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Buyers’ publicity to the S&P 500 is the best since mid-2023, Citi strategists mentioned.
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They mentioned that degree of publicity at the moment was adopted by a ten% slide within the following months.
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“The positioning dangers do rise when markets get prolonged like this,” they mentioned.
The market is flashing warning indicators of a potential inventory droop as S&P 500 publicity rises, Citi says.
The strategists mentioned S&P 500 lengthy positions are actually at their highest degree since mid-2023. At the moment, that degree of publicity to the benchmark index was adopted by a slide of over 10% within the subsequent three months.
“We’re not suggesting buyers ought to begin to cut back publicity, however the positioning dangers do rise when markets get prolonged like this,” the strategists, led by Chris Montagu, mentioned in a Monday observe.
The uptick in S&P 500 positioning comes because the index has risen virtually 23% this yr.
The analysts attribute that bullishness to hopes for a mushy touchdown for the financial system, plus a constructive wave of third-quarter earnings to this point.
“Bullish momentum continues for US markets, however notably so for the broader S&P 500. This evidenced by the continuation of recent longs and, to a lesser extent, the protecting of shorts,” the analysts mentioned.
“The continued ‘mushy touchdown’ narrative mixed with a (to this point) stable reporting season has little doubt supported this momentum regardless of the uncertainty of the US election subsequent month,” they added.
The analysts acknowledge that in comparison with the excessive positioning ranges of mid-2023, the present ranges buyers aren’t as stretched as they have been again then, with much less in danger in comparison with the final time S&P 500 publicity had risen as excessive.
“Present P&L, whereas constructive, is under no circumstances stretched, suggesting much less capital in danger and subsequently much less motivation to cowl if markets pull-back,” they mentioned.
The analysts add that as S&P 500 positioning has risen, positioning within the Nasdaq stays comparably low.
“S&P positioning has grow to be much more stretched and has now topped 3-year highs. Investor conviction for the Nasdaq continues to be low with web positioning at impartial. A standard characteristic for each markets is that 100% of the quick positions are out of the cash, offering potential short-term upside threat if markets proceed to float larger and shorters must cowl,” they mentioned.
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