Defined Benefit
Defined Contribution
Insurance Assets
Nonprofit

Do Fiscal Policies Influence Investment Returns?

Do Fiscal Policies Influence Investment Returns?
clock
3 min 34 sec

Investors are always mindful of opportunities and risk in structuring their investment portfolios. Over the last decade, many have wondered about two questions:

  1. Do government fiscal policies (i.e., changes in spending and tax regimes) impact investment outcomes over the long haul?
  2. If so, can one structure a portfolio to take advantage of fiscal policies?
The Tax Side of Fiscal Policies

Let’s start with the tax side of this issue. According to a recent paper from the Brookings Institution, a tax cut could “pay for itself” if it spurred substantial economic growth. The “payment” would derive from higher overall tax revenues resulting from the combination of higher wages and hours worked. In short, the Brookings paper posits that lower corporate taxes could, in theory, result in greater corporate profits and investment returns. In theory. But what does the evidence show?

Over the last decade, corporate tax rates have indeed fallen, as the left-hand chart below indicates. Importantly, the impact of tax policy changes has varied across industries due to specific provisions within the tax code. Both capital gains and dividend tax rates have declined as well, part of a longer-term trend in the postwar period. Curiously, the lower right panel conveys an interesting phenomenon: S&P 500 returns were higher after capital gains tax increases!

Fiscal Policies

With this backdrop, let’s explore what some recent research has found, specifically analyzing the most recent major changes to federal tax law. A paper in July 2020 from the Cleveland Fed analyzed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act introduced at the end of 2017. The act reduced income tax rates for C corporations (companies that are taxed separately from their owners) from 35 percent to 21 percent.

The Cleveland Fed paper found that some provisions of the act had a positive effect on business investment (e.g., first-year bonus depreciation; the provision on corporate earnings held overseas) while other elements had a negative effect on corporate profitability (e.g., the switch from expensing to amortizing R&D expenses; new limits on interest deductibility).

Overall, the author concluded that the act’s initial impact on business investment was small.

In another recent paper, the Brookings Economic Studies Program found that investment growth rose after the tax cut act was enacted, but this was driven by trends in aggregate demand, oil prices, and intellectual capital that were unrelated to the tax cuts’ supply-side incentives. Growth in business formation, employment, and median wages slowed after the act was enacted.

International profit shifting fell only slightly, and the boost in repatriated profits primarily led to increased share repurchases rather than new investment. At the same time, U.S. multinational corporations increased their foreign capital expenditures after the act was enacted. But—as shown in a paper from the UNC Tax Center at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School and an article published by the Urban Brookings Tax Policy Center—foreign investment in the United States did not rise.

According to the authors of the Brookings research, the tax cut act reduced tax revenues received by the government from individuals and corporations.

Another Aspect of Fiscal Policies

Let’s now take a look at the other major element of fiscal policies, government spending, and how investment returns have fared over the last two decades. Beginning in 2016, increases in spending on Social Security, health care, and interest on the federal debt have outpaced the growth of federal revenue, and of course government spending shot up significantly during 2020 as a result of the pandemic.

Fiscal Policies

The U.S. stock market declined during the Dot-Com Bubble (2000-02) and the Global Financial Crisis (2008-09), but fixed income returns have produced consistently positive rolling three-year returns throughout the last 21 years in spite of the federal deficit and the government’s resulting need to fund that deficit in the capital markets.

Fiscal Policies

In conclusion, do fiscal policies influence investment returns? Yes, but . . .

There does not appear to be a clear causal link between governmental policies and investment returns. One challenge is that the research yields no clear connection because of other, potentially countervailing forces. Among the non-governmental policy factors that influence investment risk and opportunity in the capital markets:

  • Interest rates
  • Investor sentiment
  • Political environment
  • Labor supply and employment levels
  • Natural disasters
  • Current events
  • Currency exchange rates and trade conditions
  • Inflation
  • Technological innovation
  • Demographic trends

Is there a direct connection between fiscal policies to investment outcomes? Mmmm, sort of. The truth of the matter is that multiple factors influence the investing environment, and no single factor in isolation controls investment outcomes.

Posted by

Share
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Related Posts
Macro Trends

Are Equity Returns More Volatile in an Election Year? It Depends!

Ric Ford
Two Callan experts assess how the 2024 election may affect stock returns by looking to history.
Public Markets

Stellar Markets Across Asset Classes

Kyle Fekete
Callan expert assesses the global markets in 3Q24 and the outlook heading into the election.
Public Markets

Navigating U.S. Equity Concentration: A Look at Global Stocks

Fanglue Zhou
Callan global ex-U.S. equities expert assesses U.S. equity concentration and opportunities outside the U.S.
Public Markets

The Supermicro Conundrum: When Successful Small Cap Stocks Hurt Managers

Nicole Wubbena
Callan expert analyzes the impact of Supermicro on small cap growth managers.
Public Markets

Gains for Stocks Mask Wide Disparities; Little to No Change for Bonds

Kristin Bradbury
Callan expert analyzes the global stock and bond markets in 2Q24.
Operations

A Deeper Look at How We Did With Our Capital Markets Assumptions

Julia Moriarty
An analysis of how Callan's Capital Markets Assumptions performed over time by asset class.
Public Markets

Is This a Time for Active Managers to Shine?

Tony Lissuzzo
A post from a member of the Callan Nonprofit Group on how dispersion affects active management.
Public Markets

Stocks Continue Rally; Bond Returns Fall Amid Rate Cut Uncertainty

Kristin Bradbury
Callan expert analyzes the performance of global markets in 1Q24 and the outlook for the year.
Public Markets

The Magnificent Seven and Large Cap Portfolios: What Institutional Investors Need to Know

Nicole Wubbena
What institutional investors need to know about the Magnificent Seven and large cap stock portfolios
Public Markets

Stocks Near a Record High, and Bonds Reverse Course

Kristin Bradbury
Kristin Bradbury analyzes global stock and bond markets in 4Q23.

Callan Family Office

You are now leaving Callan LLC’s website and going to Callan Family Office’s website. Callan Family Office is not affiliated with Callan LLC.  Callan LLC has licensed the Callan® trademark to Callan Family Office for use in providing investment advisory services to ultra-high net worth clients, family foundations, and endowments. Callan Family Office and Callan LLC are independent, unaffiliated investment advisory firms separately registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.

Callan LLC is not responsible for the services and content on Callan Family Office’s website. Inclusion of this link does not constitute or imply an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation by Callan LLC of their website, or its contents, and Callan LLC is not responsible or liable for your use of it. When visiting their website, you are subject to Callan Family Office’s terms of use and privacy policies.