Navigating the AI Revolution: Unlocking Productivity with AI Investment
As the second piece in a three-part series, we examine how AI may support productivity growth and how capital is being deployed to realize its potential.
Authored by: Kevin Rosenbaum
Should Investors Underweight Equities in Light of Recent Market Volatility?
No, investors should hold equity allocations in line with their policy portfolio weights.
2025 Outlook: Cross Asset
We expect global equities to outperform bonds, as near trend economic growth should support continued corporate earnings growth and healthy risk appetite. Stock/bond correlations should be lower than the 2023–24 peak levels, even as protectionist US policy may drive global economic uncertainty higher.
Should Investors Alter Portfolios Considering the Equity Market Rout?
No, not right now. We continue to believe investors should: (1) keep equity allocations aligned with broad policy targets; (2) maintain modest overweights in less expensive areas within equities, such as developed markets value and small caps; and (3) maintain a modest overweight in long US Treasury securities within bond portfolios.
2024 Outlook: Public Equities
We expect global equity performance will be below its long-term median level, but we believe investors should hold equity allocations in line with policy targets. Within equities, we see opportunities in developed value, developed small caps, and China. We doubt European and emerging markets ex China equities will outperform, and we believe the share of active strategies that outperform will increase.
The Business Cycle’s Impact on Asset Performance
Asset performance is highly sensitive to the global business cycle. In this chart book, we highlight the significant shifts in performance distributions across the global business cycle for major asset classes, including equity regions, styles, sectors as well as for fixed income, real asset and currencies. Ultimately, understanding the distributions of asset performance across business cycle stages and considering where the global economy is headed are key inputs in a rigorous investment decision-making framework.
Is January’s US Small-Cap Equity Performance Sustainable?
Yes, we expect US small-cap equities will outperform US large-cap equities this year. Our view is based on the belief that the large valuation spread that exists will likely narrow and that large company earnings are likely more at risk of missing expectations than small company earnings.
2023 Outlook: Equities
We expect global earnings growth will be below average next year, as prior interest rate hikes increasingly bite. With this backdrop, we expect value equities will outperform, Chinese equity underperformance will correct, and Healthcare may present an overweight opportunity.
2023 Outlook: Portfolio Wide
We expect most investors should maintain equity allocations in line with policy targets. Consistent with this idea, we believe investors with portfolios that are more diversified across risk exposures will tend to fare better than investors holding more correlated investments.
Has the Attractiveness of Gilts Improved for UK Investors?
Yes. We believe the attractiveness of UK government bonds has improved relative to just a month ago.