There is currently $2.6 trillion in American corporate profits parked overseas due to U.S. tax policy. That’s trillion with a “T”.
President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly expressed interest in a “repatriation holiday.” In other words, companies holding profits overseas would be charged a lowered, one-time tax rate. According to his website, Trump will “provide a deemed repatriation of corporate profits held offshore at a one-time tax rate of 10%.” That’s significant tax savings versus the current 35 percent rate.
“There is likely a tax holiday coming and that’s a much more investable theme in my view,” says Financials analyst Jonathan Casteleyn. Casteleyn was responding to Hedgeye subscribers who were asking about investable themes related to a Trump presidency during the live Q&A portion of The Macro Show.
There are few ways to play repatriation, according to Casteleyn.
Big mutual fund company Franklin Resources (BEN), which has $5 billion in assets under management, has about $14 per share in cash with around $8.50 stranded overseas. If Trump successfully pushes through a tax holiday, investors could see special dividends or buybacks from BEN. Nasdaq (NDAQ) and Investco (IVZ), to a lesser extent, are beneficiaries of this trend too.
For more investable trends in the Financials sector, check out Casteleyn’s recommendations for “2 Ways to Invest for Stronger Dollar & Rising Rates.”
