Global Multi-Asset Investment Strategist, True Insights

Jeroen Blokland

Global Multi-Asset Investment Strategist

Build Well-Diversified Multi-Asset Portfolios

True Insights

Our research helps investors build well-diversified multi-asset portfolios and profit from market developments. In addition, our unique and proven Macro – Sentiment – Valuation (MSV) investment framework ensures a consistent flow of new investment opportunities. Together with our market views, these opportunities will be reflected in our live ETF-based Global Multi-Asset Portfolios.

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>Financial markets are increasingly being dominated by headlines from China, where it is becoming clearer every day that the country is facing a historic real estate recession.</li>
<li>Despite the barrage of stimulus measures, Chinese and Emerging Market equity indices are trending down and is now within 1.5% of the 200-day moving average.</li>
<li>The 200-day moving average is a powerful sentiment indicator, distinguishing between positive and negative market returns.</li>
</ul>


Financial markets are increasingly being dominated by headlines from China, where it is becoming clearer every day that the country is facing a historic real estate recession.
Despite the barrage of stimulus measures, Chinese and Emerging Market equity indices are trending down and is now within 1.5% of the 200-day moving average.
The 200-day moving average is a powerful sentiment indicator, distinguishing between positive and negative market returns.


China’s Ongoing Real Estate Disaster Is Pushing Emerging Markets to the Brink

<ul>
<li>Unlike many suggest, the downgrade of the US credit rating by Fitch, resulting in the US losing its Triple-A status, will have significant impact on markets.</li>
<li>The disappointing ISM Manufacturing Index comes with massive downside for Equities in all regions.</li>
<li>While the Big Tech earnings dream get to live another day, the risks of a further and more significant slowdown in company earnings remain abundant.</li>
</ul>


Unlike many suggest, the downgrade of the US credit rating by Fitch, resulting in the US losing its Triple-A status, will have significant impact on markets.
The disappointing ISM Manufacturing Index comes with massive downside for Equities in all regions.
While the Big Tech earnings dream get to live another day, the risks of a further and more significant slowdown in company earnings remain abundant.


The Weekly Market Monitor (31) – Bye, Bye, Triple-A

<ul>
<li>The risk premium of equity asset classes has further declined. The risk premium on US Equities is now just 3.1%, which is very unattractive.</li>
<li>The risk premium of equity asset classes has further declined. The risk premium on US Equities is now just 3.1%, which is very unattractive.</li>
<li>Our ‘Bellwether EPS indicator’ points to a year-on-year earnings-per-share decline of nearly 22%, leaving little room for earnings growth to remain positive.</li>
</ul>


The risk premium of equity asset classes has further declined. The risk premium on US Equities is now just 3.1%, which is very unattractive.
The risk premium of equity asset classes has further declined. The risk premium on US Equities is now just 3.1%, which is very unattractive.
Our ‘Bellwether EPS indicator’ points to a year-on-year earnings-per-share decline of nearly 22%, leaving little room for earnings growth to remain positive.


Macroeconomics

<ul>
<li>Chinese Local Government Financing Vehicles, representing roughly 50% of the total Chinese government debt, face a maturity wall of CNY 5.5 trillion this year.</li>
<li>We expect no official defaults, implying an ongoing accommodative stance of the PBoC, further diverging from monetary policy in the rest of the world.</li>
<li>A ‘kick the can down the road’ strategy, keeping insolvent LGFVs artificially alive results in misallocation of capital, lower GDP growth, lower inflation, and pressure on risk assets.</li>
</ul>


Chinese Local Government Financing Vehicles, representing roughly 50% of the total Chinese government debt, face a maturity wall of CNY 5.5 trillion this year.
We expect no official defaults, implying an ongoing accommodative stance of the PBoC, further diverging from monetary policy in the rest of the world.
A ‘kick the can down the road’ strategy, keeping insolvent LGFVs artificially alive results in misallocation of capital, lower GDP growth, lower inflation, and pressure on risk assets.


Chinese LGFVs Contribute to Lower Growth and Disinflation

<ul>
<li>The ISM Manufacturing Index fell to 46.9 and reveals clear downside for equities based on the historical relationship.</li>
<li>The US labor market remains way too hot for the Fed and significantly increases the odds of another rate hike even as a massive drop in inflation materializes. </li>
<li>The P/E ratio of Big Tech stocks equals 56, while earnings growth has turned negative in recent quarters. Not the best starting point with the MOVE/VIX ratio &gt;8.</li>
</ul>


The ISM Manufacturing Index fell to 46.9 and reveals clear downside for equities based on the historical relationship.
The US labor market remains way too hot for the Fed and significantly increases the odds of another rate hike even as a massive drop in inflation materializes. 
The P/E ratio of Big Tech stocks equals 56, while earnings growth has turned negative in recent quarters. Not the best starting point with the MOVE/VIX ratio &gt;8.


ISM Down, Rates Up, Valuation Ballooning; What Could Go Wrong?

China

The MSCI Em (Emerging Markets) Index is a free-float weighted equity index that captures large and mid cap representation across Emerging Markets (EM) countries. The index covers approximately 85% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization in each country.

MSCI Emerging Markets Index (MXEF INDEX)

China’s Ongoing Real Estate Disaster Is Pushing Emerging Markets to the Brink

Ongoing issues in the Chinese property sector have pushed Emerging Market Equities to within 1.5% of a critical index level.

Jeroen Blokland

The Weekly Market Monitor (31) – Bye, Bye, Triple-A

The US has lost the Triple A-rating, which, unlike many suggest, will have major implications. If not in the short run, then definitely in the long...

Jeroen Blokland

Markets Better Not Focus on Valuation

Valuation measures reveal pricy equities and cheaper Treasuries. A comprehensive overview of valuation across asset classes.

Jeroen Blokland

Chinese LGFVs Contribute to Lower Growth and Disinflation

The debt issues at Chinese Local Government Financing Vehicles lead to a misallocation of capital, lower growth, disinflation, and pressure on risk...

Jeroen Blokland

ISM Down, Rates Up, Valuation Ballooning; What Could Go Wrong?

The AI Boom remains real, but so is deteriorating Macro, extreme SKEW, the MOVE-VIX divergence, and lofty Big Tech valuation.

Jeroen Blokland