Valuation-based Factor Stocks Get Smoked, But The Times They Are A-Changin: BAML

As 2017 comes near to a close, and the stock market by many accounts outperformed analyst projections, a Bank of America Merrill Lynch report on factors notes an interesting change that occurred relative to factors it watches. With 2018 forecast to be another reasonably strong year for US stocks, factor performance is a moving target and is likely to play into market gyrations?

[klarman]

Factor performance: Switch in value and momentum factors towards the end of the year

Looking at the small capitalization universe of stocks, BAML’s Equity Quant Strategists Dan Suzuki and Jimmy Bonilla see a shift in factors.

After being the worst performing factor throughout the year, valuation – stocks that are...