Developed Countries
Over the past two months, risk sentiment has improved amid receding fears of an imminent US recession. Economic data have been generating strong upside surprises and the US equity rally has broadened with cyclicals outperforming defensives since the beginning…
Greece is experiencing a strong economic revival from its lows of the Sovereign Debt Crisis. The Hellenic Republic has shown resilience, with an annual real GDP growth of 4.5%, outpacing the Euro Area’s growth by 2%. Greece is also faring better on the…
According to BCA Research’s Global Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange Strategy services, the British pound is overbought in the near-term and is at risk of a pullback on easing rate expectations, but this will represent a medium-term buying opportunity. The…
Time is running out on the Bank of England’s tightening cycle. UK economic growth is flirting with recession, unemployment is rising, house prices are contracting and inflation is decelerating. Markets are overestimating the eventual bottom in UK inflation, and thus are also underestimating how much the Bank of England will eventually cut rates in the next easing cycle, which could begin as soon as H1/2024. The backdrop is turning increasingly positive for Gilts on a medium-term basis, while the overbought pound is due for a breather.
The Sentix Economic Index for the Eurozone sent a positive signal on Monday. It unexpectedly increased from -22.5 to -18.9 in August, surprising expectations of a further deterioration to -24.5. This marks the index’s first increase in four months. A…
Core inflation in the US should drift lower in the coming months. However, it is too early to conclude that the US is completely out of the woods when it comes to inflation. Given that the US job market remains tight, and the economy remains resilient, it…
The Norwegian krone’s fortunes have recently reversed. It has been the best performing G10 currency since the end of May. This comes after a period of pronounced weakness during which it was the only G10 currency to depreciate vis-à-vis the US dollar between…
President Joe Biden’s approval rating trended down from a peak in February this year of 45.8% to the current level of 42.1%. Meanwhile his disapproval rating rose from a trough of 50.9% to its current 54.3%. The negative trend is worrisome for the Biden…
BCA Research’s US Bond Strategy service cautions against turning bullish on corporate bonds. Corporate bonds have delivered strong excess returns versus duration-matched Treasuries during the past two months. Yet the team’s fair value models, based on…
Our Portfolio Allocation Summary for August 2023.