Research.LeutholdGroup

U.S. economic growth has recently slowed and may weaken further in coming months. Moreover, inflation still lingers—commodity prices have bounced, both core consumer and producer price inflation remain near recent highs, and wage inflation is steadily rising. Investors face two big questions.

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The stock and commodity markets have been messaging confidence in the future of this economic recovery since the December stock swoon. The S&P 500 has surged by about 10% so far this year on strong breadth led by economically-sensitive small cap stocks and cyclical sectors, while traditional defensive equities have lagged. 

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The macro-investment environment can be simply described by two dimensions—the directions of real growth and inflation. Since the performance of both the stock and bond markets are highly responsive to these two factors, investors need to be mindful of their macro bets. 

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Arguably, the biggest risk facing the stock market is a recession. Currently, traditional recession gauges are mostly comforting and a key indicator—balance sheet health—is remarkably strong. Often, recessions occur when financial health deteriorates, limiting household or business capabilities and lowering confidence.

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Economic growth in the contemporary expansion has been perpetually weaker than any in the post-war era. Many explanations have been offered for why the U.S. is stuck in low gear, including aging demographics, overextended balance sheets, overused and increasingly ineffective economic policies, and a tech-boom-induced world awash with excess capacity. 

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Just some noodling over an array of issues including:

• What private sector confidence currently suggests about the stock-bond allocation tilt?
• Is the fuel for Populism fading? 
• Will winning the trade war cause U.S. stocks to lose?
• How have stocks performed once the unemployment rate bottoms?
• What does a 2019 U.S. economic slowdown imply for the 2020 election?
• A nice revaluation refresh for stocks!
   

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Emerging Markets (EM) are not generally considered defensive investments and, therefore, investors do not often turn toward these economically-sensitive stocks near the end of a bull market cycle. However, as Chart 1 highlights, if the current economic expansion/bull market is in its late innings, perhaps you should consider “Emerging for the Finish.”
 

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During the December carnage many Bulls were killed on the battlefield and others badly wounded. This year, although the skirmish has quieted, most remain on edge. However, investors may just now be jumping out of their foxholes because the Cavalry has recently been sighted coming over the hill with bugles blaring!

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While many factors will determine how the stock market ultimately does this year (e.g., the pace of economic and earnings growth, valuation, policy support, and technicals), a few indicators show “sentiment” remains supportive for the stock market. 

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The next recession, whenever it is, could face an unusual headwind. Normally, recessions are about liquidating fundamental excesses. Restoring health to balance sheets which were abused in the last expansion, purging bad business decisions, restoring liquidity, replenishing savings, and restarting the profit, job, and income creation cycles. 
 

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In 2018, the U.S. recovery was on a path toward recession. It couldn’t last much longer growing above 3% in real terms and 5.5% in nominal terms, with an unemployment rate below 4%. Wages, consumer, producer, and commodity prices were rising and the Federal Reserve (Fed) and bond vigilantes were tightening.

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Amongst the carnage and ongoing financial market volatility are a few encouraging signs the stock market may eventually regain its footing. As the pictures below illustrate, a proprietary U.S. economic momentum indicator suggests that recession fears may lessen by the spring, valuations have now fallen well below levels justified by bond yields, investor mindsets are quickly shifting away from overheat fears, and the U.S. dollar may finally be breaking down.

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Welcome to 2019! As we begin the New Year, volatility (the stock market’s VIX volatility index spiked above 30 last week) and uncertainty (Bear Market, Recession?) reign. Amongst all the chaos, and with much personal trepidation over what may actually happen this year, here are some observations and a few guesses for 2019.

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Emerging Markets (EM) are not normally considered a safe place to hide during severe stock market corrections—but they have been in the latest equities swoon. As shown in Chart 1, while the S&P 500 composite stock price index has declined by more than 14% from its high on September 20th, the MSCI Emerging Market stock price index has only declined by about 7%. 

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Stagflation is normally considered an economic condition characterized by weak real growth accompanied by rising inflation. Today, however, this condition may be most noticeable in the mindset of equity investors. 

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Recently, when Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and President Donald Trump both blinked—one on rate hikes and the other on trade wars—the S&P 500 surged by more than 6% in about a week! Many sensed the primary challenges holding back stocks were finally resolving and sentiment quickly turned bullish as investors did not want to miss the Santa Rally! 

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The valuation of the stock market has been under steady pressure this year. The S&P 500 trailing price-earnings (P/E) multiple has declined by about 25% from a recovery peak of 23 in January to about 18. The hope for this bull market is that P/E contraction is almost over, allowing stock prices to again rise with earnings gains. 

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We first published the accompanying chart in March of this year. The PP Ratio had just spiked sharply upward in the previous three months, as it did near the end of the dot-com era in 2000. Since March, in a very similar fashion as shown, the PP Ratio has eerily traced the same path as during the dot-com era.
 

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he velocity of the money supply measures the pace at which cash is spent in the economy, or the amount of total GDP activity created by each dollar of the money supply. Monetary velocity has long been a focal point for the Federal Reserve, economists, and investors because its growth often shapes the character of the recovery.

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From the mid-1920s until the mid-2000s, the performance cycles of small cap stocks relative to large cap stocks (i.e., the small/large market cap factor or SLF) were typically multi-year events.

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Solid economic growth and fabulous profit results have underpinned the stock market in the last couple years. Since the presidential election, the global economic recovery exhibited a rare synchronization for a time, and within the U.S., confidence measures rose from mediocre to near post-war highs...

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The accompanying chart illustrates the annual rate of wage inflation for all U.S. nonsupervisory private nonfarm payrolls. This was the primary wage series used by the Bureau of Labor (BLS) until 2006 when it began using a wage series based on all private sector workers.

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Productivity has been weaker in the contemporary recovery than any other in the post-war era. At just a little above 1% per annum, the pace of productivity growth in this recovery has only been about 40% of the average growth experienced during past periods of economic expansion! 
 

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Amongst a week of elevated financial market volatility, a few random short vignettes on recent action.

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U.S. inflation has been modest for the last 35 years. The annual rate of core consumer price inflation has only briefly been above 5% since 1983, and for the last 20 years has been below 3%! Since inflation has been low for so long, an entire generation of investors often consider it a nonevent. 
 

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A central quandary for equity investors is whether Emerging Markets (EM) represent an opportunity or a risk? Current relative valuations highlight the opportunity. The relative forward P/E multiple (versus the S&P 500) is as low today as it was at the start of this bull market in early 2009, and relative price-to-sales and price-to-book ratios have not been this attractive since the early 2000s!

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Bond yields have taken center stage in the financial markets. Overheat anxieties have awakened, the Federal Reserve is poised for its fourth Fed funds hike of the year in December, and the 10-year bond yield has risen by about 40 basis points in a little over a month!
 

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Inflation has remained low throughout this recovery causing many investors to conclude it is not much of a problem even if it rises a bit further. However, inflation has been trending higher for much of the last four years and has already significantly impacted the stock market. Moreover, because both wage and price inflation recently reached new recovery highs, overheat pressure seems poised to become even more pronounced. 

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Even though the calendar has turned to fall, it sure seems like the Dog Days of Summer have persisted. Volatility across the Financial Markets has been remarkably modest in the last year. It’s not just a low VIX volatility reading in the stock market, but rather, weekly volatility in the stock,

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Despite a very strong economy, defensive stocks have been matching the performance of the overall stock market since early this year. Indeed, in the last three months, while the S&P 500 has returned to a new record high, the top four leading S&P 500 sectors have been those normally considered defensive (i.e., Health Care, Telecom, Utilities, and Consumer Staples), and the five sectors which have trailed the S&P 500 are much more cyclical (Consumer Discretionary, Technology, Financials, Materials, and Energy). 

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Everyone has a favorite stock market valuation tool. For some, it’s the celebrated Shiller CAPE P/E (price/earnings) ratio. Many prefer to value stocks based on expected future earnings or the forward P/E multiple. Others are more comforted by a “show-me-the-money” approach basing the P/E multiple on (actual) trailing earnings.

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Confidence has arguably played an outsized role in the contemporary bull market. It was born amidst widespread fears of the “second coming of the Great Depression,” and until recently, had persevered despite lingering crisis fears and confidence measures which remained below post-war norms. 
 

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Fantastic Fundamentals have pacified the White House, the Federal Reserve, and investors during the last couple years. Is this about the end? 

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The potential for the stock market to rise depends on how much capacity there is for improvement. Can its valuation rise? Could investor confidence improve? Do corporate profits still have room to run? Will stocks become more competitive relative to alternative investments? How spent is the economic recovery?
 

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Potpourri week! No common thread, just a bunch of unrelated thoughts. None are earth shattering, but hopefully each may prove marginally intriguing? So, sit back, grab a refreshing adult beverage, and let your mind wander about a bit…

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Technology stocks have outpaced the overall market during the last five years, and by an accelerating margin since the end of 2016. Naturally, they have become market darlings, replete with stories about remarkably innovative products with phenomenal growth potential.

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The S&P 500 trailing Price-Earnings (P/E) multiple is currently higher than 84% of the time since 1950. Appropriately, high valuations have become a concern for many investors. Although the market’s high P/E profile has reduced future return potential, at least historically, it does not necessarily suggest significant downside risk.

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As it often does, Friday’s jobs report will likely set the tone for the financial markets during the next few weeks. Since the January report, the employment numbers have been reassuring. A rise in the labor force has allowed solid job gains to coincide with a flattening in the unemployment rate near 4%, leaving an impression the labor market still has significant slack. 

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In the last few years, movements in the U.S. dollar have played a huge role in shaping the character of the recovery and the behavior of the financial markets. During the first half of this recovery, the trade-weighted U.S. dollar index (DXY) remained in a narrow range, but since 2014, its volatility has substantially increased.

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We first published the accompanying chart in March of this year. The PP ratio had just spiked sharply upward in the previous three months, as it did near the end of the dot-com era in 2000. Since, as shown, the PP ratio has been largely marking time during the last four months even though technology certainly has not lost its popularity.
 

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