The current pushes and pulls in the market are incredibly complex. From a fundamental perspective, near- to intermediate-term economic and corporate data are likely�going to be exceedingly strong. We are still operating in a very low interest rate world, in any absolute sense, rates remain near historic lows, with a massive amount of central bank liquidity and fiscal stimulus at a time when real GDP growth is picking up and corporate earnings are likely to accelerate this year and next. While equity valuations are still more reasonable when compared with bond yields, they are clearly above average for a normal environment, which causes some concern.

�

The ongoing health pandemic offers its own pushes and pulls. There has been a marked improvement in vaccine distribution within the U.S., with 2% to 3% of the country's population being vaccinated each week. However, the vaccine rollouts in parts of Europe and Asia have been rockier and the virus is likely to remain in the world for some time, particularly in some emerging market countries where we may be more than a year out before many people can obtain the vaccine, which amplifies risks of virus variants.�

�

The Biden administration's emerging priorities offer positives and negatives for equity investors as well. Widespread fiscal stimulus has supported asset prices, but the increasing likelihood of rising corporate tax rates could put a damper on after-tax corporate earnings. Geopolitically, relations between the U.S. and China remain complex. The arrival of a new U.S. administration increased expectations for less adversarial relations, but it has become clear that underlying tensions between the two superpowers are real, structural, and unlikely to go away.

�

We have also seen exuberance and extreme positive sentiment in markets. There has been an explosion in special-purpose acquisition companies and initial public offerings as well as retail investors with growing risk-seeking behavior driving price movements. While we think we have entered a new equity bubble with areas of the market looking frothy and irrational, it could be years before we experience a meaningful reversion, which means there could still be room for equities to move higher.

�

Recognizing the challenging pushes and pulls in the market, we are trying to be more balanced with the portfolio, keeping the overall portfolio beta near 1.0, not overly offensive or defensive, while focusing on picking stocks broadly across sectors and regions. We think volatility is likely to increase, in part due to higher dispersion within factors, styles, and sectors, and think such an environment is well suited for active investment. While financial and market conditions have changed meaningfully, and will continue to do so, our investment philosophy, rooted in stock selection and a thoughtful approach to portfolio construction, has not. It is this consistent process that allows us to successfully navigate more challenging cycles.