Read Seneca IM's CIO Peter Elston on his framework and latest views for tactical asset allocation

My first piece about asset allocation set out my framework for both strategic asset allocation and tactical asset allocation, as well as some thinking about current fund positioning and likely direction of travel over the next couple of years.

In this second piece, I go into a bit more detail about some recent changes in (tactical) asset allocation, as well as what I will be looking for with respect to future changes.

But first, a quick recap.

My framework for tactical asset allocation is based on business cycle analysis and the documented findings that asset classes tend to exhibit distinct performance in each phase of the business cycle. For example, equities and bonds tend to perform best during the recession phase, credit in recovery phase, and commodities in expansion and recovery phase. By implication, cash is best held during peak phase when all aforementioned asset classes tend to exhibit below average performance.

Chart 1 illustrates the relationship between asset class performance and the business cycle. One of the key points of the chart is that equity bear markets occur during the peak phase of the cycle, when economic growth is declining but central banks have yet to come to the rescue. Another key point is that equities perform best during the recession phase. This is the phase in which economic growth is negative and when central banks have loosened monetary policy substantially to support economies. In some ways it is counterintuitive that equities perform best during recessions but if you think about it, it makes sense. Equities are forward looking and once monetary policy is loose, they can anticipate economies emerging from recession, even if the recession is still ongoing. Think back to 2009 and you will recall that equity markets performed very strongly during first, second and third quarters of 2009, when global economies were in recession.

Chart 1: asset class performance versus the business cycle

Source: Dynamic Strategic Asset Allocation, van Vliet & Blitz (2009)

The next step is to assess where economies are in the cycle. I do this by considering just a few simple indicators: unemployment, inflation, central bank policy rates, and the yield curve. These in aggregate will give me a good idea of whether economies still require support or are overheating. I can then determine where economies sit on the business cycle and thus what asset class returns to expect.

Given the above chart, I want to be most underweight so-called ‘risky assets’ when we move from expansion to peak, then move fairly rapidly from underweight to overweight as the peak phase progresses.

Our total equity target gives a very good indication of our total exposure to ‘risky assets’ as it will constitute the bulk of the exposure. Thus Chart 2 illustrates how our exposure to risky assets has changed over the last two and a half years and is expected to change over the next 2-3 years.

Chart 2: Seneca funds’ total equity target versus the business cycle

Source: Seneca Investment Managers (Jan 2018)

As you can see, we started reducing equities in mid-2016 as the economic recovery was making, in our opinion, good progress. But we remained overweight equities in relation to our strategic asset allocation until the third quarter of last year and have since moved further underweight.

My expectation is that the world economy will not enter peak phase until 2020, and I intend to continue reduce our equity targets until then.

A couple of points to note. In the real world, the business cycle is not a neat wave as it is in theory - it is messy and there are times when economies can go backwards rather than forwards. Secondly, the timing of the peak is very hard to estimate – my prediction of early 2020 will almost certainly be wrong. This is why changes in tactical asset allocation should be gradual not sudden. If I am late, I will have reduced to some extent already. If I am early, I can continue reducing. Like driving, you should slow down as you approach a bend rather than when you reach it.

Furthermore, gradual moves keep portfolio turnover low and steady.