Eq: Small Caps
Asset managers are increasingly rolling out tax-managed products, with investments in these vehicles seeing notable growth. Assets in tax-managed separately managed accounts (SMAs) surged to over $500 billion, a 67% increase within 18 months, while tax-managed mutual funds grew by 22% to $73 billion, according to Morningstar.
Direct indexing dominates tax-managed SMA assets, offering customized tax management by investing in individual stocks within an index, though other strategies like ETF model portfolios and active equity are gaining traction.
Morgan Stanley’s Parametric leads this area, managing $245 billion, mainly through direct indexing. Morningstar anticipates direct indexing will stay prevalent, but asset managers like JP Morgan’s 55ip and AB are exploring alternatives, focusing on model portfolios and municipal bonds for tax advantages.
Finsum: We may see more unified managed accounts, which integrate various investment types, creating more comprehensive tax management options.
A recent Goldman Sachs survey reveals that investors are enthusiastic about separately managed accounts (SMAs). Financial advisors appreciate SMAs for their professional management, customization, transparency, tax efficiency, and diversification benefits.
Chris Mankoff of JTL Wealth Partners finds SMAs advantageous for aligning with clients' preferences and optimizing tax strategies. While there have been challenges in the past with SMAs but the recent technological advancements have made them more accessible and effective.
Direct indexing, a step beyond SMAs, leverages technology for customized tax management and ESG preferences. Despite their benefits, SMAs may not be suitable for all clients, particularly those with smaller portfolios or predominantly pretax investments.
Finsum: While SMAs might not be for all, with a sizeable portfolio technology makes them easier for advisors to manage.
The gigantic win for spot Bitcoin ETFs with the SEC represents a significant milestone in facilitating compliant access to the leading cryptocurrency. Since January 10, inflows exceeding $10 billion have bolstered optimism for Bitcoin and the broader market outlook. For retail investors, these ETFs offer a streamlined pathway to securely backed Bitcoin, simplifying the complexities associated with managing private keys.
As institutions grapple with meeting client demand for digital asset exposure, crypto separately managed accounts (SMAs) have emerged as a complementary investment solution gaining traction among wealth managers, family offices, and registered investment advisors (RIAs). SMAs, a staple in traditional asset classes, allow for direct ownership of underlying assets and provide customizable portfolios tailored to individual client preferences and investment strategies.
With their ability to offer regulatory compliance, security measures, and tax optimization strategies, SMAs present a compelling option alongside spot Bitcoin ETFs for navigating the evolving landscape of digital asset investments.
Finsum: SMAs are a great pathway to optimize tax structure for investors and get simplicity in a turbulent alternative space like crypto.
More...
There was an inflection point for financial markets in October. Soft inflation data resulted in a change in consensus as Fed futures now indicate that the Fed’s next move is more likely to be a rate cut rather than a hike. One of the biggest winners of this dovish shift has been small-cap stocks as the Russell 2000 is up 12.1% over the last 90 days and 8.5% over the past month. Another reason for interest in the sector is that valuations are at historically low levels.
In theory, rate cuts are bullish for small-cap stocks since they lead to lower financing costs, puts upward pressure on multiples, and tends to be a leading indicator of an increase in M&A activity. In reality, rate cuts are often necessary due to a weakening economy. Thus, a major variable in whether small-caps deliver stellar returns is whether inflation can continue to moderate without the economy tumbling into a recession.
According to Mike Wilson, CIO and chief US equity strategist for Morgan Stanley, investors should pay close attention to earnings revisions, high frequency economic data, and small business confidence. At the moment, all of these measures are moving in the wrong direction. He adds that for small-cap outperformance to continue, GDP needs to reaccelerate, and inflation needs to stabilize at current levels.
Finsum: After years of underperformance, small-cap stocks are seeing huge gains on rising odds of a Fed rate cut next year. However, continued outperformance for the sector depends on certain variables.
Due to their difficult to resist growth potential, many investors rock on small cap stocks – less than $1 billion market cap, according to talkmarkets.com.
Thing is, because of their volatility, which translates into factors such as a stepped up risk of bankruptcy, the stocks are surrounded by less than favorable sentiment. While a valid point of view, the perspective, seemingly, is at least a tad overblown. Over the long run, numerous small caps hit pay dirt.
That said, due to sometimes daunting wild swings in pricing, like a bad date, compatibility among conservative investors and small caps might be zilch. Some apps, y’know…
Meantime, what do factors such as the Ukraine war, escalating oil prices and interest rates sending U.S. equity markets into the blender this year add up to? Why, greater volatility, of course.
And compared to their large cap counterparts, there’s this, well, thing, about U.S. small stocks compared to their large cap counterparts: greater risk, according to oakfunds.com. While it might seem somewhat, well, illogical to propose ratcheting up the allocation of small cap stocks into your portfolio, it might serve as a buffer against these tumultuous times and offset harrowing times that could be linked with large cap stocks.
Small-cap stocks appear to be having their moment this year outperforming their large-cap peers. The S&P 600 small-cap index is currently on pace to outperform the S&P 500 for the first time since 2016. One reason for their outperformance is a strong U.S. dollar. This is due to the negative effect that a strong dollar has on the profits of multinational companies. A strong dollar harms U.S. companies that sell goods overseas by making them less affordable. Smaller companies, on the other hand, are more insulated from adverse currency effects as most of their business is done stateside. For instance, companies in the S&P 600 index generate only 20% of their revenue outside the U.S, while companies in the S&P 500 generate 40% of their sales abroad. This had led to some of the largest companies in the U.S warning of currency risks in their latest earnings calls. In addition to a strong dollar, small caps are also benefitting from better valuations. According to FactSet, the S&P 600 is trading at 10.8 times expected earnings over the next 12 months, which is well below the S&P 500’s forward price/earnings ratio of 15.3.
Finsum: Small-cap stocks are outperforming large-cap stocks this year due to a strong U.S. dollar and more attractive valuations.