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The Global Fund Managers Survey (FMS) by Bank of America is an interesting barometer for the sentiments of some of the biggest institutional players in the market (and which has received frequent attention in the course of our commentary over the past year or so).
In the latest survey, survey respondents indicate that their risk appetite remains depressed and not far from the extreme pessimism of 2022 and comparable to the levels of the 2009 Great Financial Crisis (GFC). A net 29% of survey respondents are “underweight” equities, down from 31% in March. Similarly, the growth expectations worsened to December 2022 levels with a net 63% expecting weaker global growth.
35% of the respondents opine that the Federal Reserve will start cutting rates only in Q1 2024 while 28% expect this process to start a quarter earlier. All in all, market sentiment effectively holds that the next quarter will be a wash.
Other salient points of consensus were:
84% of respondents contend that global CPI will be heading lower;
58% of respondents predict the prevalence lower short-term rates, which is the highest consensus since November 2008;
The biggest ‘tail risks’ to the global economy are bank credit crunch & global recession (35%) followed by high inflation that keeps central banks hawkish (34%);
Cash allocation has remained above the 5.0% tactical “buy” signal since November 2021;
Fears of a credit crunch has driven bond allocation among these institutional players up by 9 percentage points Month over Month (MoM) to a net 10% Overweight, which is the largest overweight metric since March 2009;
Survey respondents’ quoted underweight status in equities relative to bonds is now also at levels not seen since the GFC
Now, one key reason why fund managers have reported being “underweight” on equities has been that overall capital allocation has continued to favour holding equities. As of April, the FMS reported that U.S. tech companies are now more than 2 standard deviations away from the performance of the S&P 500.
This level of disparity was witnessed two times before: in 1970 and 2000. Shortly after reaching these highs, the tech sector took a drop (along with the rest of the market) and went on to significantly underperform for a decade afterward in both cases.
When bond discount rates are structurally increased, equity valuations become progressively more prominent for institutional investors. This becomes particularly relevant when fundamental growth, as highlighted by economic indicators, becomes stagnant. When investors realize that these highly-overvalued stocks are ultimately valued at massive multiples, their valuations are at a major risk.
In the weeks since the Survey was published, the U.S. stock market has seen a flight to broad-market funds by institutionals and money market funds by major investors. In both cases, tech stocks continually edged upwards and somewhat subsided in some measure, albeit with an upward trend. The most widely-read indicator is the earnings beaten which, however, comes with a caveat: analysts’ consensus on target earnings tended to be somewhat generous. When these heavily-discounted expectations were beaten, some market participants read this to mean outperformance. In reality, the hurdles were set too low.
Even in the week that has passed, Big Tech was the prime mover for the S&P 500 despite momentum continuing to dwindle:
On the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 index, however, the momentum is a net negative on a week-on-week basis:
The net result from these two differing picture could be summed up thus: while there was indeed some single-name buy-in action among tech stocks, the bulk of market movement could be attributable to broad-market ETF buying behaviour by major players. In a market desperate for direction, this behaviour is likely being misattributed as bullish market signals.
Investors should be wary reading too deeply into the tea leaves. Sophisticated investors looking for tactical plays on the tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 can be consider the 5X ETP on the upside and the 3X Short ETP for the downside. Plays on the S&P 500 can consider the 5X ETP on the upside and the 3X Short ETP for the downside.
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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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.
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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.
