Latest from BCA Research
Following this weekend’s OPEC 2.0 meeting, KSA announced a 1mm b/d crude output cut, slated for this July or August, as it attempts to support weak oil prices. The new output quotas, reduced to reflect members’ weak crude oil production will continue until end-2024. UAE’s quota was the only one raised in acknowledgement of its higher production capacity. On the back of this announcement, we continue to expect brent prices will average $90/bbl this year.
The S&P 500 performance was flat in May if not for the strong performance of a small cohort of mega-caps, aided by exposure to AI. Earnings and sales growth are contracting but analysts expect a rebound into a yearend, which is already priced in. Yet, inflation is still elevated, and the job market is stubbornly tight – rates will stay much higher for longer, eventually ending the party. Until then, the lopsided equity rally may continue.
In response to client questions, we offer our view on the purported link between tech stocks and interest rates, the similarities between the S&L Crisis and the current banking turmoil and the near-term outlook for consensus economic expectations.
MacroQuant now favors Technology and Consumer Discretionary and the style score continues to favor small-cap growth. In this insight we explore how small-cap growth has favorable breadth compared to the market,and therefore the style offers better opportunities for stocks pickers.
In this short weekly report, we review some of our favorite FX trades.
The Fed is still on track for a June pause, even after May’s strong nonfarm payroll print.
In this report, we follow up on the upgrade to our US duration stance from last week with a review of our rates views and government bond allocations outside the US. We conclude that while we now find US Treasuries to be more attractive from a value perspective, even better value is available in euro area and UK government debt.
MacroQuant is slightly underweight equities, and overweight bonds and cash. Within the equity universe, the model favors the US, Japan, and the UK, is neutral on Europe, and underweight Emerging Markets.