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WeekWatch 09/03/2020

WeekWatch 09/03/2020

COVID-19 continued its global spread last week, as policymakers and health officials began to spell out some highly disruptive plans; meanwhile, infection numbers continued to rise, and are now approaching 110,000 cases. As a result, investors sought out the safety of government bonds; the 10-year US Treasury yield dipped to below 0.5% while, in the UK, 10-year gilt yields dropped to just 0.1%. (Yields move inversely to prices.) Stocks, meanwhile, stumbled through the week. The FTSE 100 ended down, but the S&P 500 had all but recovered by the time of its Friday close.

However, dramatic falls in early trading this morning quickly dwarfed last week’s moves, after the price of a barrel of Brent crude fell 27% in early trading to just $33, the result of Saudi Arabia increasing production even as global growth fears weigh on the mood.

“We are experiencing market volatility not seen for a number of years, exacerbated by the latest decline in the oil price and in US Treasury yields,” said Tom Beal, CIO at St. James’s Place. “As painful as this may seem in the short run, it is in markets like this that active managers earn their crust. A number of our managers have told me that indiscriminate selling by passive funds has created opportunities to buy high-quality companies at lower prices. Meanwhile, our own diversified portfolios are holding up relatively well, as diversification is a great insurance.”

The big exception last week was China. Last Thursday, China’s CSI 300 struck a two-year high, rising more than 2% in a single day’s trading; the week as a whole saw gains, too. The cause? A slowing in the rate of infection in China, and pledges of fiscal and monetary support from Beijing.

“The number of confirmed cases announced recently has actually been very encouraging, particularly in China outside of Hubei,” said Martin Hennecke, Asia Investment Director at St. James’s Place, last week. “Zhejiang province lowered its epidemic emergency response level on Monday, after more than 15 other provinces had lowered their response level earlier. Half of patients have now recovered. We believe these are key factors behind the recovery in mainland stock markets.”

There are localised factors, too. The composite index in Shenzhen’s for small-tech companies has been a standout performer globally in 2020, gaining some 12% because stay-at-home policies benefit its constituent companies. The Shanghai Composite, on the other hand, is udown. Expectations for broader Q1 corporate profits in China are currently “abysmal”, according to Gavekal Dragonomics, a consultancy. So, what kind of 2020 GDP growth do these varying stories add up to?

“Looking at China, by our initial estimates, the loss to the Chinese economy will be approximately 0.5% to 1% of GDP from 2020 baseline growth,” said Loomis Sayles, manager of the St. James’s Place Investment Grade Corporate Bond fund. “The quarterly impact could see GDP growth fall from 6% in the

fourth quarter of 2019 to close to zero in the first quarter of 2020 before a sharp rebound. As we see it now, annual growth in 2020 will likely be in the low 5% range instead of closer to 6%.”

Elsewhere in the world, the virus’s spread may be at an earlier stage in the its trajectory, but that doesn’t mean investors should panic. After all, China has already seen the rate of case rises drop.

“In our own assessment, we are inclined to believe that in weeks and months to come, everyone will learn to live with the existence of COVID-19 as a fact of life,” said BlueBay. “Everyone will calm down and carry on and life will return to normal. However, to reach this point, there probably needs to be more hysteria in the short term until policymakers and public opinion begins to adjust. Financial markets will try to be forward looking, but at the moment there is just too little visibility and therefore current levels of volatility may persist for a time with risk reduction the order of the day.”

Making the cut
The monetary side of the equation is being considered around the world, and in haste, as central banks in major economies around the world contemplate the likely hit to domestic GDP growth – and to trade.

Some 40% of world trade is accounted for by just five countries: China, South Korea, Japan, Germany and the US. The first three of these are already facing virus crises, prompting central banks to consider remedial action.

One central bank to move fast was the Federal Reserve, which last week lowered interest rates by 0.5% in a unanimous decision. It was the Fed’s largest emergency rate cut since the global financial crisis – and provides a cue for the broader direction of travel, especially given G7 finance ministers jointly pledged last week to use “all appropriate tools” to keep growth on track.

Viral politics
When Boris Johnson campaigned in the general election, the focus was Brexit, rebalancing Britain and supporting the NHS. But events have a habit of playing havoc with a prime minister’s plans. While Brexit negotiations continue and HS2 looks set to go ahead, COVID-19 is undoubtedly the issue of the day. That is increasingly becoming the case in the US, too, despite Donald Trump’s attempts to downplay the virus, although Joe Biden’s recent surge in the Democratic primaries has been competing for the headlines.

BlueBay and Schroders are fund managers for St. James’s Place.

The information contained is correct as at the date of the article. The information contained does not constitute investment advice and is not intended to state, indicate or imply that current or past results are indicative of future results or expectations. Where the opinions of third parties are offered, these may not necessarily reflect those of St. James’s Place.

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