Commodities & Energy Sector
Oil prices have broken out above resistance from a tight trading range since the holidays. We attribute this latest rally to geopolitical tremors more than a vote of confidence from markets on global growth given softening data. The global economy is…
Economic data released over the holiday period extended recent trends, reflecting a softening global economy with resilient US growth, and an ailing manufacturing sector. The December global manufacturing PMI declined to 49.6 after reaching the 50 level…
November retail sales were roughly in line with expectations, with headline growth at 0.7% m/m vs. 0.4% in October. Vehicle sales were solid. Excluding auto and gas, sales rose a more modest 0.2% m/m, below expectations. The control group grew 0.4% m/m after…
Our Emerging Markets, China, and Commodities strategy teams published their 2025 joint outlook. Our colleagues remain bullish on the US dollar for now but see rising odds of the Trump administration actively pursuing greenback devaluation. To avoid steep…
Trump's policies aim to support domestic producers and will be pro-growth and inflationary, at least initially. This environment is supportive of equities. Earnings will likely be strong, but elevated valuations make equities prone to a correction. Earnings growth broadening will translate into performance broadening – the S&P 493, Cyclicals, Value, Small and Mid are likely to outperform.
What is new? EMS is preparing the ground for a potential change in its USD view sometime in H1 2025. This will be a major milestone as EMS has been structurally bullish on the USD since the spring of 2011.
- Congress will pass tax cuts by end of 2025 producing a fiscal thrust of about 0.9% of GDP in 2026.
- Trump will count on that stimulus as a basis for slapping tariffs on leading trade partners.
- China will retaliate against Trump and stimulate its domestic economy, while pursuing stronger trade ties with other countries. Europe will also retaliate.
- Geopolitical risk will shift from Ukraine-Russia to Israel-Iran, where the conflict will continue to escalate until a crisis point is reached within 2025.
After more than 10 years of civil war, Bashar Al-Assad’s rule came to an abrupt end when rebels captured Damascus. Syria might not be a significant country in economic or financial terms, but it is part of the Middle Eastern geopolitical balance. …
OPEC+ extended its production cuts for the third time, and lengthened the period over which it plans to bring spare capacity back online. Oil prices continue to trade near the bottom of their trading range despite the announcement. The decision aims to…
Our Global Asset Allocation strategists published their monthly tactical asset allocation report and foresee a change of trend for 2025. “Thin is back in” for government budgets, growth, and valuations. The post-COVID recovery was marked by government…