Developed Countries
UK labor market deterioration reinforces our overweight on Gilts and dovish BoE policy trades. Payrolls fell by 109k in May, an acceleration from the 55k revised decline for April (originally reported as -33k), and job vacancies continued to slide. Slower…
For now, measures of labor market utilization (like the unemployment rate) are only gradually weakening. But we know from history that these trends have a habit of quickly accelerating in advance of recession.
Our Counterpoint Strategists see no signs of recession or market fragility but remain skeptical of US superstar stocks. Winners of past tech cycles rarely lead the next, making Web 2.0 firms unlikely beneficiaries of the AI-driven rally. BCA’s Counterpoint…
Despite a strong rebound in equities, we remain defensively positioned as recession risks persist and market history warns against premature optimism. The S&P 500 has retraced 78.6% of its initial drawdown, a level that typically signals the end of a…
The May US jobs report reinforces our defensive stance as labor momentum is slowing even if not collapsing. Payrolls rose 139k, beating estimates, but decelerating from a downwardly revised 147k. Two-month revisions cut 95k jobs, again signaling that initial…
The Bank of Canada held rates at 2.75% but signaled a dovish shift, pushing us to overweight Canadian government bonds and go long CORRA futures. The policy rate remains within the BoC’s neutral range, allowing the Bank to wait for more clarity on trade…
The May ISM Services PMI sent a stagflationary signal, reinforcing the case for defensive positioning. The headline index slipped into contraction at 49.9 from 51.6 in April, missing expectations. New orders collapsed to 46.4 from 52.3, while employment edged…
Our Portfolio Allocation Summary for June 2025.
The May ISM Manufacturing Index missed expectations, reinforcing our view that recession risks remain underpriced. The headline fell to 48.5 from 48.7, while new orders and employment both rebounded slightly but remained below the 50-expansion threshold. New…
Ongoing military tensions between Ukraine and Rusia and renewed US-EU trade friction reinforce tactical opportunities to add European exposure on dips. Ukraine’s drone strike on Russian air assets and the limited outcome of the latest Istanbul talks point to…