The August payrolls report did not change our view that a Fed rate hike is likely in December, but not before that.
Given the rising odds of another Fed move before year-end, and the uncertainty that additional easing can be delivered in Europe and Japan, we re-iterate our tactical call to maintain a below-benchmark duration stance.
The equity rally has been in a holding pattern, with some tactical fraying around the edges.
In August, the model outperformed the S&P 500 and global equities in both USD and local-currency terms. For September, the model increased its allocation to cash and trimmed its exposure to equities.