Latest from BCA Research
The S&P 500 reached our 4,500 mid-year target last week, but the bears have yet to capitulate and stocks could melt up so we are placing a trailing stop on our tactical overweight instead of downgrading equities outright.
In recent months, the European and US economies have greatly diverged, with the Euro Area massively disappointing while the US has surprised to the upside. Can this dichotomy continue or is it Europe’s turn to shine?
In this Insight, we review the latest Bank of Canada and Reserve Bank of New Zealand meetings, and suggest the appropriate bond and currency strategies.
In this Insight, we review the latest Bank of Canada and Reserve Bank of New Zealand meetings, and suggest the appropriate bond and currency strategies.
Stocks fare best when there is plenty of slack in the economy and growth is strong and getting stronger. The good news is that the economic growth score for the US in our MacroQuant model is above its historic average. The bad news is that US economy is operating with little slack and sentiment is getting complacent. We recommend that investors maintain a modest overweight to equities for the time being but look to get more defensive later this year or in early 2024.
Q2-2023 is expected to be a bookend quarter to the earnings contraction of the past year, and hopefully, will open a new chapter. Much of that potential positive news is already priced as the market has been looking past earnings contraction. However, with valuations stretched, the market is fragile and the reaction to disappointment will be brutal.
In this report, we explore Brazil’s inflation and monetary policy outlook, the Lula administration’s back-and-forth between pragmatism and populism, and how these factors will affect Brazilian financial markets going forward. All in all, we believe Brazilian risk assets will be in a trading range relative to their EM peers in the next 12 months.
With easing inflation, Singapore’s domestic liquidity is set to improve meaningfully. Put this bourse on an upgrade watch list. A new trade: go overweight Singapore domestic bonds relative to EM.
Global oil demand growth is tracking with our estimate of ~ 1.8mm b/d for this year. Supply discipline is being maintained by OPEC 2.0, where the core (KSA and the UAE) and Russia have reduced production by ~ 240k b/d yoy in 1H23. In addition, KSA extended its unilateral production cut of 1mm b/d from July into August. We expect inventory draws in 2H23 as supply stays below demand. Our Brent forecast remains unchanged at $92/bbl this year, and $120/bbl next year. We remain long the COMT and XOP ETFs.
Falling inflation enables central banks to pause rate hikes, which is good news. But time goes on. Restrictive monetary policy, Chinese debt-deflation, energy supply shocks, US and global policy uncertainty, and extreme geopolitical risks will undermine hopes of a soft landing and beautiful disinflation.