A Framework for Setting Goals in 2025

Trading goods has been around for millennia - with early written documentation beginning with the silk road to the industrial and now digital revolution - the exchange of goods has led to an interconnected world where products and services change hands between cultures and countries. Globalization (the exchange of goods) started to play a central role in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP): a measure of the total value added from the production of goods and services in a country or region each year with exports accounting for approximately 13% of world GDP in 1970 and near 30% in 2023, according to the World Bank.  Tariffs have been one of the major headlines as Donald Trump entered the Oval Office for his second term as President. To prime the discussion and apply it to current events, it seems judicious to take a moment and look back at the role tariffs have played in policy for the United States. Tariffs are essentially a tax on goods and/or services imported to the United States paid for by the business importing the goods and typically passed onto the consumer in the form of an increase in price of that good. An increase in tariff rates is meant to discourage trade as it makes goods more expensive to buy from other countries compared to buying domestic goods to which the tariff does not apply. Major economies, 23 countries in total, entered the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1947 to lower tariff rates and other trade barriers to encourage trade. This is perhaps what makes President Trump’s stance to raise tariffs more controversial. A look back in U.S. history will show that tariffs were the government’s primary revenue source prior to 1913, when the 16th Amendment introduced the federal income tax. Today, tariff revenues make up less than 2% of the $4.9 trillion in total tax revenue for 2024, with the majority coming from individual and corporate income tax. Given that tariffs are no longer a major element of domestic tax policy, what role do tariffs play in broader economic and policy goals? The implementation of tariffs are now primarily used as a tool to protect and regulate trade practices that could injure domestic industry, advance foreign policy goals or as negotiating leverage in trade negotiations, according to a paper titled: “U.S. Tariff Policy: Overview” by the Congressional Research Service. For policy, the potential benefits are clear. Economically, the benefits are less clear. Retaliatory tariffs, rising costs, and supply chain disruptions all bring into question whether tariffs will result in the desired outcome of benefitting the U.S. consumer.

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This week, CEO Eric Boyce, CFA discusses: 1. earnings estimates have come down, but are still growing for the S&P 500, but not for the Russell 2000 2. valuations have come down appreciably for the S&P 500, and the good news is that it's coming from price/earnigns multipl contraxtion and not earnings 3. gold catches a bid, and there's a strong bet that interest rates will come down based on interest in 3-month SOFR futures 4. both individual and institutional investors more cautious amidst the change in leadership within the market (Mag 7 goes on sale) 5. foreign ownership of US investments has picked up, providing both a benefit and potential risk 6. FOMC more concerned with unemployment and inflation, but do not expect recession despite some estimates for negative growth during 1Q 2025 7. Regional Fed surveys highlight caution; trade figures highlight front running of imports ahead of tariffs 8. corporate profits remain high; pending home sales plunge

This week, CEO Eric Boyce, CFA discusses: 1. volatility increases within the market, market sector shifts, market concentration dynamics 2. with higher volatility from trade, etc. policy, markets can actually exhibit better risk-adjusted returns; consumer inflation from tariffs may promote higher profit margins 3. power of long term compounding - EVEN IF price/earnings multiples contract from here 4. international valuations improving relative to S&P500 5. stabilization perhaps in office RE market 6. individual investors very apprehensive about market, think business conditions, employment & income trends worsening. 7. small business outlooks more guarded, higher prices paid showing up in the data 8. housing supply improving, but prices are rising faster than inflation

This week, CEO Eric Boyce, CFA discusses: 1. data has been mixed as of late, reflecting some anxiety, uncertainty and conservatism on the part of both business and consumers 2. economic growth softening, although recession calls remain mild. Eyes wide open, however... 3. other data, including the ISM Services PMI, remain solidly in expansion territory 4. Fed may bein a tough spot on near term rate cuts, given the sustainability of announced tariffs. Desire to cut in anticipation of slower growth may be pre-empted by near term effect of tariffs, to the extent they are sustained... 5. generational look at income, economic power, retirement assets 6. equity market trends, including recent test of 200 day moving average and moderation in earnings estimates 7. volatility up, international return expectations higher than US large growth

This week, CEO Eric Boyce, CFA discusses: 1. expectations for growth and inflation both increasing for 2025 2. earnings transcripts show increase mention of inflation, tariffs - but also productivity gains from AI 3. labor market really appears stable at this point - firms are downplaying both hiring and layoffs (except in DC) 4. consumer sentiment remains ok, but may change. 50% of consumer spending comes from top 10% earners who have $1.3T in excess savings 5. peak impact of tariffs and DOGE likely 4Q - -0.5% to growth and +0.2% to inflation 6. regional Fed surveys reflect somewhat muted conditions with new exports expected to decline and uncertainty on the rise 7. S&P 500 and 10 year treasury yield positively correlated for the first time in a few months; 3m-10y yield curve back to inverted 8. growth v. value; international equity has weaker growth vs US, but much better valuations 9. bearish sentiment spikes at the individual investor level 10. graph on expected military spending by Europe next few years in the wake of the failed Trump/Zelenskyy meeting this past week

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Dear Clients and Friends,