Heading 1

The Fed’s policy goal has always been to foster economic conditions that achieve both stable prices and maximum sustainable employment. Generally, the Fed strives to keep inflation at about 2%. However, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s comments late in the year made it much more challenging to evaluate the 2% inflation objective:

​ “In order to move rates up, I would want to see inflation that’s persistent and that’s significant.”

During the quarter, the Fed also began providing additional support to the stressed repo market in the form of billions of dollars every day. This loosening comes at a time when financial conditions (as measured by the Chicago Fed National Financial Conditions Index) have not shown any material signs of tightening whatsoever, remaining at cycle lows.

​

All this extraordinary support comes during what appears to be quite ordinary times in the economy and in capital markets. For instance, economic growth is muddling along in the 2-3% range, similar to previous years and certainly not close to recessionary territory; unemployment is at historic lows at 3.5%—the lowest since the 1960s; inflation is moderate as measured by a CPI of 2.0%; and equities are at all-time highs.

​

Like the popular drink that combines sugar and caffeine, benign growth and abundant liquidity were an energizing cocktail for asset prices. Represented by the S&P 500, U.S. stocks were higher by 9% for the quarter. For the year, they finished up 32% (the second-best return since the tech bubble of the late 1990s). Many other asset classes performed extraordinarily well in 2019: Investment-grade taxable bonds were up nearly 9% (best return since 2002), and gold was higher by 18%.

​

Despite their long-term correlation to equity returns, corporate earnings took a back seat in 2019. At the beginning of the year, analysts anticipated 9% earnings growth for the S&P 500. However, if fourth quarter 2019 estimates are accurate, earnings for S&P 500 companies grew by a meager 4% in 2019. Therefore, the S&P 500’s massive 32% gain for the year came mostly from multiple expansion (i.e., investors paying more for the same amount of corporate earnings). The last time the S&P 500 experienced that much multiple expansion during a bull market was during the tech bubble in 1998. That year, the S&P 500 rose 27% on a miniscule 0.6% year-over-year earnings growth!

U.S. MARKETS

Large and small cap stocks performed relatively the same while growth stocks outperformed value yet again. The technology sector capped off its phenomenal year, up 50%, with an equally phenomenal quarter, up 14%. Healthcare was also up 14% for the quarter, which accounted for the majority of its 21% return in 2019. Laggards for the quarter included real estate and utilities (which are sensitive to interest rate movement), down 0.5% and up 0.8%, respectively. Even with their tepid fourth-quarter returns, both sectors had big years. Real estate was up 29%, and utilities was up 26%. Energy—by far the worst-performing sector—was up just 12% in 2019.

Another boost to equity returns has been companies’ immense stock buyback programs. These programs help increase returns in two ways: first, the increased amount of stock purchases helps returns; second, the fact that there are fewer outstanding shares increases a company’s earnings-per-share without any improvement in earnings.

​

During the first half of 2019, the rate of stock buybacks increased materially, but in the third quarter, they declined by 14% on a year-over-year basis. One explanation for this slowdown could be that tepid corporate earnings sapped companies’ ability to institute new buyback programs. If that's the case and corporate management teams are shying away from buybacks as earnings slow, then buybacks could continue to decline throughout 2020. If that happens, one major lift to equity returns would be stripped away in 2020.

​

One slight performance divergence emerged in 2019 that bears watching. Unlike high yield bonds, the S&P/LTSA Leveraged Loan Index did not make a new high during the year, despite posting a solid 8.6% return. As 2019 progressed, the index’s constituents experienced an increasing number of credit downgrades relative to upgrades—a potentially ominous signpost on the health of the U.S. credit markets. By year end, downgrades were three times higher than upgrades—the widest gap since 2009.

​

FOREIGN MARKETS

Non-U.S. markets, both developed and emerging, enjoyed positive, broad-based returns for the quarter. Just one country, Chile, posted negative returns. Global trade tensions de-escalated during the quarter, thanks in part to the U.S. and China agreeing on an enforceable, phase one deal that focuses on intellectual property, technology transfer, agriculture, financial services, currency and foreign exchange. This development cleared the way for emerging market assets to generate the majority of their 2019 return in the final quarter of the year. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose by 11.9% in the quarter, bringing it to 18.9% for the year. China gained 15% in the quarter and was higher by 24% in 2019. Russia and Greece generated the best returns outside the U.S. in 2019; both increased approximately 50%.

​

Developed markets outside the U.S., as measured by the MSCI EAFE Index, rose by 8.2% for the quarter and 22.7% for the year. One cloud that was lifted during the quarter was in the United Kingdom. Conservatives won a majority in the December elections, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that the UK would leave the European Union in early 2020. As a result, UK equities increased 10% in the quarter and ended the year up 21%.

​

LOOKING AHEAD

The new year will certainly bring increased focus on the upcoming U.S. elections. Despite a volatile political environment in the U.S., the presidential election will likely only disrupt markets if either Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren wins, primarily due to their views on corporate taxes.

​

According to most recent data from the betting site PredictIt, neither of these candidates appear to be in a position to make a meaningful run at the White House. Current odds for each candidate are as follows: President Trump at 51%; Biden at 20%; Sanders at 6%; Warren and Bloomberg tied at 4%. These numbers will certainly change—and their significance will increase—in the coming months and into Super Tuesday, after which forecasts will become more accurate.

​

We hope you enjoyed your holiday season and wish you a happy and healthy new year.

​