The U.S. stock market's retreat from all-time highs set late last month is giving investors parked in cash an opening to buy in, according to Sinead Colton Grant, chief investment officer of BNY Mellon's wealth management arm.
The three-week slump in the S&P 500 Index is a healthy consolidation by traders after it soared 10% in the first quarter, its best start to a year since 2019, on top of a 24% gain in 2023, she said.
From here, Colton Grant expects the rally to not only resume but broaden based on strong earnings growth and continuing economic momentum, potentially pushing the S&P 500 beyond the higher end of her 5,000-5,400 target range before 2024 closes out.
"History has so many examples in which investors waited to find the absolute low and they missed their moment, so if you have capital to deploy, this is a good point to start adding exposure," she said in an interview. "It's a fascinating market, and the worst thing for investors is to be completely in cash."
BNY Mellon Wealth Management is overweight U.S. large-cap stocks, preferring them to international and emerging-market equities.
While American shares trade at higher multiples than the rest of the market, Colton Grant likes the free cash flow bigger companies generate. In particular, she favors the technology, health care and industrial sectors.
The S&P 500 is on track for a third-straight week of declines as investors dial back their expectations for the Federal Reserve to reduce interest rates after a series of hot inflation reports.
