10K Words - April 2022
Apparently, Confucius did not say “One Picture is Worth Ten Thousand Words” after all. It was an advertisement in a 1920s trade journal for the use of images in advertisements on the sides of streetcars. Even without the credibility of Confucius behind it, we think this saying has merit. Each month we share a few charts or images we consider noteworthy.
Online sales volumes have retreated in absolute numbers and as a share of total sales as the charts from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the US Census Bureau show. US government bonds are on track to deliver their worst annual loss, Compound Capital Advisors highlights. Bank of America links the preceeding surge in central bank liquidity with the value of "Big Tech" stocks. A correlation between inflation worries and the relative valuation of small caps is charted by BCA Research. Quantitative Value co-author Tobias Carlisle shows that "unexcellent" stocks have outperformed "excellent" stocks over time. We return to BofA to look at how hedge funds and fund managers have become reluctant to take on risk. And, finally, "The Plateau of Latent Potential" is a chart from the book Atomic Habits that spoke to us.
Online retail sales in Australia (monthly to February 2022)
Source: ABS
Online retail sales in the US (quarterly) as a % of total sales
Source: US Census Bureau
Bloomberg Barclays Aggregate Bond Index, Total Return (1977-2022)
Source: Compound, @CharlieBilello
Central bank liquidity and the market cap of “Big Tech”
Source: Bank of America
Business Inflation Worries & US Small Cap Valuation Indicator
Source: BCA, @Scutty
Comparison of "Unexcellent" and "Excellent" Stock Portfolios
Hedge Fund Equity Exposure
Source: Bank of America
Net % of Fund Managers taking higher than normal risk
Source: Bank of America
The Plateau of Latent Potential
Source: @JamesClear, Atomic Habits via @SvnCapital