Investing.com - The UK economy is facing several challenges, but HSBC (LON:HSBA) sees a number of reasons for investors to be relatively optimistic when looking at UK equities.
There are many reasons not to invest in the UK, analysts at HSBC said, in a note dated Feb. 7. Business confidence is falling, the labor market is weakening, and it is possible that the UK economy as a whole might have contracted in the fourth quarter of 2024.
In a broader context, the UK and European equity markets are likely to look less attractive compared with the US, which could benefit from more fiscal stimulus and a lighter touch approach to regulation under President Trump.
The threat of tariffs on US imports also creates a level of uncertainty for investors.
The gloomy domestic outlook is reflected in the underperformance of the FTSE 250 relative to the FTSE All World index year-to-date. However, the more internationally focused
FTSE 100 has been one of the better performing indices globally over the same period.
Regional exposure has been a key determinant of sector performance.
However, HSBC sees reasons to be cheerful, highlighting seven reasons that the bank thinks make UK equities attractive.
The bank pointed out -
i) the more domestically-focused FTSE 350 index is cheap, both relative to its own history and other markets.
ii) in the past few weeks, consensus EPS growth estimates for 2025 have started to rise, reflecting currency tailwinds for many companies.
iii) the value of M&A deals sharply increased in 2024, demonstrating that corporate buyers see value.
iv) the combined dividend and buyback yield is attractive.
v) expectations for the macro outlook are low, suggesting that it would not take much for sentiment to become more positive.
vi) it is possible that the UK will be less affected by US tariffs than other countries.
vii) while many of the government’s growth plans are long-term in nature, there is potentially some positive news for equity markets in the short term.
“We have a mix of cyclical and defensive sectors as overweight. We have a preference for US exposure and for the FTSE 100 over the FTSE 250,” HSBC said.