As an investor, it’s natural to be drawn to invest in your “home” market. The United States is where you live and work. You know the companies, politics, and economic climate. It also doesn’t hurt that the returns of the U.S. market have been fantastic over the last decade. From 2010-2022 the S&P 500 has returned an average of 12% annually.

In comparison, over the same period, the MSCI All Country ex US index, representing global stocks excluding the US, returned an average of 3.5% annually. These figures might lead one to question the need for global diversification. I’m here to convince you that diversification is, in fact, “the only free lunch” in investing.

History has demonstrated the importance of looking beyond recent performance and that any country, even successfully developed ones, can have long periods of sustained underperformance.

For example, let’s start by looking at the United States for the decade directly before the one mentioned above. From 2000-2009, known as “the lost decade,” the S&P500 had an annualized return of -1%, while the MSCI World ex US index had an annualized return of 1.6%. Over this decade, investors lost money by investing in the US stock market and had 27% less money than an investor who invested in global ex-US equities.

Another example is Japan. In 1989, Japan held the title of the world’s largest stock market. With a total market cap of approximately $4 trillion USD, iconic companies like Toyota, Sony, and Honda were global industry leaders. Japan had a diversified economy and was widely regarded as the world’s technology hub. During the 1980s, the Japanese market grew from $0.5 trillion to $4 trillion, with the Nikkei (Japan’s equivalent of the S&P 500) delivering impressive annual returns of 19.5% from 1980 to 1989. At that time, the US stock market’s size was smaller than that of Japan at around $3 trillion.

However, fast forward 35 years, and the picture looks starkly different. Today, the US market is valued at a staggering $40 trillion, while the Japanese market lags behind at approximately $5 trillion USD. Notably, Japan experienced no runaway inflation, wars, political turmoil, social unrest, or famine during this period. Despite its once fast-growing market and technological prominence, the Nikkei grew by less than 1% annually over the next 35 years. This is a powerful reminder that even the most promising markets can encounter prolonged stagnation.

The tale of Japan’s rise and subsequent stagnation highlights the importance of global diversification. While recent US market returns have been remarkable, investors must consider the broader global landscape and the potential risks of concentrating investments solely in one country. By embracing global diversification, investors manage risk, gain exposure to diverse opportunities, and position themselves to capture long-term growth potential. A well-diversified portfolio provides resilience, protects against overexposure to a single market, and helps navigate the uncertainties of the global economy.

This information is educational and does not intend to make an offer for the sale of any specific securities, investments, or strategies. Returns and market information quoted here was pulled from publicly-available, third-party sources believed to be accurate. Investments involve risk and, past performance is not indicative of future performance. Any actual return will be reduced by advisory fees and any other expenses incurred in the management of a client’s account. Consult with a qualified financial adviser before implementing any investment strategy.

Charles Kafoglis leads our Hillfolio segment and produced a stellar educational resource recently titled “The Greatest Double“.  Many clients connected with the message of the importance of time to the patient investor. Charles is back with a new gem called “The Path to Greater Returns”, a compelling story that extends our understanding beyond time and seeks to prove that your investment rate of return is just as important.

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You can contact us directly at Charles@HillInvestmentGroup.com or 314-448-4023 if you want to talk about your plan in more detail.

At Hill Investment Group, we pride ourselves on our steadfast commitment to long-term investing principles. Our philosophy centers around ignoring short-term market noise and focusing on sustainable, enduring strategies. Recent interest rate increases have sparked questions among our clients, particularly regarding money market funds and how to approach fixed-income investing in this evolving interest rate environment. If you have questions, we prepared this data with you in mind. 

For over a decade, the Federal Reserve has maintained historically low-interest rates since the financial crisis of 2008. However, more recently, we have witnessed an increase in the federal funds rate (the interest rate at which depository institutions [banks and credit unions] lend reserve balances to other depository institutions overnight on an uncollateralized basis), signaling a departure from the exceptionally low-interest rate environment we have grown accustomed to.

What does this higher interest rate environment mean for investors? 

As investors, we have a range of choices, from safe assets like short-term government debt to riskier alternatives such as venture capital. Each investment option carries a distinct level of risk, and investors typically opt for riskier assets only if they offer higher expected returns compared to safer ones. For example, if a 1-Year Treasury bill (US Government Debt) provided a 5% return, no rational investor would buy a 1-Year General Electric bond (a risker bet) paying a 4% return. Therefore, to entice investors to buy its bonds, General Electric would need to offer more than a 5% return.

To determine the riskiness of different investments, we can compare them to the least risky option, which is typically short-term US government debt. This is where the Federal Funds Rate comes in. The Federal Funds Rate acts as a benchmark for determining the interest rates of the least risky assets: short-term US government debt. As of May 15th, 2023, the federal funds rate was 5.08%.

This means an investor in a money market fund should expect a ~5% return for this low-risk investment. Other investment options need to offer returns surpassing this baseline to entice investors.

For instance, one of the corporate bond funds we like to invest in, Avantis Core Fixed Income ETF (AVIG), has a yield to maturity or expected return of 4.5%. That doesn’t look alluring compared to a money market yielding 5%. Why would any investor choose to invest in AVIG over a money market fund?

This is where the duration or timeline of the investment comes into play. The Federal Funds Rate is reset eight times a year, potentially causing fluctuating returns for money market accounts. For example, over the last year and a half, the return of money market accounts has increased from 0% to 5%. Over the next year and a half, it could return to 0% or rise even higher. No one knows what the Fed will do in the future, but Investors have expectations and use their expectations to invest in bond markets. Their investment sets market prices. A yield curve depicts the aggregate expectations of all investors for how interest rates will change in the future.

Looking at the current yield curve, investors can gauge the return they should anticipate for different investment durations, i.e. holding periods.

US Treasuries Yield Curve

5/15/2023

While market predictions are often wrong, there is no way of knowing if the market is over or underestimating future rate changes. Numerous financial blogs and media pundits claim they magically “know” where markets are going.

However, this is precisely where the beauty of markets reveals itself. The market aggregates everyone’s opinion on where rates will go, and rather than trying to outguess, we ignore the noise and trust the information embedded in market prices.

This brings us back to answering the question of “where” to invest. Money market funds typically have short durations of around 15 days. Investing in a money market fund, you could expect that 5% return for about 15 days. A month from now, the return could be higher or lower. The yield curve suggests that the market believes rates will decrease as longer-duration bonds have lower yields. For example, AVIG, our corporate bond fund, has a duration of 6 years. Looking at the yield curve, 6-year treasuries have an expected return of 3.5%. Thus, comparing 4.5% to 3.5%, you are being compensated with about 1% extra return for taking credit risk in AVIG compared to treasuries.

Interest rate changes are like rising or receding tides that lift or lower all boats. As interest rates fluctuate, we adhere to a consistent investment strategy. We understand that the risk/return tradeoffs are linked, and we do not attempt to time interest rate movements. This is why we do not recommend shifting your fixed-income investments to money market funds. We simply don’t know how long those relatively high, short-term rates will exist. The price of the funds we buy already incorporates the odds and risks of rates going up, down, or staying flat.

Instead, we focus on your long-term investment objectives and individual risk tolerances. We create a plan that meets your needs regardless of whether interest rates are rising or falling. Ultimately, all expected future interest rate changes are already factored into market prices, and it is not worth trying to outguess them.

That does not mean there are no appropriate use cases to invest in money market funds though. For example, if you are about to buy a home, it may make sense to invest the down payment in a money market fund to earn some interest with low risk.

We are here for you to review the different investment options and find a financial plan that works for your needs, with the goal of putting the odds of financial success in your favor.