Abby Joseph: US markets have no margin for error

Much of the markets' recent strength is down to the US Federal Reserve using monetary policy to backstop the equity market, says Abby Joseph Cohen, senior investment strategist at Goldman Sachs.

Abby Joseph Cohen © Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Yahoo
(Image credit: © Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Yahoo)

“There is no margin for error in either equities or fixed income” after the surprising resilience of the US market this year, Abby Joseph Cohen, the long-serving strategist at Goldman Sachs, tells Barron’s.

Cohen has been known for consistent bullishness on stocks during most of her four-decade career at the investment bank, but sounds more cautious today. Much of the recent strength is simply due to the Federal Reserve “using monetary policy … to backstop the equity market”, she suggests. Investors are willing to look past a difficult year in the hope of better times by the end of 2021, but “valuation models suggest that the good news is already priced into the S&P500”.

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