Jonathan Shugar

As Rates Reprice and Stocks Sell Off, What’s Next?

David Kostin, Jonathan Shugar, Allison Nathan

Amidst a shift in market expectations toward four Federal Reserve rate hikes in 2022, a broad sell-off has disproportionately punished low-margin technology stocks while cyclicals like energy and materials outperformed. Goldman Sachs forecasts record corporate net margins of 12.5% and steady 8% growth driven by margin expansion, supported by $1.25 trillion in planned share buybacks and potential M&A activity. As institutional investors adopt more tactical hedging strategies, the primary market focus remains on whether corporations can successfully pass inflationary costs to consumers without volume degradation during the upcoming earnings season.