Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - China's trade growth moderated in May, with exports increasing by 4.8% year-over-year (yoy) and imports decreasing by 3.4% yoy, falling short of consensus expectations [1][9] - The decline in exports to the US continued, with a sequential decline of 17% after seasonal adjustment, following a 25% decline in April [1][9] - The trade surplus for May was reported at US$103.2 billion, an increase from US$96.2 billion in April [1][3] Summary by Sections Trade Growth - Year-over-year trade growth in May showed exports rising by 4.8% yoy compared to 8.1% yoy in April, while imports fell by 3.4% yoy from a decline of 0.2% yoy in April [2][9] - Sequentially, exports decreased by 0.7% non-annualized in May, while imports dropped by 6.3% non-annualized [2][9] Regional Analysis - Exports to the US fell significantly, with a 34.5% yoy decline in May, while exports to the EU rose by 12.0% yoy [10] - Imports from the US also declined by 18.1% yoy, while imports from the EU remained roughly unchanged [10] Product Categories - Export values for housing-related products fell, with home appliances declining by 8.9% yoy, while automobile exports increased by 13.7% yoy and chip exports rose by 33.4% yoy [11] - Import values for energy products and metal ores saw notable declines, with crude oil imports falling by 22.1% yoy [12]

Investment Rating - The report indicates an overall positive sentiment towards US equities and core fixed income, suggesting an overweight (OW) position in these areas [12]. Core Insights - Equity markets experienced a rally in May, with the S&P 500 gaining 6.3% and the TOPIX increasing by 5.0%. Technology and communication services sectors led the gains, while healthcare lagged with a decline of 3.7% [2][11]. - The Market Sentiment Indicator (MSI) shifted to a neutral stance after initially signaling risk-off, with the VIX index reaching three-month lows [4][11]. - Gross issuance in the investment-grade (IG) and high-yield (HY) markets decreased by 12% and 28% respectively compared to the 2024 run rate, indicating a shift in market dynamics [3][11]. Market Review & Trends - **Equities**: The S&P 500 had its best May performance since 1990, with total returns of 6.3%. The technology sector outperformed with a 10.3% increase [5][11]. - **Fixed Income**: The UST 10Y yield was reported at 4.4%, with a total return of -1.1% for the month [11][32]. - **FX**: The US dollar depreciated against most developed market currencies, with the DXY index down 0.1% [2][34]. - **Commodities**: WTI Crude oil saw a notable increase of 5.3% in May [2][34]. Valuations - The report highlights that the current P/E ratio for the S&P 500 stands at 23.3, indicating a relatively high valuation compared to historical averages [27][30]. - The forward P/E for various sectors shows that communication services and consumer discretionary sectors are at 90% and 88% percentile respectively, suggesting high valuations [31][30]. Technicals - The report notes a significant decrease in gross issuance for both IG and HY markets, with a year-over-year decline of 12% for DM IG and 28% for DM HY [3][11]. - The cumulative change in the Fed rate over the next 12 months is projected to be -84 basis points, indicating expectations of rate cuts [11][12].