On the Markets A Treat, Not a Trick
Transcription
On the Markets A Treat, Not a Trick
GLOBAL INVESTMENT COMMITTEE / COMMENTARY NOVEMBER 2014 On the Markets MICHAEL WILSON Chief Investment Officer Morgan Stanley Wealth Management TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 Making the Case for European Stocks Growth, inflation, earnings and valuation trends could lead to a year-end rally. 4 Activists at the Gates Activist investors pressure companies to break up and spin off business units. 5 Better Outlook for Holiday Sales Higher income and lower gas prices suggest consumers will spend more this year. 7 Head Fake for Bond Investors As far as yields go, 2014 is turning out to be the opposite of 2013. 9 Bullish on High Yield The risk/reward proposition has become more attractive. 10 Anticipating an Upturn in Oil In our view, the fundamentals are in place for a rebound in crude prices. 11 Filling the Income Gap Annuities may be able to help investors navigate the changes in pension plans. A Treat, Not a Trick After a strong September, it appeared as if we might avoid the volatile markets typically experienced in the fall. Instead, the second half of the month and first half of October played an early Halloween trick on investors, as several things conspired to create what we believe amounted to one of the most aggressive risk-off periods experienced since the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. First, the Fed was scheduled to finally end its controversial Quantitative Easing program in October. Many investors were nervous that the exit would leave the markets vulnerable. Meanwhile, geopolitical risk had been rising all year, and the sanctions on Russia were having an impact on Germany—the healthy part of Europe. Finally, the Ebola virus hit the US, which was about as welcomed by markets as a Red Sox fan at Yankee Stadium. The bottom line is that the Global Investment Committee believes the Fed’s exit from QE this year is the first stage of monetary tightening in this economic cycle. It is normal for markets to act jittery as this tightening process gets under way, and we have written about this extensively throughout the year. We believe this latest bout of volatility actually marks the end rather than the beginning of this adjustment, as some pundits have been suggesting this past week. In fact, we believe global equity markets have much to look forward to during the next six to 12 months. First, earnings continue to come in very strong. To wit, two-thirds of the companies in the S&P 500 Index have reported third-quarter earnings and they have surpassed estimates by some 5%—double the expected growth rate going into earnings season. Europe and Japan are also delivering solid results thus far for the third quarter and are showing even stronger growth than US companies. Second, the US midterm elections, scheduled for Nov. 4, have historically marked a good time to own US stocks. Using the prior 27 midterms as evidence, the S&P 500 has rallied 12% on average during the 10 months following the election; when the Fed is in the middle of a tightening cycle, the number jumps to 22%. Finally, energy prices have collapsed during the past four months and, while some investors see this is as a sign of collapsing global growth, we believe it’s been more the result of excess supply. As a result, these declines will act as a sizable tax cut for the global consumer which, should begin to positively impact growth as soon as this quarter and well into 2015. That sounds more like a treat rather than a trick. n ON THE MARKETS / EQUITIES Making the Case for European Equities SEBASTIAN RAEDLER European Equity Strategist Morgan Stanley & Co. E uropean equities have had several tough months, but we continue to recommend an overweight in the asset class—and we would not be surprised if markets rallied some 5% to 10% through the end of the year. In our view, the 11% correction in the MSCI Europe Index during the past two months (see chart) was triggered by the combination of a slowdown scare, a liquidity scare and a deflation scare. For each, we now see the following factors driving a positive turn: Growth momentum appears to be stabilizing. Looking at the relative economic strength of the US and the lack of it elsewhere, investors had been struggling with the question of whether the US will pull up the rest of the world or weakness elsewhere will pull the US down. Part of the growth scare of the last month resulted from some US data that suggested its momentum was succumbing. Since then, however, the macro data coming both from the US and the rest of the world has been cheerier. Strong reports for US industrial production, initial jobless claims and the housing market have put to rest the notion that US economic momentum is being dragged down by broader weakness, while the preliminary PMIs for October in the Euro Zone and China suggest growth momentum outside the US has started to stabilize. To the degree to which we see a further stabilization in global growth momentum in line with Morgan Stanley & Co. economists’ view, this should be a positive for markets—especially given that they already seem to be priced for a significant further deterioration in macro momentum. Expectations for a rate hike have been pushed out. The market sell-off over the past two months led to a sharp reassessment of the likely date for the Federal Reserve’s first rate hike, with the market-implied fed-funds rate for the end of 2015 and that for the end of 2016 falling to lower levels than they had reached at any point before. While markets continue to be concerned about the impact of the end of Quantitative Easing, the push back in the expected date for the first rate hike in itself constitutes a form of financial easing. This acts as a palliative for ratesensitive market segments, such as emerging market assets and commodities. Inflation expectations are stabilizing. Some investors interpreted sharply falling inflation expectations in Europe and the US during the sell-off as pointing to a significant increase in disinflationary pressures—and, hence, an increased likelihood of a deflationary shock to the global economy. However, in spite of the fact that inflation expectations are designed to track medium-term inflationary trends, they have tended to follow short-term commodity price fluctuations. In this particular episode, inflation expectations have simply fallen in line with the falling oil price. In the view of Morgan Stanley & Co.’s energy commodity strategist, Adam Longson, the latter has not been due to underlying demand, which would be consistent with economic weakness. Instead, the price decline is a temporary pause in refining demand, as well as stronger-than-expected supply. With refining demand set to increase again and the market positioning very short, he expects the oil price to trough at current levels. This should halt the fall in inflation expectations, in our view, and hence reduce concerns about deflationary risks. The fact that the growth, liquidity and deflation scares appear to be subsiding simultaneously removes important obstacles to positive equity market performance, in our view. European earnings have not been as bad as feared. Around one-third of European companies have reported thirdquarter results so far, with beats outnumbering misses by two to one; earnings per share (EPS) in aggregate is up 11% year over year. This suggests that A Volatile Year for European Equities 125 MSCI Europe Index, Local Currency 120 115 110 105 100 Source: Bloomberg as of Oct. 27, 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 2 fears about a sharp deterioration of European corporate earnings this year might have been overblown. We continue to target 6% EPS growth for this year and 10% for 2015. Many of our sentiment indicators are close to capitulation levels. During the correction, many of our sentiment indicators have fallen close to capitulation levels. To start with, our Market Timing Indicator (MTI) has dropped to -1, a fouryear low and a level that, in the past, has been associated with the market rising by 9% over the subsequent six months. The market has risen around 80% of the time on these occasions. Furthermore, the Morgan Stanley Global Risk Demand Index fell to -3.8 in mid October, the lowest level since August 2011. While it has since recovered to -1.2, this is still only at the 16th percentile of its 10-year range. Finally, hedge fund exposure to European equities has fallen to the lowest level in nearly two years. At the same time, outflows out of European-equity exchange-traded funds have been running close to eight-year-peak levels. Relative to Bonds, Valuation of European Stocks Most Attractive in More Than 40 Years 4.5 MSCI Europe Index Earnings Yield to Bond Yield Ratio Ratio Average 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 '70 '75 '80 '85 '90 '95 '00 '05 '10 Source: MSCI, Morgan Stanley Research as of Oct. 24, 2014 Relative valuations are attractive. As a consequence of the sharp fall in core bond yields, relative equity valuations now look even more attractive than they did before the sell-off. In particular, the MSCI Europe earnings yield stands four percent- Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. age points above the GDP-weighted average of European 10-year government bond yields, which is the largest gap since the start of our data set in 1970. n November 2014 3 ON THE MARKETS / EQUITIES A cynic may argue that all of this activity reflects a red flag regarding the current economic and market cycles. That is to ask, are management teams simply stretching for returns, or are they pursuing creative and disruptive strategies to spur shareholder returns amid an environment of lackluster growth and a dearth of investment opportunities? INVESTORS’ FOCUS. We do not believe such cynicism reflects the case today. Much of the activists’ focus has been on companies where there have been missteps by management and where technology is forcing change. Media companies are a good example, where there is a trend of splitting off the slow-growth print businesses from faster-growing segments like film, television and internet. In technology, changes in consumer and enterprise preferences are also driving portfolio realignment; and, in energy, improved extraction methods and differing growth outlooks are leading to portfolio restructurings. Importantly, we do not see the end of the economic expansion on the near-term horizon, and so revenue and earnings should continue to improve. Therefore, while remaining confident that the rise of the activists does not signal a market top, we think their influence has raised the bar on smart capital allocation. That’s certainly a win for shareholders. n Activists at the Gates DAN SKELLY Senior Equity Strategist Morgan Stanley Wealth Management T hey say that breaking up is hard to do, but not when activist investors are pressuring corporate boards and managers to do it. That’s because the latest wave of activist-investor involvement has led to a record number of spinoffs, divestitures and various other strategic actions, which often elicit cheers from shareholders. GREATER IMPACT. Activist investors, usually through hedge funds they control, typically take a large equity stake in a company in order to obtain board seats or other means of control. They seek to boost the value of their stakes by driving significant organizational restructuring or changes in capital allocation. Notably, while the volume of activist campaigns has clearly ramped up in recent quarters, so too has their impact. So far this year, activists have had a 72% success rate in proxy fights, up from 60% in 2013 and just 36% a decade ago, according to FactSet (see chart). Directly or indirectly, many of these campaigns are prompting corporate directors to pursue spinoffs, typically a tax-free distribution of a particular business unit. Indeed, there have been 57 spinoffs by nonfinancial US companies so far this year, up from 44 for all of 2013 and 33 in all of 2012, according to Standard & Poor’s. With this magnitude of strategic activity and broadly positive investment performance from activist managers, investors have taken notice. In fact, activist investing was the top-performing strategy among hedge funds in 2013, and inflows to the funds have remained strong this year. Driven by increasing mergers-andacquisitions volume, as well as activist trends, investors allocated roughly $15.7 billion to event-driven hedge funds in the first half of 2014, with the activist-only component garnering $9.4 billion. WHY NOW? We believe there are several reasons for these trends. With the financial crisis well in the rear-view mirror, its lingering effects of uncertainty and risk aversion are finally receding. No longer are managers operating with the crisis-driven mentality of maintaining size as a buffer against economic turmoil. Rather, management teams have become more confident in taking risks to pursue more focused strategies. Second, we believe herd mentality is also at work, as the initial strategic actions from certain companies prompted by activist involvement have led to broadly positive gains in their stock prices. Finally, amid an environment in which investment managers with different strategies have struggled to keep up with market returns, activist strategies can provide an opportunity to outperform. Increasing Success for Dissidents’ Proxy Battles 80 % 72 Dissident Success Rate, Proxy Fights* 70 60 50 40 55 50 44 46 60 59 57 49 51 54 55 52 36 30 20 *Number of outright victories, partial victories or settlements by the dissident as a percentage of all proxy fights where an outcome has been reached. Source: FactSet as of October 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 4 ON THE MARKETS / ECONOMICS Consumers in Better Shape for the Holidays Who Benefits From Consumers’ Income Gains? Recreation Services Food Services and Accommodations Clothing and Footwear Disposable Income Elasticity of Demand, 2009 to 2013 Motor Vehicles and Parts 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Transportation Services hat chill in the air reminds us that the holiday shopping season is near and, compared with one year ago, households have more spending potential. On balance, we find that households have roughly $129 billion in additional real discretionary income going into the fourth quarter—a 4.3% gain compared with the same period last year—that has been driven primarily by gains in aggregate wages and salaries. Moreover, nominal income will be boosted by as much as an additional $40 billion year over year should lower gas prices continue. Of course, that additional income can be saved as well as spent. To be sure, the personal savings rate has risen by more than one percentage point since the start of this year. That said, Americans don't save 100% of their after-tax income. So, which categories of spending are likely to reap the benefit? Gauging the income elasticity of demand for major categories of consumer spending, that is, identifying those categories that stand to benefit most for every $1 increase in income, we find that furnishings and recreational goods and vehicles, are the top beneficiaries when wage and salary income increases (see chart). How do we come to this assessment of US households’ financial wherewithal? Let’s look at the components: Jobs and Unemployment. Year to date through Sept. 30, some 2.0 million net new jobs have been created, compared with 1.7 million during the same period last year. This year could have the best job gains since 1999. Financial Services and Insurance T Average hourly earnings remain sluggish, but the existing work force is working more hours and, with more jobs, there's more aggregate income. Moreover, the unemployment rate was 1.3 percentage points lower this September than last September. Even accounting for a 0.5percentage-point drop in labor-force participation, unemployment is 0.8 percentage points lower compared with September 2013. Income. Accounting for changes in taxes, year-on-year growth in aggregate disposable personal income is improving, trending at a 4.2% rate over the past three months compared with a 2.1% pace over the same period last year. In August, US consumers had $522.7 billion in additional nominal disposable income compared with one year ago, while, at 5.4%, the personal savings rate was just 0.1 percentage points higher. Moreover, growth in wages and Recreational Goods and Vehicles Senior US Economist Morgan Stanley & Co. Furnishings ELLEN ZENTNER salaries accounted for 2.4 percentage points of the 4.2% year-over-year growth in disposable personal income. As for expenses, if we further reduce disposable income by the dollars devoted to meeting regular financial obligations and spending on necessities, momentum in discretionary income also looks to be in better shape this fall compared with one year ago. We find that, on net, households have roughly $129 billion in additional real discretionary income going into the fourth quarter compared with about $3 billion in additional real discretionary income in the same period last year. Gas Prices. Gas prices are quite a bit more supportive of spending today compared with one year ago. In the week of Oct. 27, the average retail price across all grades of gasoline was $3.14 per gallon compared with $3.37 in the corresponding week of 2013 (see chart, page 6). Lower pump prices immediately free up discretionary income to be saved or spent. In the third quarter, we estimate that lower retail gasoline prices added about 0.2 percentage points to annualized growth in real consumer spending. Going forward, wholesale gasoline prices implied by Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Morgan Stanley & Co. Research as of Oct. 27, 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 5 front-month futures contracts suggest further declines in retail gas prices lie ahead. On Oct. 30, end-November wholesale gasoline futures fell to $2.20, the lowest level since November 2010— 29 cents lower compared with one month ago and nearly 46 cents lower compared with one year ago. If those wholesale prices remain through the year’s end, retail gas prices across all grades could average just under $3 per gallon in the fourth quarter compared with $3.37 in the fourth quarter of 2013. Such a move would free up more than $40 billion in consumer spending power compared with last year. Financials. US households’ financial well-being continues to improve. With gains in disposable income outpacing additions to household debt, the debt-todisposable-income ratio fell to 1.07 in the second quarter. At the same time, meeting monthly financial obligations remained extraordinarily low relative to income. Indeed, in the second quarter, US households devoted the smallest share of disposable income to meet these payments since 1980, when the data series began. Reflecting better debt and income dynamics, delinquency rates on consumer debt and mortgages continue to decline. Yet despite better household finances, consumers have remained unconvinced these gains will be sustained. This lack of confidence in future finances suggests that consumer pessimism is still a headwind to a broader pickup in spending. In the press conference following the September meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, when asked about the sluggish recovery, Chairman Yellen explained that the committee sees that “households' expectations about their likely income paths remain quite depressed relative to precrisis levels, and that’s something that may be holding back consumer spending.” Truer words have never been spoken. Encouragingly, more recent data suggest this pessimism may be shifting. Consumer Confidence. Posting gains in consumer confidence has been an uphill Falling Gas Prices Could Fuel Holiday Spending $ 3.90 Gasoline, US Average Across All Grades, Retail Price per Gallon 3.80 3.70 3.60 2013 2014 3.50 3.40 3.30 3.20 3.10 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Source: Energy Information Administration, Morgan Stanley & Co. Research as of Oct. 27, 2014 battle during the recovery, but it has generally trended upward. Most recently, the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rebounded sharply in October after a brief drop in September following four straight months of improvement, coming to rest 22.1 points higher compared with one year ago. October’s surge in confidence is likely in response to the sharp decline in gasoline prices. The headline index comprises two subindexes, one measuring households' assessment of their current finances and one measuring how households feel about their future finances. On a year-over-year basis in October, the present-situation index was 21.1 points higher, while the expectations index was 22.8 points higher. This recent surge in expectations is important to note. We have underscored in numerous analyses how households feel about their future finances tends to dictate how they spend today. Despite the gains in aggregate jobs and income this year, the lack of a pickup in consumer expectations—until recently—has suggested households may be unwilling to boost spending proportionately. Until October, survey details have revealed a lack of confidence that recent financial gains will be sustained. According to the Conference Board, “Consumers have regained confidence in Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. the short-term outlook for the economy and labor market, and are more optimistic about their future earnings potential.” UNEVEN GAINS. Until October, the gains in confidence had been uneven across income groups. For example, on a year-over-year basis in September, confidence among households with annual income less than $15,000 had about a twopoint decline, while confidence among households with annual income greater than $50,000 saw a more than 13-point increase. The former is most affected by long-term unemployment and little-to-no gains in hourly wage growth for lowskilled sectors. The latter gets support from hourly wage gains among higherskilled industries and substantial gains in financial equity. In October, however, the surge in confidence was fairly evenly spread across income groups. Since the financial crisis, uncertainty about future income has weighed on spending decisions, and it explains why real consumer spending has tracked lower than gains in buying power. Nevertheless, the gains in income, even if much of it is saved, will likely be expressed in the form of generosity with more and/or higherdollar gifts. That is why the holiday sales outlook is picking up, and that is what retailers are counting on. n November 2014 6 ON THE MARKETS / FIXED INCOME A Head Fake for Bond Investors JONATHAN MACKAY Market Strategist Morgan Stanley Wealth Management JOHN DILLON Chief Municipal Bond Strategist Morgan Stanley Wealth Management T his year has been full of surprises for bond investors. Coming off one of the worst years in total-return terms since 1994, many investors were understandably wary of what the bond market might produce for them in 2014. Yet the story has been almost the exact opposite of what happened last year when US Treasury yields rose dramatically across the curve, generating negative returns for many ratesensitive fixed income asset classes (see chart). There are multiple reasons for falling yields, including: lower Treasury issuance; pension fund immunizations; and idiosyncratic events such as the RussiaUkraine conflict, the rise of ISIS in the Middle East and the spread of Ebola. In our view, the most important driver of lower Treasury yields has been the growing risk of deflation in Europe. Investors wary of deflation have driven government bond yields in countries like Germany well below 1%, which, in turn, made the nearrecord-low yields on US bonds appear juicy in comparison. Are these low bond yields sustainable, or could we be in for a repeat of what happened in 2013? severe winter weather. Core inflation remains subdued at 1.7%, and inflation expectations for both the short and long term have fallen recently, in line with the decline in energy prices. Morgan Stanley & Co.’s US Economics team expects quarterly GDP growth in the mid-2% area in 2015, which is better than the strong but choppy growth we have seen so far in 2014. They also expect inflation to move up slightly to above 2%. Stable growth and modestly higher inflation should put upward pressure on US yields during the next 12 months and, if Europe surprises on growth—which seems like a possibility given recent action by the European Central Bank, as well as the completion of the asset quality review and bank stress tests—US bond yields may also lose their luster relative to European government yields. FED WATCHING. The other factor that is likely to push yields higher over the next A Tale of Two Years in the US Treasury Market 125 Basis Points Change in Yield, 2013 Change in Yield, 2014 YTD* 75 127.2 127.1 101.9 101.8 41.3 25 STRONGER GROWTH EXPECTATIONS. Long-term bond yields are traditionally driven by growth and inflation expectations. Generally, as growth and inflation rise and fall, so do long-term bond yields. US economic growth has been running at roughly a 3% clip in the second half of this year, while the first half was closer to 1% due to the impact of year is the looming first Fed rate hike. MS & Co. expects it to occur in the first quarter of 2016, while the futures market is expecting a fourth-quarter 2015 hike. In our view, the timing of the first hike matters less than the fact that the Fed has been tightening policy for the last 10 months by tapering asset purchases. We believe that when the Fed started dialing back on Quantitative Easing in December 2013, it was the equivalent of the first rate hike in a traditional tightening cycle. In fact, the bond market has reacted in a similar fashion to the 2004-to-2006 tightening cycle, when the Fed hiked rates a total of 425 basis points. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose heading into the first rate hike in June 2004 before dropping immediately after and then resuming its rise 12 months later in June 2005. That’s almost exactly what has happened to the 10-year over the past 18 months. In our view, the 10-year Treasury note, at 2.38%, is not compensating investors for better growth, the risk of higher inflation, any improvement in the economic environment in Europe or the fact that the Fed tightening cycle has essentially started. Thus, we expect bond -25 13.3 -0.2 3.8 -26.1 -52.4 -75 -77.1 -93.2 -125 2-Year 3-Year 5-Year 7-Year 10-Year 30-Year *Year to date Source: Bloomberg as of Oct. 27, 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 7 yields to rise over the next 12 to 18 months, eating into investors’ returns. MS & Co.’s US Treasury Strategist, Matt Hornbach, forecasts the 10-year Treasury will be at 2.7% in 12 months. If that were to happen, investors would be left with a slightly negative total return; that is after a simple rise in yields of just 32 basis points. In our opinion, fixed income investors should continue to favor credit over ratesensitive investments, with a strong preference for high yield credit and lowerrated investment grade credit (see page 9). We also recommend shorter maturities over longer maturities. Yet, we believe, as the 10-year moves up toward the 2.75%to-3.0% range, investors should consider moving further out the curve and adopting a barbell approach. Municipals Considering weak economic data from Europe generally, renewed concerns and volatility for Greece, questions about the growth momentum in China, weaker German data and now a spate of lackluster US economic data amid continued belowtarget inflation, the idea of 10-year US Treasury yields in the low-2% area seems to be gaining acceptance both at home and on the global stage—and the Fed may need to account for this global fragility in the coming months. LOWER FOR LONGER. While taxexempt yields may be uninspiring for many muni buyers, lower-for-longer US Treasury yields combined with mildly positive US economic momentum, would likely bode well for states and municipalities. Under this scenario, we expect revenues to grow modestly, Our Muni Sector Recommendations Minimum Rating* Commentary Tax revenues are softening; pension State General Obligation/Appropriated Debt All challenges exist, but market access is likely to be maintained. Locals are more dependent on housing; Local General Obligation A2/A pension challenges exist. Essential-purpose is beneficial, where Essential Service (Water & Sewer) Baa2/BBB applicable; however, leverage increasing to meet infrastructure needs. Near essential-service status, evolving US Public Power Baa2/BBB power markets may create long-term challenges. Offers diversified business models, but State Housing Finance Agencies A2/A direct exposure (positive or negative) to housing market. Expense growth exceeds revenue growth. Higher Education A2/A Opt for large, well-known institutions. Favor major metro areas and hubs; US Airports A2/A potential for more passengers; oil prices must be monitored. With major changes ahead, larger systems Not-for-Profit Hospitals AA3/AAare a conservative choice. Sector *Table lists minimum credit rating we are comfortable recommending for buy-and-hold investors. Please consider referenced rating with a stable outlook. Tactical decisions on whether a bond is overvalued or undervalued should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Source: Moody’s, S&P, Thomson Reuters Municipal Market Data and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Investment Resources as of Oct. 15, 2014 austerity policies to fade gradually and continued refinancing opportunities to arise for municipal issuers. Furthermore, substantial cash on the sidelines has fueled US equity gains, which helps state and local pension funds. Indeed, the positive impact of low rates and strong equities has improved pension funding for the first time in six years, though the increases have not been consistent nationally and laggards continue to disappoint. MS & Co.’s recently adjusted base case for US Treasuries still calls for higher yields, with the 10-year note forecast to be 2.40% by the year’s end, suggesting the road to materially higher yields may be longer than originally envisioned. That said, we would generally maintain duration in municipal bond portfolios, with Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. the notable exception of selectively selling into strength the sub-4.5% coupon structures on the long end of the yield curve. BARBELL STRATEGY. Other than opportunistically using market strength to improve portfolios, we advocate a barbell strategy comprising maturities primarily within four-to-nine years and some 20year paper, as well as adding a modest allocation to attractively priced floatingrate notes for performance when rates do begin to rise. We continue to suggest a 5% coupon structure and are maintaining our A-rated parameters for general-obligation bonds, which are more conservative than our BBB guidance for essential-service revenue bonds (see table). n November 2014 8 ON THE MARKETS / FIXED INCOME target gets us to a total return of about 7%. In our view, that return is not only attractive in absolute terms, but also in relation to the alternatives. CHANGING EMPHASIS. Within high yield, we have moved toward B and CCC credits and away from the higher-quality BBs. At the start of the year, the market’s view was that interest rates were heading higher and the right move was to buy credit risk in the form of lower-rated issues rather than higher-quality issues, which are more sensitive to rates. Today, rate fears have eased and, since June, spreads on CCCs have widened more than twice as much as on BBs. Now, we believe the risk/reward of Bs and CCCs has improved dramatically relative to BBs. If we are wrong on timing, given a yield of 9.6% for CCCs, spreads could widen by 120 basis points before they start to underperform BBs in a one-year holding period. Finally, while we put little weight on seasonality, we note that high yield is entering a seasonally strong period (see chart). History may not repeat, but over the past 23 years, the November-throughJanuary period has typically been a very good one in which to own high yield credit. n Why We’re Bullish On High Yield Entering a Historically Strong Period for High Yield 1.20 % 1.11 Median Monthly High Yield Excess Return* 1.00 0.80 0.61 0.68 0.60 0.41 0.39 0.35 0.40 0.47 0.13 0.20 0.00 -0.08 -0.20 -0.13 -0.15 -0.05 Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun -0.40 May or most of this year, we have maintained a cautious view on high yield bonds, with a preference for the higherquality issues, namely those rated BB. We did so because monetary policy was becoming less easy, and the markets needed to adjust. What’s more, valuations were rich and investor sentiment was extremely bullish. However, during the past few months, as markets adjusted to a weakening liquidity environment, coupled with global growth fears, high yield sold off and sentiment became a lot less bullish. Now we see high yield’s risk/reward proposition as more attractive than it has been in more than a year. We recommend buying high yield, and within the asset class, increasing exposure to issues rated B and CCC while lightening up on the BBs. FOCUS ON THE FED. Assuming Fed expectations have driven performance, what makes us believe that the pain is over? Certainly, we see a risk that if economic data surprise to the upside in the near term, short-term Treasury yields could move higher, leading to further weakness in high yield. However, even though a meaningful rise in Treasury yields could pressure high yield bonds, we believe most spread widening is behind us. Other than the summer of 2011, this selloff has been quite large, and larger than what markets saw around the last three first rate hikes—1994, 1999 and 2004. Clearly it can get worse, but barring a meaningful shock, much larger spread Apr F Mar High Yield Credit Strategist Morgan Stanley & Co. widening within a bull market is actually somewhat rare. In our view, high yield investors were complacent earlier this year. Even at a 5% yield, we often heard arguments along the lines of “What else is there to buy?” Now, investor complacency is much lower and quantitative sentiment measures are showing buy signals. The final rationale for our call is that valuations have moved from rich to fair in absolute terms and from fair to cheap in relative terms. We believe high yield is now around fair value, compared with 120 basis points rich to fair value earlier this summer. Why not wait until the sector is cheap? We do not believe it will get there. What’s more, the recent market action has changed our return expectations. In early September, we detailed a spread target of 375 basis points one year hence. That translated to a projected 3% total return for the next year, which was decent but uninspiring. Now, the same spread Feb Head of US High Yield and Leverage Loan Strategy Morgan Stanley & Co. JEFF FONG Jan ADAM RICHMOND *Return in excess of comparable US Treasuries Source: The Yield Book, Morgan Stanley & Co. as of Oct. 6, 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 9 ON THE MARKETS / COMMODITIES Anticipating an Upturn in Oil ADAM LONGSON, CFA, CPA Lead Energy Commodity Strategist Morgan Stanley & Co. ELIZABETH VOLYNSKY Energy Commodity Strategist Morgan Stanley & Co. D espite the recent sell-off in crude oil, we see several positive developments emerging in physical markets. Even if OPEC is not overly responsive before the year’s end, we believe the fundamentals have turned—a development that should eventually lift crude prices. Calling the bottom is difficult, and macro fears and speculation could continue to pressure the oil market. However, we see the potential for a positive bounce into the end of the year, particularly given extremely bearish sentiment and positioning. The oil markets are healing and the risk/reward is attractive, in our view. We see demand rising through the current quarter both sequentially and on a year- over-year basis. After subdued runs during most of the summer, refining margins are now healthy, refineries are returning from maintenance and they will contend with seasonal heating/travel demand. This is reinforced by the structural repricing of oil in the Atlantic Basin markets, supportive pricing from the Middle East and refinery turnarounds in the US (which, given that the US cannot export crude freely, places more demand on foreign crude supplies and refining). Relative strength in product pricing and high-frequency demand data also suggests key product demand isn’t that bad. Outside of Europe, Japan and Mexico, most countries are reporting healthy demand growth, especially for the main transport fuels. POSITIVE SIGNS. We see several positive signs in physical markets that support our more constructive view. At current pricing, the practice of storing Is the Slide in Crude Prices Over? $120 ICE Brent Crude Futures, Price per Barrel* 115 110 105 100 95 90 85 80 inventory on tankers no longer makes sense. To us, this suggests inventory overhangs may be moderating. In addition, West African and North Sea differentials relative to dated Brent, a measure of tightness in the oil market, are stable or rallying. Buyers are returning, too, as manifested in recent Chinese purchases and stronger markets in Dubai. The latest round of weakness in oil is not a product of suddenly weaker end-user demand or an economic slowdown, in our view. Rather, we've seen strong seasonality in crude runs accentuated by some supply growth, an overdue realignment of trade flows and a slow response from OPEC. The potential for a broad economic slowdown is a concern but more for 2015, as refiners are already primed to run through the fourth quarter. LONGER-TERM OUTLOOK. To be sure, the outlook for 2015 and 2016 remains challenging because OPEC intervention will be required to help maintain pricing. Assuming supply delivers as scheduled, OPEC will likely have to cut its quota by about 500,000 barrels per day in both years to balance the market. As we’ve long noted, for OPEC to remain disciplined, prices should trade in a lower range. We continue to see prices averaging in the mid-$90 per barrel range, with a trading band of plus or minus $10 per barrel. The futures price is now about $85 (see chart). However, as we look to later in the decade, the outlook for oil becomes bullish again. Even if all projects—including high-cost ones—deliver on time, demand growth should outpace supply growth by 2018 or 2019. This supply growth was already in question, but lower prices will only put more downward pressure on investment. That, in turn, will impact oil supply several years down the road. Moreover, higher prices will eventually be needed to support investment in the higher-cost projects. n *Nearest month to expiration Source: Haver Analytics as of Oct. 27, 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 10 ON THE MARKETS / RETIREMENT Annuities Can Help Fill the Retirement Income Gap annuities have drawbacks: Fees are generally higher than for traditional retirement accounts and they are relatively illiquid. What Are Annuities? LISA SHALETT Head of Investment and Portfolio Strategies Morgan Stanley Wealth Management DANIEL HUNT, CFA Senior Asset Allocation Strategist Morgan Stanley Wealth Management ZI YE, CFA Quantitative Strategist Morgan Stanley Wealth Management TAE KIM, CFA, FRM Asset Allocation Strategist Morgan Stanley Wealth Management D uring the past few decades, the shift in retirement savings toward selfdirected 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts and away from traditional defined benefit (DB) pension plans has increased risk and complexity for investors in ways both obvious and subtle. The most obvious dimension is that in traditional DB pension plans, the plan absorbed the considerable investment risk, backstopped by the employer’s balance sheet and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. Today, retirees assume the risk associated with the investment of their retirement savings, and they must do so without recourse to a corporate balance sheet or to an insurance fund should their decisions ultimately do damage to their financial position. A more subtle but equally substantial component of today’s retirement challenge is the planning itself. Often lost in discussions around investment strategy is the most important determinant of the success or failure of a retirement plan: the amount of savings before retirement and portfolio distributions after, both of which are a function of lifetime spending decisions and the timing of retirement. AMBIGUITY AND COMPLEXITY. A DB pension plan takes most of the guesswork out of this process. Retirement date and sustainable distributions can each be read directly from plan documents that spell out the benefit calculation. By contrast, retirees or near-retirees with self-directed retirement accounts must infer from a statement balance when they can retire and how much they can sustainably spend in retirement, which is hardly a back-of-theenvelope calculation. The ambiguity that arises from this complexity opens the door to damaging overspending or a premature retirement, as it is easy to overestimate the degree to which an investment portfolio can be stretched. Added to the new risks and logistical challenges facing retirees is the adversity facing the global economy and the capital markets. As a consequence of the centralbank policies instituted to manage the deleveraging of the global economy after a multidecade debt binge, interest rates and expected returns have collapsed across the board. These policies, which have introduced the term “financial repression” to the lexicon, are useful when managing down the global debt burden and overall economic leverage, but they come at a substantial cost for retirement savers1. The Global Investment Committee believes annuities can help investors meet this challenge. Annuities with optional protection features can supplement or, in some cases, replace the income once provided by DB plans. Such annuities make it easier to know what sustainable income will be even during stressful periods in the markets. Of course, 1 Central-bank policies and the current low interest rate, low-growth environment are not the only factors that weigh against our forecasts of prospective returns. Other factors, such as unfavorable global demographic and productivity trends, also challenge the capability of the capital markets to repeat their historical performance. Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. Annuities are issued by insurance companies and shift risk in some form or fashion from the purchaser of the annuity to the insurer. Most annuities share the fundamental capability to provide a continuous stream of income for the life of the annuity owner, much like a traditional DB pension plan or Social Security. Depending on when payments are scheduled to begin, annuities fall into one of two categories: immediate and deferred. Immediate annuities begin making income payments to the contract holder immediately after purchase. The simplest of all annuity types is single premium immediate annuity (SPIA) (see table, page 12). SPIA investors make a single lumpsum payment up front and are guaranteed to receive predictable income payments for life or for a given term or both, according to the terms of the annuity contract. SIMPLEST STRUCTURE. The simplest type of SPIA is known as a “life only” SPIA, which pays its contract holder for the duration of his or her life regardless of how long that is. This form of SPIA cannot be reversed or modified after purchase, which can create liquidity constraints within a retirement plan. A slightly more complex version of a SPIA is one that has a “life with period certain” payout option, which pays its contract holder or contract holder’s beneficiaries for a specified number of years should the contract holder pass before the term is up. In addition to providing for some return of capital to beneficiaries in the event of the contract holder’s early death, a “period certain” provision enhances the annuity contract’s liquidity, as it is often possible to exchange period-certain income payments for a lump-sum distribution. Period-certain annuities typically have November 2014 11 Annuities With Lifetime Income Payments Accumulation Phase Payout Phase Types of Annuities* Key Characteristics Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SPIA), Life-Only § Highest payout rate of all immediate annuities. Payments made for the duration of contract holder’s life § Irreversible after purchase Single Premium Immediate Annuity (SPIA), Life With Period Certain § Payments made for the greater of the duration of the contract holder’s life and a set period of time § Lower payout rate than life-only SPIA in exchange for increased liquidity and protection for early mortality Variable Annuity With Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits § Premiums invested in stock and bond investments through subaccounts. Rider provides a guaranteed payout rate for life, which may be significantly lower than a comparable SPIA § Income resets higher if contract value is higher than benefit base at anniversary, the “high-water mark” Deferred Fixed Annuity (DFA) § Value grows at a fixed rate for “guarantee period” and resets based on prevailing interest rates § Option to take a lump sum, scheduled withdrawals, defer further or begin taking payments, i.e., “annuitize” value to an immediate annuity, at the end of the accumulation phase Deferred Income Annuity (DIA) § High payout rate, like SPIA, beginning at least a year after the annuity purchase. Payment schedule and growth rates set at the time of purchase § “Life-only” version is irreversible with no death benefits in the event of early mortality § “Life with period-certain” version provides more liquidity and protection for early mortality but lower payout rate Variable Annuity With Guaranteed Lifetime Withdrawal Benefits § Premiums are invested in stock and bond investments through subaccounts. Rider provides a guaranteed minimum payout rate for life which may be significantly lower than a comparable DIA § Benefit base grows at fixed “roll-up” rate during the deferral period regardless of investment performance and resets higher at any time if it is lower than the contract value at anniversary—the “high-water mark” § Option to take a lump sum or scheduled withdrawals or “annuitize” the value at the end of the accumulation phase Source: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management GIC *For more about the risks to Annuities, please see the Risk Considerations section beginning on page 17 of this report. lower payout rates than those without such a provision, with the payout rate decreasing more as the length of the period-certain term increases. VARIABLE ANNUITIES. The second major type of annuity is what is known as a variable annuity (VA)—in particular, variable annuities with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. Cash placed in VAs is invested through subaccounts into both fixed income and equity investments. While SPIAs pay a predictable, fixed income stream, the contract value of an immediate VA, and therefore its payouts, can increase based on the performance of the underlying investments of the annuity. Although the payout rate is lower than those of a comparable SPIA, VA payments have the potential to increase as the value of the underlying investments moves higher. This offers the annuity owner the potential to participate in upside market moves while still receiving a minimum income stream. In contrast to immediate annuities, deferred annuity payments begin on a date some years in the future. Deferred fixed annuities grow at a fixed interest rate for a stated “guarantee period,” after which the growth rate depends on the value of future short-term interest rates. Deferred income annuities (DIAs) involve even less guesswork as their payment terms, and thus deferral period growth rates, are fixed in the contract at the outset and depend largely on long-term interest rates. CHANGING VALUES. By contrast, with a DIA or deferred fixed annuity, the contract of a deferred VA with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits will change in value depending on the performance of its underlying investments. Note that a VA’s minimum withdrawal benefits are calculated using a separate metric known as the benefit base, which is distinct from its contract value. A VA’s benefit base will typically grow at a fixed rate known as a “roll-up rate” during the deferral period unless strong investment performance propels the contract value above the benefit base on a specified date. In that scenario, the benefit base will reset Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. higher to the contract value. A VA’s benefit base typically will not decline regardless of what happens to the contract value, which is how the market-protection feature works. Thus, once a benefit base is reset higher, those gains are locked in. This is what’s known as a “high-water mark” provision. During the life of the annuity and subject to any restrictions, deferred fixed and deferred variable annuity owners have the option to take a lump sum or scheduled withdrawals or to simply “annuitize” the value into an annual payment stream similar to an immediate annuity. DIA owners generally do not have the option to cash out—though, as discussed in the context of a SPIA, DIA contracts with period-certain provisions tend to have greater liquidity. n For a complete copy of the white paper, “Annuities in a Portfolio Solution Context: Introducing a New Framework,” please contact your Financial Advisor. November 2014 12 Global Investment Committee Tactical Asset Allocation The Global Investment Committee provides guidance on asset allocation decisions through its various model portfolios. The eight models below are recommended for investors with up to $25 million in investable assets. They are based on an increasing scale of risk (expected volatility) and expected return. Hedged strategies include hedge funds and managed futures. >>> CONSERVATIVE MODEL 1 14% High Yield MODEL 2 1% Commodities 3% Emerging Markets Fixed Income MODEL 3 2% Commodities 2% MLPs 6% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 2% REITs 1% Emerging Markets Fixed Income 8% High Yield 1% InflationLinked Securities 53% Investment Grade Fixed Income >>> MODERATE 14% Cash 3% MLPs 2% REITs 9% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 1% Emerging Markets Fixed Income 12% US Equity 9% Cash 16% US Equity 29% Cash 36% Investment Grade Fixed Income 15% International Equity 6% High Yield 28% Investment Grade Fixed Income 3% Emerging Markets Equity >>> MODERATE 3% Commodities 4% Cash 22% International Equity 5% High Yield 21% Investment Grade Fixed Income 11% Investment Grade Fixed Income 4% MLPs 4% Commodities 3% REITs 24% US Equity 2% High Yield 26% International Equity 2% Investment Grade Fixed Income 11% Emerging Markets Equity 13% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 1% Cash 28% US Equity 31% International Equity 12% Emerging Markets Equity >>> 14% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 4% Commodities 12% Emerging Markets Equity 2% Cash 4% High Yield MODEL 7 3% REITs 12% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 3% REITs 8% Emerging Markets Equity AGGRESSIVE 4% MLPs 4% MLPs 20% US Equity 3% REITs MODEL 6 MODEL 5 11% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 3% Commodities 6% Emerging Markets Equity >>> MODEL 4 3% MLPs 18% International Equity MODEL 8 4% MLPs 14% Hedged Strategies and Managed Futures 3% Cash 4% Commodities 32% US Equity 31% International Equity CASH 26% US Equity 3% REITs 14% Emerging Markets Equity KEY 35% International Equity GLOBAL FIXED INCOME GLOBAL EQUITIES ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENTS Note: Hedged strategies consist of hedge funds and managed futures. Source: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management GIC as of Oct. 31, 2014 Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 13 Tactical Asset Allocation Reasoning Global Equities Relative Weight Within Equities US Overweight While US equities have done exceptionally well since the global financial crisis, they still offer attractive upside potential, particularly relative to bonds. We believe the US and global economies continue to heal, making recession neither imminent nor likely in 2014 or 2015. This is constructive for global equities, including the US. International Equities (Developed Markets) Overweight We maintain a positive bias for Japanese and European equity markets given the political and structural changes taking place in Japan and our expectation for an improving economic outlook in Europe. Japan underperformed in the first half of 2014 due to the recently enacted consumption tax. We expect performance to improve as consumption rebounds. Conversely, Europe performed well during the first half, but has sold off sharply on concerns about slowing growth and the lack of an effective policy response. As a result, European equities are now very cheap making them attractive investments over the next 12-to-18 months. We believe that Europe will avoid a triple-dip recession. Emerging Markets Global Fixed Income US Investment Grade International Investment Grade Inflation-Linked Securities High Yield Emerging Market Bonds Alternative Investments Underweight Emerging market equities surprised to the upside earlier this year, and we were tactically underweight. However, performance got ahead of the fundamentals and has since corrected. We remain underweight the region as policy remains out of sync with what is necessary in many countries. Furthermore, the Fed’s rate-hike cycle began with the tapering of Quantitative Easing and is likely to lead to further US dollar strength—another negative for this region. Going forward, the EM will likely remain idiosyncratic and, thus, we recommend selectivity with a focus on India, Mexico, China, Taiwan and Indonesia. Relative Weight Within Fixed Income Overweight Equal Weight Underweight Overweight Underweight We have recommended shorter-duration* (maturities) since March 2013 given the extremely low yields and potential capital losses associated with the rising interest rates. However, we recently reduced the size of our overweight in short duration as we expect short-term interest rates to move higher as the Fed moves closer to its first rate hikes. Within investment grade, we prefer BBB-rated corporates and A-rated municipals over US Treasuries. Yields are low globally, so not much additional value accrues to owning international bonds beyond some diversification benefit. We have been underweight inflation-linked securities since March 2013 given negative real yields across all maturities. Recently, these yields have turned modestly positive but remain unattractive, in our view, due to the longer-duration characteristics of TIPS and limited risk for unexpected inflation. Yields and spreads are near record lows. However, default rates are likely to remain muted as the economy recovers slowly, keeping corporate and consumer behavior conservative. We prefer shorter-duration and higher-quality (B to BB) issues and vigilance on security selection at this stage of the credit cycle. Similar to emerging market equities, we remain underweight on the basis that the beginning of the Fed’s rate hike cycle will likely be a disproportionate headwind for emerging market debt relative to other debt markets. Relative Weight Within Alternative Investments REITs Equal Weight Falling interest rates have led to very good performance for REITs this year. At current levels, we believe REITs are fairly valued and offer select opportunities. The industrial and commercial segments tend to outperform at this stage of the recovery. Non-US REITs should also be favored relative to domestic REITs at this point. Commodities Equal Weight After a strong start to 2014, we cut our strategic weighting to commodities by 50% in April. Since then, most commodities have underperformed significantly with energy leading the charge lower. While commodities look more attractive at this point as a diversifier against poor weather and geopolitical shocks, the fundamental case keeps us with an equal-weight tactical recommendation. Master Limited Partnerships* Equal Weight Master limited partnerships (MLPs) should continue to do well as they provide diversification benefits to traditional assets and a substantial yield that is valuable in a low interest rate world. Many MLPs are levered to commodity consumption, which is more predictable than prices. Focus on the midstream. Hedged Strategies (Hedge Funds and Managed Futures) Equal Weight This asset class can provide uncorrelated exposure to traditional risk-asset markets. It has outperformed equities when growth has slowed and has worked well in more challenging financial markets. Source: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management GIC as of Oct. 31, 2014 *For more about the risks to Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and Duration, please see the Risk Considerations section beginning on page 17 of this report. Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 14 ON THE MARKETS Index Definitions CONSUMER CONFIDENCE INDEX This Conference Board index is a proprietary monthly measure of the public’s confidence in the health of the US economy. MORGAN STANLEY COMBINED MARKET TIMING INDICATOR (CMTI) The CMTI is an average across the Risk, Fundamentals and Composite Valuation Indicators. MORGAN STANLEY GLOBAL RISK DEMAND INDEX This index tracks risk sentiment as reflected in the relative price movements of seven “risky” assets versus their “safer” counterparts; plus, three volatility indicators. MSCI EUROPE INDEX This index captures large-, mid- and small-cap representation across 16 developed-markets countries in Europe. With 1,372 constituents, the index covers approximately 99% of the free float-adjusted market capitalization across the developedmarket countries of Europe. S&P 500 INDEX Regarded as the best single gauge of the US equities market, this capitalizationweighted index includes a representative sample of 500 leading companies in leading industries in the US economy. PURCHASING MANAGERS’ INDEX (PMI) These economic indicators are derived mostly from monthly surveys of private-sector companies. The principal producers of PMIs are Markit Group, which conducts PMIs for more than 30 countries, and the Institute for Supply Management, which conducts PMIs for the US. Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 15 ON THE MARKETS Glossary ACCUMULATION PHASE The period in an annuity contract prior to the point at which distributions to the annuitant begin. In this period, the value of the annuity can grow. ANNUITANT The person or persons whose age and life expectancy the payments are based on during the payout phase. The money passed from an annuity contract to its beneficiary upon the death of the owner and/or annuitant. This can include specific death benefit provisions for which the annuity holder pays a fee, or the period-certain provision of a single-premium immediate annuity or a deferred income annuity, or simply the residual contract value of a variable annuity upon death of the owner and/or annuitant. DEATH BENEFIT DEFERRAL PERIOD The ANNUITY A contract in which an insurance company agrees to provide a periodic income payable for the lifetime of one or more persons, or for a specified period. time in between when an investor originally purchases an annuity and when distributions commence. See accumulation phase. practice of converting an annuity into a fixed series of periodic income payments over the span of one’s life or for a specified period. BENEFIT BASE The benefit base is used to index the payments from a variable annuity with an income rider such as a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit. By contrast with the contract value, defined below, the benefit base does not represent the annuity owner’s equity in the contract, but is rather an accounting construct by which minimum withdrawal benefits are calculated. During the deferral period, a benefit base will typically grow by a preset “roll-up” amount regardless of what happens to the investments in the annuity. This feature provides protection from market risk. Most typically, if a contract value increases above the benefit base on the contract’s reset date, the benefit base will reset higher to the contract value, proportionally increasing future benefits. CONTRACT VALUE The contract value of an annuity represents the equity the annuity owner holds in that contract. The initial contract value is equal to the initial premium paid, and will fluctuate subsequently based on the net of additional premiums, withdrawals and the investment perform-ance net of fees. Contract value defines the upside, liquidity and death benefit dimensions of a variable annuity with guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefits. This contrasts with the benefit base, which is used only to index regular payments, and cannot be liquidated or transferred to a beneficiary upon death. PAYOUT PHASE The period during which the money accumulated in an annuity is paid out to an annuitant. PERIOD-CERTAIN A type of guarantee that if the annuitant dies before payments have been made for a minimum number of years, payments to the beneficiary will continue until the end of the stated period. The roll-up rate is the guaranteed percentage that the benefit base of a variable annuity increases by each year during the accumulation stage. ROLL-UP RATE DEFERRED ANNUITY An ANNUITIZATION The A class of annuities whose payments begin immediately after the initial purchase. IMMEDIATE ANNUITIES annuity contract with a deferral period. For some annuities, such as deferred fixed or variable annuities, the length of the deferral period is flexible. For deferred income annuities, it is set at contract initiation. A type of deferred annuity that grows during the deferral period based on prevailing short-term interest rates, which can fluctuate after an initial guarantee period. DEFERRED FIXED ANNUITY (DFA) class of annuities whose payment schedule and growth rates are determined at the time of the initial purchase. SINGLE PREMIUM IMMEDIATE ANNUITY (SPIA) An annuity purchased with a single premium on which income payments begin within one year of the contract date. With fixed immediate annuities, the payment is based on a specified interest rate. Payments are made for the life of the annuitant(s), for a specified period, or both (e.g., 10 years certain and life). DEFERRED INCOME ANNUITY (DIA) A GUARANTEE PERIOD The period of time a deferred fixed annuity grows at the rate stated when the annuity was purchased, after which its growth rate will depend on the prevailing level of short-term interest rates. HIGH-WATER MARK PROVISION When the contract value of a variable annuity with a guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit rider is higher than the contract’s benefit base at anniversary, the benefit base will be reset higher to the contract value. Even if the performance of the underlying investments then deteriorates and the contract value falls precipitously, the contract’s benefit base will not reset lower, and any guaranteed roll-ups will accrue from that level. In other words, the “high-water mark” refers to the fact that, once the benefit base has been reset higher, these gains are considered “locked-in.” VARIABLE ANNUITY An annuity contract into which the buyer makes a lump-sum payment or series of payments. In return, the insurer agrees to make periodic payments beginning immediately or at some future date. Purchase payments are directed to a range of investment options, which may be mutual funds or direct investment into the separate account of the insurance company that manages the portfolios. The value of the account during accumulation, and the income payments after annuitization vary depending on the performance of the chosen investment options. VARIABLE ANNUITY SUBACCOUNT A portfolio that comprises stocks, bonds or money market securities. Subaccounts can either be actively or passively managed. Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 16 Risk Considerations Annuities Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates. Variable annuities are sold by prospectus only. The prospectus contains the investment objectives, risks, fees, charges and expenses, and other information regarding the variable annuity contract and the underlying investments, which should be considered carefully before investing. Prospectuses for both the variable annuity contract and the underlying investments are available from your Financial Advisor. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest. Variable annuities are long-term investments designed for retirement purposes and may be subject to market fluctuations, investment risk, and possible loss of principal. All guarantees, including optional benefits, are based on the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company and do not apply to the underlying investment options. Optional riders may not be able to be purchased in combination and are available at an additional cost. Some optional riders must be elected at time of purchase. Optional riders may be subject to specific limitations, restrictions, holding periods, costs, and expenses as specified by the insurance company in the annuity contract. If you are investing in a variable annuity through a tax-advantaged retirement plan such as an IRA, you will get no additional tax advantage from the variable annuity. Under these circumstances, you should only consider buying a variable annuity because of its other features, such as lifetime income payments and death benefits protection. Taxable distributions (and certain deemed distributions) are subject to ordinary income tax and, if taken prior to age 591/2, may be subject to a 10% federal income tax penalty. Early withdrawals will reduce the death benefit and cash surrender value. MLPs Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) are limited partnerships or limited liability companies that are taxed as partnerships and whose interests (limited partnership units or limited liability company units) are traded on securities exchanges like shares of common stock. Currently, most MLPs operate in the energy, natural resources or real estate sectors. Investments in MLP interests are subject to the risks generally applicable to companies in the energy and natural resources sectors, including commodity pricing risk, supply and demand risk, depletion risk and exploration risk. Individual MLPs are publicly traded partnerships that have unique risks related to their structure. These include, but are not limited to, their reliance on the capital markets to fund growth, adverse ruling on the current tax treatment of distributions (typically mostly tax deferred), and commodity volume risk. The potential tax benefits from investing in MLPs depend on their being treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes and, if the MLP is deemed to be a corporation, then its income would be subject to federal taxation at the entity level, reducing the amount of cash available for distribution to the fund which could result in a reduction of the fund’s value. MLPs carry interest rate risk and may underperform in a rising interest rate environment. MLP funds accrue deferred income taxes for future tax liabilities associated with the portion of MLP distributions considered to be a tax-deferred return of capital and for any net operating gains as well as capital appreciation of its investments; this deferred tax liability is reflected in the daily NAV; and, as a result, the MLP fund’s after-tax performance could differ significantly from the underlying assets even if the pre-tax performance is closely tracked. Duration Duration, the most commonly used measure of bond risk, quantifies the effect of changes in interest rates on the price of a bond or bond portfolio. The longer the duration, the more sensitive the bond or portfolio would be to changes in interest rates. Generally, if interest rates rise, bond prices fall and vice versa. Longer-term bonds carry a longer or higher duration than shorter-term bonds; as such, they would be affected by changing interest rates for a greater period of time if interest rates were to increase. Consequently, the price of a long-term bond would drop significantly as compared to the price of a short-term bond. International investing entails greater risk, as well as greater potential rewards compared to U.S. investing. These risks include political and economic uncertainties of foreign countries as well as the risk of currency fluctuations. These risks are magnified in countries with emerging markets, since these countries may have relatively unstable governments and less established markets and economies. Alternative investments which may be referenced in this report, including private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge funds, managed futures funds, and funds of hedge funds, private equity, and managed futures funds, are speculative and entail significant risks that can include losses due to leveraging or other speculative investment practices, lack of liquidity, volatility of returns, restrictions on transferring interests in a fund, potential lack of diversification, absence and/or delay of information regarding valuations and pricing, complex tax structures and delays in tax reporting, less regulation and higher fees than mutual funds and risks associated with the operations, personnel and processes of the advisor. Managed futures investments are speculative, involve a high degree of risk, use significant leverage, have limited liquidity and/or may be generally illiquid, may incur substantial charges, may subject investors to conflicts of interest, and are usually suitable only for the risk capital portion of an investor’s portfolio. Before investing in any partnership and in order to make an informed decision, investors should read the applicable prospectus and/or offering documents carefully for additional information, including charges, expenses, and risks. Managed futures investments are not intended to replace equities or fixed income securities but rather may act as a complement to these asset categories in a diversified portfolio. Investing in commodities entails significant risks. Commodity prices may be affected by a variety of factors at any time, including but not limited to, (i) changes in supply and demand relationships, (ii) governmental programs and policies, (iii) national and international political and economic events, war and terrorist events, (iv) changes in interest and exchange rates, (v) trading activities in commodities and related contracts, (vi) pestilence, Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 17 technological change and weather, and (vii) the price volatility of a commodity. In addition, the commodities markets are subject to temporary distortions or other disruptions due to various factors, including lack of liquidity, participation of speculators and government intervention. Physical precious metals are non-regulated products. Precious metals are speculative investments, which may experience short-term and long term price volatility. The value of precious metals investments may fluctuate and may appreciate or decline, depending on market conditions. If sold in a declining market, the price you receive may be less than your original investment. Unlike bonds and stocks, precious metals do not make interest or dividend payments. Therefore, precious metals may not be suitable for investors who require current income. Precious metals are commodities that should be safely stored, which may impose additional costs on the investor. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (“SIPC”) provides certain protection for customers’ cash and securities in the event of a brokerage firm’s bankruptcy, other financial difficulties, or if customers’ assets are missing. SIPC insurance does not apply to precious metals or other commodities. Bonds are subject to interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall; generally the longer a bond's maturity, the more sensitive it is to this risk. Bonds may also be subject to call risk, which is the risk that the issuer will redeem the debt at its option, fully or partially, before the scheduled maturity date. The market value of debt instruments may fluctuate, and proceeds from sales prior to maturity may be more or less than the amount originally invested or the maturity value due to changes in market conditions or changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Bonds are subject to the credit risk of the issuer. This is the risk that the issuer might be unable to make interest and/or principal payments on a timely basis. Bonds are also subject to reinvestment risk, which is the risk that principal and/or interest payments from a given investment may be reinvested at a lower interest rate. Bonds rated below investment grade may have speculative characteristics and present significant risks beyond those of other securities, including greater credit risk and price volatility in the secondary market. Investors should be careful to consider these risks alongside their individual circumstances, objectives and risk tolerance before investing in high-yield bonds. High yield bonds should comprise only a limited portion of a balanced portfolio. Interest on municipal bonds is generally exempt from federal income tax; however, some bonds may be subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Typically, state tax-exemption applies if securities are issued within one's state of residence and, if applicable, local tax-exemption applies if securities are issued within one's city of residence. Treasury Inflation Protection Securities’ (TIPS) coupon payments and underlying principal are automatically increased to compensate for inflation by tracking the consumer price index (CPI). While the real rate of return is guaranteed, TIPS tend to offer a low return. Because the return of TIPS is linked to inflation, TIPS may significantly underperform versus conventional U.S. Treasuries in times of low inflation. The initial interest rate on a floating-rate security may be lower than that of a fixed-rate security of the same maturity because investors expect to receive additional income due to future increases in the floating security’s underlying reference rate. The reference rate could be an index or an interest rate. However, there can be no assurance that the reference rate will increase. Some floating-rate securities may be subject to call risk. Rebalancing does not protect against a loss in declining financial markets. There may be a potential tax implication with a rebalancing strategy. Investors should consult with their tax advisor before implementing such a strategy. Equity securities may fluctuate in response to news on companies, industries, market conditions and general economic environment. Investing in smaller companies involves greater risks not associated with investing in more established companies, such as business risk, significant stock price fluctuations and illiquidity. Asset allocation and diversification do not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining financial markets. The indices are unmanaged. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. They are shown for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the performance of any specific investment. The indices selected by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management to measure performance are representative of broad asset classes. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC retains the right to change representative indices at any time. REITs investing risks are similar to those associated with direct investments in real estate: property value fluctuations, lack of liquidity, limited diversification and sensitivity to economic factors such as interest rate changes and market recessions. Because of their narrow focus, sector investments tend to be more volatile than investments that diversify across many sectors and companies. Investing in foreign emerging markets entails greater risks than those normally associated with domestic markets, such as political, currency, economic and market risks. Investing in foreign markets entails greater risks than those normally associated with domestic markets, such as political, currency, economic and market risks. Investing in currency involves additional special risks such as credit, interest rate fluctuations, derivative investment risk, and domestic and foreign inflation rates, which can be volatile and may be less liquid than other securities and more sensitive to the effect of varied economic conditions. In addition, international investing entails greater risk, as well as greater potential rewards compared to U.S. investing. These risks include political and economic uncertainties of foreign countries as well as the risk of currency fluctuations. These risks are magnified in countries with emerging markets, since these countries may have relatively unstable governments and less established markets and economies. The majority of $25 and $1000 par preferred securities are “callable” meaning that the issuer may retire the securities at specific prices and dates prior to maturity. Interest/dividend payments on certain preferred issues may be deferred by the issuer for periods of up to 5 to 10 years, depending on the particular issue. The investor would still have income tax liability even though payments would not have been received. Price quoted is per $25 or $1,000 share, unless otherwise specified. Current yield is calculated by multiplying the coupon by par value divided by the market price. Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 18 The initial rate on a floating rate or index-linked preferred security may be lower than that of a fixed-rate security of the same maturity because investors expect to receive additional income due to future increases in the floating/linked index. However, there can be no assurance that these increases will occur. Yields are subject to change with economic conditions. Yield is only one factor that should be considered when making an investment decision. Credit ratings are subject to change. Certain securities referred to in this material may not have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and, if not, may not be offered or sold absent an exemption therefrom. Recipients are required to comply with any legal or contractual restrictions on their purchase, holding, sale, exercise of rights or performance of obligations under any securities/instruments transaction. Disclosures Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The author(s) (if any authors are noted) principally responsible for the preparation of this material receive compensation based upon various factors, including quality and accuracy of their work, firm revenues (including trading and capital markets revenues), client feedback and competitive factors. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is involved in many businesses that may relate to companies, securities or instruments mentioned in this material. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security/instrument, or to participate in any trading strategy. Any such offer would be made only after a prospective investor had completed its own independent investigation of the securities, instruments or transactions, and received all information it required to make its own investment decision, including, where applicable, a review of any offering circular or memorandum describing such security or instrument. That information would contain material information not contained herein and to which prospective participants are referred. This material is based on public information as of the specified date, and may be stale thereafter. We have no obligation to tell you when information herein may change. We make no representation or warranty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of this material. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management has no obligation to provide updated information on the securities/instruments mentioned herein. The securities/instruments discussed in this material may not be suitable for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management recommends that investors independently evaluate specific investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The value of and income from investments may vary because of changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, default rates, prepayment rates, securities/instruments prices, market indexes, operational or financial conditions of companies and other issuers or other factors. Estimates of future performance are based on assumptions that may not be realized. Actual events may differ from those assumed and changes to any assumptions may have a material impact on any projections or estimates. Other events not taken into account may occur and may significantly affect the projections or estimates. Certain assumptions may have been made for modeling purposes only to simplify the presentation and/or calculation of any projections or estimates, and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management does not represent that any such assumptions will reflect actual future events. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that estimated returns or projections will be realized or that actual returns or performance results will not materially differ from those estimated herein. This material should not be viewed as advice or recommendations with respect to asset allocation or any particular investment. This information is not intended to, and should not, form a primary basis for any investment decisions that you may make. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not acting as a fiduciary under either the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended or under section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended in providing this material. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management and its affiliates do not render advice on tax and tax accounting matters to clients. This material was not intended or written to be used, and it cannot be used or relied upon by any recipient, for any purpose, including the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer under U.S. federal tax laws. Each client should consult his/her personal tax and/or legal advisor to learn about any potential tax or other implications that may result from acting on a particular recommendation. This material is disseminated in Australia to “retail clients” within the meaning of the Australian Corporations Act by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Australia Pty Ltd (A.B.N. 19 009 145 555, holder of Australian financial services license No. 240813). Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not incorporated under the People's Republic of China ("PRC") law and the research in relation to this report is conducted outside the PRC. This report will be distributed only upon request of a specific recipient. This report does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the PRC. PRC investors must have the relevant qualifications to invest in such securities and must be responsible for obtaining all relevant approvals, licenses, verifications and or registrations from PRC's relevant governmental authorities. If your financial adviser is based in Australia, Dubai, Germany, Italy, Switzerland or the United Kingdom, then please be aware that this report is being distributed by the Morgan Stanley entity where your financial adviser is located, as follows: Australia: Morgan Stanley Wealth Management Australia Pty Ltd (ABN 19 009 145 555, AFSL No. 240813); Dubai: Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management Limited (DIFC Branch), regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (the DFSA), and is directed at Professional Clients only, as defined by the DFSA; Germany: Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management Limited, Munich branch authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bundesanstalt fuer Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht; Italy: Morgan Stanley Bank International Limited, Milan Branch, authorized by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Banca d'Italia and the Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 19 Commissione Nazionale per Le Societa' E La Borsa; Switzerland: Bank Morgan Stanley AG regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority; or United Kingdom: Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management Ltd, authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, approves for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 this material for distribution in the United Kingdom. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not acting as a municipal advisor to any municipal entity or obligated person within the meaning of Section 15B of the Securities Exchange Act (the “Municipal Advisor Rule”) and the opinions or views contained herein are not intended to be, and do not constitute, advice within the meaning the Municipal Advisor Rule. This material is disseminated in the United States of America by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Third-party data providers make no warranties or representations of any kind relating to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the data they provide and shall not have liability for any damages of any kind relating to such data. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management research, or any portion thereof, may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. © 2014 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. Please refer to important information, disclosures and qualifications at the end of this material. November 2014 20