Barclays continues to favor Growth over Value in US

Investing.com -- Barclays (LON:BARC ) strategists said Wednesday they continue to prefer Growth stocks over Value in the US equity market, citing strong fundamentals and the dominance of big technology companies.

The investment bank stresses that Growth stocks still present an attractive valuation compared to the broader benchmark, while easing rates have nullified the tailwind from US Value, “which is now our worst-performing factor in the US,” strategists note.

Barclays points out that the current economic climate differs significantly from the post-election period in 2016, with inflation and interest rates higher than they were back then. These factors, along with not-so-distant Treasury yield levels that could challenge equities, set a complex stage for Growth stocks.

However, Barclays believes that the earnings upside in technology could bolster Growth stocks, which are still seen as “modestly cheap” in historical terms.

While unified Republican control in the US has traditionally benefited both Value and Growth sectors, changes in fiscal policy, tariffs, tax cuts, and deregulation might not significantly affect the relative performance of Value over Growth stocks.

In contrast to its US outlook, Barclays maintains a positive view on Value stocks in Europe, attributing this to their low valuation, cyclicality, and performance in reflationary macro environments. The firm holds a neutral position on Growth stocks in the European market.

Moreover, it reiterated neutrality on Momentum and Quality stocks in both the US and European markets.

“Trend-following did well in both regions in the weeks following the US Presidential election, but has suffered a recent reversal. We downgraded Momentum to Neutral in both regions last month and maintain that stance,” strategists led by Venu Krishna said.

They also voiced a preference for large-cap stocks in the US and small-cap stocks in Europe, and remain neutral on high-volatility stocks in the US and a negative view on defensive low-volatility stocks in Europe.

Source: Investing.com