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Wells Fargo Investment Institute Releases ‘2020 Outlook: A Call for Resilience’

Wells Fargo Investment Institute (WFII) today released its “2020 Outlook: A Call for Resilience,” which provides an in-depth analysis of economic and market forecasts, including commentary about the global economy, equities, fixed income, real assets, alternative investments and portfolio implementation actions.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191203005246/en/

WFII Economic and market forecasts (Graphic: Business Wire)

WFII Economic and market forecasts (Graphic: Business Wire)

“While this year was largely characterized by a tug-of-war between substantial geopolitical drags and offsetting global monetary policy easing, ironically all equity asset classes, and even several fixed income asset classes, have delivered double-digit returns, despite these concerns,” said Darrell Cronk, president of WFII and chief investment officer of Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management. “For now, we remain comfortable that the expansion can again weather this storm, even while traditional late-cycle signals abound.”

The report suggests three factors that are necessary for the global economy to stay resilient:

  1. Consumer spending must remain solid.
  2. Credit spreads (fixed income) must remain well-behaved.
  3. China-U.S. trade dispute needs to de-escalate.

“Investors can instill resilience in their portfolios during this tricky part of the economic cycle by wisely positioning exposure to risk assets,” Cronk said. “Strong performance across equities, fixed income and real assets affords investors a unique and timely opportunity to ensure that position and exposure reflect the right risk/reward.”

The outlook provides five ways investors can pivot away from higher-risk asset classes:

  1. Cash has an important place in a portfolio.
  2. Focus on quality.
  3. Go beyond traditional fixed income for yield.
  4. Defense can be a good offense.
  5. Focus on longer-term diversification, as shorter periods are likely to be volatile.

In addition, WFII’s focus themes for 2020 are Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Investing and a recurring series guide to the 2020 Elections.

Download “2020 Outlook: A Call for Resilience” and watch a video with strategists discussing what they think the biggest investment news stories will be in 2020.

Join the WFII 2020 Outlook webcast and conference call on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at 4 p.m. Eastern time. The number is 855-458-0619.

About the Wells Fargo Investment Institute

Wells Fargo Investment Institute is a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., a bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company, providing investment research, strategy, manager research and thought leadership within the Wealth and Investment Management division, with the goal of supplying world-class advice to the company’s financial and wealth advisers.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.9 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,500 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 32 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 261,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 29 on Fortune’s 2019 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

Risks

All investing involves risks including the possible loss of principal.

Diversification cannot eliminate the risk of fluctuating prices and uncertain returns.

Stocks may fluctuate in response to general economic and market conditions, the prospects of individual companies, and industry sectors. Bonds are subject to interest rate, credit/default, liquidity, inflation and other risks. Prices tend to be inversely affected by changes in interest rates. Real assets are subject to the risks associated with real estate, commodities and other investments and may not be suitable for all investors.

Alternative investments carry specific investor qualifications which can include high income and net-worth requirements as well as relatively high investment minimums. They are complex investment vehicles which generally have high costs and substantial risks. The high expenses often associated with these investments must be offset by trading profits and other income. They tend to be more volatile than other types of investments and present an increased risk of investment loss. There may also be a lack of transparency as to the underlying assets. Other risks may apply as well, depending on the specific investment product.

Sustainable investing focuses on companies that demonstrate adherence to environmental, social and corporate governance principles, among other values. There is no assurance that social impact investing can be an effective strategy under all market conditions. Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor.

General Disclosures

Wells Fargo Investment Institute, Inc. (WFII) is a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., a bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

Opinions represent WFII’s opinion as of the date of this release and are for general information purposes only and are not intended to predict or guarantee the future performance of any individual security, market sector or the markets generally. WFII does not undertake to advise you of any change in its opinions or the information contained in this release. Wells Fargo & Company affiliates may issue reports or have opinions that are inconsistent with, and reach different conclusions from, this report.

The information contained herein constitutes general information and is not directed to, designed for, or individually tailored to, any particular investor or potential investor. This report is not intended to be a client-specific suitability analysis or recommendation, an offer to participate in any investment, or a recommendation to buy, hold or sell securities. Do not use this report as the sole basis for investment decisions. Do not select an asset class or investment product based on performance alone. Consider all relevant information, including your existing portfolio, investment objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity needs and investment time horizon.

Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management, a division within the Wells Fargo & Company enterprise, provides financial products and services through bank and brokerage affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company. Brokerage products and services offered through Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, a registered broker-dealer and non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. Bank products are offered through Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Contacts:

Media
Allison Chin-Leong, 212-214-6674
Allison.Chin-leong@wellsfargo.com

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