Troubled times ahead?

The saying that all good things must come to an end is a bittersweet reflection of reality. Sadly, too many of us fail to appreciate those good times, often focusing on what could or might go wrong. Perhaps this is understandable given the potential for higher interest rates to stifle economic growth and an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.

However, financial markets have delivered investors a stellar twelve months of performance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 have both reached record highs in the US, as did the Stoxx 600 in Europe and Japan’s Nikkei 225. Corporate bonds have also performed well, with the spread over similarly dated government bonds approaching historically tight levels in both the investment grade and high yield markets.

Can the good times continue?

It is looking increasingly likely that forecast aggressive interest rate cuts are no longer on the way. 

In fact, “higher for longer” appears to be the base case for a growing number of central banks with inflation remaining stubbornly above the average 2% target.  US inflation, which has become a bellwether for market expectations unexpectedly rose from 3.1% to 3.2% in February, while core inflation which excludes volatile food and energy prices remained closer to 4%.  A similar trend is evident in other developed market economies such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Eurozone where central banks are now forecast to begin trimming interest rates in May or June – far later than previously forecast.

Higher interest rates are already impacting the corporate sector, and this is where we could see the first cracks of a financial market correction. In many industries, the combination of higher input and financing costs mean that capital expenditure has been curtailed and cash stockpiles are low.

Debt finance which was readily available and cheap is now falling due with nearly $1.5 trillion of high-yield debt, including loans, maturing globally through the end of 2026, of which $882 billion is U.S. debt, according to S&P Global. Bonds account for some $338 billion of that total with $53.8 billion maturing this year, $125.5 billion next year, and $158.6 billion in 2026.

Refinancing that debt presents a challenge on two fronts, with the first being affordability. Interest rates have risen very significantly in recent years meaning the cost of refinancing these bonds will have also risen and for some corporates these higher rates will be unaffordable. The second challenge is one of demand. The spread over supposedly low risk government debt has narrowed, limiting the upside of corporate debt for investors, and shining a bright light on current valuations. Defaults have been surprisingly resilient, but that could change and the impact on demand will be immediate.

Furthermore, the process of quantitative tightening has sapped liquidity from the financial system. Inflows into the US Federal Reserve’s overnight reverse repo facility, a proxy for excess cash in the financial system, have been falling sharply for over twelve months. Once cash drains from the reverse repo facility, bank reserves at the Fed are likely to fall, further tightening financial system liquidity, and potentially hitting demand for corporate debt as well as equities.

The high cost of debt finance, lofty valuations and a rapidly approaching wall of maturing bonds at a time where economic growth is forecast to slow are all reasons for investors, particularly those in the corporate bond market to be cautious. Yet, flows into the corporate sector remain strong and this we believe is purely a function of forecast interest rate cuts later in the year.

Should those interest rate cuts fail to materialise and concerns around corporate debt come to fruition, many investors could be over exposed to rapidly falling asset class and this is where we believe the Ardea Global Alpha Fund can offer some protection.

Unlike traditional bond funds, our relative value approach is duration neutral and excludes credit. Investment performance is independent of the level of bond yields, the direction of interest rates and macro-economic variables.  Consequently, our relative value portfolios are excellent diversifiers of traditional fixed income and equity market risk, often appreciating when these asset classes are in retreat.

The economic outlook remains uncertain and as such, the outlook for financial markets is also uncertain.  We believe now more than ever it is important for fixed income investors to look past the consensus view when structuring their portfolios, adding assets that are able to weather a wider variety of economic and financial market conditions.

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Important Information

This document relates to the Ardea Global Alpha Fund, which is a sub-fund of Fidante Partners Liquid Strategies ICAV, and associated strategies (the “Fund”).  Ardea Investment Management Pty Ltd ABN 50 132 902 722 AFSL 329 828 is the investment manager of the Fund (the “Manager”) and has approved the contents of this document. In the United Kingdom this document is issued and approved by Fidante Partners Europe Limited (“Fidante UK”). Fidante UK is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the conduct of investment business in the United Kingdom. In the European Union this document is issued and approved by Fidante Partners AB (“Fidante Sweden”).  Fidante Sweden is an investment firm authorised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen). Fidante Sweden is authorised to provide investment advice, reception and transmission of orders and execution of orders on behalf of customers. Fidante UK and Fidante Sweden (Fidante) approve this document on the basis of the accuracy of information provided by the Manager.  Fidante are distributors of the Fund and are issuing in this capacity only. 

The information and opinions contained in this document are for background purposes only and do not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained in this document or their accuracy or completeness. No representation, warranty or undertaking, express or implied, is given as to the accuracy or completeness of the information or opinions contained in this document by Fidante or any of its affiliates or any vehicle and no liability is accepted by such persons for the accuracy or completeness of any such information or opinions.

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European Union
In the European Union and the European Economic Area, this document is available to Professional Clients (as defined under Annex II to Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU).

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The Fidante entities are wholly owned subsidiaries of Challenger Limited, a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange Limited.
Yves Van Langenhove, Head of Continental Europe. AAMYS (Fidante Partners). AAMYS is a tied agent of Fidante Partners AB which is an investment firm authorised by the Finansinspektionen in Sweden