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.
When Will the Recession Hit?
November 21 to 25, 2022
When Will the Recession Hit?
November 21 to 25, 2022
Sadiq S. Adatia, FSA, FCIA, CFA
Chief Investment Officer (CIO)
Market Recap
U.S. Elections
The final results of the U.S. election came as a bit of a surprise, as Republicans underperformed relative to expectations. The result is a split Congress, with Democrats retaining control of the Senate while the GOP takes over the House of Representatives. In short, this will mean political gridlock—which, in a way, creates more stability, as extreme policies are unlikely to get through both chambers and the status quo is likely to continue. Looking ahead, the 2022 midterms also cast the 2024 Presidential election in a new light. Republicans had been favoured, but now, it’s up in the air. And there’s also the question of the GOP nominee. Donald Trump—who has already launched his presidential campaign—is obviously the most well-known candidate. But after overperforming on what was a relative down night for Republicans, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis looks like the party’s new standard bearer and a legitimate contender.
Bottom Line: The results of the U.S. election mean the continuation of the status quo—and a little more clarity looking ahead to 2024.
Inverted Yield Curve
Recently, we’ve seen an inversion of both the 2-to-10 year and 3-month-to-10-year Treasury yield curves, which say quite clearly that we’re headed into a recession. But an examination of the economic data—which also points toward a recession—shows one major outlier: employment, which is still strong. There have been signs of looming job losses, but we haven’t yet seen the kinds of layoffs that we’d typically see ahead of a recession, and they’re not going to suddenly happen overnight—it will take further earnings declines for them to come to pass. So, while a recession with a relatively soft landing remains the most likely outcome, two big questions remain: when will it occur, and how will markets respond? The economy is holding up relatively well despite some gradual deterioration, which indicates that it might not be until the second half of 2023 that we see a steeper downturn. By that time, the U.S. Federal Reserve will likely be close to halting its interest rate increases. If that’s the case, will investors be discouraged because of the deteriorating economy, or encouraged by the end of rate hikes? It’s too early to know. But we’ll be closely watching Fed announcements to see if their comments and the dot plots are consistent with the expected terminal rate of around 5%, and correlating that with the inflation prints, to see how fast the numbers are coming down.
Bottom Line: A recession is still likely—but how markets will respond remains an open question.
China Lockdowns
Despite continuing COVID-related lockdowns in China, supply chains have improved quite a bit over the last couple of quarters. China’s strict zero-COVID policy has been the norm for two years, but restrictions do appear to be loosening somewhat, and we expect China to move gradually towards reopening. This positivity has been priced into Chinese equities, which have fared much better over the last few weeks. And as the COVID situation improves, supply chains can be expected to improve even further. In terms of outlook, we remain neutral on Emerging Markets, though we’re somewhat more positive on China than other regions. The trajectory is encouraging, but some caution is warranted—we’d like to see continuing flows into China, and a tough winter season with rising COVID cases could throw a wrench in the works.
Bottom Line: China appears to be heading in the right direction, but we’ll need to make sure that a loosening of COVID restrictions actually transpires.
Positioning
What are investors focusing on as we near the end of 2022? The first is inflation slowing down, and the other how the Fed will react. But looking ahead to 2023, we believe the focus will shift back to the economy and a potential earnings slowdown, which could prompt markets to sell off further. The upcoming holiday season will tell an important part of the story in terms of a slowdown in demand. We’ve seen mixed results from big names like Walmart and Target, with Walmart’s earnings boosted by strong numbers on the staples (meaning groceries) side, while Target underperformed on inventory. If that trend continues and Q1 2023 earnings disappoint, we may see further job losses as companies look for ways to create margin growth, which is a trigger that could cause the economy to weaken enough for markets to react negatively. Because of these factors, we remain underweight equities. Recently, we’ve also sold some call options on Energy, as we look to take profits and crystallize some gains in what we expect to be a sideways market heading into the year end. As always, we’ll continue to evaluate the situation as we consider future adjustments.
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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