Paulsen's Perspective

It is always challenging to judge value, particularly during recessions when earnings power temporarily (one hopes?) contracts. The difficulty has been magnified in the current situation because, like economic data in general, earnings are in freefall! 

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Domestic, large capitalization, and growth have dominated stock market leadership for much of the last decade. During this stretch, investors (author included) have repeatedly attempted to exploit “undervalued and out-of-favor” segments of the stock market, only to be proved premature. 

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Is there any way to judge when U.S. economic reports may finally bottom? Obviously, it depends on what happens with the virus. If it continues to burn hot or simply lingers longer than expected, keeping “stay-at-home” orders in place, could economic data prove bottomless? 

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For the second time in the last 30 years, “growth” has dominated leadership within the stock market. After significant outperformance during the 1990s’ dot-com era, the growth style has again substantially outpaced since the start of the last recovery (Chart 1).

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Earnings, like everything in the economy, are in freefall. Finance textbooks would argue this paints a bleak future for the stock market, but that isn't always the case. 

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After another volatile week amongst the rubble of COVID-19, from a government-mandated “stay in place” prison that I lovingly refer to as my home, here are a few Random Revelations.

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Volatility within the stock and bond markets has recently parted company. Since 1990, the correlation in daily movements of the stock market’s VIX Volatility index and the bond market’s MOVE index has been about 0.60. While they do not move perfectly together, they usually move in the same direction.

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This has been a “speedy” Bear Market. Measured through the first 22 days of all bear markets in post-war history, the contemporary bear market declined by almost 6.5 times more than all the others! In 2020, the market dropped 32% in 22 days versus an average of just -5.1% for the previous 13 bear markets. See Paulsen’s Perspective “Recession By Proclamation!” posted on March 23rd.
 

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The U.S. economy is in free-fall, perhaps headed for its deepest recession of the post-war era. Typically, recessions are necessary to correct overindulgences that build up during an expansion—for example, restoring liquidity, improving savings, purging bad debt, and realigning exorbitant risks. In the economic recovery that just ended, however, there were very few excesses or problems that needed to be addressed. 

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At its recent low on March 23rd, the S&P 500 had fallen much faster and by much more than any bear market in post-war history during its first 23 trading days. Indeed, it was off by about -34%, more than six times greater than any bear market post-1945. 
 

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U.S. recessions are normally caused by private sector vulnerabilities. During an expansion, private players eventually get out over their skis, overdo risky behaviors, and expose themselves.

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Overnight Tuesday, stock market futures hit their 5%-limit down trigger—this has become commonplace in the current crisis. Seemingly, in addition to the coronavirus, the stock market is also worried about rising bond yields, which many believe is occurring because governments around the globe are implementing massive fiscal-stimulus packages and, consequently, are poised to sell huge amounts of sovereign debt securities. 

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A pandemic sweeping across the globe leaving unprecedented human turmoil in its wake, while also abruptly freezing economic activities, has brought the longest bull market in U.S. history to a crashing and swift end. Wow! Unfortunately, investment textbooks offer little advice on the situation and this rapid change of events seems far from over. 

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There are of course many differences between today’s stock market and the 1987 panic. However, in both cases, the economy was at or near full employment and generally healthy going into the crash.

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Fear fills the financial markets! Although the frightening and unpredictable coronavirus is the headliner, investors are nearly as freaked out by the recent speedy collapse in the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond to a record low yield below 1%! Is the unthinkable, possible? 

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The stock market collapse has been shockingly quick and severe, causing considerable panic. However, as the charts illustrate, it has also significantly “re-valued” the overall stock market in record time!
 

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The collapse in the stock market in recent days has been swift, significant, dramatic and unnerving! And with the VIX volatility index still hovering near 27, who knows how much longer and how much deeper it may go?

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Fears surrounding the spread of the coronavirus spiked over the weekend bringing panic selling to the stock market. While the possibility of a global pandemic is frightening, anxieties have also been augmented because the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield is again nearing its all-time record low. 

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Since the 2008 Great Recession, economic and investment uncertainties have been persistent and pronounced. The shocking depth of the last recession during the post-war era (the annual decline in real GDP growth had never been lower than -3%—until 2009—when it fell nearly 4%), its subsequent subpar recovery (real GDP growth has averaged only slightly more than 2% annually, a level which was traditionally considered the “stall speed” during past expansions), the wild actions of policy officials (Cash for Clunkers, TARP, a zero Fed funds rate, Quantitative Easing, and Modern Monetary Theory)..

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A lot of moving parts of late. Record high stock markets with near record-low bond yields? A re-inversion of the yield curve. A pop in the U.S. manufacturing industry. Blow-out job numbers at full employment. Impeachment—Not. A botched Caucus. Brexit—Done. And, a Pandemic! Eh, just another day at the office…
 

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