Société Générale's head of U.S. equity strategy, Manish Kabra, suggests that the S&P 500 has room to overshoot and advises staying long on U.S. tech and industrials due to positive signals indicating stocks are not overexuberant. Kabra points to a trifecta of signals, including profit inflection and high-yield spread compression, supporting his view. SocGen has set a target of 6,250 for the S&P 500, citing a favorable investing spot in the tech sector. Stock futures are holding gains, with bond yields creeping up, and various companies are reporting upbeat results.
SocGen plans to cut 947 jobs in Paris as part of its cost-cutting measures, prompting dissatisfaction among employees and criticism from the union delegate. CEO Slawomir Krupa's focus on efficiency and restructuring has led to concerns about increased workloads, stagnant salaries, and reduced bonuses for remaining employees. The bank has assured that the cuts will not result in forced redundancies and will offer voluntary departures or internal transfers. Negotiations with the union are underway, while employees at rival French banks view SocGen's actions as indicative of underperformance.
Societe Generale advises investors to favor risk assets as long as corporate earnings and Federal Reserve rate-cut projections remain favorable, but warns of increasing volatility in the second and third quarters due to potential stalling of U.S. disinflation and tougher EPS comparisons for the Nasdaq-100. The bank recommends selling highly leveraged assets and highly-indebted U.S. small caps, cautioning that non-recession Fed rate cuts are adjustments and not the start of a cutting cycle. Meanwhile, U.S. stock-index futures are lower after some bank results disappointed, and key asset performances show mixed movements.
Slawomir Krupa, the head of Societe Generale's retail banking unit, has announced a cut in profit targets and forecasts slower growth for the bank. This decision comes as SocGen faces challenges in the low-interest-rate environment and increased competition from digital banking platforms.
