Skip to content

How Large-Cap Stock Investors Can Adapt to a Slowing Economy

Mark S. Finn, CFA, Portfolio Manager
Joseph Fath, CPA, Portfolio Manager

While caution is warranted, cyclical opportunities exist.

Key Insights

  • U.S. economic growth is slowing, but a recession is not likely in the near term.
  • The presidential election and potential impact of the coronavirus will likely lead to more market volatility, creating opportunities as well as risks.
  • Growth investing has significantly outperformed value investing over the past decade, but both strategies face different challenges in the current environment.

Q. How is the U.S. economic slowdown affecting large‑cap stocks?

Joe Fath: I think the U.S. economy is showing steady, though slow, growth. After the Federal Reserve easing and the phase one trade deal with China, several companies—particularly some industrials and other cyclically sensitive sectors—are stabilizing and even seeing some pickup. Companies generally feel better now than they did six months ago when the trade war with China caused a lot of indecision.

I don’t think the slowdown has yet affected companies significantly in terms of their profit and loss statements. This is particularly true for the disruptive secular growers.

Mark Finn: About half of the U.S. Russell Value Index is composed of companies with some level of cyclicality, including financials, energy, industrials, and materials. So an economic slowdown poses challenges for stock selection in those sectors in particular. However, the Fed has become more accommodative, and China is boosting stimulus. This has increased the chances of leading economic indicators bottoming and, perhaps, a reacceleration of growth. As a result, investors need to reevaluate how much cyclical exposure they are willing to have. In the U.S., employment and consumer spending have held up well. Outside the U.S., developed market economies are notably more sluggish.

Q. What will be the impact of the coronavirus on markets and China’s economy?

Mark Finn: Uncertainty regarding the impact of the coronavirus on a relative basis tends to favor large‑cap stocks because no matter what the industry, the larger the company, the more likely it will hold up better. I expect China to attack any damage the virus does to its economy with monetary and fiscal stimulus. So the virus might impact China’s economy for a quarter or two and cause some temporary weakness in the global economy, but this is obviously a very fluid situation, and the impact could be more significant than we anticipate. We are carefully analyzing how it is affecting certain companies and industries.

Opening Quote ...after several years of benefiting from a more defensive posture, we are more constructive on the U.S. economic cycle. Closing Quote
Mark Finn, Portfolio Manager

Joe Fath: The initial reaction by the market was that the coronavirus is transitory and that investors will look past any weakness for a quarter or two. It will definitely have an impact on the Chinese economy, but China is adding stimulus and has been more flexible on tariffs with the U.S. due to its slowdown. But with the virus spreading to other countries, particularly South Korea, there is a greater chance that it impacts economies outside of China more than initially expected.

Luxury goods companies and industrials with exposure to China, particularly life sciences and medical device companies, are seeing a negative impact. Also, the gaming companies operating in Macau and a wide range of consumer companies are certainly affected. I think the world will focus on getting this virus under control so it doesn’t trip up the global economy.

Global Growth Slowing
(Fig. 1) But no recession is expected near term

January 2015 to January 2020.
Sources: J.P. Morgan/IHS Markit/Haver Analytics (See Additional Disclosures) and Conference Board. Copyright ©2020, Markit Economics Limited. All rights reserved and all intellectual property rights retained by Markit Economics Limited. Purchasing managers indexes (PMI) are diffusion indexes with a range of 0 to 100. For individual countries the manufacturing PMI is the weighted averages of new orders, production, employment, vendor deliveries and inventory indexes, each indicating the net percent of respondents reporting increased activity relative to the previous month. The global PMI is a GDP‑weighted average of 44 country PMIs. The CEO outlook index is the average of indexes of expected sales, capital spending and employment.

Q. What is your overall investment strategy in this environment?

Mark Finn: We continue to favor fundamentally sound companies with durable earnings profiles and high‑quality balance sheets that could outperform amid more market turbulence. But after several years of benefiting from a more defensive posture, we are more constructive on the U.S. economic cycle. So technology is our largest overweight sector, particularly semiconductors and the semiconductor equipment manufacturers, which we believe should benefit from the continued proliferation of internet‑connected devices and the development of 5G and other new markets. The use of semiconductors in just about everything should continue to grow. Also, a lot of the tech companies were disadvantaged by the China trade dispute, providing more attractive opportunities.

The health care sector is facing potential political headwinds, such as possible limits on drug pricing and single‑payer health care initiatives. However, the sector should benefit longer term from secular tailwinds, including an aging population, new technology applications, and improved treatment options.

Joe Fath: Overall, my strategy looks like an upside‑down pyramid. The top sleeve is composed of secular growth names such as Google (Alphabet), Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft that represent 50% to 60% of the portfolio. The cyclical middle sleeve represents 15% to 25% in companies with double‑digit earnings growth potential. The bottom part of the pyramid, with a range of 15% to 25%, consists of special situations, particularly companies exposed to industry structural change or companies pivoting from value to growth, which is where I have found opportunities lately.

The political controversy over drug pricing and proposals for a single‑payer health care system create more volatility in the managed care and pharmaceutical sectors, but we are not avoiding them because valuations are attractive. We reduced our exposure to managed care last year, but we have a constructive view of the health care sector over a three‑ to five‑year horizon.

One of the things we’re watching is whether the large platform companies can continue to innovate through more rigorous regulatory oversight, and we believe they will. They clearly have spent more time, money, and energy on privacy and security issues, but the fundamentals of the business and valuations are really supportive.

Generally, we favor companies that have more control over their destiny, are positioned to benefit from powerful secular trends, and are using innovation to disrupt less efficient business models and create new ones. I believe that firms that are effective at leveraging innovation will be able to sustain robust growth in earnings and revenues as they exploit new markets and seize share in existing ones.

Opening Quote We expect continued economic growth and low but stable inflation to support U.S. equity markets. Closing Quote
Joe Fath, Portfolio Manager

Q. What is your outlook for the U.S. economy and corporate earnings?

Joe Fath: We expect continued economic growth and low but stable inflation rates to support U.S. equity markets. The risks of a significant U.S. or global economic downturn still appear limited. However, a few risks could trigger more market volatility, including political uncertainties as we approach the election and potential valuation excesses amid modest earnings growth. Earnings should be moderately better than last year. However, any outside shock could be more pronounced given current valuations and how strong the market has been, so I would not be surprised to see a sharp correction at some point this year.

Another risk is that late in the economic cycle some companies have taken advantage of cheap capital to do deals, so they have taken on more debt and become more leveraged. At this stage of the cycle, I pay more attention to debt levels on the balance sheet.

Historic Outperformance for Growth Over Value
(Fig. 2) Both strategies face different challenges.

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.
Cumulative total return, May 31, 2007, to January 31, 2020.
Source: T. Rowe Price calculations using data from FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

In a slower growth, more uncertain environment, with a wide dispersion of returns possible in sectors and industries, selectivity is key. In‑depth fundamental research will be particularly critical for identifying companies that are well positioned and have a very good management team that can execute well by navigating through choppier waters.

Slowing Growth in Corporate Earnings
(Fig. 3) S&P 500 quarterly earnings

Year-over-year growth, December 31, 2013, to December 31, 2020.
Source: T. Rowe Price calculations using data from FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Mark Finn: The U.S. economy should be fine, with expected growth in the 2% to 2.5% range. Economic indicators appear to be bottoming, and the Fed’s accommodative monetary policy and improving U.S.‑China trade relations provide an improved operating environment for U.S. businesses. Earnings should show modest improvement, probably single‑digit growth this year.

Energy may be pressured because oil has sold off and demand for industrials dropped during the China trade war, so there could be weakness in those sectors. The problem is that valuations are fairly high, so there won’t be a lot of patience for dramatic earnings misses.

2% to 2.5%

Expected growth rate of the U.S. economy this year

Low interest rates continue to support equities. The presidential election and the candidates’ positioning will become increasingly important, as will prospects for continued phase two trade negotiations with China. Both could spur market volatility, but investors should try to take advantage of it.

In our strategy, we are ever diligent about the risks that companies face and how disruption is impacting companies more generally. That is really important for value investors because half the battle in value investing is avoiding value traps.

What we're watching next

Several factors could increase market volatility in the coming months, notably unresolved trade issues with China and policy debates on taxes, health care, and wealth disparity during the U.S. presidential election campaign, as well as the election outcome. Also, with equity valuations less forgiving than a year ago, further market advances will likely hinge on a resumption of earnings growth. T. Rowe Price analysts are also closely following how disruptive forces such as innovation, technological change, and automation could impact a growing number of global industries. As active managers, we always consider that volatility can be an investor’s friend, and we believe that in‑depth fundamental research that integrates environmental, social, and governance considerations will be critical to successfully assess opportunities and risks.

As of December 31, 2019, the 10 largest holdings in the US Growth Stock representative portfolio were Amazon.com (6.5% of market value), Alphabet (6.3%), Microsoft (6.1%), Facebook (5.7%), Apple (4.6%), Visa (3.8%), MasterCard (3.4%), Alibaba Group Holding (3.0%), Boeing (2.7%), and Netflix (2.2%).

The representative portfolio is an account we believe most closely reflects current portfolio management style for the strategy. Performance is not a consideration in the selection of the representative portfolio. The characteristics of the representative portfolio shown may differ from those of other accounts in the strategy. Information regarding the representative portfolio and the other accounts in the strategy is available upon request.

The specific securities identified and described do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold, or recommended for the portfolio, and no assumptions should be made that the securities identified and discussed were or will be profitable.

Key Risks—The following risks are materially relevant to the strategies highlighted in this material:

Transactions in securities of foreign currencies may be subject to fluctuations of exchange rates which may affect the value of an investment. The portfolio is subject to the volatility inherent in equity investing, and its value may fluctuate more than a portfolio investing in income-oriented securities. The value approach carries the risk that the market will not recognize a security’s true worth for a long time, or that a security judged to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced.

Additional Disclosures

Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable but J.P. Morgan does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The index is used with permission. The Index may not be copied, used, or distributed without J.P. Morgan’s prior written approval. Copyright © 2020, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.

Important Information

This material is being furnished for general informational and/or marketing purposes only. The material does not constitute or undertake to give advice of any nature, including fiduciary investment advice, nor is it intended to serve as the primary basis for an investment decision. Prospective investors are recommended to seek independent legal, financial and tax advice before making any investment decision. T. Rowe Price group of companies including T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. and/or its affiliates receive revenue from T. Rowe Price investment products and services. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The value of an investment and any income from it can go down as well as up. Investors may get back less than the amount invested.

The material does not constitute a distribution, an offer, an invitation, a personal or general recommendation or solicitation to sell or buy any securities in any jurisdiction or to conduct any particular investment activity. The material has not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in any jurisdiction.

Information and opinions presented have been obtained or derived from sources believed to be reliable and current; however, we cannot guarantee the sources’ accuracy or completeness. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. The views contained herein are as of the date written and are subject to change without notice; these views may differ from those of other T. Rowe Price group companies and/or associates. Under no circumstances should the material, in whole or in part, be copied or redistributed without consent from T. Rowe Price.

The material is not intended for use by persons in jurisdictions which prohibit or restrict the distribution of the material and in certain countries the material is provided upon specific request. It is not intended for distribution to retail investors in any jurisdiction.

EEA ex-UK—Unless indicated otherwise this material is issued and approved by T. Rowe Price (Luxembourg) Management S.à r.l. 35 Boulevard du Prince Henri L-1724 Luxembourg which is authorised and regulated by the Luxembourg Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier. For Professional Clients only.

Switzerland—Issued in Switzerland by T. Rowe Price (Switzerland) GmbH, Talstrasse 65, 6th Floor, 8001 Zurich, Switzerland. For Qualified Investors only.

UK—This material is issued and approved by T. Rowe Price International Ltd, 60 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4N 4TZ which is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. For Professional Clients only.

202002‑1100701

Download

Audience for the document: Share Class: Language of the document:
Download Cancel

Download

Share Class: Language of the document:
Download Cancel
Sign in to manage subscriptions for products, insights and email updates.
Once registered, you'll be able to start subscribing.

Change Details

If you need to change your email address please contact us.
Subscriptions
OK
You are ready to start subscribing.
Get started by going to our products or insights section to follow what you're interested in.

Products Insights

GIPS® Information

T. Rowe Price ("TRP") claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®) and has prepared and presented this report in compliance with the GIPS standards. T. Rowe Price has been independently verified for the twenty four-year period ended June 30, 2020, by KPMG LLP. The verification report is available upon request. A firm that claims compliance with the GIPS standards must establish policies and procedures for complying with all the applicable requirements of the GIPS standards. Verification provides assurance on whether the firm’s policies and procedures related to composite and pooled fund maintenance, as well as the calculation, presentation, and distribution of performance, have been designed in compliance with the GIPS standards and have been implemented on a firm-wide basis. Verification does not provide assurance on the accuracy of any specific performance report.

TRP is a U.S. investment management firm with various investment advisers registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, and other regulatory bodies in various countries and holds itself out as such to potential clients for GIPS purposes. TRP further defines itself under GIPS as a discretionary investment manager providing services primarily to institutional clients with regard to various mandates, which include U.S, international, and global strategies but excluding the services of the Private Asset Management group.

A complete list and description of all of the Firm's composites and/or a presentation that adheres to the GIPS® standards are available upon request. Additional information regarding the firm's policies and procedures for calculating and reporting performance results is available upon request

Other Literature

You have successfully subscribed.

Notify me by email when
regular data and commentary is available
exceptional commentary is available
new articles become available

Thank you for your continued interest