Stuffed Turkey for Thanksgiving Holidays with Pumpkin, Peas, Pecan, Berry Pie, Cheese Variations and Other Ingredient

Our Top Market Takeaways for November 22, 2023.

It’s been another year of market swirl, and still a 60/40 allocation of global stocks and bonds has generated a +10% return year-to-date. While we’d be reticent to say volatility is behind us at the Thanksgiving dinner table, this year has given us much to be thankful for. So before we get to the celebrations with friends, family and food, here are five things we (and markets) are grateful for this holiday season.

1. The recession that still hasn’t happened

Coming into the year, investors feared that the U.S. economy would crack under the weight of all the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes. That didn’t happen, and growth (while on a cooling trend) is still decidedly on the “nice list.”

Gifts in 2023 have included: still-remaining consumer savings from pandemic-era stimulus; fiscal support from industrial policy bills such as the Inflation Reduction Act; a rapid private and public sector response to the regional banking crisis; a steady return of women to the labor force; limited housing stock, which kept home prices from tumbling; the fastest productivity growth since 2003 (outside a recession); and an unexpected progression of artificial intelligence that could still boost capital expenditures over the next decade if it mirrors past tech cycles (just see Nvidia’s earnings report from last night).

Taken together, this is good news for those on team “soft landing.”

This bar graph shows private investment in intellectual property as a percentage of U.S. GDP from 1975 to 1999.

2. A less-expensive holiday season

One of the biggest surprises this year has been how much inflation has cooled alongside that economic resilience. While inflation isn’t back to the Fed’s 2% sweet spot, 40% of the Consumer Price Index’s components are now at or below that coveted level. You may feel it in your Thanksgiving feast this year, too. Out-of-town guests are looking at lower prices for car rentals, airfares and gasoline prices; yet, you’re still looking at a steeper bill when you pick up the turkey and pies.

This is a bar graph of the year over year percent change in the price of common goods related to thanksgiving dinner and travel.

The last mile of progress may still take some time, but the stickiest drivers of inflation – namely the still-hot clip of wage growth and rent prices – have ample room to continue cooling. This gives us the confidence that central banks are probably finished hiking and seem to be in their “higher for longer” era.

3. An end to rate hikes

Since the three major developed market central banks (the Fed, ECB and BoE) started hiking to tame inflation, they’ve increased policy rates a cumulative 1,490 basis points. With all three now seemingly on hold, the prevailing debate is shifting to when the first rate cuts might come. Markets are currently pricing in a 70% chance of a Fed cut by its May meeting.

To be sure, the impacts of the rate hikes we’ve already seen will continue to work their way through the economy (which is what the Fed wants to see), but it’s also worth noting that sectors that were the first hit by hikes are in a more festive mood and starting to stabilize. Manufacturing activity is showing signs of improving, and home buyers could get some relief from moderating mortgage rates. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has fallen almost -50 basis points from its highs less than a month ago, to 7.41%.

4. All the tools back in the investing toolkit

There has been no shortage of market volatility in 2023. But this has also opened up pockets of opportunity and given long-term, multi-asset investors what we think is a solid entry point (and the luxury of choice).

Today, historically high bond yields offer an opportunity to lock in higher income potential for longer, especially in municipal and corporate bonds. But with central banks at the end of their hiking cycles, and growth and inflation on a slowing trend, the still-elevated yields we see today may not last much longer.

For those looking to put more risk on the table, stocks look compelling. Following a period of reckoning in corporate earnings, U.S. stocks, especially the big tech names (as AI stands to generate real revenue growth), look poised to continue their rally in the year ahead.

Coupling this near-term opportunity with J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s 2024 Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions (which scrutinize over 200 asset and strategy classes to provide return outlooks over a 10-to-15-year investment horizon), today appears to offer a strong starting point for investors. Every major asset class stands to outperform cash over that time period.

This bar graph shows the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Long Term Capital Market Assumptions across the categories of cash, fixed income, equity, and alternatives.

5. The opportunity to help you achieve your financial goals

Above all, we’re thankful for the trust you place in all of us at J.P. Morgan, and for following markets along with us throughout the year.

This year has underscored the value of having a well-thought-out financial plan – and sticking to it. Why are you investing in the first place? Is it to get your money to grow for eternity, over multiple generations? Is it to pay for your child’s future education costs? Or is it simply to protect your money from losing value? With a goals-based approach to investing, we’re focused on helping our clients invest through cycles and challenges, in both good times and bad.

Here’s to another year of sharing our Top Market Takeaways. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

All market and economic data as of 11/22/2023 are sourced from Bloomberg Finance L.P. and FactSet unless otherwise stated.

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DISCLOSURES

Bonds are subject to interest rate risk, credit and default risk of the issuer. Bond prices generally fall when interest rates rise.

JPMAM Long-Term Capital Market Assumptions

Given the complex risk-reward trade-offs involved, we advise clients to rely on judgment as well as quantitative optimization approaches in setting strategic allocations. Please note that all information shown is based on qualitative analysis. Exclusive reliance on the above is not advised. This information is not intended as a recommendation to invest in any particular asset class or strategy or as a promise of future performance. Note that these asset class and strategy assumptions are passive only – they do not consider the impact of active management. References to future returns are not promises or even estimates of actual returns a client portfolio may achieve. Assumptions, opinions and estimates are provided for illustrative purposes only. They should not be relied upon as recommendations to buy or sell securities. Forecasts of financial market trends that are based on current market conditions constitute our judgment and are subject to change without notice. We believe the information provided here is reliable, but do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. This material has been prepared for information purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, accounting, legal or tax advice. The outputs of the assumptions are provided for illustration/discussion purposes only and are subject to significant limitations.

“Expected” or “alpha” return estimates are subject to uncertainty and error. For example, changes in the historical data from which it is estimated will result in different implications for asset class returns. Expected returns for each asset class are conditional on an economic scenario; actual returns in the event the scenario comes to pass could be higher or lower, as they have been in the past, so an investor should not expect to achieve returns similar to the outputs shown herein. References to future returns for either asset allocation strategies or asset classes are not promises of actual returns a client portfolio may achieve. Because of the inherent limitations of all models, potential investors should not rely exclusively on the model when making a decision. The model cannot account for the impact that economic, market, and other factors may have on the implementation and ongoing management of an actual investment portfolio. Unlike actual portfolio outcomes, the model outcomes do not reflect actual trading, liquidity constraints, fees, expenses, taxes and other factors that could impact the future returns. The model assumptions are passive only – they do not consider the impact of active management. A manager’s ability to achieve similar outcomes is subject to risk factors over which the manager may have no or limited control.

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Index definitions:

Standard and Poor’s 500 Index is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks. The index is designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. The index was developed with a base level of 10 for the 1941–43 base period.

The Bloomberg Eco Surprise Index shows the degree to which economic analysts under- or over-estimate the trends in the business cycle. The surprise element is defined as the percentage difference between analyst forecasts and the published value of economic data releases.

The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure global developed market equity performance.

The NASDAQ 100 Index is a basket of the 100 largest, most actively traded U.S companies listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The index includes companies from various industries except for the financial industry, like commercial and investment banks. These non-financial sectors include retail, biotechnology, industrial, technology, health care, and others.

The Russell 2000 Index measures small company stock market performance. The index does not include fees or expenses.

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