The theme of low volatility that headlined our investment commentaries over the past three years came to a sudden halt in the fourth quarter.
Some of the themes we witnessed in the second quarter continued into the third quarter. Inflation Hedges (Defensive Equities, REITs, and MLPs) extended the charge, resulting in its best quarter since Q1 2017.
What a difference a quarter makes. The results may have been relatively boring for the
second quarter, but the change in market leadership was eye catching.
What an interesting quarter. January was a continuation of 2017 producing positive returns with relatively low volatility. U.S. and International Equities were up as much as 7% in January. The S&P 500 recorded only 6 down days, with only 1 day down slightly more than 1%.
Our evaluation of market risk remained low during the 4th quarter. As a result, we maintained a below average allocation to Fixed Income in the GWS portfolio with an average allocation of 30.48% during the 4th quarter. Volatility continued to be muted through the 4th quarter as it has been during all of...
In what felt like an instant replay of the previous quarter, continuing momentum in global stock markets helped GWS due to its overweight to global stocks during a low risk market environment.
Capital markets continued to advance although at a slower pace. Strong global equity markets provided the primary momentum.
Despite the geo-political headlines that dominated the news, the broader capital markets environment was unusually quiet in terms of its volatility.
Our proprietary risk-based “all-weather” approach helps produce consistent return streams over various market cycles. By systematically rebalancing using risk metrics each month, the portfolio can adapt to changing market conditions to achieve the expected outcomes we are targeting.
Q1 2019 Investment Commentary