Nasdaq is pushing higher.
Equity rally due to systematic buying and HF short covering. Short interest has halved from the Q4 highs for EU equities, but is still elevated in the US. Macro HFs and CTAs have turned outright long equities, and their exposure is close to 12m highs, yet still below average. Long short funds have also reduced short positions, but their net exposure remains low too. Risk control funds’ exposure has increased only modestly and remains depressed by historical standards. So there is room left for more systematic/HF buying. In contrast, mutual funds
remain long cash and have dumped equities in recent months. As a result, their equity beta is close to the lows. Similarly, the bid from retail investors to equities has waned, with US households turning outright sellers of stocks. ©Barclays Equity Research