Investment research on the markets outlook, covering the global economy and all major asset classes. Most articles in this section naturally cover the short-term (e.g. 3-12 month) outlook for economies and markets. However, the most downloaded research tends to be white papers which are educational, theoretical or long-term - more "evergreen" in nature. For instance BofAML's Transforming World Atlas looks at the global allocation of resources, while a Society of Actuaries paper surveys the literature on the impact of baby boomer retirements on future equity prices. Also popular are papers which forecast long-term investment returns over a five or ten-year time horizon. Some papers taken an even longer perspective, looking back on hundreds of year of data to draw conclusions, perhaps about commodity supercycles or long-term interest rates. These academic studies on the nature of investment markets are illuminating, and serve to complement the shorter-term perspective addressed in most investment research. In terms of the regular investment reports, the most viewed papers include the JP Morgan Guide to the Markets, the Goldman Sachs Global Equity Outlook and Standard Life's Global Outlook. To filter these papers by market interest (e.g. global economics, strategy, fixed income etc) please make the appropriate selection from the main menu.
Sentiment among professional investors seems to have reached new lows, and truly, there are enough reasons investors can think of to justify a bearish view on financial markets. We can see the disintegration of the European economy (Brexit, the rise of populist parties, Italian banks), a Chinese hard landing (unsuccessful rebalancing of the Chinese economy, high debt), a rise in ...
This report by Citi examines some of the newest concepts across sectors - e.g. big data, robotics, online retailing, etc - and identifies new products which could potentially disrupt the marketplace.
This 97-page report has been produced by Credit Suisse. It analyses the key trends affecting long-term investing, such as geopolitics, demographic shifts, and rapid technology change. These movements provide a tangible link between today’s major developments and portfolios' risk/return profiles in the long run.
In this blog post, Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates discusses the near- and long-term prospects for the global economy. The near term looks good because the economy is now at or near its best, and there no major economic risks on the horizon for the next year or two. The long-term looks scary because there are significant long-term problems (e.g., high debt and non-debt ...
In a world where alpha can seem scarce, active small-cap managers continue to outperform their benchmarks in an impressive way. But why? Investors have a general sense small caps are riskier and less efficient, but how these characteristics contribute to more alpha opportunities remains unclear. At QMA, we think it’s critical to understand the sources of returns so that you ...
This edition of JP Morgan's Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions is written against a backdrop of low investment return expectations, slow global growth and unprecedented monetary policy decisions. The paper considers the long-term impact of the structural factors affecting economies today on a 10 - 15 year investment horizon.
This issue of "Risk & Reward" examines the theory and practice of portfolio insurance: to achieve their goals, many investors are allocating towards more risky assets. In many cases, these investors can quickly find themselves in a tight spot if the risk budget is not expanded accordingly. This is where portfolio insurance can come into play. But, which strategy ...
We have seen some surprises in global markets and economies thus far in 2017. The biggest risk to global growth – political risk in Europe – has largely been defanged, but political risk in the US and Latin America is gaining strength. Economies in China and Europe have also surprised on the upside, spurring expectations for more synchronized growth among developed ...
Secured (or securitised) bonds still carry the stigma of the 2008 financial crisis. But stigma often spells opportunity, and the fixed income specialists at RLAM argue that this asset class offers great value for managers who are prepared to get to grips with the documentation underlying individual securities. Not everyone is prepared to do this research, and as a result secured ...
Schroders Economics Group produces 30-year return forecasts, on an annual basis, for a range of asset classes. Here they outline the methodology used, which is based on a series of building blocks and estimates of risk premia, and surmise the key conclusions from our analysis. For the first time, this year they are also publishing a wider range of country-specific returns for ...
Of all the variables the new administration brings for investors one of the trickiest to plan for is inflation. Inflationary pressures were already building before the election ushered in the prospect of a sweeping agenda of pro-growth fiscal and de-regulatory policies. One common way to hedge against inflation is to diversify portfolios with exposure to real assets – ...
This excellent 59-page document from Credit Suisse considers topical themes (particularly recent monetary policy) within the context of long-run global asset returns. The document contains data for 26 countries and regions going back to 1900. It's a detailed, must read report.
This Credit Suisse paper looks at the transformative changes central banks in advanced economies have undergone since 2008. The report concludes that the key issue for decision-makers globally remains to consider which fundamental direction monetary policy ought to take next, assessing two alternative scenarios that may evolve: a return to a pre-crisis "normal", or fiscal dominance.
U.S. estimates of the natural rate of interest – the real short-term interest rate that would prevail absent transitory disturbances – have declined dramatically since the start of the global financial crisis. The authors of this paper find that large declines in GDP trend growth and natural rates of interest have occurred over the past 25 years in the four economies ...
Here they are! Byron Wien's ten "surprises" of 2016. Byron is something of an institution in his own right. He first listed his "10 surprises" in 1986, when he was Morgan Stanley's Chief Investment Strategist.
BNP Paribas Investment Partners presents its latest views and expectations. This outlook is designed to help investors prepare for 2017 by setting the scene for a year in which a new landscape awaits: the world's largest economy is coming under new leadership and leading central banks are expected to gear up for either policy tightening ─ specifically in the US ─ or ...
Dividend strategies have gained a foothold with market participants seeking potential outperformance and attractive yields, especially in the low-rate environment since the 2008 financial crisis. While traditional high dividend payers have performed strongly in recent years, they have become quite expensive by most valuation metrics. The previous low-interest-rate environment paved ...
For many value investors, the last few years have proved to be a challenging period given a backdrop of low growth, structural change in China, elevated macroeconomic risks, and bouts of volatility. This environment has led to a dominance of growth and quality factors, creating a meaningful headwind for value-oriented stocks.
This study by Llewellyn Consulting, on behalf of Pension Insurance Corporation, provides important updates on the impact of Defined Benefit pension schemes on the share price of the FTSE 100 sponsoring company. The findings provide further evidence of the significant and ongoing downward pressure that DB pension liabilities and pension deficits have on the market values of FTSE 100 ...
The Chinese equity market is composed of a domestic and an offshore market. The existence of the domestic A-share and the offshore H-share markets provides a choice for a Chinese company to choose its listing venue where the stock could be dually-listed on both markets. As the restrictions to invest in the China market are easing, investors are looking for a variety of tools to ...
