CMO BofA 02-05-2024 Ada
CMO BofA 02-05-2024 Ada
CMO BofA 02-05-2024 Ada
February 5, 2024
All data, projections and opinions are as of the date of this report and subject to change.
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MACRO STRATEGY
Global Economy Landing Softly
Irene L. Peters, CFA®, Director and Senior Macro Strategy Analyst
The expectation for a U.S. recession, or hard landing, has in large part been predicated on the Investing Implications
deep deterioration observed over the past two years in leading indicators of economic The prospect of moderate but
activity, such as the yield curve, the Conference Board’s LEI, and bank lending standards, in a
sustainable U.S. and global growth
pattern only seen in advance of past recessions. While the most aggressive Fed rate hikes in
with lower inflation and neutral
40 years were quick to reflect in these indicators, economic growth has surprised to the
interest rates is supportive of risk
upside. In fact, financial conditions have eased, and the U.S. economy actually reaccelerated
in the second half of 2023 as renewed fiscal stimulus boosted growth, while monetary assets.
contraction reined in inflation, enhancing real consumer spending.
The failure of leading indicators to date shouldn’t be too surprising, however, since
economic growth tends to respond to monetary policy changes with long and variable lags
of up to more than two years. The effect of rate hikes, for example, depends on a
multitude of factors that can be different from cycle to cycle, such as initial economic
conditions, the structure of the economy, the interest rate sensitivity of the business and
consumer sectors, the magnitude of imbalances or excesses in the economy, fiscal policy,
financial sector health, and energy market conditions. What’s more, the ultimate outcome
depends on whether, and how fast, monetary authorities overtighten—or not—relative to
the constant reordering of the economic backdrop.
During the current tightening cycle, evidence has accumulated on the side of a
lengthening lag that allows for a more gradual, smoother transition of the economy from
restrictive to easier monetary-policy conditions than in past cycles. This has much to do
with the nature and sources of the inflation spike (direct massive government support to
consumers, pandemic-related labor shortages, and related supply-chain problems), and
their quick reversal. It also has to do with the unusually loose zero-interest rate pandemic
policy, extraordinary pandemic fiscal stimulus, and ongoing high deficit spending in the
context of a fully employed economy, a unique set of circumstances that so far has
blunted the effect of interest-rate hikes on the economy.
For example, the Fed’s zero-interest rate policy combined with the eventual surge in
inflation, interest rates and nominal cash flows in the economy sharply reduced the
nonfinancial corporate sector’s net interest expense and its share of revenues over the
past three years. In fact, the drop in net interest expense accelerated when the Fed’s
aggressive rate hiking campaign began almost two years ago, as companies started to
earn interest at increasing rates on massively higher cash balances compared to
prepandemic levels, offsetting more and more of their fixed-rate interest expense. By Q3
2023, net interest payment was less than half its prepandemic level, according to the
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and at a 60-year low relative to corporate revenues
and profits. This unusual plunge in net interest payments helped keep profit margins
elevated, with positive effects on labor demand, business investment, and credit spreads.
At the same time, the household debt-to-asset ratio fell after the 2008-2009 Great
Financial Crisis, in Q3 2023 reaching its lowest level since about 1983, according to the
Federal Reserve Board. In addition, mortgages account for most household debt, and
consumers locked in rock-bottom mortgage rates, while government pandemic stimulus
substantially raised their nominal incomes and bank deposits. As a result, the ratio of
households’ debt-service payments to disposable income is lower than before the
pandemic and particularly lower compared to the 1980-2010 period. The situation is
similar even when taking into account automobile lease payments, rent payments,
homeowners' insurance, and property tax payments. Low financial obligations relative to
supercharged nominal personal income gains and skyrocketing net worth has helped to
boost consumer spending, business pricing power and profit margins, in turn keeping
credit spreads low and the economy in much better shape than had been expected given
the inflation shock and determined Fed policy response.
In fact, as noted above, recent data show that economic growth reaccelerated in 2023 to 2.5%
from 1.9% in 2022, according to the BEA, with GDP growth particularly strong in the second
half of 2023. Despite a large auto-strike-related drag of about 0.8 percentage points (pp), real
% Composite Index of 10 Leading Economic Indicators (annualized month-to-month % change, advanced 5 months, red dotted line)
40 Composite Index of 10 Leading Economic Indicators (year/year % change, solid blue line)
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-40
1960 - Jan 1965 - Jan 1970 - Jan 1975 - Jan 1980 - Jan 1985 - Jan 1990 - Jan 1995 - Jan 2000 - Jan 2005 - Jan 2010 - Jan 2015 - Jan 2020 - Jan
1
A Federal Reserve System publication about current economic conditions and prospects across the 12 Federal
Reserve Districts prepared in advance of interest rate-setting meetings.
2
Federal Reserve, “Opening Remarks At a Fireside Chat at Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia,” Jerome Powell.
December 1, 2023.
3
Federal Reserve, “Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee December 12–13, 2023,” Released January 3,
2024.
4
Federal Reserve, FOMC January 2024 Press Conference, January 31, 2024.
5
Bloomberg, U.S. Aggregate Index. January 31, 2024.
6
Bloomberg, S&P 500 Total Return Index. January 31, 2024.
Exhibit 2A) Sources: Bloomberg; Federal Reserve. Federal funds rate and S&P 500 Index, January 1990 to June 1998. Exhibit 2b) Sources: Bloomberg; Bureau of Labor Statistics. T + [X] refers the Xth
month after January of each respective year (1940, 1968, 2020.). Data as of 2023. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please refer to index definitions at the end of this
report. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
While no two cycles are the same, we believe that the past era may be instructive. Risk is
always two-sided, and being too defensive with regard to macroeconomic risk during an
extended expansion may reduce return potential. The Global Wealth & Investment
Management Investment Strategy Committee is therefore closely looking at signs of a
durable expansion aided by Fed policy while monitoring cross-asset valuations carefully.
Both the market and BofA Research expect that the high inflation era is behind us and think
consumer price inflation will be muted and close to the Fed’s target going forward. The
Chief Investment Office completely agrees. Easier policy however, by definition, does
increase inflationary risk, all things being equal. We continue to caution that high inflationary
episodes usually have multiple spikes. In the unexpected event that inflation is resurgent, a
too-dovish Fed prioritizing employment gains over price stability would be the most likely
culprit—and, historically, that has often been a central bank’s policy error: easing monetary
policy conditions before inflation is finally snuffed out, allowing it to reignite. This is
definitely not a major concern at the moment but one on our potential watchlist.
In terms of asset classes and portfolio positioning, we expect a continued rotation within
equity markets; Small-cap Equities and EMs remain on our watch list. Both sectors finished
2023 with strong momentum and have been largely consolidating so far in 2024. For Fixed
Income, our preference is to slightly favor rate risk over credit risk and highlight areas of
particular expensiveness such as municipals, although they have cheapened somewhat
recently on more new issue supply. Our tilts are very measured, and we continue to think
that investors—especially those that are overweight cash or excessively short their duration
targets—should look to extend duration in a prudent manner, as nominal and real rates are
still at attractive levels relative to the last 20 years.
7
Bloomberg, Federal Reserve, Fed Funds Rate, S&P 500 Index, Conference Board Leading Economic Index. January
1990 to January 1996.
Relative valuations show Small-caps are historically cheap versus Large-caps. Small-cap outperformance has happened in cycles. A decade of Small-cap
leadership followed the last time relative valuations were at these levels.
Relative Forward Price/Earning: Russell 2000 vs. Russell 1000, 1985-2023 3-year Rolling Relative Total Returns, Russell 2000 minus S&P 500
1.4 Small vs. Large 80%
1.3 Average 60%
1.2 40%
1.1 20%
1.0 0%
0.9 -20%
0.8 -40%
0.7 -60%
0.6 -80%
0.5 -100%
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
Source: BofA Global Research. Data as of December 31, 2023. Source: Bloomberg. Data as of January 31, 2024.
Election years tend be a positive backdrop for Small-cap performance. The Russell 2000 outperformed the S&P 500 in eight of the last 10 presidential election
years. Small-caps have seen positive excess returns relative to Large-caps after the November presidential election.
Average Index Price Return (Last 10 Election Cycles Since 1981)
30% S&P 500 Presidential Election Year (Left Scale) Russell 2000 Presidential Election Year (Left Scale) 100%
25% S&P 500 All Other Years (Left Scale) Russell 2000 All Other Years (Left Scale) 90%
Hit Rate for Small-cap Outperformance in Presidential Election Year (Right Scale)
20% 80%
15% 70%
10% 60%
5% 50%
0% 40%
Start of Year through 1st Tues in Nov Full Year 3 months After 1st Tues in Nov 6 months After 1st Tues in Nov 12 months After 1st Tues in Nov
Note: First Tuesday in November represents the first Tuesday following the first Monday, which is the designated date of Presidential Elections. Sources: Chief Investment Office; Bloomberg.
Data covers the last 10 elections cycles since 1981 through 2020. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Please refer to index definitions at the end of this report. It is not
possible to invest directly in an index.
Equities
Total Return in USD (%) Economic Forecasts (as of 2/2/2024)
Current WTD MTD YTD Q4 2023A 2023A Q1 2024E Q2 2024E Q3 2024E Q4 2024E 2024E
DJIA 38,654.42 1.4 1.3 2.6 Real global GDP (% y/y annualized) - 3.1* - - - - 2.8
NASDAQ 15,628.95 1.1 3.1 4.1 Real U.S. GDP (% q/q annualized) 3.3 2.5 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 2.1
S&P 500 4,958.61 1.4 2.3 4.1
CPI inflation (% y/y) 3.2 4.1 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.4 2.7
S&P 400 Mid Cap 2,767.15 0.2 1.3 -0.4
Core CPI inflation (% y/y) 4.0 4.8 3.6 3.1 3.2 3.0 3.2
Russell 2000 1,962.73 -0.8 0.8 -3.1
Unemployment rate (%) 3.8 3.6 3.8 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.0
MSCI World 3,247.64 1.0 1.3 2.5
Fed funds rate, end period (%) 5.33 5.33 5.38 5.13 4.88 4.63 4.63
MSCI EAFE 2,223.18 0.0 -1.1 -0.5
MSCI Emerging Markets 988.21 0.3 1.3 -3.4 The forecasts in the table above are the base line view from BofA Global Research. The Global Wealth & Investment
Management (GWIM) Investment Strategy Committee (ISC) may make adjustments to this view over the course of the
Fixed Income† year and can express upside/downside to these forecasts. Historical data is sourced from Bloomberg, FactSet, and
Total Return in USD (%) Haver Analytics. There can be no assurance that the forecasts will be achieved. Economic or financial forecasts are
Current WTD MTD YTD inherently limited and should not be relied on as indicators of future investment performance.
A = Actual. E/* = Estimate.
Corporate & Government 4.58 0.66 -0.36 -0.59
Sources: BofA Global Research; GWIM ISC as of February 2, 2024.
Agencies 4.54 0.29 -0.32 -0.03
Municipals 3.32 0.94 0.34 -0.17
U.S. Investment Grade Credit 4.67 0.65 -0.38 -0.66 Asset Class Weightings (as of 1/9/2024) CIO Equity Sector Views
International 5.18 0.58 -0.33 -0.50 CIO View CIO View
High Yield 7.76 0.10 0.04 0.03 Asset Class Underweight Neutral Overweight Sector Underweight Neutral Overweight
90 Day Yield 5.36 5.35 5.36 5.33 Equities
neutral yellow
2 Year Yield 4.36 4.35 4.21 4.25 Slight over weight green
Energy
U.S. Large cap
Healthcare
Full overweight green
10 Year Yield 4.02 4.14 3.91 3.88 Slight over weight green
International Developed
Commodities & Currencies Neutral yellow
Staples
Emerging Markets
Total Return in USD (%) Information Neutral yellow
Neutral yellow
Gold Spot $/Ounce†† 2039.76 1.1 0.0 -1.1 Slight underweig ht orange
Industrials
Global High Yield Taxable Neutral yellow
Real Estate
EUR/USD 1.08 1.09 1.08 1.10 Alternative Investments* Consumer Underweight red
Hedge Funds Discretionary
USD/CNH 7.21 7.19 7.19 7.13 Private Equity Neutral
Commodities
Consumer Discretionary 3.8% Cash
Consumer Staples 2.2%
*Many products that pursue Alternative Investment strategies, specifically Private Equity and Hedge Funds, are available
Healthcare 2.0%
only to qualified investors. CIO asset class views are relative to the CIO Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) of a multi-asset
Industrials 1.9%
portfolio. Source: Chief Investment Office as of January 9, 2024. All sector and asset allocation recommendations must be
Communication Services 1.6%
considered in the context of an individual investor’s goals, time horizon, liquidity needs and risk tolerance. Not all
Financials 0.9%
recommendations will be in the best interest of all investors.
Information Technology 0.8%
Materials 0.8%
Utilities 0.4%
Real Estate -0.5%
Energy -0.9%
-2% -1% 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5%
Important Disclosures
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The Chief Investment Office (“CIO”) provides thought leadership on wealth management, investment strategy and global markets; portfolio management solutions; due diligence; and solutions
oversight and data analytics. CIO viewpoints are developed for Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., (“Bank of America”) and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
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investment strategy and market views encompassing markets, economic indicators, asset classes and other market-related projections affecting GWIM.
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