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2021 Capital Market Merrill
2021 Capital Market Merrill
All data, projections and opinions are as of the date of this report and subject to change.
MACRO STRATEGY
Chief Investment Office
Macro Strategy Team
IN THIS ISSUE:
• Macro Strategy—Policies aimed at raising inflation are likely favorable for GLOBAL MARKET VIEW
commodity prices. Since the 2008-2009 Great Financial Crisis, equities have Joseph P. Quinlan
outperformed commodities by a wide margin. Stronger global growth, higher inflation, Managing Director and
Head of CIO Market Strategy
a weaker dollar, and negative real interest rates are factors that favor stronger
commodity prices over the decade ahead. A new period of commodity Lauren Sanfilippo
outperformance may be just beginning. Vice President and
Investment Strategist
• Global Market View—With a great deal of uncertainty hanging over the financial
markets, we answer—in brief—some key questions that may affect this year’s market THOUGHT OF THE WEEK
outlook. Lauren Sanfilippo
Vice President and
• Thought of the Week—While there’s no shortage of remarks that can be made about
Investment Strategist
2020, the averages suggest 2020 was an abnormal year with above-average returns,
with the S&P 500 ending 18.4% (total return) higher for 2020. As we turn the
Data as of 1/11/2021,
calendar page, we do see positive trends building for economic and earnings growth and subject to change
into the new year supportive of an equity uptrend in 2021.
• Portfolio Considerations—We expect a “grind-it-out” year in equity returns that
could far outpace fixed income, and what matters most is our expectation for a broad
market advance relative to the narrow advances we have recently experienced, in our
view. The bull market for equities continues in 2021, in our opinion, and investors
should consider reassessing their portfolio allocations early in Q1.
MACRO STRATEGY
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Exhibit 1 illustrates the historical relative performance of commodity prices compared to
the S&P 500 price index. The low points in relative performance in 1972, 2000 and 2020
are all associated with the aftermaths of unusually strong equity market performance (the
Nifty Fifty in the early 70s, the Y2K tech bubble in the late 90s, and the comparably strong
stock prices of the current bull market). These rare junctures of unusually strong equity
performance have also coincided with secular low points in commodity prices after
prolonged bear markets. Low commodity prices help restrain inflation, making longer
expansions possible as monetary policy remains accommodative. Accommodative
monetary policy helps support strong stock prices, as we’ve seen over the past year.
Exhibit 1: The Performance of Commodity Prices Relative to Equity Prices Goes
Through Long Cycles.
Log scale
10
Ratio of the Commodity Research Bureau (CRB) Index to the
S&P 500 Price Index
January 7, 2021
0.1
1971
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019
Sources: Commodity Research Bureau/Haver Analytics. Data as of January 7, 2021. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
In fact, a primary force behind the current strength in equity values is the unprecedented
flood of fiscal and monetary stimulus to deal with deflation fears. After failing to attain
their inflation mandates over the past expansion, central banks have ratcheted their
efforts up by an order of magnitude, with the single-minded focus on finally getting
inflation and inflation expectations up to levels that eliminate market fears of debt
deflation like that of the 1930s. Based on past experience, this is a powerful tailwind for
commodity prices, typical in the first year of a new economic expansion.
The 60% or so gain in the S&P 500 Index from its March 2020 to date is also similar to
the record launches of new bull markets in 1983 and 2009, when expansions out of deep
recessions were similarly just beginning. However, Exhibit 1 suggests that from a relative
valuation standpoint, it’s late in the game for equity valuations and very early for
commodities. In general, over the past few months, the stock market has shown typical
early-cycle rotation toward stocks that benefit from stronger growth and easy monetary
policy. Among these are materials stocks, which include mining, metals and other
commodity-producing companies.
During the past 10 years, these companies have had ample capacity for the 2009-2020
expansion because the commodity price boom of the early 2000s sparked a surge in
investment in new production capacity. Over the past decade, this ample supply was more
than sufficient to satisfy global demand, causing relatively weak commodity prices.
However, this environment set the stage for a period of stronger prices ahead as the new
synchronized global expansion raises demand for commodities in a world where producers
have been holding back capacity expansion for about a decade. This suggests that there is
a latent secular element to the recent relative outperformance of materials stocks along
with their usual tendency to gain steam as an expansion progresses.
z-score
(standard deviation from mean) Percentage points -6
3
CRB Commodity Index/S&P 500 Price Index (z-score, Left scale)
Fed funds rate minus ECB policy rate (Right scale, Inverted)
2 -4
1 -2
0 0
-1 2
-2 4
2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2021
Sources: Commodity Research Bureau; Federal Reserve Board; European Central Bank/Haver Analytics. Data as of January 7, 2021. Past
performance is no guarantee of future results.
1
Absolute price return = 49.83%.
2020
Positive years: 68 (73%) 2016
Negative years: 25 (27%)
Max return: 52.3% (1954) 2014
Min return: -47.1% (1931)
2012 2017
1931 1937 1930 1929 1934 1947 1944 1942 1928 1933 1954
Source: Bloomberg. Data as of December 31 2020. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
While there’s no shortage of remarks that can be made about last year, the averages
suggest 2020 was an abnormal year with above-average returns. As we turn the calendar
page, we do see positive trends building for economic and earnings growth into the new
year supportive of an equity uptrend in 2021.
Sources: Bloomberg, Factset. Total Returns from the period of 1/4/2021 to 1/8/2021. †Bloomberg Barclays Indices. ††Spot price returns. All data as of the 1/8/2021 close.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Asset Class Weightings (as of 1/5/2021) Economic & Market Forecasts (as of 1/8/2021)
Under- Over- Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1
Neutral
Weight Weight 2020A 2020A 2020A 2020A 2020A 2021E 2021E
Global Equities
Real global GDP (% y/y annualized) - - - - -3.5* - 5.3
U.S. Large Cap Growth
Real U.S. GDP (% q/q annualized) -5.0 -31.4 33.1 5* -3.5* 1.0 4.6
U.S. Large Cap Value
CPI inflation (% y/y) 1.5 0.6 1.4 1.2* 1.2* 1.6 2.2
U.S. Small Cap Growth
Core CPI inflation (% y/y) 2.1 1.2 1.7 1.6* 1.7* 1.5 1.8
U.S. Small Cap Value
International Developed Unemployment rate (%) 3.8 13.0 8.8 6.8* 8.1* 6.8 5.9
Emerging Markets Fed funds rate, end period (%) 0.08 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.13 0.13
Global Fixed Income
10-year Treasury, end period (%) 0.67 0.66 0.68 0.91 0.91 1.00 1.50
U.S. Governments
S&P 500 end period 2585 3100 3363 3756 3756 - 3800
U.S. Mortgages
S&P earnings ($/share) 33 28 39 38* 138* 36 165
U.S. Corporates
High Yield Euro/U.S. dollar, end period 1.10 1.12 1.17 1.22 1.22 1.20 1.25
U.S. Investment Grade U.S. dollar/Japanese yen, end
Tax Exempt
period
108 108 105 103 103 103 100
U.S. High Yield
Tax Exempt
Oil ($/barrel, avg. of period, WTI**) 46 29 40 44 40 46 47
International
Fixed Income The forecasts in the table above are the base line view from BofA Global Research. The Global Wealth & Investment Management
(GWIM) Investment Strategy Committee (ISC) may make adjustments to this view over the course of the year and can express
Alternative Investments*
upside/downside to these forecasts. Historical data is sourced from Bloomberg, FactSet, and Haver Analytics.
Hedge Funds
Private Equity Past performance is no guarantee of future results. There can be no assurance that the forecasts will be achieved.
Real Assets Economic or financial forecasts are inherently limited and should not be relied on as indicators of future
Cash investment performance.
*Many products that pursue Alternative Investment strategies, A = Actual. E/* = Estimate. S&P 500 represents the year-end target for 2021. **West Texas Intermediate.
specifically Private Equity and Hedge Funds, are available only Sources: BofA Global Research; GWIM ISC as of January 8, 2021.
to pre-qualified clients.
CIO asset class views are relative to the CIO Strategic Asset BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”) and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is
Allocation (SAA) of a multi-asset portfolio. a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation.
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Investments have varying degrees of risk. Some of the risks involved with equity securities include the possibility that the value of the stocks may fluctuate in response to events specific to the
companies or markets, as well as economic, political or social events in the U.S. or abroad. Investments in foreign securities involve special risks, including foreign currency risk and the possibility of
substantial volatility due to adverse political, economic or other developments. These risks are magnified for investments made in emerging markets. Investments in a certain industry or sector
may pose additional risk due to lack of diversification and sector concentration. There are special risks associated with an investment in commodities, including market price fluctuations, regulatory
changes, interest rate changes, credit risk, economic changes and the impact of adverse political or financial factors. Investing in fixed-income securities may involve certain risks, including the
credit quality of individual issuers, possible prepayments, market or economic developments, and yields and share price fluctuations due to changes in interest rates.
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