tax breaks. As time goes on, they are reappraising the short-term outlook, since fundamental changes may take more than one year to materialise. No wonder investors are turning cautious, cashing in on early gains.
By Peter Lundgreen via Caixin | The turmoil on world financial markets has more to do with global changes that need to be noted than recent volatility in China’s stock exchange.
UBS | Monetary policy remains stimulative globally, and labor markets are tightening. Yet, global inflation is low.
MADRID | By Soren Willemann at Barclays | European credit markets have been outperforming equities persistently since October 2014. However, following the recent ECB announcements, this relationship has shifted dramatically, with credit spreads now trading wide vs equities on a historical basis.