The viewpoints expressed by the Portfolio Manager represents their assessment of the markets at the time of publication. Those views are subject to change without notice at any time without any kind of notice. The information provided herein does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy, or an offer to sell securities nor should the information be relied upon as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This communication is intended for informational purposes only.
BMO Global Asset Management is a brand name under which BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Investments Inc. operate.
Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although such statements are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. Investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. In connection with any forward-looking statements, investors should carefully consider the areas of risk described in the most recent simplified prospectus.
This article is for information purposes. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance.
Commissions, management fees and expenses (if applicable) all may be associated with investments in mutual funds. Trailing commissions may be associated with investments in certain series of securities of mutual funds. Please read the fund facts, ETF facts or prospectus of the relevant mutual fund before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
For a summary of the risks of an investment in the BMO Mutual Funds, please see the specific risks set out in the prospectus. ETF Series of the BMO Mutual Funds trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase the risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
BMO Mutual Funds are managed by BMO Investments Inc., which is an investment fund manager and a separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal.
®/™Registered trademarks/trademark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence.
UK Crisis, Porsche IPO, Hurricane Ian
October 3 to 7, 2022
UK Crisis, Porsche IPO, Hurricane Ian
October 3 to 7, 2022
Sadiq S. Adatia, FSA, FCIA, CFA
Chief Investment Officer (CIO), BMO Global Asset Management
Market Recap
UK Crisis
The UK government bond market is supposed to be one of the most liquid in the world. But last week, the market collapsed, and the pound fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar on news of the Tory government’s mini-budget. The big questions are—how serious is this crisis, and could contagion become an issue? The short answer is that it’s still too early to say, but it’s definitely a problem. To give just one example of a spillover effect that’s already occurred: last Wednesday, the futures market on interest rates dropped their forecasts by 25 basis points, prompting speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve may slow down its rate hike schedule as a result of this. So, in that regard, the crisis is already having a global impact. Policymakers in the UK have stressed that they believe that this budget is the right move for them—they aren’t really bothered about the rest of the world at the moment. In the big picture, it’s yet another concern to add on to broader international markets, on top of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and other challenges. Because of those other issues, we’d already taken down EAFE and equities in general. The situation in the UK gives us no reason to reconsider as we were already positioned for weakness.
Bottom Line: The situation in the UK is worrisome, but it’s still to early to know exactly how it will play out.
Porsche IPO
Porsche’s upcoming IPO has been attracting a lot of attention. Typically, an IPO coming out in this kind of market environment would be a bad idea, but this one is oversubscribed despite being priced near the top end. A lot of IPOs have a good first day before fizzling out. But Ferrari’s IPO in 2015 provides a potentially encouraging comparison—it turned out to be a good trade, and so there is hope that Porsche could follow a similar path. In general, anything tied to cars (new and used) has done well during COVID. But will that demand start to slow down as the consumer weakens? The key thing to remember is that these are high-performing cars that attract the higher-end buyer, and while those kinds of high-net-worth individuals have been hurt, they haven’t been knocked out by any means. Porsche getting into Formula 1 will also add prestige to the brand, potentially increasing demand further.
Bottom Line: The fact that the IPO has generated significant interest in a risk-averse market is a positive sign, but it’s unclear if the interest will last.
Hurricane Ian
The devastation of Hurricane Ian has been evident, with images of destroyed homes dominating cable news and President Biden warning of a potentially “substantial loss of life.” There’s no question that this will have significant implications for the affected regions, at least in the short term. Building and re-building will take some time. Consumers won’t be spending as much because they have more important things to worry about. And job losses will likely occur as a result of knock-on economic effects. But the rebuilding will also create jobs, which establishes a potential floor for the economic impact. Another silver lining is that as the region rebuilds, older buildings and infrastructure will be replaced by new ones, which could pay dividends down the road. But for now, the situation is yet another reason why consumer confidence—which is already faltering—may continue to decline.
Bottom Line: The hurricane damage will affect economic activity in the near term before the regional economy gradually gets back on track.
Positioning
Our recent positioning conversations have been based on what we’re seeing out there in the markets—and right now, it’s all red. We were expecting September and October to be difficult months, so this comes as no surprise. Currently, we’re considering going further underweight equities. And we’ve also further reduced our credit and high yield exposure to go into more conservative bonds. They can serve as a portfolio stabilizer, and at this juncture, it makes sense to not have too much highlight correlated to the economy, both on the equity and fixed income side. We want to continue to build up cash, so that if markets continue to decline, as we expect, we will not have liquidity issues as we deploy that cash back into the markets.
Disclosures:
The viewpoints expressed by the Portfolio Manager represents their assessment of the markets at the time of publication. Those views are subject to change without notice at any time without any kind of notice. The information provided herein does not constitute a solicitation of an offer to buy, or an offer to sell securities nor should the information be relied upon as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This communication is intended for informational purposes only.
BMO Global Asset Management is a brand name under which BMO Asset Management Inc. and BMO Investments Inc. operate.
Any statement that necessarily depends on future events may be a forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. They involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Although such statements are based on assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from expectations. Investors are cautioned not to rely unduly on any forward-looking statements. In connection with any forward-looking statements, investors should carefully consider the areas of risk described in the most recent simplified prospectus.
This article is for information purposes. The information contained herein is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax or legal advice to any party. Investments should be evaluated relative to the individual’s investment objectives and professional advice should be obtained with respect to any circumstance.
Commissions, management fees and expenses (if applicable) all may be associated with investments in mutual funds. Trailing commissions may be associated with investments in certain series of securities of mutual funds. Please read the fund facts, ETF facts or prospectus of the relevant mutual fund before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
For a summary of the risks of an investment in the BMO Mutual Funds, please see the specific risks set out in the prospectus. ETF Series of the BMO Mutual Funds trade like stocks, fluctuate in market value and may trade at a discount to their net asset value, which may increase the risk of loss. Distributions are not guaranteed and are subject to change and/or elimination.
BMO Mutual Funds are managed by BMO Investments Inc., which is an investment fund manager and a separate legal entity from Bank of Montreal.
®/™Registered trademarks/trademark of Bank of Montreal, used under licence.
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