Authored by: Celia Dallas

What Should Investors Make of Recent Headlines from China and Greece?

The situations in China and Greece, not to mention Puerto Rico’s debt woes, serve as a poignant reminder not to be complacent. Investors should take care that portfolios are well constructed, diversified, and consistent with their ability to absorb downside risks while meeting long-term return objectives. With risks rising in some areas, and few bargains…

VantagePoint: Third Quarter 2015

This edition of VantagePoint reviews the potential for contagion from Greece, concluding that the ECB appears to have adequate ammunition to manage through current conditions, but longer-term political risks remain. We consider recent activity in Chinese equity markets and conclude that offshore Chinese H-shares offer more appeal than onshore A-shares, where upside potential is limited as highly leveraged investors seek to reduce exposure by selling into rallies. We examine the prospects for a sustained reversal of major trends that have persisted since last year, concluding that reversals appear unlikely for now.

VantagePoint: Second Quarter 2015

Advice in Brief We generally remain neutral on risky assets, but are becoming more cautious and selective as the market cycle advances and the US Federal Reserve looks to begin raising rates. We maintain our advice that investors shift more capital into safer assets as equity markets become more expensive. Volatility has been rising in…

Has the Rapid Rise in the US Dollar Changed Our View on Currency Hedging for US$ Investors?

We continue to believe US$-based investors should hedge a portion of non-US$ currency exposure, particularly that associated with tactical positions in non-US$ assets.* Strategic hedging to mitigate currency volatility may also be appropriate for investors with large allocations (e.g., 20%–25% or higher) to foreign currencies.** We maintain this recommendation even as we regard the US…

VantagePoint: First Quarter 2015

VantagePoint is a quarterly publication from our Chief Investment Strategist summarizing C|A’s total portfolio advice. Advice in Brief We have been recommending since the middle of last year that investors shift more capital into safer assets—more fundamentally driven hedge funds and Treasuries—as equity markets become more expensive, even as we remain neutral on equities on…

Is the Decline in Commodity Prices a Negative for Emerging Markets?

No, the fall is a net benefit. Falling commodity prices create more divergent emerging markets conditions, generally benefitting net commodity consumers at the expense of net commodity producers. Among emerging markets, net commodity importers are largely Asian, while exporters are more concentrated in Europe, Latin America, South Africa, and the Middle East. Historical relationships between…

VantagePoint: Fourth Quarter 2014

VantagePoint is a quarterly publication from our Chief Investment Strategist summarizing C|A’s total portfolio advice. Advice in Brief Slower global economic growth and high valuations are likely to result in lower returns over the next five to ten years than experienced over the last five-and-a-half years. In addition, we anticipate that QE’s ability to elevate…

VantagePoint: Third Quarter 2014

Advice in Brief Comparisons to 2007 are growing. A key distinction today is that policy rates in most developed economies remain near zero. With little inflationary pressure, this cycle could last another several years. This is neither a time to be ramping up nor pulling back risk taking. It is a time for diversification, modest…