Market Matters: January 31, 2025
Global equities advanced in January as cooling inflation and US tariff delays catalyzed a risk rally in the second half of the month.
Equities
VantagePoint: Avoiding Five Key Investment Pitfalls
The start of the year is an ideal time to review investment practices and procedures to ensure you are set up for success. In this edition of VantagePoint, we outline the following five key investment pitfalls that can steer investors off course and offer guidance on how to avoid them: 1) Taking too little risk; 2) Firing excellent managers after a bout of underperformance; 3) Sizing individual positions too large; 4) Misunderstanding liquidity risk; and 5) Failing to exercise strong governance.
Will President Trump’s Proposed Policy Initiatives Drive More US Large-Cap Equity Outperformance?
No, we don’t think so. While President Donald Trump made numerous campaign pledges that could be seen as beneficial, US large-cap stocks will need more than policy shifts to outperform US small-cap stocks in 2025.
Market Matters: December 31, 2024
Global equities advanced in Q4 as performance diverged among regions.
2025 Outlook: Public Equities
We expect developed markets value and small-cap equities to outperform, given our economic views and their steep valuation discounts. Regionally, we believe US equity performance will not match the level set in 2024, allowing European, Japanese, and emerging markets equities to perform more in line with broader developed markets. Within emerging markets, strong Indian equity gains should moderate, while we doubt Chinese equities will collapse. At the same time, we expect long/short equity strategies will perform better than typical.
Market Matters: November 30, 2024
Global equities advanced as performance diverged among regions. US stocks surged to new all-time highs, whereas developed markets (DM) ex US peers lagged, and emerging markets (EM) shares declined.
US Manager Universe Statistics: Third Quarter 2024
This publication presents manager performance for 37 asset classes and substrategies, showing the median, mean, and key percentiles of return. Relevant indexes for each asset class are also included to provide market context.
VantagePoint: Deconstructing US Debt Dynamics
Despite alarming headlines about rising US debt, investors should resist making drastic portfolio changes. While an immediate crisis appears unlikely, the risk could increase if the United States fails to manage its debt effectively. Therefore, reviewing potential portfolio adjustments at the margin that might enhance future returns is prudent.
Should Investors Alter Portfolios After US President Trump’s Re-election?
No, not at this time. While the Trump administration’s policies will impact markets, we expect other factors will be larger drivers of long-term investment performance.
Market Matters: October 31, 2024
Global equities and fixed income declined in October as rising bond yields weighed on performance across a broad swath of asset classes.