Navigating risks and potential opportunities

Forces of Change: Investing in a World of Cyclical and Structural Drivers

Key Takeaways

  • A blend of cyclical fluctuations and structural forces are driving economies and markets. These factors can serve as important reference points to guide investment decisions.
  • To ensure long-term success, we see opportunities for investors to position their portfolios on the right side of structural changes, including higher mean level of interest rates through the next number of business cycles as well as disruptive megatrends.
  • The evolution toward a new structural paradigm is unlikely to occur in a straight line. In our view, investment flexibility and a heightened focus on risk will be needed in a dynamic environment.

Cyclical fluctuations and structural forces are changing the shape of economies, markets, and the way we invest. At this year’s Jackson Hole symposium, European Central Bank (ECB) president Christine Lagarde pointed out that elements of clarity, flexibility, and humility are required for robust policy making in an age of shifts and breaks.1 We believe these principles also hold the key to prudent investment management in a highly dynamic world. Longer-term paradigm shifts, such as structurally higher interest rates and disruptive megatrends, may call for a re-assessment of portfolio themes and asset allocation mix. Shorter-term fluctuations along the business cycle may require nimble actions to capture opportunities. Identifying these forces can give investors important reference points to guide their decisions and position for success.

Cyclical, Structural, and Long-Term Outlook

A potential starting point for investors is to consider the outlook for monetary policy. It is viewed as “neutral” and therefore neither stimulating nor restraining the economy, if the policy rate is aligned with the sum of inflation target and the so-called “r-star,” the natural real rate of interest. The US r-star rate is currently estimated to be around 0.5%, compared to nearly 4% in 2000 and even higher in the 1960s, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Holston-Laubach-Williams model. Other studies have also found a similar downward trend over past decades.2 This may have been driven by structural factors such as demographic aging, a global savings glut, productivity declines, and so on. While it is difficult to state where r-star is heading, we believe some shifts in these factors are worth noting.

We expect higher fiscal deficits and government debt, including US national debt, to result in an increased demand for savings and potentially higher interest rates. The digitization of more activities across industries and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) may also have the potential to lift productivity. When coupled with deglobalization trends, this creates a different dynamic for central banks to deal with than past decades. These structural changes suggest that it is possible for the mean level of interest rates to shift higher through the next number of business cycles, which has potential implications for equity and bond portfolios.

Structurally higher interest rates, negative effects of persistent inflation and higher debt levels could weigh on US economic growth over the long-run. Additionally, academic studies presented at the Jackson Hole meeting suggest that factors which may have contributed to growth in past decades, such as a higher rate of investment in ideas and substantial increases in educational attainment, could be difficult to keep up.This suggests that growth rates may slow in the future. On the other hand, underlying changes in sector composition (e.g., more services, less manufacturing) and a high share of fixed-rate debt in the US housing market implies that the US economy may have become more resilient to higher interest rates. Furthermore, cyclical factors such as the easing of supply chain pressure and inventory de-stocking have been part of the re-normalization after the pandemic. These developments may contribute to an increase in activities and prolong the current late economic cycle. This makes the outlook for growth even more uncertain as cyclical and structural factors partially offset each other, at least in the short term.

Japan shows that structural trends do not always need to be global. The country finds itself on the cusp of a new economic dawn characterized by an unfamiliar yet desirable cycle of rising prices and wage growth. Japan’s shrinking and aging population may have the potential to cause either inflation or deflation in the years ahead. The outcome should depend on the country’s ability to improve labor force participation, and the interaction of demographics with other structural forces such as deglobalization and digitization. We also expect corporate governance reforms in Japan to create long-term winners and losers as some firms use it as a channel to achieve growth, while others fail to keep up. We believe investors that focus on secular growth winners committed to reforms may end up on the right side of change.

Decarbonization is another structural trend affecting not only economies and industries, but the future health of the planet. Sustainable transformation creates both new risks and opportunities for investors. The US Inflation Reduction Act’s (US IRA) clean-energy incentives have encouraged companies to announce a wide variety of investments, with more set to come.4 Across the Atlantic, the European Union’s RePowerEU plan is helping to catalyze clean energy investments and diversify the bloc’s energy supplies. Other markets, such as China and India, may strengthen existing climate incentives in the future. A less predictable but more competitive geopolitical environment may also require a focus on any short-term fluctuations in climate policies globally and potential impacts on commodity prices.

Investment Implications

A world of potentially higher rates and slower growth may require long-term capital market assumptions to be re-evaluated, which could potentially lead to shifts in long-term asset allocation. The evolution toward a new structural paradigm is unlikely to be a straight line. For instance, with rates rising, concerns over the sustainability of fiscal paths forward have continued to build. Companies face higher cost of capital, making businesses with weaker balance sheets potentially more vulnerable to defaults. Opportunities for alpha generation in public markets may not only become more global but also more bottom-up and determined by profitability. Structurally higher interest rates have the potential to alter private market dynamics, too. Private credit yields have been increasingly attractive and private equity is evolving, with operational value creation levers poised to potentially become the main determinants of success in the new regime.

As investors recalibrate portfolios to a structurally higher interest rate environment, we believe being positioned on the right side of powerful megatrends may prove to be rewarding in the long run. However, capturing the best opportunities may require an understanding of the complexities associated with secular growth themes and certain industries, such as AI’s potentially transformative impacts on healthcare and life sciences. A focus on nuances in specific markets and countries may also uncover long-term opportunities. For instance, we expect Japan’s revitalized economy and corporate governance reforms will create winners and losers in the years ahead. Other opportunities may emerge in commercial real estate with some assets positioned to potentially capitalize on shifting demographics and sustainability trends, while others miss out.

In an uncertain world of cyclical and structural changes, it may be time for investment playbooks to change too. An environment of deviation, differentiation, and volatility may require a more active and diversified investment approach across public and private markets, in our view.  Long-term success may depend on a mix of creativity and courage to look beyond convention, but also deep experience gained through previous market cycles. We can relate to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s analogy of “navigating by the stars under cloudy skies”.5 Predicting precisely what lies ahead is unrealistic in a dynamic world. It’s important to contemplate a wide range of future scenarios and build up an expanded set of instruments and tools to help manage risks and capture opportunities.

Important Information

1 Reuters, “ChatGPT sets record for fastest-growing user base – analyst note.” As of February 2, 2023.

 

2 MIT Technology Review, “ChatGPT is about to revolutionize the economy. We need to decide what that looks like.” As of March 25, 2023. 

 

3 World Economic Forum, “The pace of US interest rate hikes is faster than at any time in recent history. Is this creating a risk of recession?” As of October 12, 2022

 

4 Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research, “First to the Finish: Early Hikers and the Rate Cut Outlook.” As of July 27, 2023.

 

5 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bloomberg, HFRI. Analysis from 1990-2022.

 

6 Defined as inflation less than 2%.

 

7 Defined as inflation greater than 4%.

 

8 Goldman Sachs Prime Services, Prime Insights, May 2023.

 

9  MSCI, See additional disclosures.

 

10 Goldman Sachs Asset Management XIG Hedge Fund Database. As of 2022.

 

11 The other three criteria as part of the XIG process are Governance, Infrastructure, and Process.

 

 

 

Glossary

 

Alpha refers to returns in excess of the benchmark return.

 

Carry is the return obtained by holding an investment for a given period.

 

Price-to-earnings multiple is the ratio of an asset’s price to earnings.

 

Price-to-equity is the ratio of the price per share to the book value per share.

 

S&P 500 index is the Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Stock Prices Index of 500 stocks, an unmanaged index of common stock prices.

 

Risk Considerations

 

All investing involves risk, including loss of principal. 

 

Alternative investments are suitable only for sophisticated investors for whom such investments do not constitute a complete investment program and who fully understand and are willing to assume the risks involved in Alternative Investments. Alternative Investments by their nature, involve a substantial degree of risk, including the risk of total loss of an investor’s capital. 

 

Alternative Investments often engage in leverage and other investment practices that are extremely speculative and involve a high degree of risk. Such practices may increase the volatility of performance and the risk of investment loss, including the loss of the entire amount that is invested. There may be conflicts of interest relating to the Alternative Investment and its service providers, including Goldman Sachs and its affiliates. Similarly, interests in an Alternative Investment are highly illiquid and generally are not transferable without the consent of the sponsor, and applicable securities and tax laws will limit transfers.

 

Investors should also consider some of the potential risks of alternative investments:

 

·  Alternative Strategies. Alternative strategies often engage in leverage and other investment practices that are speculative and involve a high degree of risk. Such practices may increase the volatility of performance and the risk of investment loss, including the entire amount that is invested.

 

·  Manager experience. Manager risk includes those that exist within a manager’s organization, investment process or supporting systems and infrastructure. There is also a potential for fund-level risks that arise from the way in which a manager constructs and manages the fund.

 

·  Leverage. Leverage increases a fund’s sensitivity to market movements. Funds that use leverage can be expected to be more “volatile” than other funds that do not use leverage. This means if the investments a fund buys decrease in market value, the value of the fund’s shares will decrease by even more.

 

·  Counter-party risk. Alternative strategies often make significant use of over- the- counter (OTC) derivatives and therefore are subject to the risk that counter-parties will not perform their obligations under such contracts. 

 

·  Liquidity risk. Alternatives strategies may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments. At times, a fund may be unable to sell certain of its illiquid investments without a substantial drop in price, if at all. 

 

·  Valuation risk. There is risk that the values used by alternative strategies to price investments may be different from those used by other investors to price the same investments. 

 

Alternative Investments – Hedge funds and other private investment funds (collectively, “Alternative Investments”) are subject to less regulation than other types of pooled investment vehicles such as mutual funds. Alternative Investments may impose significant fees, including incentive fees that are based upon a percentage of the realized and unrealized gains and an individual’s net returns may differ significantly from actual returns. Such fees may offset all or a significant portion of such Alternative Investment’s trading profits. Alternative Investments are not required to provide periodic pricing or valuation information. Investors may have limited rights with respect to their investments, including limited voting rights and participation in the management of such Alternative Investments.

 

The above are not an exhaustive list of potential risks. There may be additional risks that are not currently foreseen or considered.

 

Conflicts of Interest
There may be conflicts of interest relating to the Alternative Investment and its service providers, including Goldman Sachs and its affiliates. These activities and interests include potential multiple advisory, transactional and other interests in securities and instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Alternative Investment. These are considerations of which investors should be aware and additional information relating to these conflicts is set forth in the offering materials for the Alternative Investment.

 

General Disclosures

 

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Economic and market forecasts presented herein reflect a series of assumptions and judgments as of the date of this presentation and are subject to change without notice.  These forecasts do not take into account the specific investment objectives, restrictions, tax and financial situation or other needs of any specific client.  Actual data will vary and may not be reflected here.  These forecasts are subject to high levels of uncertainty that may affect actual performance. Accordingly, these forecasts should be viewed as merely representative of a broad range of possible outcomes.  These forecasts are estimated, based on assumptions, and are subject to significant revision and may change materially as economic and market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to these forecasts.  Case studies and examples are for illustrative purposes only.

 

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Examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not actual results. If any assumptions used do not prove to be true, results may vary substantially.

 

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Past performance does not guarantee future results, which may vary. The value of investments and the income derived from investments will fluctuate and can go down as well as up. A loss of principal may occur.

 

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Date of First Use: August 7, 2023  328954-OTU-1846189

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