Market Returns

Transport stocks have discounted a recession, trading below trough bear market relative valuations. That is too cheap given signs of stabilization in global export growth.

The August payrolls report did not change our view that a Fed rate hike is likely in December, but not before that.

Given the rising odds of another Fed move before year-end, and the uncertainty that additional easing can be delivered in Europe and Japan, we re-iterate our tactical call to maintain a below-benchmark duration stance.

The equity rally has been in a holding pattern, with some tactical fraying around the edges.

In August, the model outperformed the S&P 500 and global equities in both USD and local-currency terms. For September, the model increased its allocation to cash and trimmed its exposure to equities.

Mental Accounting Bias creates an irrational attraction to yield, while The Halo Effect incentivizes companies to generate yield. Neither phenomenon is sustainable. We identify three sectors to avoid, and two to own.

Fed rhetoric is likely to shift in a somewhat more hawkish direction over the coming months as the FOMC starts to prep the market for a December rate hike. Against the backdrop of weak earnings growth and diminished share buyback activity, stocks have become vulnerable to a correction.