Morgan Stanley's Katerina Simonetti opens her playbook for an 'expensive' market

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  September 18, 2026 at 22:09  |  5:32  |  CNBC
Speakers
Katerina Simonetti — Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management

Summary

Katerina Simonetti of Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management says the market is expensive and concentrated, but she remains constructive. She favors quality companies with durable growth and positive earnings revisions, while avoiding the chase into mega-cap tech and staying diversified within technology. She also sees a shift from AI enablers to AI implementers and likes short-term fixed income for yield. She flags oil and inflation as the key macro drivers for the Fed and equity risk.

  • Market described as expensive, concentrated, and potentially volatile, but still investable.
  • Investors should focus on quality, earnings revisions, and competitive positioning.
  • Avoid chasing mega-cap tech; diversify within technology instead.
  • AI opportunity is shifting from enablers to implementers/monetization.
  • Short-term bonds, T-bill-like paper, munis, and corporates offer attractive yield.
  • Oil and inflation are the key variables for the Fed and equity risk.
  • Portfolios should be diversified across sectors and regions, including within tech.
Ideas
Katerina Simonetti Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management 0:52
Favor quality companies with durable growth.
With high market valuations and uncertainty, investors should focus on quality and own companies with durable growth, positive earnings revisions and competitive positioning rather than chasing mega performers.
Katerina Simonetti Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management 1:32
Avoid chasing concentrated mega-cap tech.
Tech is overvalued and concentrated in the largest mega-cap names, so this is not the time to chase mega performers; investors should know what they own and be very selective.
Katerina Simonetti Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management 2:42
Shift from AI enablers to implementers.
The AI trade is shifting from enablers to implementers as the monetization story develops; prefer companies and sectors that use AI, including healthcare, financials and industrials, to drive the next phase of adoption.
Katerina Simonetti Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management 4:09
Oil and inflation drive Fed risk.
The key macro variable is the price of oil and inflation, not rates alone; if the Strait of Hormuz situation resolves and oil falls, the hiking cycle could end sooner, but if oil stays elevated it presents downside risk to equities.
Katerina Simonetti Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management 4:53
Lock in yield in short-term bonds.
With positive yields available, she favors short-term fixed income—three- and six-month paper, municipal bonds and corporate bonds—to earn yield rather than holding cash.
Up Next

This CNBC video, published September 18, 2026, features Katerina Simonetti discussing QUAL, XLK, AI-SECTOR, WTI, 3-month paper, 6-month paper, SHY, MUB, LQD. 5 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Katerina Simonetti  · Tickers: QUAL, XLK, AI-SECTOR, WTI, 3-month paper, 6-month paper, SHY, MUB, LQD