Equities
The soft-landing narrative has won, but is too much of a good thing now expected by investors?
In this note, we preview the Q4-2023 earnings season and share what we will be watching.
The expectation that China is best placed to win the global EV race presumes the persistence of the status quo. Reality, however, may differ as the sector looks set to be hit by a range of changes. If nonlinearity were to emerge in the global auto sector, as it often does, then the EV transition could end up spawning a very unexpected list of winners and losers.
The combined US credit impulse and fiscal thrust indicator will likely relapse in 2024, heralding growth weakness. Stalling US sales volume and falling inflation, combined with sticky labor costs, will herald a non-trivial profit margin compression. The recent increase in Asian exports will likely prove to be a mid-cycle improvement rather than a cyclical recovery.