Insights on Market Impact of Presidential Elections

With the U.S. set to choose its next President in less than three weeks, we want to share our view on portfolio positioning as we look ahead. Our general philosophy is that portfolio and investment decisions should be guided by an analysis of longer-term risks and rewards, as opposed to anticipating election outcomes, and this has served us well in previous election cycles. With that said, we recognize that it’s natural for investors on both sides of the aisle—especially in today’s polarized environment—to believe that an election outcome could have a big and potentially immediate impact on the financial markets. This intuition, however, is not supported by the historical data and we provide some evidence to this point in our comments below. Overall, it’s important to remember that U.S. stocks have historically trended higher regardless of the political party of the President, as shown in this first chart.

Ultimately, over the longer term (which is the basis for our investment decisions) the market is driven by economic fundamentals, such as the fed funds rates, corporate earnings, valuations, fiscal imbalances, interest rates, inflation expectations, among other factors. Undoubtedly, headlines will influence short-term market fluctuations, but longer-term fundamentals are what drive market performance. We do not minimize the importance of the election and potential policy differences in our evaluation process, but we also recognize that the gears of the economy are not overhauled based on an election outcome. For example, the U.S. economy is primarily consumer driven, and that’s not going to change. We also maintain the view that the fundamentals of the economy don’t change overnight, and for that reason we don’t think our investment strategy should either.

Market Performance Around Elections – A Review of Historical Data

As for market performance around elections, there have been elections that resulted in stock market volatility and declines, notably when incumbents lose. While technically there is no incumbent in this election, markets also typically see a strong rebound in the year following any post-election declines. As the chart below shows, historically elections have not had a meaningful or long-lasting effect on stock market performance. That makes us believe it is wise to remain focused on the longer-term drivers of markets and even be prepared to take advantage of any pricing opportunities created by post-election market declines.

We have found that the lack of consistency in the impact of past elections on investment results runs deeper than just the overall stock market level. Analysis by Richard Bernstein Advisors goes deeper and demonstrates the variability of returns at both the asset class and industry sector levels under past administrations (see tables below).

It’s important to note that the election and post-election year results shown in these tables reflect the average result historically, and the sample size is relatively small. We also recognize that there are many reasons the market could respond differently in any given election. But the broad message from historical data is that instead of betting on election results we are better off remaining true to our longer-term investment discipline, in which we consider multiple macro scenarios, and assess the potential risks and returns for numerous asset classes and investments in each scenario. In our strategy we are focused on fundamentals and an investment approach built on the confidence that over time securities prices will reflect these fundamentals.

Meanwhile, Presidential election or not, in the shorter term we are prepared to guide our clients through the inevitable periods of market volatility and shorter-term downside risk that can occur. This is where the discussions we have with our clients to gain a deep understanding of their risk tolerance are reinforced in how we manage a portfolio to suit each clients’ varying level of comfort with volatility and shorter-term downside. Regardless of where an investor falls on the risk tolerance spectrum, it is critical to remember that volatility and temporary declines in value are a normal part of owning stocks and other higher-expected-return “risk assets.” We expect partisanship and news flow to be in overdrive in these final days, so we know there will be many distractions. Our job, however, is to maintain an objective focus on the longer-term analysis of our investment environment and take advantage of any investment opportunities we believe are presented to us.

 

Important Disclosure

This report is solely for informational purposes and shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy securities. The opinions expressed herein represent the current views of the author(s) at the time of publication and are provided for limited purposes, are not definitive investment advice, and should not be relied on as such.

The information presented in this report has been developed internally and/or obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, Litman Gregory Wealth Management, LLC (“Litman Gregory” or “LGWM”) does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of such information. Predictions, opinions, and other information contained in this article are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated.

Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and LGWM assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties, which change over time. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in forward-looking statements.

In particular, target returns are based on LGWM’s historical data regarding asset class and strategy. There is no guarantee that targeted returns will be realized or achieved or that an investment strategy will be successful. Target returns and/or projected returns are hypothetical in nature and are shown for illustrative, informational purposes only. This material is not intended to forecast or predict future events, but rather to indicate the investment returns Litman Gregory has observed in the market generally. It does not reflect the actual or expected returns of any specific investment strategy and does not guarantee future results. Litman Gregory considers a number of factors, including, for example, observed and historical market returns relevant to the applicable investments, projected cash flows, projected future valuations of target assets and businesses, relevant other market dynamics (including interest rate and currency markets), anticipated contingencies, and regulatory issues. Certain of the assumptions have been made for modeling purposes and are unlikely to be realized. No representation or warranty is made as to the reasonableness of the assumptions made or that all assumptions used in calculating the target returns and/or projected returns have been stated or fully considered. Changes in the assumptions may have a material impact on the target returns and/or projected returns presented.

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