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>The ISM Manufacturing Index scenarios call for a long US Treasuries, short (US) Equities strategy in each scenario.</li>
<li>Financial conditions paint a rosier picture for equities than the ISM Manufacturing, yet downside prevails. </li>
<li>Despite the uptick in US Macro surprises, global economic surprises are dropping. As a result, a massive gap has opened between the MSCI World Index performance and macro surprises. </li>
</ul>


The ISM Manufacturing Index scenarios call for a long US Treasuries, short (US) Equities strategy in each scenario.
Financial conditions paint a rosier picture for equities than the ISM Manufacturing, yet downside prevails. 
Despite the uptick in US Macro surprises, global economic surprises are dropping. As a result, a massive gap has opened between the MSCI World Index performance and macro surprises. 


<ul>
<li>Since 1970, there hasn’t been a single time continuing claims were up as they are today, without a recession attached to it.</li>
<li>After being bearish for nearly the entirety of the past 18 months, US retail investors have capitulated. A strong contrarian signal.</li>
<li>And we look at drawdowns and the distance to the 200-day moving average to find cracks in market sentiment.</li>
</ul>


Since 1970, there hasn’t been a single time continuing claims were up as they are today, without a recession attached to it.
After being bearish for nearly the entirety of the past 18 months, US retail investors have capitulated. A strong contrarian signal.
And we look at drawdowns and the distance to the 200-day moving average to find cracks in market sentiment.


The Weekly Market Monitor (23) - Fighting Sentiment?

<ul>
<li>Based on the historical lag between yield curve inversion and the beginning of a US recession, the next downturn should commence in Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2024.</li>
<li>Our research reveals that all asset classes performed quite well between the start of yield curve inversion and the start of a recession. </li>
<li>None of the asset classes in our sample experienced negative returns between the first inversion and the start of the US recession. </li>
</ul>


Based on the historical lag between yield curve inversion and the beginning of a US recession, the next downturn should commence in Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2024.
Our research reveals that all asset classes performed quite well between the start of yield curve inversion and the start of a recession. 
None of the asset classes in our sample experienced negative returns between the first inversion and the start of the US recession. 


Navigating the Yield Curve: What It Means for Equities, Other Assets, and Recession

<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?

<ul>
<li>History shows that stock market bubbles - a 100% price boom within a year, followed by a 50%+ crash in the following year - are extremely rare.</li>
<li>We apply this metric to current market dynamics and conclude there are no booms around these days.</li>
<li>When expanding the definition of a bubble, two of them appear but only in a small subset of the total stock market: Non-profitable Tech stocks and NVIDIA.</li>
</ul>


History shows that stock market bubbles - a 100% price boom within a year, followed by a 50%+ crash in the following year - are extremely rare.
We apply this metric to current market dynamics and conclude there are no booms around these days.
When expanding the definition of a bubble, two of them appear but only in a small subset of the total stock market: Non-profitable Tech stocks and NVIDIA.


Bubble or Breadth: Evaluating the State of the Stock Market

United States

The MSCI World Index is a free-float weighted equity index. It was developed with a base value of 100 as of December 31, 1969. MXWO includes developed world markets, and does not include emerging markets. MXWD includes both emerging and developed markets.

MSCI World Index (MXWO INDEX)

Macro Market Indicators (June 2023)

We look at 'Macro Market Indicators' that say something about the direction of markets and the relative attractiveness of different asset classes.

Jeroen Blokland

The Weekly Market Monitor (23) - Fighting Sentiment?

US labor market data, US Recession Scoreboard, Eurozone recession, the looming Credit Crunch, market sentiment, momentum, drawdowns, cross-asset...

Jeroen Blokland

Navigating the Yield Curve: What It Means for Equities, Other Assets, and Recession

Shedding more light on what US yield curve inversion actually means for the likelihood of US recessions and asset class returns.

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

Bubble or Breadth: Evaluating the State of the Stock Market

No current stock market boom is evident, but concerns arise regarding market breadth and concentration of market value in a few major stocks.

Jeroen Blokland