Richard Maitland Sarasin
The bear market of
2000-2003 came as a shock to most investors; over the previous 20 years,
equities had produced returns of nearly 20% per annum, with just two mild down
years in 1990 and 1994. While the autumn of 1987 contained a crash, so much
money had been made before October, and the rebound was so rapid, that 1987 as
a whole was positive. It is not surprising that so many investors were mostly
unprepared for the 40% fall caused by the doubly whammy of the dotcom crash and
the second lurch down following the terrorist events of 9/11.
When the 2007-2009
financial crisis took hold just five years later, most investors fared better,
albeit they were equally surprised and fearful at the time. The previous bear
market was a recent memory, lessons had been learned, and on this occasion, the
rebound was ‘V’ shaped: fast and paper losses were recouped quite swiftly.
As a reminder, a proper
bear market requires the vast majority of investors to be truly surprised and
shocked by the cause, pace and extent of any decline just as we witnessed
earlier this year. The COVID-19 collapse is thus no different and follows the
pattern of a classic stockmarket collapse.
This article focusses
briefly on how best to weather these storms, firstly by taking action before a
crisis strikes, secondly how to act during the criris, and finally what actions
to consider once markets appear to have stabilised.
Actions required
prior to the next inevitable bear market
In terms of strategy,
what follows is a summary of the ‘Planning for Bear Markets’ chapter in our
Compendium of Investment. It is not written in reaction to the latest market
turmoil, but in response to all the bear markets that preceded it. It forms the
foundations of our strategic work and is a hallmark of our approach to
successful long-term investment.
Education: everyone should be
aware that bear markets occur and that they will surprise virtually every
investor. They will have a significant impact on long-term portfolios biased
towards equities and other return-seaking assets: the down ‘leg’ might well see
a return of -20% to -40%. Recovery from the low point might be a matter of
months, but it might also take several years. Income may well suffer, but is
typically less volatile than capital. Liquidity will dry up in some asset
classes.
Cash flow, asset and
liability matching:
on the basis that equities will produce significant volatility, they should
only be used for those with appropriate timeframes: those who can sit on the
sidelines and wait, with no need to access their capital for at least five
years. For those with less time to spare, equities should only make up a small
part of their assets. If one expects to spend capital within 12-18 months,
equities and their ilk are probably not suitable at all.
Asset diversification: it is easy by the end
of a bull market to allow a portfolio to become less well diversified, selling
assets that might protect you in a downturn because they appear to offer scant
short-term reward. It is common to see gilt and cash levels reduced to levels
at which they offer little overall portfolio protection.
Security diversification: it is not just
important to diversify across asset classes: are your equities geographically
well-diversified? From a sector position, are you over-exposed to some of the
higher yielding sectors like banks or oil companies?
Activity during a
crisis
Typically, the best
damage limitation is carried out prior to a crisis and the best mitigation,
afterwards. However, there are some instances where even the best plans have to
change and there are things that can and should be considered as events unfold.
Cash flows and projections: the fallout from bear
markets is varied and will impact companies, people and institutions
differently, as will the way in which governments and regulators react. Only as
matters unfold will you be able to consider the ways you and your organisation
will be impacted and the extent to which your preventative actions have worked.
As you analyse the situation at hand, you might need to realign your assets
and/or your resources to real world issues.
Dialogue and discussion: it is highly unlikely
that your investment portfolio ‘will go to zero’. In extremis, individual
companies might go bust and some specific bonds might default. There will be
weeks when it feels as if the whole portfolio is doomed, but bear markets and
recessions do end. They can cause lasting and permanent damage to certain
sectors, but the world finds a way through each crisis. This COVID-19 bear
market and economic shock might result in a longer and deeper recession than we
have seen for many years, but our central expectation is that economies and
markets will recover. Ultimately, talking through your worst fears with a
proactive, calm and experienced investment manager and reminding oneself of
past collapses and recoveries in confidence should ensure that emotions are
kept in check.
Active management: investment managers
will need to review their portfolios; have their strategies and tactics held up
as they expected? Were they positioned well, but for the wrong reasons? Do the
new circumstances mean changes are required? How will each equity perform from
here; could any corporate bonds default? Should one buy the dips and switch
defensive stocks into those that might recover faster or should we reduce risk
if a second leg down looks likely?
The aftermath
Some of the most lasting
and damaging impacts from a bear market are caused by actions taken after the
event.
Changing horses mid race: some managers are
prone to do well in bear markets, other in bull markets. Some try to outperform
a little in each. Knowing your manager’s natural style bias is critical and too
many investors only discover what they have bought after the event. In 2003 and
in 2009, after savage bear markets, many investors moved their affairs to
target return, absolute return and ‘glass-half-empty’ managers, only to
underperform in the next bull phase. Some completed the circle by reappointing
glass-half-full managers in 2007 and 2019! Better to switch out of defensive
managers after a bear market and optimistic managers after a bull market than
to do the reverse and lock in periods of poor performance. Or pick a more
balanced manager who doesn’t err towards the more heroic end of the investment spectrum!
Strategy: there will always be
stories of those who bailed out of markets just before the disaster struck and
managed to buy back at the bottom. Even broken clocks show the correct time
twice a day. However, one of our defining philosophies is that investors should
never rely entirely on skill to avoid losses. We have always felt that a robust
strategy lies at the heart of long-term success. This article therefore ends
where it started: the best defence against the next bear market is not to
withdraw from investment markets completely, or to try and double up at the
bottom, but to put in place an asset mix – quite possibly split between
different portfolios with different objectives - that matches your requirements
and which ensures you will never have to be a forced seller at the bottom of a
bear market.
What’s different
this time?
At the time of writing,
we are staring down the barrel of a global recession. This is likely to result
in almost unprecedented dividend cuts. This is a particulary harsh burden for
charities, many of whom rely heavily on their investment income streams to
uphold their mission. We hope our clients are relatively well-positioned, given
our global and thematic approach to equity selection and the breadth of asset
classes and investment techniques we use. However, we will not avoid dividend
cuts. We will work tirelessly over the months ahead to produce attractive
capital and income returns going forward, but everyone should brace themselves
for lower income receipts.
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