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What's new this month? Global equity markets are near all-time highs with most of the S&P 500 companies reporting better than expected earnings. The US central bank also provided an update on its outlook. Its messaging around inflation and approach to monetary policy was largely consistent with what it has been telegraphing for some time.
This stood in contrast to the Bank of Canada, which indicated that it would begin to incrementally withdrawal some stimulus by reducing its purchase of government bonds. As a result of the divergence between the two central banks, the Canadian dollar has been notably strong of late, reaching a three-year high. So far, the Canadian dollar has appreciated against the US dollar by approximately 3.7%.
My portfolio is fairly conservative and balanced, and it's done well last year, but why is it muted this year? While equity markets are near all-time highs, it is important to realize that the bond market are down 3% to 5% globally due to higher long-term yields. As mentioned previously, bond prices move in the opposite direction with interest rates.
Since central banks lowered rates last year due to the pandemic, both bonds and equity prices rallied in 2020. This year, the bonds have performed poorly, and thus, we recommend overweighting equities, all else being equal. In addition, the Canadian dollar has strengthened, which dampened the returns from foreign investments, both US and globally.
What are your thoughts on earnings? The earnings this month highlighted by very strong revenue growth in some of the well-known mega cap names such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and the like helped to remind investors that fundamentals remain solid, and future prospects are bright. In many cases, businesses tied to cloud computing, e-commerce, advertising, cybersecurity, and wireless connectivity, among other themes, are benefiting from secular tailwinds that have existed for some time. The results released over the past week suggest the tailwinds remain strong today. Moreover, management teams of many businesses struck an optimistic tone about the prospects for stronger near-term demand, fueling by a reopening of global economy.
Where do you see some risks? It is important to recognize the expectations of future growth are already high and reflected in the current valuations of the names mentioned. The companies will have to deliver growth that exceeds current estimates in order for their stock price to move meaningfully higher in the future. The strong results from the technology sector should be supportive for markets near term, but at some point, bond yields may resume their march higher as investors shift their attention back to potential for building inflationary pressures. We believe it is important to manage for this risk by ensuring our client's portfolio are well-diversified with exposure across all asset classes.
Emerging markets have lagged developed markets. What happened? Developing nation's stocks have lagged the rest of the world since the middle of March, partly on concerns that vaccine shortages and delays will slow economic growth.
Not only do we have a much slower vaccination program across emerging markets, but worries over debt loads, external vulnerabilities, fiscal prudence, inflation, and currency stability will hamper a much stronger recovery post-pandemic. This is weighing on market sentiment in the near-term and will require a bit more patience from investors until the COVID situation comes under control. Emerging market companies are still trading at a steep discount when compared to the rest of the world and remain attractive in our clients' portfolios.
The 2021 federal budget was released this month. Can you summarize the changes? The federal government unveiled its 2021 federal budget this month, its first in two years because of the pandemic.
There were two broad takeaways. First, the budget was two-pronged in nature. On the one end, there were extensions to existing pandemic-related programs and new ones to help businesses and households deal with ongoing pandemic-driven disruptions.
On the other side, there was spending to foster more sustainable growth. This includes an ambitious national Early Learning and Childcare Program, aimed at bolstering women's labor force participation over time, though it will depend on cooperation from the provinces. There were also wide-ranging measures announced, covering everything from employment insurance eligibility to old age security, infrastructure and transit, affordable housing, and climate mitigation.
Ultimately, the budget was very much focused on spending roughly $100 billion over the next three years. For a detailed summary of the proposed budget, please reach out to our team. And there you have it. This is Peter, and this is your Market Minute.
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