Ok, now I'm an old guy. Hit a milestone birthday in August. Been in AARP for a few years now and actually think crypto currencies are not currencies. Yes sir, I'm officially considered old. Now saying that, sometimes, with age comes a touch of wisdom...please do not take this to mean I believe I know everything, I just have seen a few things and haven't lost all my marbles, and I remember much of what I have seen. And what I have seen is that headlines (like mine above) are really just meant to draw you in to read ...The real point of this article is that short term thinking, short term moves in the markets and short-term negativity really is meaningless in terms of a lifetime of investing.
If you are interested, our e3 process can help navigate the noise of market volatility but as they say...'time heals all wounds'.
(Yahoo!Finance) - The recent synchronized selloff in stocks and bonds has crushed one of the most popular strategies for long-term investors: the 60/40 portfolio.
According to data from strategists at Bank of America Global Research published last week, the 60/40 portfolio — a mix of 60% stocks and 40% bonds — was down 19.4% year-to-date through the end of August, on track for its worst year since 1936.
Through the end of August, the S&P 500 was down over 16% year-to-date, while long-term Treasuries were down over 20% and investment grade corporate credit was down 13%.
Stocks struggled to kick off September on a positive note last week, with all three major averages sliding ahead of the long weekend. The August jobs report released on Friday did not deter investor fears of continued aggressive interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve later this month.
And after rallying from mid-June lows through mid-August highs, the S&P 500 has erased about half of its ~17% gain over this period, a sign to the team at BofA this was just a "typical bear market rally." Including last week's losses, the S&P 500 is off some 17.6% so far this year.
“The 17% rally off the June lows appears to have been just a typical bear market rally, which occurred 1.5 times on average per bear market," BofA wrote. "Our bull market signposts continue to show no real signs of a bottom."
Back in mid-July, Bank of America cut its year-end S&P 500 target to 3,600 from 4,500 and called for a "mild recession" to hit the U.S. economy in 2022.
"September has seasonally been a weak month (second weakest avg. return of +0.1% & hit rate of 56%) and we expect more pain in the market with our 3,600 year-end forecast," the firm added.
The poor performance of the 60/40 portfolio this year shows the challenges for investors haven't only come in the stock market but the bond market as well. Though market history tells us this is perhaps not as unique a circumstance as it may otherwise seem.
"Brief, simultaneous declines in stocks and bonds are not unusual, as our chart shows," Vanguard’s chief economist for the Americas, Roger Aliaga-Díaz, wrote in a note this summer.
Source: Vanguard
"Viewed monthly since early 1976, the nominal total returns of both U.S. stocks and investment-grade bonds have been negative nearly 15% of the time. That's a month of joint declines every seven months or so, on average," Aliaga-Díaz wrote.
"Extend the time horizon, however, and joint declines have struck less frequently. Over the last 46 years, investors never encountered a three-year span of losses in both asset classes."
As Aliaga-Díaz noted, the goal of a 60/40 portfolio split between stocks and bonds is to achieve annual returns of around 7% on average. But an average annual return of 7% doesn't mean most years will see a return of 7% in most years.
Data from JPMorgan Asset Management, for instance, shows that while the S&P 500's average annual return since 1980 is just over 9%, the index has gained 9% in a year just once over that span.
And for 60/40 investors, recent history offers an example of how this average performance can work out over time.
"During the three previous years (2019–2021), a 60/40 portfolio delivered an annualized 14.3% return, so losses of up to -12% for all of 2022 would just bring the four-year annualized return to 7%, back in line with historical norms," Aliaga-Díaz wrote.
"This isn't the first time the 60/40 and the markets in general have faced difficulties — and it won't be the last," Aliaga-Díaz wrote. "Our models suggest that further economic travails lie ahead and that market returns will still be muted. But the 60/40 portfolio and its variations are not dead."
By Dani Romero · Reporter September 6, 2022
Jim Perkins is registered as an investment adviser with Quantum Private Wealth (QPW). QPW only transacts business in states where it is properly registered or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements.
* Information presented is believed to be factual and up to date, but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of publication and are subject to change.
*Information contained herein does not involve the rendering of personalized investment advice but is limited to the dissemination of general information. A professional adviser should be consulted before implementing any of the strategies or options presented.
*Information is not an offer to buy or sell, or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell the securities mentioned herein.
*Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Therefore, no current or prospective client should assume that the future performance of any specific investment, investment strategy (including the investments and/or investment strategies recommended by the adviser), or product made reference to directly or indirectly, will be profitable or equal to past performance levels.
*All investment strategies have the potential for profit or loss. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and there can be no assurance that any specific investment will either be suitable or profitable for a client's investment portfolio.
*Historical performance results for investment indexes and/or categories, generally do not reflect the deduction of transaction and/or custodial charges or the deduction of an investment-management fee, the incurrence of which would have the effect of decreasing historical performance results.
*Economic factors, market conditions, and investment strategies will affect the performance of any portfolio and there are no assurances that it will match or outperform any particular benchmark.
Comments