Sarah Stillpass
Global Investment Strategist
This week, the S&P 500 hit its 46th all-time high of the year, as almost 10% of the index’s market cap released third-quarter earnings reports.
The results so far have been solid, with a deluge of major bank reports coming in above expectations. More than three-quarters of the companies that have reported so far have delivered positive surprises, with those companies beating expectations by 6.8% in the aggregate.
Throughout the week, the narrative surrounding AI’s major players diverged. ASML, the Dutch semiconductor supply chain stalwart, put pressure on chip industry stocks on Tuesday after it missed on earnings and revised down 2025 sales guidance. The report raised concerns about sustained demand. On a brighter note, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing crushed analyst expectations, posting quarterly profits up over 50% from the prior year. They also raised full-year sales guidance, citing “robust” AI-related demand.
With investors increasingly focused on tangible results and carrying high expectations, third-quarter earnings season will continue to be a test for the big AI names.
Treasury yields fluctuated throughout the week but found clarity after two major macro releases: retail sales and jobless claims. Retail sales for September were strong across the board, beating consensus estimates on the month and well surpassing August’s numbers. Weekly jobless claims came in below estimates and continue to support signs that the labor market remains on steadier footing.
As a result, expectations for a less aggressive Federal Reserve easing cycle increased, and the 2-year Treasury moved net minus-one basis point through Thursday to 3.97%. Meanwhile, the 10-year was about flat at 4.09%.
There are 75 days until 2025, 20 days until the next Federal Reserve meeting, and 18 days until the U.S. presidential election (Halloween is 14 days away, but who’s counting?). As we approach the rest of the year’s market catalysts, we are eager to share three key considerations for portfolios, along with timely insights from our Chief Investment Officer (CIO) Richard Madigan’s most recent webcast. In the video, Richard discusses today’s portfolio positioning, key rotations year-to-date, the outlook heading into year-end, considerations around the geopolitical landscape and the importance of having a disciplined investment process.
1. Practice good portfolio hygiene. Identifying your goals and creating a long-term plan are the first steps in practicing what you might call “good portfolio hygiene.” Like annual visits to the doctor, adding regular financial “check-ups” to the list is just as important. Why? Market and economic dynamics can shift in both the short and long term. This may lead to unexpected changes to your portfolio.
This week, the bull market celebrated its second “birthday.” Since hitting a low of 3,577 on October 12, 2022, the S&P 500 has posted a total return of more than 60% (so much for the “terrible twos” phase). For investors, those welcome-but-outsized gains might have thrown long-term asset allocations off-balance if left unchecked.
For example, take a basic 60/40 portfolio over the last year (60% invested in S&P 500 stocks and 40% in U.S. Bloomberg Aggregate Index bonds), which has notched an almost 27% total return. Without rebalancing, the same portfolio would now be overweight stocks at 64% and underweight in bonds at 36%, given the performance differential between the two asset classes.
Take some time to review your target asset mix and consider rebalancing. If necessary, trim oversized positions or add to underweighted ones to stay on track. By maintaining a balanced approach and adjusting your allocation as needed, investors can mitigate risks and take advantage of strategic opportunities.
For clients invested in CIO portfolios, this rebalancing has been taken care of for you. As Richard highlights in the webcast, CIO portfolios moved into overweight positions in stock and bond markets in the first quarter of this year, increased stock exposure during the sell-off in early August, and recently rebalanced back to neutral on market strength over the last two months. This shift was primarily valuation-driven, with potential geopolitical tail risks in mind, as well.
In addition to the stock bond mix, there have also been rotations within asset classes – right-sizing AI exposures, adjusting European allocations and leaning into health care – specifically into more opportunistic exposures like weight loss drugs. With a soft landing as the base case, the team is focused on diversifying risk while maintaining a pro-cyclical stance at the portfolio level, with significantly less downside risk than broad equity markets.
2. Understand the risks, but prepare for opportunity. In a market often driven by short-term news cycles, there is always something to worry about. We believe it’s crucial to maintain a long-term perspective and keep fundamentals top of mind.
Today, the upcoming U.S. presidential elections and geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East may be causing some investors unease. However, we do not think either should be cause to derail long-term investment plans.
Despite the buzz surrounding each candidate’s policy proposals, Richard reminds us that “campaign promises can be entertaining but are more salacious for the vote than impactful.” In other words, it is essential to focus on the “knowns” rather than the unknowns. Instead, we believe the most important implications are the resulting policies post-election and their outcomes, acknowledging that there is a difference between a short-term trade and a fundamental trend.
Remember, markets tend to notch gains no matter who is in office. Since 1950, there have been 18 presidential elections and 10 transitions in the White House between Democrats and Republicans. Over those 74 years, U.S. GDP growth has averaged a 3.2% annual pace, while the S&P 500 has compounded at 9.4% per year.
If market uncertainty has you second-guessing your portfolio allocation, welcome it as an opportunity to revisit your goals and plan. An advisor can help you make tweaks if necessary so that you can have the confidence to stay invested and reap the benefits of doing so.
3. Employ available tools to enhance portfolio efficiency. The integration of technology and innovation into investment strategies might enhance long-term portfolio performance.
Take for example, AI, which stands to augment the process behind active portfolio management. It may allow managers to gain a competitive edge through better data analysis and quicker decision-making. AI can also enhance more traditional strategies like tax-loss harvesting, which involves realizing losses in portfolios to offset gains. This can, in turn, reduce tax burdens in your portfolio.
At J.P. Morgan, we recognize AI as an important tool for today and beyond. We are dedicated to thoughtfully integrating technology to support our portfolio managers, ensuring it enhances portfolios responsibly and effectively.
Today’s market environment is complex.
These are just a few principles to guide investors through the next 75 days of 2024 and beyond. The insights shared by Richard remind us that while the market landscape may be ever-changing, a disciplined approach rooted in sound principles will always be essential. Start with the basics: Establish a mix of stocks and bonds that feel best for you and build from there.
As always, your J.P. Morgan advisor is here to help.
All market and economic data as of 10/18/2024 are sourced from Bloomberg Finance L.P. and FactSet unless otherwise stated.
Reach out to your Wealth Advisor to discuss any considerations for your current portfolio. If you don’t have a Wealth Advisor, click here to tell us about your needs and we’ll reach out to you.
DISCLOSURES
The information presented is not intended to be making value judgments on the preferred outcome of any government decision or political election.
There may be a potential tax implication with a rebalancing strategy. Please consult your tax advisor before implementing such a strategy.
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 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.
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.
We believe the information contained in this material to be reliable but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. Opinions, estimates, and investment strategies and views expressed in this document constitute our judgment based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice.
The views, opinions, estimates and strategies expressed herein constitutes the author's judgment based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice, and may differ from those expressed by other areas of J.P. Morgan. This information in no way constitutes J.P. Morgan Research and should not be treated as such. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions. For additional guidance on how this information should be applied to your situation, you should consult your advisor.
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