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It should be clear by now that the U.S. is headed towards a recession in all but the “technical” sense, i.e. unemployment figures aren’t nearly high enough to call the current period recessionary. However, data coming out of the banking sector have a couple of indicators.
Global macroeconomic consultancy TS Lombard published that, as of January this year, small banks in the U.S. were critically low on deposits and had starkly low liquid reserves.
Small banks were heavily dependent on loans contributing to their balance sheet at a time when lending activity was heavily distressed. In the midst of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the entire financial sector was under a lot of pressure. Small banks saw a massive drop in weekly deposits through the course of March, which hadn’t fully recovered by the end of the month.
However, closer inspection reveals that small banks’ reserves-to-assets ratios continue to look fraught while that of big banks is on an uptrend.
Recent earnings releases confirm this trend. Broadly, while the banking sector’s prospects were imputed with bearish expectations by analysts, big banks did marginally better while smaller banks generally didn’t. Now, classical market empiricism suggests that while the consumer discretionary sector is supposed to be attractive in a recessionary period, financials tend to hold firm. Classical market empirics no longer hold true.
Big Tech: Size Matters?
Over the past two weeks, market flows have been imparting momentum in some interesting directions. For example, in the week prior to last (i.e. Week 15), tech companies drove a substantial part of the momentum in the S&P 500:
Also making a presence felt were a small number of leisure stocks – casinos, resorts, et al – along with the sundry pharma stock. In Week 16, the same pattern continued:
The significance of the Top 25 on the directionality of the S&P 500 can also be seen in the growing correlation between their combined momentum and the index’s weekly change.
The preponderance of Big Tech in the Top 25 – and its relative impact on the economic bellwether – has been increasing over the past years. “Technology” had gone from comprising a little under 15% of the S&P 500 to nearly a third.
Meanwhile, the banking system has gone from being over a quarter of the top-of-the line economy to a single-digit percentage contribution.
Given that the present economic outlook sounds all warning bells on lowering consumption being expected, the rise of Big Tech stock trajectories is a cause-and-effect phenomenon: more investors are shifting to the view that Big Tech will remain ubiquitous and central to economic activity, while companies (even tech) on the lower end of the size spectrum being implied to have lower survivability.
Key Takeaways
Bearing in mind the concentration of overall trajectory into the top of the line of the S&P 500, it’s also germane to note that the number of companies hitting new 52-week highs is at 5-year lows:
This lends strength to the notion that flows into large-cap stocks are informing market trajectories more than the rest of the market itself. Also, given that government debt exposure remains a niche interest, this flow is also driven by limited access to viable alternatives. In other words, a significant portion of these flows follow a form of self-preservation which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: as their valuations fall, smaller companies will find it increasingly harder to secure financing and challenge the status quo. One means of growth would be to collaborate/enjoin with the top-of-the-line which further biases survivability.
All in all, size matters and it’s important to be wary of fuzzy growth narratives. Markets continuing to be in churn provide an ideal opportunity to make tactical trades, which Exchange-Traded Products (ETPs) are well-equipped to provide at low costs and with no margin requirements. Leverage Shares offers a wide variety of products that give the sophisticated investor enhanced exposure on both the upside and the downside. Click here to explore and learn more.
Your capital is at risk if you invest. You could lose all your investment. Please see the full risk warning here.
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Nothing on this website is advice on the merits of any product or investment, nothing constitutes investment, legal, tax or any other advice nor is it to be relied on in making an investment decision. Prospective investors should obtain independent investment advice and inform themselves as to applicable legal requirements, exchange control regulations and taxes in their jurisdiction.
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Certain documents made available on the website have been prepared and issued by persons other than Leverage Shares Management Company. This includes any Prospectus document. Leverage Shares Management Company is not responsible in any way for the content of any such document. Except in those cases, the information on the website has been given in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Nevertheless, Leverage Shares Management Company shall not be responsible for loss occasioned as a result of reliance placed on any part of the website and it makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of any information or content on the website. The description of any ETP Security referred to in this website is a general one. The terms and conditions applicable to investors will be set out in the Prospectus, available on the website and should be read prior to making any investment.
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Terms and Conditions
Notice
If you are not classified as an institutional investor, you will be categorised as a private/retail investor. At this time, we cannot send communications directly to private/retail investors. You are welcome to view the contents of this website.
If you are an ‘Institutional investor’, you affirm either that you are a Per Se Professional Client, or that you wish to be treated as an Eligible Counterparty Client, both as defined under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, or an equivalent in a jurisdiction outside the European Economic Area.
Risk Warnings
The value of an investment in ETPs may go down as well as up and past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Trading in ETPs may not be suitable for all types of investor as they carry a high degree of risk. You may lose all of your initial investment. Only speculate with money you can afford to lose. Changes in exchange rates may also cause your investment to go up or down in value. Tax laws may be subject to change. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. If in any doubt, please seek independent financial advice. Investors should refer to the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the relevant prospectus for further details of these and other risks associated with an investment in the securities offered by the Issuer.
This website is provided for your general information only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any investment.
Nothing on this website is advice on the merits of any product or investment, nothing constitutes investment, legal, tax or any other advice nor is it to be relied on in making an investment decision. Prospective investors should obtain independent investment advice and inform themselves as to applicable legal requirements, exchange control regulations and taxes in their jurisdiction.
This website complies with the regulatory requirements of the United Kingdom. There may be laws in your country of nationality or residence or in the country from which you access this website which restrict the extent to which the website may be made available to you.
United States Visitors
The information provided on this site is not directed to any United States person or any person in the United States, any state thereof, or any of its territories or possessions.
Persons accessing this website in the European Economic Area
Access to this site is restricted to Non-U.S. Persons outside the United States within the meaning of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Each person accessing this site, by so doing, acknowledges that: (1) it is not a U.S. person (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act) and is located outside the U.S. (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act); and (2) any securities described herein (A) have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction and (B) may not be offered, sold, pledged or otherwise transferred except to persons outside the U.S. in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act pursuant to the terms of such securities. None of the funds on this website are registered under the United States Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”).
Exclusion of Liability
Certain documents made available on the website have been prepared and issued by persons other than Leverage Shares Management Company. This includes any Prospectus document. Leverage Shares Management Company is not responsible in any way for the content of any such document. Except in those cases, the information on the website has been given in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. Nevertheless, Leverage Shares Management Company shall not be responsible for loss occasioned as a result of reliance placed on any part of the website and it makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of any information or content on the website. The description of any ETP Security referred to in this website is a general one. The terms and conditions applicable to investors will be set out in the Prospectus, available on the website and should be read prior to making any investment.
Leverage Investment
Leverage Shares exchange-traded products (ETPs) provide leveraged exposure and are only suitable for experienced investors with knowledge of the risks and potential benefits of leveraged investment strategies.
Cookies
Leverage Shares Management Company may collect data about your computer, including, where available, your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration and other similar purposes (click here for more information). These are statistical data about users’ browsing actions and patterns, and they do not identify any individual user of the website. This is achieved by the use of cookies. A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that is put on your computer if you agree to accept it. By clicking ‘I agree’ below, you are consenting to the use of cookies as described here. These cookies allow you to be distinguished from other users of the website, which helps Leverage Shares Company provide you with a better experience when you browse the website and also allows the website to be improved from time to time. Please note that you can adjust your browser settings to delete or block cookies, but you may not be able to access parts of our website without them.
This website is maintained by Leverage Shares Management Company, which is a limited liability company and is incorporated in Ireland with registered offices at 2 Grand Canal Square, Grand Canal Harbour, Dublin 2.
By clicking you agree to the Terms and Conditions displayed.