资产配置方法论系列一：重新审视美林时钟和货币信用模型

Report Industry Investment Rating No investment rating information is provided in the report. Core Viewpoints - The currency-credit model is significant for asset allocation in a specific historical period, but with the internal transformation of the economic development model, a new way of thinking and investment framework is needed to view the new market trends of the bond and equity markets [1][3][31]. - The Merrill Lynch Investment Clock has limitations in practical application, and the Chinese version - the currency-credit model - has emerged, but it also faces the problem of weakened applicability due to economic changes [1][2][28]. Summary by Directory 1. Reexamine the Merrill Lynch Investment Clock and the Currency-Credit Model - Merrill Lynch Investment Clock: It is a typical framework for asset allocation, dividing the macro - economy into four quadrants based on growth and inflation. However, it has limitations such as low data frequency, time lag, and difficulty in accurately grasping cycle inflection points in real - world trading [1][11][12]. - Growth and Inflation Cyclical Weakening in China: Since 2012, the cyclical nature of China's economic growth (GDP) and inflation (CPI) has significantly weakened, causing the classic Merrill Lynch Investment Clock to be "ill - adapted" to the Chinese market [13]. - Currency - Credit Model: It is a Chinese - version of the Merrill Lynch Investment Clock, dividing the macro - economy from the currency and credit dimensions. It corresponds to the four stages of the Merrill Lynch Investment Clock and presents different asset performance in different stages. It innovatively incorporates liquidity factors into asset pricing [2][15][22]. - Differences in Asset Pricing Logic: The Merrill Lynch Investment Clock follows a top - down macro logic, while the currency - credit model uses the credit cycle to reflect the macro - economy and incorporates the currency cycle for a more comprehensive asset pricing [22]. - Applicability Differences: The Merrill Lynch Investment Clock is more suitable for the relatively mature capital markets in Europe and the United States, while the currency - credit model is more adaptable to the domestic investment environment. For example, the currency - credit model can better explain the 2015 equity market bull market [23]. - Limitations of the Currency - Credit Model: Due to the transformation of China's economic growth model, the currency - credit model may face weakened applicability. After 2008, investment became a key driver, and credit cycles were important. After 2020, consumption gradually replaced the credit cycle as an important indicator of economic prosperity [28][29].