The next French President - Emmanuel Macron - Euro political risks subside

Written by Richard Watt - Fidelity Investments

 

Political risks subside 

Perceived political risks in Europe have detracted from European equity performance over the past year, with around US$100bn flowing out of European markets in 2016. With the election of Emmanuel Macron as the next French President, much of that risk has been reduced and investors may now focus on the performance of European companies.
 

Here we look at the key benefits that the Macron win may bring to the European economy and its equity markets.

 

Pro-reform, pro-integration 

Macron is a reformist and pro-European. He is in favour of greater integration in Europe, the strengthening of European institutions and a common Eurozone budget that would protect from future economic shocks. He has campaigned on reforms of the labour market in France, reforms of the tax system and tax cuts, and raising the retirement age, which is currently one of the lowest in Europe. 

 

Along with this, he plans to invest EUR50bn into the French economy. This would be funded by reducing the size of the French state - by far the largest of any European country.

 

All of this would be hugely beneficial to what is a relatively uncompetitive French economy, and to the future strength and stability of the Eurozone.

 

Political risks diminishing 

Sentiment towards Europe has been particularly strong since the first round of voting in France two weeks ago, seeing European and French markets up 7-8%. With either the upcoming UK or German elections representing an existential risk to Europe, much of the political risk is behind us. Investors will likely focus on corporate fundamentals and earnings. 

 

Earnings turn

Since the financial crisis, while US companies have seen margins and earnings recover, European earnings are still below their peak. The underperformance of European stocks relative to US stocks has been exclusively driven by the lack of earnings delivery of European companies. 

European earnings revisions turning positive 

Source: Fidelity, Datastream, Morgan Stanley , data as of 6 Apr 2017. N12M ERR (%) = 12-month earnings revision ratio. 3MA = 3-month moving average.

What we are now seeing is a strong recovery in European stocks, with earnings starting to come through. Margins are recovering and the most recent earnings season in Europe has been the strongest in more than 10 years. 

Particularly compelling for European equities is their valuation. As they have been out of favour for much of last year they are trading at a multi-year discount relative to the US on a price-to-book basis. And today, record high numbers of European companies have a dividend yield that exceeds their bond yield.

European P/B vs US P/B

Source: Datastream, GS Research, data as of 31 March 2017. 

Percentage of stocks with dividend yield > bond yield

Source: Datastream, Goldman Sachs Global ECS Research, December 2016. Stoxx Europe 600.  

Conclusion

Europe has been significantly out of favour for some time due to political risk. The French result today puts much of this behind us and European equities are looking attractive compared to the US and other markets and asset classes. We are now starting to see companies deliver strongly on earnings, removing another key detractor from investor sentiment. 

 

This document is issued by FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009, AFSL No. 409340 (“Fidelity Australia”).  Fidelity Australia is a member of the FIL Limited group of companies commonly known as Fidelity International.

Investments in overseas markets can be affected by currency exchange and this may affect the value of your investment. Investments in small and emerging markets can be more volatile than investments in developed markets. 

This document is intended for use by advisers and wholesale investors. Retail investors should not rely on any information in this document without first seeking advice from their financial adviser.  You should consider these matters before acting on the information.  You should also consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statements (“PDS”) for any Fidelity Australia product mentioned in this document before making any decision about whether to acquire the product. The PDS can be obtained by contacting Fidelity Australia on 1800 119 270 or by downloading it from our website at www.fidelity.com.au. This document may include general commentary on market activity, sector trends or other broad-based economic or political conditions that should not be taken as investment advice. Information stated herein about specific securities is subject to change. Any reference to specific securities should not be taken as a recommendation to buy, sell or hold these securities. While the information contained in this document has been prepared with reasonable care, no responsibility or liability is accepted for any errors or omissions or misstatements however caused. This document is intended as general information only. The document may not be reproduced or transmitted without prior written permission of Fidelity Australia. The issuer of Fidelity’s managed investment schemes is FIL Responsible Entity (Australia) Limited ABN 33 148 059 009. Reference to ($) are in Australian dollars unless stated otherwise.