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Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I am Vishy Tirupator, Morgustani's Chief Fixed Income Strategist. Today I'll be discussing the policy changes that we have the highest conviction in terms of their market impact. It's Wednesday, December 18th at 10am in New York. As our regular readers are aware, Morgan Stalini strategists and economists around the globe came together to formulate our outlook for 2025 across the wide range of markets and economies Cover A key aspect of this year's outlook is the potential for policy changes ahead. From the incoming administration, the substance, severity and sequencing of policies will matter and will have an important bearing on how markets perform over the course of 2025. We would put the potential range of policy changes into four broad categories tariffs and trade policy, immigration controls, tax cuts and fiscal policy, and finally, deregulation. In terms of sequencing, our central case is for tariffs to go first and tax cuts to be last. As our public policy team sees it, the incoming administration will see fast announcements but a slow implementation of policy, especially in terms of tariffs and immigration. Slower implementation will mean that the changes will also be slow and the impacts on the economy and markets likely to be a lot more gradual. That said, it is in the area of deregulation that we expect to see the highest impact on markets, even though precise measurement of these impacts in terms of macroeconomic indicators such as growth and inflation is hard to come through. So with deregulation we expect an environment in support of bank activity. As our bank equity analysts have noted, banks in their coverage area currently are sitting on record levels of excess capital, $177 billion of excess capital and a weighted average CET1 ratio of 12.8%, which is 140 basis points higher than pre Covid levels of 11.4%. If Basel III endgame is reproposed in a more capital neutral MANNER, we expect U.S. banks will begin deploying their excess capital into lending, supporting clients in trading and underwriting, increasing their securities purchases, as well as increasing buybacks and dividends. Changes to the existing baseline endgame proposal will also make US Banks more competitive globally. We also believe all global banks with significant capital markets businesses will benefit from the return of the ma, another byproduct of Basel III endgame being reproposed in a capital neutral way pertains to what banks do in their securities portfolios. In the last few years, in the anticipation of higher capital requirements, US Banks have not been very active in deploying their capital in securities purchases, particularly Asian CMBS and CLOaaS with the deregulation focus we expect that banks will revert to buying the assets that they have stayed away from in particular agency MBS and CLO aaas. The return of bank demand for CLO AAAS will have a bearing on the underlying broadly syndicated loan market and even more broadly on credit formation and sponsor activity which will be supportive of a stronger return of M and A that our credit strategists have been expecting. So in fixed income if you pardon the pun, we are really banking on the impact of deregulation which supports our view on the range of relative value opportunities in spread products, especially in securitized products. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy the show, leave us a review wherever you listen and share thoughts on the market with a friend or colleague today.
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The proceeding content is informational only and based on information available when created. It is not an offer or solicitation nor is it tax or legal advice. It does not consider your financial circumstances and objectives and may not be suitable for.
Thoughts on the Market: Banking on Deregulation
Hosted by Morgan Stanley
Episode Release Date: December 18, 2024
In the December 18, 2024 episode of Thoughts on the Market, Morgan Stanley’s Chief Fixed Income Strategist, Vishy Tirupator, delves into the anticipated policy changes and their potential impacts on the financial markets in 2025. The discussion centers around four primary categories of policy shifts, with a particular emphasis on deregulation and its profound implications for the banking sector.
Vishy Tirupator opens the conversation by outlining Morgan Stanley's comprehensive outlook for 2025, developed collaboratively by strategists and economists globally. The focus is on identifying policy changes that the team is highly confident will influence market performance.
“[...] the substance, severity, and sequencing of policies will matter and will have an important bearing on how markets perform over the course of 2025.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
The episode categorizes potential policy changes into four broad areas:
Tirupator emphasizes that the incoming administration is expected to prioritize tariffs, with tax cuts slated as the final area of focus.
“Our central case is for tariffs to go first and tax cuts to be last.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
The discussion highlights that while policy announcements may occur rapidly, their implementation will likely be gradual. This slow rollout is particularly expected in areas such as tariffs and immigration controls, leading to a more measured impact on the economy and financial markets.
“Slower implementation will mean that the changes will also be slow and the impacts on the economy and markets likely to be a lot more gradual.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
Deregulation emerges as the most impactful policy area for the markets. While quantifying its effects on macroeconomic indicators like growth and inflation remains challenging, deregulation is poised to create a favorable environment for banking activities.
Tirupator details that U.S. banks currently hold record levels of excess capital—$177 billion—with a weighted average Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of 12.8%, significantly higher than the pre-COVID level of 11.4%.
“Banks in their coverage area currently are sitting on record levels of excess capital, $177 billion of excess capital and a weighted average CET1 ratio of 12.8%, which is 140 basis points higher than pre-Covid levels of 11.4%.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
The potential reproposal of the Basel III endgame in a capital-neutral manner is anticipated to prompt U.S. banks to deploy their excess capital more aggressively. This deployment is expected to manifest in increased lending, trading support, underwriting activities, securities purchases, as well as buybacks and dividends.
“If Basel III endgame is reproposed in a more capital neutral manner, we expect U.S. banks will begin deploying their excess capital into lending, supporting clients in trading and underwriting, increasing their securities purchases, as well as increasing buybacks and dividends.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
Adjustments to Basel III are also forecasted to enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. banks. Additionally, global banks with significant capital markets operations stand to benefit from the reproposal, fostering a more level playing field internationally.
In response to anticipated deregulation, banks are expected to reinvest in securities they had previously avoided due to higher capital requirements. Specifically, there is an anticipated resurgence in agency Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) and Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLO) Asset-Backed Securities (CLOaaS).
“With the deregulation focus we expect that banks will revert to buying the assets that they have stayed away from in particular agency MBS and CLO aaas.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
The renewed demand for CLOaaS is projected to positively influence the broadly syndicated loan market, credit formation, and sponsor activity, thereby supporting a stronger resurgence in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities.
The anticipated shift in bank behavior is expected to have ripple effects across various segments of the financial markets. Increased securities purchases and capital deployment by banks will likely bolster credit markets and facilitate greater M&A activities, aligning with the forecasts of Morgan Stanley’s credit strategists.
From a fixed income standpoint, the deregulation-driven environment presents a wealth of relative value opportunities, particularly within spread products and securitized instruments. Morgan Stanley views this as a strategic area for investment and portfolio enhancement in the coming year.
“In fixed income if you pardon the pun, we are really banking on the impact of deregulation which supports our view on the range of relative value opportunities in spread products, especially in securitized products.”
— Vishy Tirupator [00:00]
The episode concludes with Tirupator reiterating the significant role deregulation is expected to play in shaping the financial landscape in 2025. By proactively addressing the impacts of policy changes, particularly in the banking sector, Morgan Stanley aims to leverage emerging opportunities and navigate the evolving market dynamics effectively.
Disclaimer: The proceeding content is informational only and based on information available when created. It is not an offer or solicitation nor is it tax or legal advice. It does not consider your financial circumstances and objectives and may not be suitable for everyone.