The stakes are high for growth stocks as FOMC looms

The stakes are high for growth stocks as FOMC looms

Equities 6 minutes to read
Peter Garnry

Chief Investment Strategist

Summary:  Underneath the major equity indices a bloodbath has taken place in bubble and e-commerce stocks with our bubble stocks basket down 43% from the peak in February. However, with inflation pressures more persistent and an US administration eager to ease the pain of inflation for voters, the FOMC is likely to double tapering and signaling a rate hike as early as March next year. Growth stocks have already to some extent discounted this but depending on nuances in tonight's FOMC statement the selloff in Nasdaq 100 and more generally growth stocks could continue.


Significant shift in investor appetite for growth stocks

The past month has seen a big shift in the underlying structure of the equity market which is not clear if you just watch the main equity indices such as S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100. Powell (Fed Chair) and Brainard (Fed Vice Chair) are clearly on a mission, and likely dictated by the US administration, to bring down inflation as it has proved more deep-rooted than the Fed’s models initially were indicating. The change in tone and intention have wrecked growth pockets in the equity market with our Bubble Stocks and E-commerce baskets down 11.5% and 10% respectively, and with other baskets across the green transformation and next-generation medicine themes just behind. On the flipside investors have bid up the commodity sector, defense, and logistics stocks in a sign that investors are betting that the physical world will continue its revenge against the online world into 2022.

Will the bloodbath in bubble stocks continue?

A hawkish FOMC could extend the already massive drawdown among bubble stocks that has reached -43% as of yesterday. Technically bubble stocks could correct 11% from current levels on a hawkish FOMC before finding support; there is growth after all regardless of interest rates and inflation in this pocket of the equity market. But to get an idea of the equity duration (interest rate sensitivity) read my Twitter thread from yesterday on Pinterest. Here we provide an idea of the interest rate sensitivity for such a growth stock with our cash flow model showing that a 100 basis point upward move in the US 10-year yield would mean a drop of 18% in market value for Pinterest. This an interest rate sensitivity that is more than twice that of the US 10-year bond itself and this is even for a profitable growth company. Non-profitable growth companies such as our bubble stocks have likely an equity duration around 25-30.

What can we expect tonight at the FOMC? Consensus is looking for a doubling in the pace of tapering which puts the Fed in a position to hike the rate in March and then most likely two times more hiking rates three times next year. This is the consensus, but the nuances and interpretations will also lie in the dot plot which will highlight whether FOMC members have become more hawkish looking a bit further out than 2022. The US labour market is tight and wage pressures warrant the FOMC to tighten monetary policy.

For an immediate interpretation tonight of the FOMC statement watch the US 2-year T-Note futures Mar 2022 (Saxo ticker is ZTH2). For those clients that do not have futures enabled on the trading platform can watch a delayed price on this CME website. The most sensitive reaction in equities will happen in Nasdaq 100 futures Dec 2021 (Saxo ticker is MNQZ1) as this index represents the most interest rate sensitive equity index or the major indices.

Source: CME Group
Source: Saxo Group

The tables below shows the composition of our bubble stocks and e-commerce baskets, so for investors with a large exposure to these stocks the risks are extra high going into tonight’s FOMC meeting.

Bubble stocks basket

NameMkt Cap (USD mn.)12M Fwd EPS12M Fwd EV/SalesDiff to PT (%)5yr return (%)YTD return (%)
Kuaishou Technology213,499-0.8516.261.0NANA
Sea Ltd140,384-1.2617.382.4NA12.9
Airbnb Inc130,635-1.3128.115.9NA14.4
NIO Inc94,795-1.5918.084.1NA-33.7
Snowflake Inc84,570-0.8771.513.2NA24.6
DoorDash Inc67,743-0.1917.649.4NA9.6
Roku Inc59,111-0.2623.167.8NA-33.3
Bilibili Inc51,601-4.7618.299.3NA-38.2
Teladoc Health Inc41,124-0.3020.376.5447.0-53.9
XPeng Inc37,228-2.4115.042.2NA3.8
Affirm Holdings Inc34,499-0.8939.754.4NANA
BeiGene Ltd34,490-9.7835.851.2840.37.8
Unity Software Inc34,299-0.3532.724.6NA-8.8
Plug Power Inc32,156-0.1868.161.62,214.4-9.9
Seagen Inc31,016-0.1115.931.9130.7-17.5
Cloudflare Inc28,050-0.0846.164.2NA73.7
Splunk Inc27,486-0.2110.852.597.3-35.6
MongoDB Inc25,201-0.9834.115.9NA33.3
Exact Sciences Corp24,752-1.1413.368.9434.1-42.2
Gaotu Techedu Inc24,455-3.3411.8NANANA
Farfetch Ltd23,465-0.6610.370.7NA-53.5
DraftKings Inc23,186-1.1626.5117.5NA-40.3
GDS Holdings Ltd20,998-0.1518.672.9387.2-50.2
10X Genomics Inc20,458-0.3238.946.7NA-3.7
Argenx SE19,397-10.72105.220.01,683.29.8
Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc19,214-4.7721.010.2318.442.9
Ping An Healthcare and Technology Co Ltd18,942-0.9111.684.9NA-68.5
Innovent Biologics Inc18,305-0.6124.067.9NA-31.0
Guardant Health Inc16,826-1.5040.575.6NA-29.0
Zai Lab Ltd15,781-2.5287.5171.6NA-53.9
Kingsoft Cloud Holdings Ltd15,710-2.569.6135.7NA-64.5
Yatsen Holding Ltd15,665-1.1710.771.2NA-88.7
Oak Street Health Inc15,461-0.4611.169.5NA-46.7
C3.ai Inc15,370-0.7969.673.2NA-77.5
Bill.com Holdings Inc15,319-0.1957.453.0NA76.7
Canopy Growth Corp15,279-0.9024.238.617.0-62.5
Appian Corp15,229-0.4043.358.4NA-58.7
Avalara Inc14,770-0.1621.349.3NA-14.2
Elastic NV14,429-0.4420.654.0NA-22.1
Wolfspeed Inc14,240-0.5921.3NANANA
Aggregate / median1,565,14121.361.3410.6-30.0

E-commerce basket

NameRegion (*)Market Cap (USD mn.)Sales growth (%)EBITDA growth (%)Diff to PT (%)
Amazon.com IncGlobal1,668,07337.632.922.1
Alibaba Group Holding LtdChina713,10435.348.123.0
MeituanChina304,56049.5#N/A-3.7
Pinduoduo IncChina237,647129.723.3-9.3
Shopify IncGlobal149,77547.0-37.4-1.9
JD.com IncChina149,44824.9518.912.8
Sea LtdSoutheast Asia124,491163.121.1-10.9
MercadoLibre IncBrazil93,10859.5-112.4-4.0
Carvana CoUnited States45,593101.5-6.5-2.3
Chewy IncUnited States42,79637.228.8-2.2
eBay IncGlobal40,009-4.93.215.2
Delivery Hero SEMENA32,81186.1-201.56.5
Zalando SEEurope29,90820.375.3-6.1
Ocado Group PLCUnited Kingdom28,7839.9-20.1-29.3
Wayfair IncUnited States28,34034.6-76.00.8
Etsy IncUnited States26,48835.640.1-2.3
Farfetch LtdGlobal22,77269.5-83.2-11.7
Vipshop Holdings LtdChina21,87110.084.6-13.1
Just Eat Takeaway.com NVEurope16,43779.0-55.133.3
HelloFresh SEEurope15,60741.4#N/A-4.2
Rakuten IncJapan14,79714.7-30.615.7
Ozon Holdings PLCRussia11,04961.5-197.40.7
Dada Nexus LtdChina10,76961.39.75.2
ZOZO IncJapan10,1976.09.8-4.6
THG PLCGlobal9,80824.5-1.620.5
Fiverr International LtdUnited States8,51741.88.9-7.0
Stitch Fix IncGlobal8,0908.5#N/A-32.3
Mercari IncJapan7,96547.6-59.43.5
ANGI Homeservices IncUnited States7,56710.7-41.3-4.3
Grubhub IncGlobal6,93738.7#N/A-10.4
ASOS PLCUnited Kingdom6,78119.4147.115.9
boohoo Group PLCUnited Kingdom6,02844.159.232.3
Jumia Technologies AGAfrica5,71524.3-31.3-49.0
Qurate Retail IncGlobal5,225-4.3-55.71.4
Shop Apotheke Europe NVGermany4,80429.9-19.4-12.6
LivePerson IncUnited States4,54816.7-716.77.9
Stamps.com IncUnited States4,319-2.6-42.259.4
Baozun IncChina3,48335.058.13.8
BHG Group ABSweden2,20944.493.317.4
Boozt ABNordic1,38923.068.96.0
Aggregate / mean3,931,81640.3-12.72.1
Source: Bloomberg and Saxo Group
* Region is the main geographical revenue segment and global if geographical segments are almost equal

The 5-year chart below on Nasdaq 100 futures is for compliance reasons.

Source: Saxo Group

Quarterly Outlook

01 /

  • Fixed Income Outlook: Bonds Hit Reset. A New Equilibrium Emerges

    Quarterly Outlook

    Fixed Income Outlook: Bonds Hit Reset. A New Equilibrium Emerges

    Althea Spinozzi

    Head of Fixed Income Strategy

  • Equity Outlook: Will lower rates lift all boats in equities?

    Quarterly Outlook

    Equity Outlook: Will lower rates lift all boats in equities?

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    After a period of historically high equity index concentration driven by the 'Magnificent Seven' sto...
  • FX Outlook: USD in limbo amid political and policy jitters

    Quarterly Outlook

    FX Outlook: USD in limbo amid political and policy jitters

    Charu Chanana

    Chief Investment Strategist

    As we enter the final quarter of 2024, currency markets are set for heightened turbulence due to US ...
  • Macro Outlook: The US rate cut cycle has begun

    Quarterly Outlook

    Macro Outlook: The US rate cut cycle has begun

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    The Fed started the US rate cut cycle in Q3 and in this macro outlook we will explore how the rate c...
  • Commodity Outlook: Gold and silver continue to shine bright

    Quarterly Outlook

    Commodity Outlook: Gold and silver continue to shine bright

    Ole Hansen

    Head of Commodity Strategy

  • FX: Risk-on currencies to surge against havens

    Quarterly Outlook

    FX: Risk-on currencies to surge against havens

    Charu Chanana

    Chief Investment Strategist

    Explore the outlook for USD, AUD, NZD, and EM carry trades as risk-on currencies are set to outperfo...
  • Equities: Are we blowing bubbles again

    Quarterly Outlook

    Equities: Are we blowing bubbles again

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    Explore key trends and opportunities in European equities and electrification theme as market dynami...
  • Macro: Sandcastle economics

    Quarterly Outlook

    Macro: Sandcastle economics

    Peter Garnry

    Chief Investment Strategist

    Explore the "two-lane economy," European equities, energy commodities, and the impact of US fiscal p...
  • Bonds: What to do until inflation stabilises

    Quarterly Outlook

    Bonds: What to do until inflation stabilises

    Althea Spinozzi

    Head of Fixed Income Strategy

    Discover strategies for managing bonds as US and European yields remain rangebound due to uncertain ...
  • Commodities: Energy and grains in focus as metals pause

    Quarterly Outlook

    Commodities: Energy and grains in focus as metals pause

    Ole Hansen

    Head of Commodity Strategy

    Energy and grains to shine as metals pause. Discover key trends and market drivers for commodities i...
Disclaimer

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Limited prepares and distributes information/research produced within the Saxo Bank Group for informational purposes only. In addition to the disclaimer below, if any general advice is provided, such advice does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider the appropriateness of trading any financial instrument as trading can result in losses that exceed your initial investment. Please refer to our Analysis Disclaimer, and our Financial Services Guide and Product Disclosure Statement. All legal documentation and disclaimers can be found at https://www.home.saxo/en-au/legal/.

The Saxo Bank Group entities each provide execution-only service. Access and use of Saxo News & Research and any Saxo Bank Group website are subject to (i) the Terms of Use; (ii) the full Disclaimer; and (iii) the Risk Warning in addition (where relevant) to the terms governing the use of the website of a member of the Saxo Bank Group.

Saxo News & Research is provided for informational purposes, does not contain (and should not be construed as containing) financial, investment, tax or trading advice or advice of any sort offered, recommended or endorsed by Saxo Bank Group and should not be construed as a record of our trading prices, or as an offer, incentive or solicitation for the subscription, sale or purchase in any financial instrument. No representation or warranty is given as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. All trading or investments you make must be pursuant to your own unprompted and informed self-directed decision. No Saxo Bank Group entity shall be liable for any losses that you may sustain as a result of any investment decision made in reliance on information on Saxo News & Research.

To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, such content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, would be considered as a marketing communication.

None of the information contained here constitutes an offer to purchase or sell a financial instrument, or to make any investments.Saxo Capital Markets does not take into account your personal investment objectives or financial situation and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the information nor for any loss arising from any investment made in reliance of this presentation. Any opinions made are subject to change and may be personal to the author. These may not necessarily reflect the opinion of Saxo Capital Markets or its affiliates.

Please read our disclaimers:
- Full Disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-au/legal/disclaimer/saxo-disclaimer)
- Analysis Disclaimer (https://www.home.saxo/en-au/legal/analysis-disclaimer/saxo-analysis-disclaimer)
- Notification on Non-Independent Investment Research (https://www.home.saxo/legal/niird/notification)

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Limited
Suite 1, Level 14, 9 Castlereagh St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Contact Saxo

Select region

Australia
Australia

The Saxo trading platform has received numerous awards and recognition. For details of these awards and information on awards visit www.home.saxo/en-au/about-us/awards

Saxo Capital Markets (Australia) Limited ABN 32 110 128 286 AFSL 280372 (‘Saxo’ or ‘Saxo Capital Markets’) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saxo Bank A/S, headquartered in Denmark. Please refer to our General Business Terms, Financial Services Guide, Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination to consider whether acquiring or continuing to hold financial products is suitable for you, prior to opening an account and investing in a financial product.

Trading in financial instruments carries various risks, and is not suitable for all investors. Please seek expert advice, and always ensure that you fully understand these risks before trading. Saxo Capital Markets does not provide ‘personal’ financial product advice, any information available on this website is ‘general’ in nature and for informational purposes only. Saxo Capital Markets does not take into account an individual’s needs, objectives or financial situation. The Target Market Determination should assist you in determining whether any of the products or services we offer are likely to be consistent with your objectives, financial situation and needs.

Apple, iPad and iPhone are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. AppStore is a service mark of Apple Inc.

The information or the products and services referred to on this website may be accessed worldwide, however is only intended for distribution to and use by recipients located in countries where such use does not constitute a violation of applicable legislation or regulations. Products and Services offered on this website is not intended for residents of the United States and Japan.

Please click here to view our full disclaimer.