Owner Resource Group is pleased to provide the following wealth management insights from Round Table Wealth Management.
First Quarter 2021 Review
Capital markets provided mixed returns during the first quarter as value-style indices advanced, growth-style indices lagged and fixed income markets declined. A confluence of factors is creating both tailwinds and headwinds in the markets: Approved stimulus measures and proposed infrastructure spending combined with expanding COVID-19 vaccine deployments and easing mobility restrictions are expected to drive corporate earnings growth into the double-digits this year. Conversely, the associated risk of higher inflation and interest rates are pressuring growth-style equity valuations and bond prices. For the first time in years, quarterly performance for the Russell 1000 Value Index has outperformed both the S&P 500 and the Russell 1000 Growth Index by approximately 5.1% and 10.3%, respectively. Fixed income, which benefited last year from declining interest rates, generated a return of -3.4% as rising inflation and interest rate expectations pressured bond prices.
We have repositioned portfolios towards a more value-centric approach across equity allocations, including adding tactical positions that we believe may perform well as the U.S. initiates massive infrastructure spending. We are modestly underweight fixed income and continue to gravitate towards shorter duration bond strategies that are less impacted by inflation concerns and rising rates, while maintaining the safe-haven characteristics associated with the asset class. While the risks of 2020 are slowly fading, new and different risks (and opportunities) are presenting.
