J.P. Morgan chief global strategist David Kelly. (Photo: Jim Tweedie)
There is still a long way to go before the United States has a full economic recovery and it is therefore wise for investors to be cautious, not make any bold predictions about what will happen with the economy for now, and maintain balanced portfolios, according to JPMorgan strategists.
"Technically, the recession is actually over" because there was improvement in the economy after April, but "the struggle to recover" remains, David Kelly, the firm's chief global strategist, told reporters Thursday during a third-quarter "Guide to the Markets" call. And he predicted the recovery will be a slow one.
"We have seen some positive news recently," he said, pointing to Thursday's jobs report, which showed 4.8 million jobs added in June and a drop in the unemployment rate to 11.1%.
However, that is still a huge unemployment rate and "we have to be honest and realistic about where we are," he said.
He compared the current situation to when he used to drive to New York from Massachusetts. It's only about a four-hour drive in theory, but it always takes longer, he noted. That is because you'll be "speeding along the highway, but you always know by the time you get to Bridgeport, Connecticut," you hit traffic, so you try to avoid the traffic by taking the side roads, he recalled, adding: "Eventually you do get there — it's just much slower going."
There is talk about a V-shaped recovery, he noted. But he warned: "Be very careful in how you think about that because the first part of it is a V … because a lot of companies that shut down in April were able to reopen [and] get back to business in May and June, and we're seeing that in the data," he said.
"But the rest of it, I think, we unfortunately get diversion off the side road" as the virus continues to spread, and "progress from here will be slower," he predicted.
The risk for investors is that "they buy too much into the idea of a full V-shaped recovery in the economy and don't recognize" that we are "entering the back roads of the economy and they're slower and they're bumpier," he said. "You need to position a portfolio … recognizing we're eventually going to get there — we will eventually have a vaccine and we'll get past all this — but do recognize there's also going to be a slower going from here."
