Edison Investment Research

Earnings trends: Gap risk endures in US

As US markets rise, US earnings forecasts fall

Equity investors have clearly taken some comfort from Trump’s recent address to the US Congress. While the speech was delivered with some unanticipated polish, there was in our view little new policy detail and we were surprised by the resulting surge in global equity markets. In our view, investors and the corporate sector will struggle to incorporate Trump’s fiscal initiatives into capital spending plans and profits expectations until more detail becomes available Therefore, in an enviroment where US earnings forecasts are declining, we continue to question the sustainability of the bull market in US equities.

Market indices riding on political outcomes

Is now really the time to throw in the towel on active management?

When Trump addresses Congress this evening, global investors will be looking for more than promises. US equity investors are now waiting to price in the delivery of markedly higher US corporate profits. Market indices look expensive and thus the fortunes of passive investors seem unusually reliant on political outcomes; is it really the time to throw in the towel on active management?

FOMC minutes: Fairly soon = March or June?

FOMC minutes highlight risk market will be caught offside by Fed in 2017

The most recent FOMC minutes suggest to us that March is a live meeting for the next US interest increase, in contrast to market expectations which imply a less than 20% probability of a hike. We believe the market continues to underestimate the resolve of the US Federal Reserve to use the opportunity of low unemployment and close to target inflation to re-normalize US interest rates.

Earnings estimates stuck in low gear

Still no sign of Trump bounce in corporate profits outlook

Now, several months after Trump’s election there has been ample time for the corporate sector to re-evaluate the 2017 outlook in respect of improved economic optimism. However, we have found that earnings upgrades have not to date followed positive economic surprises. In the past, short-term market direction has been closely linked to earnings momentum and the current absence of upgrades points to a period of sluggish market performance.

C’est l’économie… French and German bond yields diverge

It’s not the unlikely election of Le Pen, it’s the economy ...

The recent divergence between French and German government bond yields has been widely attributed to a possible victory for the anti-euro Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election. In our view this is not the whole story. The widening gap in terms of borrowing costs also mirrors the increasing economic divergence between France and Germany. Therefore, the increased risk premium for French government debt should be expected to persist, even after the election of a mainstream candidate, adding to pressure on the euro project.

Yellen’s hawkish testimony: Rate increases ahead

The strong performance of asset prices in the post-2008 era remains in our view largely attributable to lower than expected growth rates being offset by much looser than expected monetary policy. However, as expressed recently by Bank of England Governor Mark Carney “..we’re coming to the last seconds of central bankers’ fifteen minutes of fame”. If, as we believe, central banks are in the early stages of stepping back from unconventional monetary policy this is likely to have significant implications for asset prices.