Macro: It’s all about elections and keeping status quo
Markets are driven by election optimism, overshadowing growing debt and liquidity concerns. The 2024 elections loom large, but economic fundamentals and debt issues warrant cautious investment.
Head of Saxo Strats
Summary: Last month was brutal for equities with leading indices suffering big losses. But while a gentle recovery now beckons, major risks are looming on the horizon.
The market clearly went on a hunt for Red October last month with equities down 7.3% having been down by as much as 9.5% on October 29. This makes it the worst month for global equities since May 2012. Risk parity funds also had an ugly October with AQR's risk parity fund down 4.9% as fixed income did not provide shelter for the havoc in equities; the fund is down 6% year-to-date which will end up making 2018 one of the worst asset allocation years since WWII. What can we expect from here? Is this the beginning of a major decline in global equities?