From time to time, Morningstar publishes articles from third party contributors under our "Perspectives" banner. Below, Bob Doll, Chief Equity Strategist for Fundamental Equities at BlackRock, outlines his 10 predictions for the second half of the year.
1. The European debt crisis begins to ease even as Europe experiences a recession.
The second half of this prediction has already come true as Europe is mired in a recession. The recession, so far at least, looks to be reasonably mild for core Europe though more significant for peripheral Europe. The critical question is whether or not the debt crisis will begin to ease and obviously the jury is out on that one. If progress can be made in terms of promoting a stronger fiscal union, we should see some easing in overall conditions.
2. The US economy continues to muddle through yet again.
We have been calling for a 2% real growth rate in the United States, and that appears to be about where we are. We would categorise such growth as acceptable but not exceptional, and it appears that US growth will be muddling through for some time.
3. Despite slowing growth, China and India contribute more than half of the world’s economic growth.
Both China and India have been slowing in terms of economic growth. China has, so far, been able to show some resilience while India, in contrast, has weakened more than most expected. In any case, however, given that there is little robust growth anywhere in the world, China and India do appear to be set to generate more than half of the world’s growth this year.
4. US earnings grow moderately, but fail to exceed estimates for the first time since the Great Recession.
This is another prediction that appears on track. Earnings have been growing at a decent pace this year, but it does seem that expectations were too lofty at the beginning of the year.
5. Treasury rates rise and quality spreads fall.
At this point, we would score this one as half-correct. Notwithstanding a noticeable spike in yields that occurred in the spring, Treasury rates are lower now than they were at the beginning of the year as investors have remained highly risk-averse. Spreads for other fixed income assets, however, have fallen as credit sectors of the fixed income market have performed reasonably well
6. US equities experience a double-digit percentage return as multiples rise modestly for the first time since the Great Recession.
Price-to-earnings ratios have advanced since the beginning of the year and should that trend continue, we’ll get the second half of this one right. For the first half to be correct, the S&P 500 Index would need to close the year at 1,350 or higher. After a strong last trading day of the second quarter, that’s about where we are and we think stocks have a good chance of advancing further in the second half of the year.
7. US stocks outperform non-US markets for the third year in a row.
Thanks in large part to solid earnings and strong cash flow yields, US stocks have been outperforming so far in 2012. On a year-to-date basis, US stocks are up around 7%, while non-US markets are down slightly.
8. Company dividends and share buybacks hit a record high.
We haven’t gotten there yet, but this prediction has a good shot. Companies are still hoarding extremely high levels of cash and we expect they will continue to deploy that cash in a variety of shareholder-friendly ways.
9. Healthcare and energy outperform utilities and financials.
We are on the wrong side of this prediction at the midway point of the year. On an equal-weighted basis, healthcare and energy are up only modestly, while utilities and financials are up in the mid-single digits.
10. Republicans capture the Senate, retain the House and defeat President Obama.
This prediction remains a huge wildcard, with questions over the economy, the budget and the looming fiscal cliff likely deciding this year’s election results. Regarding Congress, we think there is a better than 50% chance that the Republicans capture the Senate and a much better than 50% chance that they retain the House. At this point, the presidential election looks as if it could go either way.
A “Muddle-Through” World Should Still Allow Stocks to Outperform
Although conditions have gotten tougher as the year has progressed, the summary view we offered at the beginning of the year has not changed. We believed in January that conditions should be “good enough” for stocks to outperform in 2012, and we are holding to that view.
Morningstar Information
The views contained herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of Morningstar.
BlackRock Information
Follow @blackrockusinvs on Twitter for the latest insight from BlackRock.
For additional information, or to subscribe to quarterly updates to this piece, please visit www.blackrock.com.
Sources: BlackRock, Bank Credit Analyst. This material is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of July 2, 2012, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and nonproprietary sources deemed by BlackRock to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. Investment involves risks. International investing involves additional risks, including risks related to foreign currency, limited liquidity, less government regulation and the possibility of substantial volatility due to adverse political, economic or other developments. The two main risks related to fixed income investing are interest rate risk and credit risk. Typically, when interest rates rise, there is a corresponding decline in the market value of bonds. Credit risk refers to the possibility that the issuer of the bond will not be able to make principal and interest payments. Index performance is shown for illustrative purposes only. You cannot invest directly in an index.
©2012 BlackRock, Inc. All Rights Reserved. BLACKROCK, BLACKROCK SOLUTIONS, iSHARES, and SO WHAT DO I DO WITH MY MONEY are registered and unregistered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.
Prepared by BlackRock Investments, LLC, member FINRA.
Not FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee
