Do Valuations Matter?
Jan 30, 2024
One could certainly question the importance of valuations in this market.
If you were bold enough to buy Nvidia a year ago, ignoring the 60x price-to-earnings (forward earnings), you made money. Microsoft, too, sits at 33x and continues to go up even though its forecast earnings growth is only about 15%. Or which pharmaceutical company would you like to own, the one trading at 50x earnings or 12x? Surprisingly, the right answer was the 50x Lily and not the 12x Pfizer. Solving for a pandemic is nice, but solving for fat is much more lucrative.
For the S&P 500, the quartile of companies that were trading with the lowest valuation at the start of 2023 enjoyed an average return of 8.9%. Not bad. But the companies with the highest valuations returned 17.7%. It's not just within U.S. equities that it may appear valuation doesn’t matter. Emerging markets have been trading at very low valuations for years and have consistently lagged developed markets. Based on the Bloomberg Developed (DM) and Emerging (EM) markets indices, the spread is wide at about 18x vs 12x. Also of interest is that EM earnings are expected to grow at 28% compared to 18% in DM over the next couple of years. Or the TSX at 14x compared to 20x for the S&P, a long-standing valuation spread, yet the more expensive S&P keeps winning.
For the S&P 500, the quartile of companies that were trading with the lowest valuation at the start of 2023 enjoyed an average return of 8.9%. Not bad. But the companies with the highest valuations returned 17.7%. It's not just within U.S. equities that it may appear valuation doesn’t matter. Emerging markets have been trading at very low valuations for years and have consistently lagged developed markets. Based on the Bloomberg Developed (DM) and Emerging (EM) markets indices, the spread is wide at about 18x vs 12x. Also of interest is that EM earnings are expected to grow at 28% compared to 18% in DM over the next couple of years. Or the TSX at 14x compared to 20x for the S&P, a long-standing valuation spread, yet the more expensive S&P keeps winning.
Now, comparing one market's valuations to another is like comparing apples and oranges. The composition of the market and different sector weights can often explain much divergence in valuations. For instance, the S&P currently has a 30% weight in technology, often a higher multiple sector. That compares to under 10% for the TSX. The S&P has more consumer staples, more health care, less energy, and less financials compared to the TSX. Staples and health typically carry higher valuations than the more cyclical energy and financials.
Yet valuations do matter. The chart below uses S&P 500 data back to 1950 and calculates the average performance for the S&P 500 based on starting point valuations. It is rather clear that higher valuations equate to lower returns going forward, on average. And that is the crux: averages can hide a lot of data. Sure, the average return from a starting point in the most expensive quartile bucket is rather close to zero, yet the one-year return ranges from +39% to -38%. That is rather wide. The 3-year return ranges from -17% to +18%. So, even though valuations are high, anything can happen.
Yet valuations do matter. The chart below uses S&P 500 data back to 1950 and calculates the average performance for the S&P 500 based on starting point valuations. It is rather clear that higher valuations equate to lower returns going forward, on average. And that is the crux: averages can hide a lot of data. Sure, the average return from a starting point in the most expensive quartile bucket is rather close to zero, yet the one-year return ranges from +39% to -38%. That is rather wide. The 3-year return ranges from -17% to +18%. So, even though valuations are high, anything can happen.
Worth noting, the range of performance outcomes when the starting point is cheap (less than 11.4x), are rather compelling. The 3-year annualized worse case was flat, and the best case was +26%. Today, though, we are not in the bargain basement; we are in the valuation luxury penthouse.
 Pushing the S&P 500 up to the penthouse of valuations is the Mag 7 or Enormous 8, or whichever funny label you prefer for the megacaps sitting atop the index. The concentration in the S&P 500 is at or near historically high levels, which is also pushing the valuation to the upper levels. To give an idea, the chart below shows the relative valuations of the S&P 500 (traditional market capitalization-weighted version) and the Equal Weight S&P 500 index. It is those megacaps making the S&P 500 expensive; the broader market is not nearly as elevated.
 Pushing the S&P 500 up to the penthouse of valuations is the Mag 7 or Enormous 8, or whichever funny label you prefer for the megacaps sitting atop the index. The concentration in the S&P 500 is at or near historically high levels, which is also pushing the valuation to the upper levels. To give an idea, the chart below shows the relative valuations of the S&P 500 (traditional market capitalization-weighted version) and the Equal Weight S&P 500 index. It is those megacaps making the S&P 500 expensive; the broader market is not nearly as elevated.
Final Thoughts
The Enormous 8 could very easily become more enormous in 2024, which would once again drive the most expensive part of the market higher. The average PE across the Enormous 8 is currently 36x forward earnings, but as we learned in 2023, a high starting valuation doesn’t guarantee anything as, in the short term, anything is possible. However, given concentration and given valuations, the odds are likely tilted in the other direction. Don’t lose sight of valuations; in the long run, they are one of the best indicators of performance and can offer a margin of safety.
— Craig Basinger is the Chief Market Strategist at Purpose Investments
Source: Charts are sourced to Bloomberg L.P. and Purpose Investments Inc.
The contents of this publication were researched, written and produced by Purpose Investments Inc. and are used by Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. for information purposes only.
This report is authored by Craig Basinger, Chief Market Strategist, Purpose Investments Inc.
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VANCOUVER, BC, and TORONTO, ON, June 24, 2024 – Ventum Financial Corp. (“Ventum” – formerly PI Financial Corp.) is pleased to announce the successful completion of its amalgamation with Echelon Wealth Partners Inc. (“Echelon”), marking a significant milestone that solidifies its position as a leading independent investment advisory, wealth management, and capital markets firm in Canada. David Cusson, former CEO of Echelon, has assumed the role of CEO of Ventum. Jean-Paul Bachellerie, former CEO of Ventum, has assumed the role of President and COO of Ventum. This strategic alignment of leadership combines the expertise and vision of both firms to enhance client service and operational efficiency. “With offices across Canada, and strong anchors in the east and west, we are well positioned to deliver comprehensive financial solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of our clients,” said David Cusson, CEO of Ventum. “This amalgamation represents a significant step forward in our commitment to excellence and towards becoming the leading independent investment dealer in Canada.” “Our combined Private Client Services and Capital Markets teams provide us with the scale needed for future success, enabling continuous investment in our platform and the provision of leading-edge tools and technology for our advisory teams,” said Jean-Paul Bachellerie, President & COO of Ventum. For more information about Ventum, please visit our website at ventumfinancial.com. About Ventum Financial Corp. Ventum Financial Corp. is headquartered in Toronto, ON with key operational functions in Vancouver, BC, and is a leading independent investment advisory and capital markets firm with fifteen offices across Canada. With a steadfast commitment to integrity and client service, Ventum provides a wide array of financial services to individual, institutional, and corporate clients through our team of experienced professionals. Media Contact: David Cusson CEO Ventum Financial Corp. Email: media@ventumfinancial.com Phone: (416) 572-5523
It seems like just yesterday that you could buy a pint of Stella for $7 or so. Now, more often than not, it is closer to $10. Yep, inflation. It is kind of like a tax on doing things, as just about everything has cost more over the past few years. Hop on a flight, eat at a nice restaurant, refinance your mortgage, the list goes on. With the benefit of hindsight, the current higher inflationary environment can be blamed on a few pretty big factors. Changes in behaviour during and coming out of the pandemic blew up supply changes, as capacity was unable to keep pace with demand. Then, of course, unprecedented money printing magnified the situation, as it made everyone wealthier and more willing to pay $10 for a pint. Of course, the textbook solution is to raise interest rates, which is clearly occurring around the world. These monetary policy shifts are effective but do work with variable lags. Making those lags longer, or even temporally offsetting them, was fiscal policy. It doesn’t take an economist to understand if the monetary policy is trying to slow the economy to tame inflation; materially elevated fiscal spending in an economy that is still growing at a decent pace is counterproductive for the inflation fight.
The US market is up a little over 10% this year, Canada +6%, Europe +10%, and Japan +15%, while bonds are down about -1%. Huh, that sure does look like asset allocation is working well again after the car crash of 2022. Even better news is that the market is moving higher thanks to good fundamental news, not simply because central bankers are jamming more money into the financial system. Recession risk has continued to fade, as evidenced by the survey of economists. For the UK, Canada, US, Eurozone, China & Japan, the average probability of a recession hit a high in late 2022 at about 60% and has fallen down to a mere 25% of late. The UK, which was as high as 90% and suffered two negative quarters of GDP growth, is now down to 30%, winning the most improved ribbon. Even Canada, which is clearly struggling with higher rates, has improved from over 60% to 30%. Most are clustered around the 30% zone.
Should it be any surprise how calm markets have become? Global equities are up 9.2% year to date. Apart from a 2% decline in January and a 5% drop in April, the trend has been steadily up to the right on the chart. We can easily slap a financial narrative on this, such as improving economic growth globally, a decent Q1 earnings season, or maybe it's just the AI frenzy. More than a third of the advances in global equities are attributed to Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet. Whatever the cause, equity volatility has been very calm so far in 2024. But it is more than this, as it isn’t just equities.  The volatility in the bond market has gone super low (2nd panel in chart). The MOVE index measures volatility in U.S. Treasury Bonds [actually at-the-money options on interest rate swaps, but let’s not go down that rabbit hole]. Even though bond yields moved higher this year, the 10-year started at 4%, gradually up to 4.75%, then back down to 4.5%; these moves pale in comparison to the last couple of years. In case you forgot, the same bond in 2022 went from 1.5% to 4.0% and in 2023, yields oscillated between 3.5 to 5.0%. Looking beyond Treasuries, credit spreads are back down to or close to historical lows. Investment Grade spreads in the U.S. are 50bps. Lows in past mini-credit cycles have been 40-60bps.
I think we might be in that very unique market mood when bad news is good news. The equity market weakness in April can probably be attributed to bond yields moving higher, so any economic data on the weaker growth side is welcome news at the moment. The S&P started to recover on May 3rd, rising 1.3% when the ever-important non-farm payroll labour report came in softer than expected, helping 10-year yields fall back down to 4.5%. Then, over the past few weeks, we have seen generally weaker economic data for the ever-important U.S. economy; bond yields have continued to come down, and equity prices have moved up. Of course, all eyes were on the U.S. inflation print for April, which was marginally softer than expected (soft CPI is truly good news), helping bond yields fall and pushing the S&P 500 to a new all-time high. But really, 0.3% vs. expectations of 0.4% is not huge, especially given that the core reading was in line at 0.3%. This still has the annualized 3-month change running a hot 4.5%. To be fair, there was some good news beneath the surface on the CPI print. But on that day, helping, and less talked about, was a really weak Empire manufacturing survey and weak retail sales.
The normal narrative for encouraging investors to look at emerging markets typically goes like this: The valuations are cheap, the demographics/rising incomes are supportive of growth, and they offer diversification. Perhaps this is more the marketing narrative. Kind of how, like for infrastructure strategies, they always talk about how many bridges need repairing. We are not refuting any of the above reasons, as they have been rather perennial for many, many years. And yet, for those who know us, we have been rather negative or at least cool on emerging markets for a long time. How long? Well, this negative view persisted for well over a decade. This is us giving ourselves a pat on the back since Emerging Markets (EM) have done roughly nothing for the past 12 years as Developed Markets (DM) have charged higher (chart).
Take your pick. There is no shortage of both good and bad news floating about the financial markets. To be fair, this is always the case. The hard part is understanding which side is stronger today and which side will be stronger tomorrow. With markets up low to mid-single digits following a very strong Q4 finish to 2023, most would agree the optimists are carrying the day at the moment. It is not just rose-coloured glasses; there is good news out there. Economic growth signs or momentum appear to be improving year-to-date. Dial back a few quarters, and the U.S. economy remained resilient while other economies softened or were rather lacklustre, including Canada, Europe, Japan, and China, to highlight some of the biggies. Today, while Canada is struggling, momentum in the U.S. has moved even higher, and there are signs of improvement in most jurisdictions.
There are three things you should rarely ever bet against: the Leaf’s opposing team in the playoffs, the American consumer’s ability to spend, and corporate profits. As we are now about halfway through U.S. earnings season, once again, positive surprises remain the norm; 81% have beaten. It's a bit better than the 20-year average of 75%. The fact is that companies are good at managing analysts’ expectations. At least enough to beat them when the numbers hit the tape. The size of the positive surprises have been encouraging as well, at just under 10%. The highest surprise magnitude in some time.  One of our reservations on the sustainability of this market rally over the past couple of quarters has been the flat earnings revisions. In other words, global markets are up over 20% but earnings estimates have remained flat or tilted down slightly. More often than not, markets trend in the same direction as earnings revisions. Earnings get revised up when companies raise guidance and/or analysts become more encouraged about growth prospects. That is a good thing for markets. Obviously, downward revisions are bad. Yet estimates have remained very flat as markets marched higher, a challenging combination.
The oil market has been interesting lately and, to the surprise of many, has been the biggest silent outperformer this year. There is no shortage of geopolitical events to choose from that’s leading to a higher risk premium in oil with Brent breaking $90, whether it’s the Houthis missile attacks in the Red Sea leading to a massive re-route of trade, Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian refineries, and the latest escalation between Israel and Iran leading to some news outlets using WWIII as click bait-y headlines. Given the run-up in oil prices, Canadian oil equities have clearly benefitted from the much higher torque. But there is a layer of even better news: The Transmountain Expansion (TMX) continues to look to be in operation by May, which would lead to much better pricing on the Western Canadian Select (WCS). With the current setup for the oil markets, some key questions that we often get from investors are: How sustainable is the rally in Canadian energy names? To determine if the oil equities are overstretched, we can look at the debt-adjusted cash flow (DACF) multiples of the major integrated oil names and see how the valuation has shifted in light of the recent oil move. From Exhibit 1, the DACF multiples for the Canadian integrated have been fairly range-bound over the last year, also in line with WTI, which has been in the $70 - $85 range. As a starting point, we can infer that the valuations of the companies have been commensurate with the movements in the underlying oil price deck and in line with where the equities should trade in the cycle historically over the last couple of years. Typically, in the commodities cycle, higher prices are usually coupled with lower multiples as market participants will usually price in lower normalized prices and vice versa, so a cause of concern would be if valuation starts trending towards the 6.5x – 7.0x+ area if oil prices continue to stay in the upper bounds of the $70 - $90 range or higher.
As part of your wealth planning, have you considered your wealth’s longevity? Many of us have heard of the “shirtsleeves curse”: Family wealth is often built up and lost within three generations. You may not be surprised to learn that recipients often make “big” purchases within the first few weeks of receiving their inheritance. This is because many heirs are not focused on the longevity of new-found wealth. What are high-net-worth families doing to help prevent this loss? There has been an increasing focus on intergenerational wealth planning, with the objective of supporting wealth longevity. This involves getting existing generations to meet about their finances and form shared financial goals and values to help encourage lasting wealth. Here are some steps that can be taken as part of this planning process: Start with a plan and document it Start by thinking about your vision for your wealth for the generations to come. The plan should set out goals and provisions for how you wish funds to be used, accessed and replenished. For instance, you may wish for family members to invest in themselves to gain the experience needed to create and grow wealth, using funds for higher education or a business start-up or expansion. Others may wish to leave endowments to a charity. Once you determine your goals and provisions, it is important to formally record them as this document will be passed along to future generations. Communicate your plan Once the plan has been documented, it should be communicated to family members. Often, parents keep their finances and related values to themselves, missing the opportunity to pass along their ideals to children. While specific financial details need not be disclosed, sharing your vision is intended to be a catalyst for meaningful discussions. Some families use this plan to form a family constitution to help future generations carry forward their intentions. Engage in regular meetings Regular family meetings are intended to help cultivate family values based on your vision for your wealth. If wealth has been carefully built up through the generations, it may involve exploring family history. Or, you may use this time to educate children about finances and managing money or introduce high-level strategies to carry out the intergenerational plan relating to running a family business or a family giving strategy. Consider protection tools You may determine through family meetings that beneficiaries will need support. Certain tools can support beneficiaries to meet your goals, or protect future wealth in situations in which beneficiaries may not be capable. For example, a trust can put assets under the control of a responsible trustee, with the terms of the trust specifying the conditions, timing and amount of distributions to be made to heirs. Other tools, such as life insurance, can protect and grow assets while also providing access to cash. Setting up a support system of trusted professionals may help to ensure a successful wealth transfer, especially if heirs do not have the skills to manage funds independently. Monitor the plan’s success By having an ongoing dialogue with family members, you will be able to identify and address any gaps or concerns as they arise. You can also continue to define and refine family roles to ensure that your plan has a greater chance of success. Here to Provide Support While intergenerational wealth planning may not be for everyone, consider that creating a lasting legacy can be one of the greatest gifts you leave behind. If you need assistance with family discussions or educational tools to support children, please contact your Echelon Advisor.
