Euro Area Sinks into a Technical Recession
The latest estimate of first quarter GDP indicates that the euro area fell into a technical recession.
Authored by: Thomas O'Mahony
Do Recent Central Bank Meetings Alter Our US Dollar Outlook?
No, we expect that while the US dollar should decline from its current elevated level over the medium term, there are factors that will continue to provide it with support in the short term. If our expectations are met, later this year or early next year should be an opportune time to consider positioning portfolios to benefit from a weaker dollar.
European Bank Stress Adds to Economic Growth Challenges
On 20 March, investors awoke to news Swiss authorities had used emergency measures to push through a hastily arranged merger of Credit Suisse and UBS. Following two recent bank failures in the United States, the announcement raised questions over the health of European banks and the broader economy.
Has Our Broad Investment Outlook Changed Considering the Recent Bank Collapses?
No. We continue to think investors should tightly manage risk by keeping equity allocations and bond duration in line with broad policy targets and resist the temptation to time the market.
Will the Outperformance of Eurozone Equities Persist?
No, while the recent outperformance and positivity surrounding Eurozone equities was justified by shifts in the macroeconomic landscape, we do not have confidence that outperformance will continue, given the challenges still facing the region. Therefore, we suggest investors keep Eurozone equity allocations in line with policy weights.
Review of Market Performance: Calendar Year 2022
Calendar year 2022 witnessed multi-decade record inflation and central banks responded with rapidly tightening monetary policy. Rising rates saw the correlation between bonds and equities turn positive, contributing to large declines across most asset classes. Funds flows diverted away from growth and momentum strategies, and yield curves flattened with the ten-year/two-year yield curve becoming inverted in most developed markets, signaling economic uncertainty ahead.
2023 Outlook: Currencies
We expect the US dollar to remain firm but with limited appreciation relative to 2022, given our view that it is near the end of its incredible multi-year run. We believe gold’s performance will improve and digital assets, in general, will not surpass prior highs, many of which were set in 2021.
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.
Can the Strong US Dollar Environment Persist?
Yes. The hawkish Federal Reserve and energy market challenges have contributed to a strengthening of the US dollar in recent quarters, and we expect that trends in both factors may continue to be supportive of the dollar in the short term. Nonetheless, on a longer horizon, historical precedents suggest that the dollar is approaching the end of a multiyear bull run.
Is the United States in a Recession? Labor Market Focus
Currently, there is an active debate about whether the United States is in a recession. Two quarters of negative GDP fits one definition of a recession; however, the National Bureau of Economic Research looks at a greater expanse of data before making its assessment. In this note, we examine some of this data, dig into other line items in the national accounts, and look at historical trends in employment around recessions to further our understanding and put today’s labor market into context.