Goldman Sachs’ Take on Uncertain Stock Market: Get Defensive

According to CNBC, Goldman Sachs (GS) analyst David Kostin released a research note on December 14, in which he said, “Investors should increase their defensiveness given our forecast for heightened risk and fat tails.” The bank’s conviction for the markets next year is mixed and the firm advises clients to protect themselves by owning “high quality” stocks. GS also believes that a lot of the movements in the markets in 2019 will depend on investor perception of the longevity of the current economic expansion. To be in a late cycle of economic expansion typically means growth slowing down and margins contracting, accompanied by higher inflation (TIP) and volatility (VIX).