Changing Tides
Closing out 2020
Last month, global equity markets surged as news around COVID-19 vaccine candidates gave investors hope that an economic recovery was plausible. Regionally, developed international equities provided the strongest returns, while beaten down sectors (real estate, energy and financials) and styles (value) came back into favour. In the U.S., Joe Biden was pronounced president-elect after a week of vote counting. However, Democrats fell short of the much anticipated “blue sweep” as Republicans held the Senate. Our portfolios delivered strong performance in November as overweight exposure to equities and credit contributed to performance.
As the new year approaches, hospitals are under increased strain, leading some governments to impose tighter restrictions on activity. This is contributing to pockets of weakness in economic data, particularly in the service sector. Despite these short-term concerns, our outlook for 2021 remains bullish as vaccine deployments, accommodative monetary and fiscal policy, and upbeat corporate earnings expectations continue to drive markets higher.
What lies ahead for the markets
In our view, what will be different next year is which areas of the market drive returns. The spring and summer rallies were spurred by “stay-at-home” sectors, hence the strength of the tech-heavy, large-cap, U.S. equity market. Winners next year are likely to be “reopening” areas of the market. Even with their recent strength, valuation differences remain at extremes, suggesting we are still in the early innings of a rotation.
Our portfolio positioning strategy
Within our portfolios we continue to trim fixed income and add to equites. While short-term interest rates remain low for the foreseeable future, long-term interest rates will likely trend higher over the next year. As a result, we have trimmed longer duration government bonds and added to corporate bonds. We expect lower default rates and an improving economy will lead to healthy returns from investment-grade and high-yield bonds next year. We believe there is a risk that low interest rates and cash on the sidelines, as reflected in the high savings rates, will lead to accelerated spending and consumer price growth.
Looking at equities, we have been adding to “reopening” areas of the market. From a regional perspective, we are focused on Canada and Europe, markets that have more exposure to cyclically sensitive sectors such as energy and financials. We have also been favouring smaller companies over larger ones. Smaller companies are less expensive, and we expect they will have higher earnings growth potential in 2021. In summary, globally synchronized expansion will help revitalize “reopening” sectors and provide a positive backdrop for our portfolios.
We would like to thank our investors for their continued support over the year and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.
By Alfred Lam, CFA, Senior Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer and Marchello Holditch, CFA, Vice-President and Portfolio Manager CI Multi-Asset Management
Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. Pfizer Inc., and CI Multi-Asset Management as at November 11, 2020.This document is intended solely for information purposes. It is not a sales prospectus, nor should it be construed as an offer or an invitation to take part in an offer. This report may contain forward-looking statements about one or more funds, future performance, strategies or prospects, and possible future fund action. These statements reflect the portfolio managers’ current beliefs and are based on information currently available to them. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including economic, political and market changes and other developments. United pools are managed by CI Global Asset Management. CI Assante Wealth Management is a subsidiary of CI Investments Inc. Neither CI Global Asset Management nor its affiliates or their respective officers, directors, employees or advisors are responsible in any way for damages or losses of any kind whatsoever in respect of the use of this report. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses may all be associated with investments in mutual funds and the use of the Asset Management Service. Any performance data shown assumes reinvestment of all distributions or dividends and does not take into account sales, redemption or optional charges or income taxes payable by any securityholder that would have reduced returns. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Please read the fund prospectus and consult your advisor before investing. CI Assante Wealth Management and the CI Assante Wealth Management design are trademarks of CI Investments Inc. CI Multi-Asset Management is a division of CI Global Asset Management. CI Global Asset Management is a registered business name of CI Investments Inc. This report may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any manner whatsoever, without prior written permission of CI Assante Wealth Management. Copyright © 2020 CI Assante Wealth Management (Canada) Ltd. All rights reserved.
Closing out 2020
Last month, global equity markets surged as news around COVID-19 vaccine candidates gave investors hope that an economic recovery was plausible. Regionally, developed international equities provided the strongest returns, while beaten down sectors (real estate, energy and financials) and styles (value) came back into favour. In the U.S., Joe Biden was pronounced president-elect after a week of vote counting. However, Democrats fell short of the much anticipated “blue sweep” as Republicans held the Senate. Our portfolios delivered strong performance in November as overweight exposure to equities and credit contributed to performance.
As the new year approaches, hospitals are under increased strain, leading some governments to impose tighter restrictions on activity. This is contributing to pockets of weakness in economic data, particularly in the service sector. Despite these short-term concerns, our outlook for 2021 remains bullish as vaccine deployments, accommodative monetary and fiscal policy, and upbeat corporate earnings expectations continue to drive markets higher.
What lies ahead for the markets
In our view, what will be different next year is which areas of the market drive returns. The spring and summer rallies were spurred by “stay-at-home” sectors, hence the strength of the tech-heavy, large-cap, U.S. equity market. Winners next year are likely to be “reopening” areas of the market. Even with their recent strength, valuation differences remain at extremes, suggesting we are still in the early innings of a rotation.
Our portfolio positioning strategy
Within our portfolios we continue to trim fixed income and add to equites. While short-term interest rates remain low for the foreseeable future, long-term interest rates will likely trend higher over the next year. As a result, we have trimmed longer duration government bonds and added to corporate bonds. We expect lower default rates and an improving economy will lead to healthy returns from investment-grade and high-yield bonds next year. We believe there is a risk that low interest rates and cash on the sidelines, as reflected in the high savings rates, will lead to accelerated spending and consumer price growth.
Looking at equities, we have been adding to “reopening” areas of the market. From a regional perspective, we are focused on Canada and Europe, markets that have more exposure to cyclically sensitive sectors such as energy and financials. We have also been favouring smaller companies over larger ones. Smaller companies are less expensive, and we expect they will have higher earnings growth potential in 2021. In summary, globally synchronized expansion will help revitalize “reopening” sectors and provide a positive backdrop for our portfolios.
We would like to thank our investors for their continued support over the year and wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.
By Alfred Lam, CFA, Senior Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer and Marchello Holditch, CFA, Vice-President and Portfolio Manager CI Multi-Asset Management
Source: Bloomberg Finance L.P. Pfizer Inc., and CI Multi-Asset Management as at November 11, 2020.This document is intended solely for information purposes. It is not a sales prospectus, nor should it be construed as an offer or an invitation to take part in an offer. This report may contain forward-looking statements about one or more funds, future performance, strategies or prospects, and possible future fund action. These statements reflect the portfolio managers’ current beliefs and are based on information currently available to them. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these statements as a number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement, including economic, political and market changes and other developments. United pools are managed by CI Global Asset Management. CI Assante Wealth Management is a subsidiary of CI Investments Inc. Neither CI Global Asset Management nor its affiliates or their respective officers, directors, employees or advisors are responsible in any way for damages or losses of any kind whatsoever in respect of the use of this report. Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses may all be associated with investments in mutual funds and the use of the Asset Management Service. Any performance data shown assumes reinvestment of all distributions or dividends and does not take into account sales, redemption or optional charges or income taxes payable by any securityholder that would have reduced returns. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Please read the fund prospectus and consult your advisor before investing. CI Assante Wealth Management and the CI Assante Wealth Management design are trademarks of CI Investments Inc. CI Multi-Asset Management is a division of CI Global Asset Management. CI Global Asset Management is a registered business name of CI Investments Inc. This report may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any manner whatsoever, without prior written permission of CI Assante Wealth Management. Copyright © 2020 CI Assante Wealth Management (Canada) Ltd. All rights reserved.