Market Returns: The economic impact from the COVID-19 global pandemic has been sharp and swift. Social distancing initiatives have been implemented across many countries in the industrialized world leading to immediate economic declines. As of this writing, almost 96% of the U.S. population is under a shelter-in-place or a stay at home order per CNN, which has translated to lost revenues and profits for many industries.

The S&P 500 index fell 19.6% for the quarter ending on March 31, 2020. However, during the quarter the index entered into a bear market – defined as a loss of greater than 20% from peak to trough – falling 33.9% in the span of 33 days before recovering a portion of this drop in late March.[1]  Non-U.S. stocks fared worse than U.S. stocks as the virus emanated from China and spread to other countries, hitting Europe earlier on in the pandemic’s path. U.S. Bonds delivered some defense for portfolios, notching positive returns for the quarter as the Fed dropped interest rates close to zero. International bonds lost some ground as many government bond yields were already quite low and even negative leading into the crisis. Cash generated modest positive returns, although going forward cash returns will likely be close to zero due to near zero interest rates.

LOOKING FORWARD:

COVID-19 Update: As of April 11, 2020, the number of global cases of COVID-19 reached almost 1.77 million with over 289,000 recoveries and almost 110,000 fatalities. As the exhibit from J.P. Morgan Asset Management depicts, the global growth rate (excluding China) of the virus has slowed, especially over the last week, albeit from a very high rate. This is likely the result of aggressive social distancing measures which have been undertaken in Europe and the United States which have helped slow the transmission rate from the early March peak. Unfortunately, the mortality rate has increased partly due to the lack of testing leading to an underreporting of cases and partly to the stress and strain on hospitals as experienced in Italy, Spain and New York.

In the U.S., shelter-in-place initiatives look to be having a positive impact as the number of new hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and intubations have decreased over the past several days. Experts believe that social distancing over the next several weeks – likely through May – will be needed to continue to blunt the spread of the virus and help reduce the strain on the medical system. If continued through May, it may be that people can begin to return to work starting this summer, although a thoughtful plan as to how to implement this will be needed in order to not unwind the benefits gained through the current shelter-in-place efforts. While future outbreaks and additional social distancing measures are possible in the second half of the year, time is beneficial since it improves the odds of developing treatments through new drug and antibody therapies that can help provide a bridge to a vaccine sometime in 2021.

U.S. Economy: Global GDP growth is likely to contract in 2020 with a recession that may near that experienced in the global financial crisis of 2008-09. For the U.S., second quarter annualized GDP growth may drop 15-20%, but then flatten out in the second half of the year with expectations of a recovery in 2021. New applications for unemployment insurance imply the U.S. unemployment rate is well above 10% – levels last seen during the Great Depression – as social distancing takes its toll on non-essential service industries. At the same time, the impact to U.S. GDP from social distancing measures may be somewhat dampened. According to Morningstar, 70% of U.S. GDP comes from businesses that are exempt from social distancing orders and about half of the businesses that are not exempt can continue to operate remotely. [2]  The $2.3 trillion stimulus bill passed by Congress should also provide support to aggregate demand in the economy.

Conclusion: While the impact of the measures undertaken to help stem the spread of the virus have taken an economic toll, they seem to help mitigate what has been a devastating human tragedy. These measures, along with the collective efforts from our scientific community and the unprecedented financial commitments made by the United States government, will help to carry us through this crisis. As with other pandemics, this one will also end.  By following social distancing guidelines we will keep ourselves safe while helping to save lives.

Sources:

[1] https://www.yardeni.com/pub/sp500corrbear.pdf

[2] https://www.morningstar.com/articles/976107/coronavirus-update-long-term-economic-impact-forecast-to-be-less-than-2008-recession

It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Index Descriptions:

S&P 500 Index TR is a market capitalization weighted index which represents the broad market for large company U.S. stocks.  Returns reflect the reinvestment of dividends and do not include advisory fees; the index returns would have been lower if advisory fees had been deducted. The index is not directly comparable to an Opes portfolio. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.

The MSCI EAFE Index NR USD is a market capitalization weighted index which represents the broad market for large and mid-sized developed market stocks excluding those from the U.S. and Canada.  Returns reflect the reinvestment of dividends and foreign withholding taxes and are translated into U.S. Dollars.  The index does not include advisory fees; the index returns would have been lower if advisory fees had been deducted. The index is not directly comparable to an Opes portfolio. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.

The MSCI EM Index NR USD is a market capitalization weighted index which represents the broad market for large and mid-sized developing market stocks.  Returns reflect the reinvestment of dividends and foreign withholding taxes and are translated into U.S. Dollars.  The index does not include advisory fees; the index returns would have been lower if advisory fees had been deducted. The index is not directly comparable to an Opes portfolio. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.

The Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Agg Bond Index is a market capitalization weighted index which represents the broad market for taxable investment grade U.S. dollar-denominated bonds. Returns reflect the reinvestment of interest and do not include advisory fees; the index returns would have been lower if advisory fees had been deducted. The index is not directly comparable to an Opes portfolio. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.

The US Treasury Bill Auction Avg 1-month is an index comprised of short-term U.S. government-issued investments with yields collected weekly and can be considered a proxy for cash.  The index does not include advisory fees; the index returns would have been lower if advisory fees had been deducted. The index is not directly comparable to an Opes portfolio. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.

 The opinions expressed in this article are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. The material is presented solely for information purposes and has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, however Opes cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information, and certain information presented here may have been condensed or summarized from its original source. This information may contain certain statements that may be deemed forward looking. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those discussed. Opes does not provide tax or legal advice, and nothing contained in these materials should be taken as such. As always please remember investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Opes and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. No advice may be rendered by Opes unless a client service agreement is in place