Jacob Manoukian
U.S. Head of Investment Strategy
Amanda Lott
Head of Wealth Planning Strategy, Advice Lab
There is no question that the market environment has changed.
Obviously, stock prices are lower. The S&P 500 is currently 6% below its all-time high reached in the middle of July, U.S. small caps have given back all their year-to-date gains and Japanese stocks endured a full bear market over the course of two weeks.
Bond yields are also lower. 10-year U.S. Treasury yields are down by 15 basis points. Two-year yields, which are more sensitive to changes in the outlook for Federal Reserve policy, have collapsed by nearly 40 basis points.
Implied volatility is also higher. The S&P 500 needs to move 1.5% in either direction daily for the next month to justify the currently level of the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), versus just an 0.8% daily move two weeks ago.
We believe these changes are driven by three main factors which drove investors to flee crowded positions:
We still have a constructive view on markets despite a more pronounced risk of a more material growth slowdown. As we move through the end of the summer and into the fall, we will likely view increased volatility as an opportunity to put money to work across asset classes.
Market volatility may be normal, but it should still spark action. In the rest of today’s Top Market Takeaways, we list seven approaches we think investors can consider to make the most of the sell-off.
Revisit your plan. Use this period of market volatility as an opportunity to revisit a comprehensive wealth plan. This ensures that financial goals are clearly defined and aligned with your long-term objectives. When portfolios are properly aligned with intent, it is likely that they are also designed to withstand this type of volatility. Don’t have a plan? Use the sell-off to put a holistic plan in place. It could help relieve the trepidation associated with the next one.
Rebalance your portfolio. Review and rebalance portfolios to maintain your strategic asset allocation. Equities have pulled back and fixed income has rallied, which may result in unwanted drift. We added to equities in portfolios that we manage on behalf of clients earlier this week to maintain proper levels of exposure.
Put idle cash to work. Using stock market pullbacks to increase equity exposure can be a prudent strategy. Average returns for the S&P 500 twelve months after a 5% pullback are nearly 12% and markets are higher nearly 75% of the time. Don’t know where to start? Consider funding trusts, Roth IRAs, UTMAs or 529 plans during market downturns. These types of accounts typically have longer time horizons that should reduce some anxiety about trying to time the market. Still nervous? Consider structured investments, which offer the potential to participate in some market appreciation with embedded downside protection.
Lock in yields. Treasury rates are falling fast now that it seems likely that the Federal Reserve is going to cut rates. Tax-equivalent yields in municipal bonds for most taxpayers are still above 5%, but may not be there for long. History suggests that if you invest one month before the Fed starts cutting, average 12 month returns in municipal bonds are over 300 basis points higher than if you waited until one month after the first cut.
Tax-loss harvest. Investors don't have to wait until December. Consider offsetting gains and reducing your tax burden. This can be particularly effective during periods of market downturns. Investors can also explore using managers who actively manage tax losses on an ongoing basis.
Transfer assets and consider paying taxes now. Moving assets off your personal balance sheet can be more tax efficient when they have depreciated. The idea is that future appreciation of these assets will occur outside your estate, potentially reducing estate taxes. Make the most of annual exclusion and lifetime gifts. Consider funding Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) with depreciated assets or swapping assets into a Grantor trust, if you anticipate a market recovery. If you are considering converting a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, a market dip may be the opportune time. Similarly, public and private corporate executives ought to consider exercising their options as it could be more tax efficient to do so when stock prices are low. Investors should consult their tax, legal and accounting advisors when considering making financial transactions.
Keep things in perspective. The stock market has returned nearly 12.5% this year and has sold off by 6% from prior all-time highs. The average year that ends with a gain comes with an 11% peak to trough drawdown. The cost of outsized returns from equity markets is this type of volatility. Also, if the bull market that started in October 2022 is over, it would be the shortest on record. Instead, it seems more likely to us that this bull market extends towards the median gain of 110% over four years from its current length of 40% in less than two years.
Volatility can be uncomfortable. Your JPMorgan advisor is here to help you make the most of it.
All market and economic data as of 08/09/2024 are sourced from Bloomberg Finance L.P. and FactSet unless otherwise stated.
The risks listed above are not complete. For a more comprehensive list of the risks involved with this particular product, please speak to your J.P. Morgan team.
Our Wealth Advisors begin by getting to know you personally. To get started, tell us about your needs and we’ll reach out to you.
DISCLOSURES
Tax loss harvesting may not be appropriate for everyone. If you do not expect to realize net capital gains this year, have net capital loss carryforwards, are concerned about deviation from your model investment portfolio, and/or are subject to low income tax rates or invest through a tax-deferred account, tax loss harvesting may not be optimal for your account. You should discuss these matters with your investment and tax advisors.
The Chicago Board Option Exchange (CBOE) Volatility Index (VIX), is a real-time index that represents the market’s expectations for the relative strength of near-term price changes of the S&P 500 Index.
The information presented is not intended to be making value judgments on the preferred outcome of any government decision or political election.
Index definitions:
The Russell 3000 Index is a capitalization-weighted stock market index that seeks to be a benchmark of the entire U.S. stock market. It measures the performance of the largest 3,000 U.S. companies representing approximately 96% of the investable U.S. equity market.
The S&P 500 Equal Weight Index is the equal-weight version of the widely-used S&P 500. The index includes the same constituents as the capitalization weighted S&P 500, but each company in the S&P 500 EWI is allocated a fixed weight of the index total at each quarterly rebalance.
The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, US dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes Treasuries, government-related and corporate securities, MBS (agency fixed-rate pass-throughs), ABS and CMBS (agency and non-agency).
The S&P 500 Equal Weighted Index is the equal-weight version of the widely-used S&P 500. The index includes the same constituents as the capitalization weighted S&P 500, but each company in the S&P 500 EWI is allocated a fixed weight – or 0.2% of the index total at each quarterly rebalance.
The Magnificent Seven stocks are a group of influential companies in the U.S. stock market: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Tesla.
The Magnificent 7 Index is an equal-dollar weighted equity benchmark consisting of a fixed basket of 7 widely-traded companies (Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Tesla) classified in the United States and representing the Communications, Consumer Discretionary and Technology sectors as defined by Bloomberg Industry Classification System (BICS).
The S&P Midcap 400 Index is a capitalization-weighted index which measures the performance of the mid-range sector of the U.S. stock market.
The S&P 500 index is widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap U.S. equities and serves as the foundation for a wide range of investment products. The index includes 500 leading companies and captures approximately 80% coverage of available market capitalization.
Bonds are subject to interest rate risk, credit, call, liquidity and default risk of the issuer. Bond prices generally fall when interest rates rise.
The price of equity securities may rise or fall due to the changes in the broad market or changes in a company's financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities are subject to "stock market risk" meaning that stock prices in general may decline over short or extended periods of time.
Standard and Poor’s 500 Index is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks. The index is designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. The index was developed with a base level of 10 for the 1941–43 base period.
The Bloomberg Eco Surprise Index shows the degree to which economic analysts under- or over-estimate the trends in the business cycle. The surprise element is defined as the percentage difference between analyst forecasts and the published value of economic data releases.
The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure global developed market equity performance.
The NASDAQ 100 Index is a basket of the 100 largest, most actively traded U.S companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The index includes companies from various industries except for the financial industry, like commercial and investment banks. These non-financial sectors include retail, biotechnology, industrial, technology, health care, and others.
The Russell 2000 Index measures small company stock market performance. The index does not include fees or expenses.
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