MARKET INSIGHTS - UPDATED AUG. 6

Weekly market commentary

Rate cuts don’t dull allure of income

­Market take

Weekly video_20240805

Natalie Gill

Opening frame: What’s driving markets? Market take

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More central banks are starting to cut policy rates, but we think they’ll remain above pre-pandemic norms.

We prefer short-term government bonds and credit.

Markets continue to trade on sentiment and short-term macroeconomic news. With light trading over summer, we see continued risk of air pockets.

Title slide: Rate cuts don’t dull allure of income

1: Income up across the board

Markets have priced back in multiple Fed rate cuts this year. Investor demand for bonds has grown in tandem.

We believe that demand reflects still higher yields today versus pre-pandemic, and also the market narrative building around recession risks and more Fed rate cuts, which we think could be an overreaction.

2: Our inflation outlook

The Fed sees a low bar for a September cut if data keeps confirming cooling inflation.

Yet over the longer term we see ongoing pay pressures and a shrinking workforce underpinning services inflation.

We stay neutral long-term Treasuries on a tactical horizon as yield swings stay sharp.

3: Term premium catalysts

We see possible catalysts for term premium, or the compensation for the risk of holding long-term bonds, to move higher but timing is unclear. One catalyst could be the U.S. election and any potential policy changes.

The Bank of Japan’s shift toward a faster pace of normalizing policy could also spur higher term premium in U.S. Treasuries and euro zone bonds.

Outro: Here’s our Market take

We still prefer short-term bonds and credit as they can offer similar income to longer-term bonds but with lower volatility and less sensitivity to interest rates.

Not a typical easing cycle

More central banks are starting to cut policy rates, but we think they’ll remain above pre-pandemic norms. We prefer short-term government bonds and credit.

Market backdrop

U.S. stocks slid last week in a volatile week. U.S. bond yields dropped sharply after soft jobs data spurred expectations for a bigger Fed rate cut next month.

Week ahead

We track China inflation and activity this week. China’s trade data are likely to show exports are still underpinning an otherwise weak economy.

Central banks are starting to cut policy rates after the quickest hikes in decades. Cooling inflation should allow the Federal Reserve to cut next month. Yet we see persistent inflation pressures, partly due to ongoing fiscal deficits, keeping interest rates higher on average than pre-pandemic levels. We favor short-term government bonds and credit even as markets eye more rate cuts. In Japan, we stay overweight stocks and see the Bank of Japan adjusting its hawkish shift.

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Income on offer
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index components, 2010-2021 vs. 2024

The chart shows that yields across the curve are higher today compared with the 2010-2021 average, with short-term bond yields having risen the most.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Index performance does not account for fees. Source: BlackRock Investment Institute and BlackRock Fundamental Fixed Income, with data from Bloomberg, July 2024. Notes: The chart shows the total yield, spread and interest rate of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate bond index for: 1-3-year notes, 3-10-year notes and bonds with a maturity of 10 years and longer.

Investor appetite for bonds has grown. That comes as markets have priced in more Fed rate cuts on data showing cooling inflation and a softer U.S. jobs market. The Fed opened the door to a September cut last week, as we expected. Then the payrolls data stoked recession fears and market hopes for a large 50-basis point cut next month. We see this as another flip-flop in the market narrative with little evidence backing it: Unlike in recessions, a growing workforce is driving the rise in the higher unemployment rate, not falling employment. We stay cautious on long-term bonds, especially after the sharp yield drop over the past month. We still favor short-term paper including credit: It can offer similar income to long-term bonds with less sensitivity to interest rate swings. See the chart. That view has played out as short-term yields have dropped – and we think long-term yields can climb anew.

We think long-term yields will eventually climb in the long term as investors demand more term premium, or compensation for the risk of owning long-term bonds. The return of term premium will take time, so we stay tactically neutral long-term Treasuries as yields swing sharply on shifting policy expectations. We believe last week’s yield drop on higher rate cut hopes and growth fears are overblown. The labor market remains resilient: jobs gains are slowing but strong, employment is still rising and layoffs are not increasing. And even if near-term U.S. inflation is proving volatile, ongoing pay pressures and a shrinking workforce support services inflation longer term. That, and large U.S. fiscal deficits in the future, could keep the neutral interest rate – one that neither stokes nor restricts growth – higher than pre-pandemic.

Catalysts ahead

We see catalysts for term premium’s return, but timing is uncertain. One catalyst: the U.S. election likely shifting focus to the fiscal outlook. The Treasury’s bond issuance calendar suggests it doesn’t need to make major changes for now. We think net issuance will eventually need to climb to match the pace of government spending. Markets struggling to absorb this supply could boost term premium. The Fed altering the size of its balance sheet or the maturity of its bond holdings is another catalyst. It’s still a big buyer, purchasing 10% of 10-year and 30-year bonds in 2023 and holding about 30% of bonds with maturities longer than 10 years in circulation, based on analysis of New York Fed data by our portfolio managers. The mix of buyers also matters: While foreign buyers have retreated, U.S. households are increasingly stepping in to buy.

The BOJ policy shift also matters for global term premium. Its move to more actively manage inflation risks could boost bond yields and prompt domestic investors to favor local bonds over foreign bonds, especially in the U.S. and euro area. We see the BOJ adjusting its hawkish shift given the market fallout, especially the surging yen, and stay overweight Japanese stocks. A stronger yen had limited the return hit to our currency-unhedged preference. 

Bottom line

The start of rate cuts doesn’t mean this will be the typical easing cycle, and markets can overreact to volatile data given lighter trading activity. We prefer income in short-term bonds and credit. We stay overweight Japanese stocks.

Market backdrop

U.S. stocks slid last week, with small cap shares and tech leading the way. Growth fears exacerbated by soft U.S. jobs data drove a broad global risk-off move. U.S. two-year Treasury yields fell to 15-month lows near 3.90% as markets priced in the potential for a 50-basis point rate cut in September and multiple cuts through 2025. Japan’s Topix stock index tumbled more than 6% last Friday – its worst day in eight years – on concerns about the BOJ policy shift and a resurgent yen.

China’s economic data is in focus this week. Chinese exports have proven resilient, helping prop up growth – and the latest trade data will give clues if that is still the case. Yet manufacturing activity has weakened, and subdued retail sales reflect cautious households struggling with the property sector’s woes. We eye the services PMI for more clues on consumer spending. Weak activity has led to low inflation and even deflation. Without meaningful policy support for growth, we don’t see that picture changing much.

Week ahead

The chart shows that gold is the best performing asset year-to-date among a selected group of assets, while the German 10-year bund is the worst.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results. Indexes are unmanaged and do not account for fees. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Sources: BlackRock Investment Institute, with data from LSEG Datastream as of Aug. 1, 2024. Notes: The two ends of the bars show the lowest and highest returns at any point year to date, and the dots represent current year-to-date returns. Emerging market (EM), high yield and global corporate investment grade (IG) returns are denominated in U.S. dollars, and the rest in local currencies. Indexes or prices used are: spot Brent crude, ICE U.S. Dollar Index (DXY), spot gold, MSCI Emerging Markets Index, MSCI Europe Index, LSEG Datastream 10-year benchmark government bond index (U.S., Germany and Italy), Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global High Yield Index, J.P. Morgan EMBI Index, Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Broad Corporate Index and MSCI USA Index.

Aug. 5

Caixin services PMI

Aug. 6

U.S. trade data

Aug. 7

China trade data

Aug. 9

China PPI and CPI inflation

Read our past weekly market commentaries here.

Big calls

Our highest conviction views on tactical (6-12 month) and strategic (long-term) horizons, August 2024

  Reasons
Tactical  
AI and U.S. equities We have high conviction that AI can keep driving returns in most scenarios. We see its buildout and adoption creating opportunities across sectors. The AI theme has driven U.S. stock gains and solid corporate earnings, making us overweight U.S. stocks overall.
Japanese equities A brighter outlook for Japan’s economy and corporate reform are driving improved earnings and shareholder returns. We think the Bank of Japan will adjust its surprise hawkish shift on policy that spooked markets and stay cautious in normalizing policy.
Income in fixed income The income cushion bonds provide has increased across the board in a higher rate environment. We like quality income in short-term bonds and credit. We’re neutral long-term U.S. Treasuries.
Strategic  
Private credit We think private credit is going to earn lending share as banks retreat – and at attractive returns relative to public credit risk.
Fixed income granularity We prefer inflation-linked bonds as we see inflation closer to 3% on a strategic horizon. We also like short-term government bonds, and the UK stands out for long-term bonds.
Equity granularity We favor emerging over developed markets yet get selective in both. EMs at the cross current of mega forces – like India and Saudi Arabia – offer opportunities. In DM, we like Japan as the return of inflation and corporate reforms brighten our outlook.

Note: Views are from a U.S. dollar perspective, August 2024. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast of future events or a guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice regarding any particular funds, strategy or security.

Tactical granular views

Six to 12-month tactical views on selected assets vs. broad global asset classes by level of conviction, August 2024

Legend Granular

Our approach is to first determine asset allocations based on our macro outlook – and what’s in the price. The table below reflects this. It leaves aside the opportunity for alpha, or the potential to generate above-benchmark returns. The new regime is not conducive to static exposures to broad asset classes, in our view, but it is creating more space for alpha. For example, the alpha opportunity in highly efficient DM equities markets historically has been low. That’s no longer the case, we think, thanks to greater volatility, macro uncertainty and dispersion of returns. The new regime puts a premium on insights and skill, in our view.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. The statements on alpha do not consider fees. Note: Views are from a U.S. dollar perspective. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast or guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon as investment advice regarding any particular fund, strategy or security. 

Euro-denominated tactical granular views

Six to 12-month tactical views on selected assets vs. broad global asset classes by level of conviction, August 2024

Legend Granular

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Note: Views are from a euro perspective, August 2024. This material represents an assessment of the market environment at a specific time and is not intended to be a forecast or guarantee of future results. This information should not be relied upon as investment advice regarding any particular fund, strategy or security.

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Authors
Jean Boivin
Head – BlackRock Investment Institute
Wei Li
Global Chief Investment Strategist — BlackRock Investment Institute
David Rogal
Portfolio Manager, Fundamental Fixed Income — BlackRock
Natalie Gill
Portfolio Strategist – BlackRock Investment Institute

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