Europe

Bank stocks comprise the bulk of financials indexes' market cap weights in the G3 (U.S., Euro Area and Japan). Thus, bank profit growth should largely define each region's financials sector earnings path, and by extension, relative performance. The top panel of the chart shows that the euro area and Japan have massive banking sectors as a percentage of GDP, especially compared with the U.S. Bank deleveraging is ongoing in the euro area, as banks continue to retrench from emerging markets and because of domestic economic slack. Sustained asset shedding in Europe is inherently negative for bank profitability, at least in the near-term, as bankers simultaneously become more conservative and reluctant to extend credit. Moreover, bank leverage ratios are stretched in Japan and in the euro area versus the U.S. (second panel). In other words, the equity capital cushion remains insufficient in the euro area and in Japan to absorb a local or global credit shock. U.S. banks are well capitalized following the Great Recession TARP recapitalization, but euro area banks continue to be plagued by ongoing and extremely dilutive equity capital raisings. Worrisomely, despite sporting higher leverage ratios, both Japanese and euro area financials ROEs trail the U.S. by a wide and rising margin (bottom panel). Steeply diverging regional ROEs should continue to drive a relative rerating of U.S. financials versus both euro area and Japanese financials (see the bottom panel of the previous Insight). Meanwhile, diverging credit and economic growth profiles, NIMs and NPLs, all favor U.S. versus both European and Japanese financials (please see the next Insight).

While relative financials stock returns tend to be highly correlated across regions, especially in the developed world (top panel), extremely divergent monetary policy developments and operating metrics suggest that these long-standing tight correlations are destined to loosen. Thus, Global Alpha Sector Strategy has broken down global financials sector coverage into three geographies: U.S., Europe and Japan, following in the footsteps of our recent disentangling of global consumer discretionary coverage (see the March 17 Insights). In that light, the euro area and Japanese financials sectors are at a particularly acute disadvantage relative to the U.S., given diverging leverage, capital cushions and ROEs (please see the next Insight).

We continue to recommend a cautious investment stance, staying at benchmark duration, as the recovery in risk assets looks more like a counter-trend rally than the start of a new bullish run.

We are sending you the Q2 <i>Global Investment Strategy Outlook</i>, which discusses the ten predictions we expect to drive global financial markets throughout the rest of the year.

No significant change in allocation was made. Direction wise, weights in Spain and Switzerland were increased slightly at the expense of Netherland and Sweden.

Fed dovishness is weakening the U.S. dollar. As the ECB and BoJ move to the sidelines and the Fed remains reluctant to hike rates, the euro and Japanese yen should continue to recover versus the greenback.

Special Report

Several tail risks appear less ominous compared to last month. Nonetheless, the earnings outlook has not improved and the FOMC will turn more hawkish ahead of the June meeting. Stay defensively positioned.

Several tail risks appear less ominous compared to last month. Nonetheless, the earnings outlook has not improved and the FOMC will turn more hawkish ahead of the June meeting. Stay defensively positioned.

Special Report

Several tail risks appear less ominous compared to last month. Nonetheless, the earnings outlook has not improved and the FOMC will turn more hawkish ahead of the June meeting. Stay defensively positioned.

Risk assets are stuck in a range driven by the Fed feedback loop. But the current rally may continue for another quarter or two.