perspectivas de mercado de iShares. Este mes, Russ Koesterich, Responsable de Estrategias de Inversión Global de iShares, centra su análisis en el impacto que tiene en los mercados una población envejecida.
HARNESSING AI FOR ENHANCED MEDIA ANALYSIS A CASE STUDY ON CHATGPT AT DRONE EM...
Perspectivas de-mercado-junio-2012
1. Not So Golden Years
How an Aging Society Can Impact the Markets
iShares Market Perspectives | June 2012
2. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [2]
Demographics exert a significant influence on both
Executive Summary
economies and financial markets, an impact that will
grow in the coming years. The graying of the developed
world is hitting an inflection point and is forecast to
accelerate. While we don’t necessarily envision some
of the more dire predictions—an aging society does
not necessarily lead to generational war—an
unprecedented shift in demographics is likely to impact
everything from economic growth to equity multiples.
Absent significant changes in immigration policy or retirement age, most developed
countries will see slower growth in the labor force as more people retire. All else equal,
slower growth in the working age population—and in some cases actual shrinkage in
the work force—should translate into modestly slower economic growth.
From an investment standpoint, there are at least three implications:
1. Historically, slower growth and less demand for capital have been associated with
lower real interest rates, suggesting that an eventual rise in real rates may be more
tempered than many analysts expect.
2. Equity multiples in developed countries are likely to remain low relative to their
historical averages, suggesting that further gains will need to be predicated on
Russ Koesterich, earnings growth rather than higher multiples.
Managing Director,
3. Slower growth countries are likely to trade at lower valuations versus faster growing
iShares Chief
Investment Strategist economies, suggesting that the historical premium that developed markets have
enjoyed relative to emerging markets is likely to compress over time.
All of the above implies that in an aging world growth is likely to command a premium.
Among the developed countries, US demographics appear better than virtually any other
developed country. However, they are still generally much worse than emerging markets.
To the extent that demographics drive growth, investors can consider equities in Brazil,
Mexico, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. At the same time, we believe investors
should avoid Japan at all costs.
3. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [3]
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night proportion of retirees to working age adults will rise to roughly
35%, and in the process put an enormous strain on the economy
I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to and government finances.
achieve it through not dying.
—Woody Allen In other parts of the world, the aging will be even more acute. In
Europe, by 2025 the median age will have risen to over 45. Worst
Death is not only predictable in the individual sense, but also in of all will be Japan. By 2025, the median age of a Japanese citizen
the aggregate. Demographic predictions are usually an exception will be 50. Ironically, although Japan will clearly be the oldest
to the rule that long-term forecasts should be treated with country, the nation that is graying the fastest is an emerging
healthy skepticism. Birthrates and mortality tables provide a market, China. Looking at the change in the median age between
surprisingly accurate view of what a population will look like in 10, 2000 and 2050, China will age faster than any other large country
20, or 30 years. As a result, on this topic we know one thing with (see Figure 2).
about as high a degree of precision as is possible in the social
sciences: over the next several decades, most of the developed Work Till You Drop
world and China will age at an unprecedented rate.
While all the societal implications of the aging of the world’s
In considering the magnitude of the change, it is important to note population are unclear, there is almost certain to be a significant
that this trend has been in place for a long time. In 1900, life economic impact. To start, aging populations will put an
expectancy at birth was 47, the median age was 22.9 and only 4.1% enormous strain on government resources, as the number of
of Americans were over 65.1Today, 15% of Americans are over 65. individuals receiving pensions and state-supported healthcare
surges. As mentioned above, the problem is particularly acute in
While the trend toward an older population has been in place for the United States. The unfunded nature of the US entitlement
decades, the pace is set to increase. Thanks to a relatively high system and the aging of its population will intersect to put an
birthrate and immigration, the trend will be somewhat gentler in existential strain on the US pension and federally funded
the United States. That said, even in the United States, the healthcare systems.
proportion of elderly will rise to unprecedented levels. In the
United States, the median age will rise from 35.5 in 2000 to US demographics are by no means the worst in the world, but in
nearly 40 by 2025. many ways the United States is uniquely unprepared. To start,
the United States spends more money—both per capita and
The increase in median age in the United States is relatively as a percentage of GDP—on healthcare than any other country
modest, but the economic impact of an aging population is still in the world. Furthermore, pension and healthcare systems were
likely to be severe given the precarious state of US entitlement designed at a time when the demographic ratios were far
programs. Today, there are roughly five working age Americans different. At the time Social Security was enacted, there were
per retiree. Over the next decade that ratio will slip to 4-to-1 and approximately 25 workers per retiree. Today, the number is
by 2030 will fall to nearly 3-to-1 (see Figure 1). In other words, the closer to three.
Figure 1: United States Actual and Projected Dependency Ratio Figure 2: The Advancing Median Age
50%
Country/area 2000 2025 2050 Change 2000/2050
40%
World 26.5 32 36.2 9.7%
30%
United States 35.5 39.3 40.7 5.2%
20%
China 30 39 43.8 13.8%
10% Europe 37.7 45.4 49.5 11.8%
0%
Japan 41.2 50 53.1 11.9%
‘85 ‘95 ‘05 ‘10 ‘15 ‘20 ‘25 ‘30 ‘40 ‘60 ‘80
Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12.
Source: The Coming Generational Storm, United Nations World Population Aging 1950-2050
1. Kotlikoff, Laurence and Scott Burns, The Coming Generational Storm (MIT Press, 2004) 2.
4. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [4]
In addition to fewer workers, Americans are both retiring earlier any other economy. 2 So while Australia faces a similar demo-
and living much longer than previous generations. The combina- graphic problem, it is arguably much better prepared for these
tion of these trends—an aging population, earlier retirement and changes than the United States.
longer life expectancy—implies that the US programs are
particularly vulnerable, even when compared to other developed Fewer Workers, Slower Growth
countries. For example, without a change to current laws, federal
spending on Medicare and Medicaid combined will grow from In the May unemployment report, investors were understand bly a
roughly 5% of GDP today to almost 10% by 2035 (see Figure 3). frustrated by the deceleration in net job formation. Another part
If left unchecked, Social Security and Medicare—along with of that report, which received less attention but may be of more
interest on the debt—will eventually crowd out all other govern- significance over the long term, was the labor force participation
ment spending. rate, which, despite a slight uptick in May, is close to its lowest
rate since 1981 (see Figure 4).
Interestingly, this same situation does not hold for all developed
countries. For example, Australian demographics are likely to The drop in the participation rate appears to have accelerated
be worse than the United States, but given the nature of the since the financial crisis as frustrated job seekers eventually give
country’s pension system the Australians are not facing any up and leave the labor force. However, while the trend has
large unfunded liabilities. accelerated, its origins go back more than a decade.
In Australia, the country has revamped its retirement system so Labor force participation peaked in the United States in 1998 at
as to minimize the unfunded liability through what is known as 67.2%. Since then, it has fallen by approximately 3.7 percentage
the superannuation retirement system. Employers are required points, recently hitting the lowest level since the early 1980s
by law to pay an additional amount of employees’ salaries and when women were first entering the labor force in large numbers.
wages (currently 9%) into a fund. Funds can be accessed when an This drop in the participation rate has coincided with a general
employee meets conditions of release. After a decade of compul- slowdown in US growth. At the time participation peaked in the
sory contributions, Australian workers have more than US$1.2 mid-to-late-1990s, the United States was growing at an average
trillion, more money invested in managed funds per capita than annual rate of 4.3% (average growth from 1996 to 2000). Since
2000, US real GDP has averaged roughly 1.7% annualized.
Slower US growth can be attributed to a number of factors, not
Figure 3: Growth of Federal Spending the least of which are the side effects of the bursting of two
bubbles, first in stocks and then real estate. However, it is hard to
40 Actual Projected argue that the decline in labor force participation has not
35
exacerbated the slowdown in growth. Over the long term, a
Percentage of GDP
30
25
20
15
10
Figure 4: United States Labor Force Participation
5 (1948 to Present)
0
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035
68%
Labor Force Participation Rate
66%
40
Actual Projected
35 64%
Percentage of GDP
30
25 62%
20
60%
15
10
58%
5
0 56%
‘62 ‘72 ‘82 ‘92 ‘02 ‘12 ‘22 ‘32 ‘42 ‘52 ‘62 ‘72 2/48 2/58 2/68 2/78 2/98 2/08
Revenues Social Security Medicare & Other Federal
Medicaid Noninterest Spending Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12.
Source: Congressional Budget Office.
2. Wikipedia, (accessed October 20, 2011).
5. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [5]
country’s secular growth rate is a function of the growth in the be some modest lowering of the long-term secular growth rate for
work force plus the growth in productivity. the United States—and many other developed countries.
The relationship between economic growth and changes in the Real Yields, Low for Long?
participation rate has been evident for most of the post-World
War II period. Historically, annual changes in the labor force have A modestly lower secular growth rate has many implications. One,
had a strong relationship—they explain roughly 25% of the which seems to go hand in hand with slower growth, is lower real
annual variation in growth—with changes in real GDP (see Figure yields. Historically, both in the United States and in other devel-
5). To the extent labor force participation continues to decline, oped countries, the slower growth associated with an aging
growth in the United States is likely to face a modest headwind. population and less participation in the workforce has been
accompanied by lower real yields.
We can get a glimpse of what may be in store for the United
States by looking at Japan, where in a somewhat frightening
parallel, economic growth has averaged 0.9% annually over
the past two decades, and just 0.7% in the 2001 to 2010
period. Obviously, this trend has coincided with a number of
“To the extent labor force partic-
factors, but it has almost certainly been influenced by the
rapid aging in Japan.
ipation continues to decline, growth
in the United States is likely to face
In the case of Japan, this trend is likely to get even worse. While
per capita growth may stay the same at around 1% to 1.5%, a modest headwind.”
Japan’s population will shrink at an even faster rate in the future.
With the productive population declining by 1.1% annually,
versus just 0.6% during the 2000s, this suggests future overall
In the United States, nominal rates have been falling for three
trend growth will be just 0% to 0.5%. 3
decades, a period that has coincided with a gradual aging of the
population. Accordingly, there has been a strong correlation
To the extent that a higher proportion of older Americans results
between demographics and interest rates. As the population has
in diminishing participation in the labor force, the United States
aged, rates have dropped (see Figure 6).
may face a similar although less severe headwind. US demo-
graphics look much better than Japan’s, but the basic relation-
There was another important trend going on throughout this
ship holds. If an aging population implies fewer workers there will
period: a secular decline in inflation. Arguably, that has been a
much more powerful driver of the drop in yields than any change
to the country’s demographics.
Figure 5: Labor Force Participation and Economic Growth
(1948 to Present)
10% Figure 6: US Nominal 10-Year Yields and Demographics
8% (1981 to 2011)
6%
US Real GDP
10-Year Treasury Yield - Core CPI
10%
4%
2% 8%
0%
6%
-2%
4%
-4%
–1.5 –1.0 –0.5 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5
2%
Annual Change in Labor Participation Rate (%)
0%
Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12. 0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70
US Ratio Over 65 yrs. Old/Under 15 yr.s Old
3. Bank of Japan Monetary Affairs Department, The Effects of Demographic Changes on Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
the Real Interest Rate in Japan, Daisuke Ikeda and Masashi Saito, February 2012.
6. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [6]
However, even when you control for inflation, the basic relation- real rates are likely to rise over the long term, the findings from
ship between demographics and interest rates remains excep- the BOJ and ECB—coupled with what appears to be a similar
tionally strong. Looking at real, or inflation-adjusted, yields dynamic witnessed in the United States—suggest that the
produces a similar result. Even after accounting for the impact of backup in yield may be more modest than predicted by models
falling inflation, changes in demographics explain more than 65% that ignore demographics.
of the variation in yields (see Figure 7).
Anyone Want to Buy a Stock?
Aging may impact real yields through a variety of mechanisms. As
previously demonstrated, as a population ages and work force Just as over the long term a country’s growth rate is driven by
participation drops, economic growth tends to slow. All else growth in the work force and productivity, over the long term
equal, slower growth tends to be associated with lower real rates. corporate profits are driven by real economic growth. Margins can
An aging population is also likely to be associated with less expand or contract for prolonged periods, but over the very long
demand for capital, which should also exert a modest downward term they have generally tended to mean revert, leaving revenue
pressure on real rates. growth as the chief driver of aggregate corporate earnings. While
accessing faster growing emerging markets may provide a
This latter explanation appears to extend to other countries. tailwind for revenue, for companies with revenues that are
Research into Japanese interest rates by the Bank of Japan dependent on US consumption, earnings growth will ultimately
(BOJ) also suggests that an aging population will exert a signifi- be a function of overall US economic growth.
cant impact on interest rates. The model by the BOJ predicts
that a decline in workers-to-total population ratio lowers the All else equal, slower economic growth suggests that revenues from
real interest rate and concludes that demographic changes domestic operations are likely to grow slower than in the past (see
impact the equilibrium, or natural, real interest rate through Figure 8). As the accompanying chart illustrates, over the past 50
less demand for capital. 4 years economic growth has been the principal driver of US corporate
profitability, explaining more than 35% of the variation in profits.
This theory is also supported by a similar study by the European
Central Bank (ECB), which found that demographic changes Slower growth caused by an aging population may have a
contribute over time to a decline in the equilibrium interest secondary, but perhaps even more pernicious, impact on equities:
rate, although the impact is slow and not visible over shorter it may lower multiples. In a 2010 paper, Tim Bond of Barclays
time frames. 5 Capital argued that demographics tend to drive equity multiples
based on the notion that as investors age demand for equities
We have argued in previous pieces that real rates in the United falls, thus lowering the amount investors are willing to pay for a
States look too low, especially after taking into account the dollar of earnings. Mr. Bond predicts that forward projections
country’s deteriorating fiscal picture. While we still believe that suggest that US P/E should fall to around 11x by around 2015
before recovering slightly to 12x by 2020. 6
Figure 7: US Real 10-Year Yields and Demographics
(1981 to 2011) Figure 8: US GDP vs. Corporate Profits
(1954 to Present)
10-Year Treasury Yield - Core CPI
10%
40%
8%
US Corporate Profits QoQ
20%
6%
4% 0%
2%
-20%
0%
0.50 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.70
-40%
US Ratio Over 65 yrs. Old/Under 15 yr.s Old –15% –10% –5% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20%
Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. US Real GDP QoQ
4. Ibid. Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12.
5. European Central Bank Working Paper Series, Interest Rate Effects of Demographic
Changes in A New-Keynesian Life-Cycle Framework, No. 1273/December 1970. 6. Barclays Capital, Equity Gilt Study, 2010.
7. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [7]
To the extent that aging populations in developed countries do Age vs. Youth
indeed post modestly lower growth rates, there is a second
reason we may experience lower multiples going forward. Our Given all of this, what countries are likely to enjoy the most
own research demonstrates that growth rates, both relative to favorable demographics and which ones look the most
other countries and relative to a country’s own history, impact dangerous? Not surprisingly, emerging markets tend to have
valuations. Historically, countries that grow faster have com- younger populations. In particular, most of Latin America and
manded higher multiples, while slower growing countries Asia look particularly good from a demographic standpoint (see
typically trade at a discount (see Figure 9). Figure 10). Both Brazil and Mexico have favorable demographics,
with the percentage of the population under 15 3.50 and 3.80
As the above figure illustrates, there is roughly a 0.50 correlation times that of the percentage over 65, respectively. However, for
between growth rates and multiples. While this average holds for investors looking for the best demographics in the larger
both developed and emerging market countries, it is instructive to emerging markets, it is hard to beat Asia. In Indonesia, the under
note that for certain fast growing emerging markets the relation- 15 set outnumbers those over 65 by more than 4-to-1, in India
ship can be much stronger. For example, China’s and India’s the ratio is nearly 5-to-1 and in the Philippines it is an
correlations are much higher at 0.80 and 0.72, respectively. The astounding 7.5-to-1.
lesson being, for countries perceived as growth stories, growth is
both more rewarded and more penalized. The notable exception among emerging markets is China. While
China’s demographics look favorable compared to Japan,
The relationship between growth and multiples has two implica- Europe and even the United States, the Chinese population is
tions for investors. First, while equities still appear reasonably set to age much faster than several of its emerging market
priced and probably cheap relative to bonds, equity returns may competitors, most notably India, Brazil and Indonesia.
be more muted to the extent that multiples do not fully revert
back to their long-term average. Under this scenario, investors China’s demographics can be blamed on several factors, starting
will have to rely on earnings growth and dividends, rather than with the country’s notorious one-child policy. As a result of this
rising multiples, to drive future returns. policy, China’s fertility rate is a relatively low 1.58, below some
developed markets including the United States. In parts of
Second, in a world in which developed markets slow, we would China, the birthrate is even lower. Shanghai reported a fertility
suggest that their multiples are likely to fall relative to emerging rate of just 0.60% in 2010, perhaps the lowest in the world. As
markets, with slower growth countries suffering the worst. This a result, over the next few decades, the median age will rise
suggests that the traditional premium that developed markets sharply in China to 48.7 by 2050; meanwhile, the population
have commanded versus emerging markets—historically about will fall slightly from 1.34 billion in 2010 to just under 1.30
35%—is likely to contract over time. billion in 2050. 7
While China’s demographics look poor compared to the other
emerging markets, Europe and Japan look awful compared to
Figure 9: Time Series Correlation Between GDP Forecasts and Current
everyone. Japan in particular stands out as a demographic
MSCI Country Index P/B(2007 to Present)
nightmare. A combination of low fertility rates, no immigration
0.8 and rising longevity make Japan an outlier, even when compared
0.6
with the rest of the developed world. The percentage of
Japanese over 65 is already more than 25%, the highest in
0.4
the world. While in the Philippines the young outnumber the
0.2
old by 7.5-to-1, in Japan the old outnumber the young by more
0.0 than 2-to-1.
–0.2
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Indonesia
Israel
Italy
Japan
Korea
Malaysia
Mexico
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Source: Bloomberg, as of 3/31/12. Correlation measures the statistical relationship
between two events.
7. “China’s Achilles heel,” The Economist, April 21, 2012.
8. iSHARES MARKET PERSPECTIVES [8]
Conclusion Figure 10: Global Demographics
The inevitability of gradualness cannot fail to be appreciated. Ratio
Percent Percent
—Sidney Webb Country/Region Under 15/
Under 15 Years Under 65 Years
Over 65
Demographics are like genetics; it would be a gross exaggeration World 25.70% 8.30% 3.10
to suggest that they are all that matters, but they will exert a
subtle but persistent influence on a country’s economic well- Americas
being. Given the long-term nature of demographic trends, it is
United States 20.10% 14.10% 1.43
worth taking note.
Brazil 25.40% 7.30% 3.48
For investors, there are several implications. In the absence of a
Mexico 27% 7.10% 3.80
productivity surge—or the even more unlikely possibility of a
major change in immigration policy—trend growth in developed Argentina 24.90% 11.40% 2.18
countries is likely to slow. This effect should be more pronounced
in Europe and Japan than in the United States. Instead, the Canada 15.50% 17.30% 0.90
principal risk for the United States revolves around government
Europe
spending. Without significant reform, the strain on entitlement
spending in the United States is likely to be greater than in other Eurozone 15.76% 17.48% 0.90
developed countries due to the persistent failure to tackle
unfunded liabilities. Germany 13% 21.10% 0.62
France 18.40% 18% 1.02
The second likely effect revolves around interest rates. While real
rates should rise in the coming years, the rise may be slower and United Kingdom 17.30% 17.50% 0.99
gentler than some expect as demand for capital slows. Third,
Italy 13.80% 21% 0.66
equity multiples may not revert back to their long-term average in
many developed countries. This also suggests that the historical Asia/Pacific
discount between emerging market and developed market stocks
is likely to narrow over time. China 17.10% 9.60% 1.78
India 28.50% 5.80% 4.91
Investors looking to mitigate or avoid the impact of aging
populations should consider raising their allocation to younger Indonesia 26.10% 6.40% 4.08
emerging markets—particularly India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico
Japan 12.50% 25.40% 0.49
and the Philippines—and to companies that generate a growing
percentage of their sales from these regions. Finally, if there were Philipines 33.70% 4.50% 7.49
not enough reasons already, investors should probably avoid
long-term positions in Japanese stocks.
Source Bloomberg 3/31/12