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In the markets, the theme of ‘American exceptionalism’ has received a lot of air play of late – and for good reason. Over the past two years, the benchmark S&P 500 has increased by at least 25%. In fact, since the end of 2018, the index is up by close to 160% with an average annual return of 18.6%. With all due respect to the other large developed markets, it’s only in the U.S. where an investor could have hoped to sniff numbers like that.
And to be sure, investors have been voting with their feet. More than any other time in modern history, the U.S. market is benefitting from an influx of foreign capital. The impact has been profound, with market valuations now at levels comparable to the throes of the Covid-19 shock as well as the ‘tech bubble’ at the turn of the century. Within leading global equity indices, the U.S. accounts for almost 70% of the weight—well over double where things stood a few decades ago.