Putting Tariffs and Turbulence into Historical Perspective

Despite potential rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, long-dated bond yields might not fall significantly due to the high existing debt burden and elevated uncertainties.

The post-global financial crisis tailwinds of ample liquidity, globalization and abnormally low interest rates are becoming headwinds at a time when tariffs may drain liquidity.

Both equity and debt investments are claims on the same underlying assets of a company and understanding their relationship and potential correlations is crucial. Prepared investors must recognize these connections and potential blind spots, using comprehensive stress-testing and inter-disciplinary collaboration to navigate uncertainties in the market.

Given the complexity of supply chains, gauging the impact of tariffs will be difficult. Focusing on understanding which businesses will be able to absorb the levies and which will not, might be a better course of action. Is the current environment causing a paradigm shift to the value of discretionary portfolios with fundamental underpinnings?

In this edition of the Strategist Corner, Rob Almeida, MFS Global Investment Strategist, discusses if investors are emphasizing technicals at the cost of fundamentals.