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Nearly everyone would cite high inflation as the dominant theme of 2022. But we think that the evaporation of a one-time ocean of liquidity better explains the horrendous backdrop for stocks and bonds. High inflation sped up the rate of evaporation, but it was going to occur anyway. 

Seriously, another “new bull”—coming so quickly after this summer’s “new bull?” We’ll see. We’re not ones to dismiss price action, because stock prices, in and of themselves, are an important “fundamental.” 
But we’ve seen the Dow go rogue like this once before, and it didn’t end well. 

The S&P 500 ended November 14% higher than its contemporary low seven weeks earlier. Last month contained two of the three best trading days (+5.5% and +3.1%) since April 2020, as a mild consumer inflation reading and dovish Fed Chair comments buttressed hopes for a policy pivot.

In the last year, Royal Blue Value (+17%) has dominated Royal Blue Growth (-26%). That is almost a mirror image of the nine-month run for Growth between November 2019–September 2020: Royal Blue Growth +30%; Royal Blue Value -9%.

After a month of Small Cap underperformance versus Large Caps, our Ratio of Ratios has crashed through contemporary lows. On a relative basis, only the three months that followed the onset of the pandemic registered deeper discounts for Small Caps.

After a decent start with the Q3 “one-month” reading, the ratio is back down in familiar territory; every quarter this year has now registered a “two-month” reading between 1.04 and 1.08. Values in that range have always been associated with a recession.

The market has responded quickly to global central-bank pivots, and favorable seasonality can carry the rally a bit further in the near term. However, the risk for a severe recession still looms in the medium term.

Stock market bulls hope for an end to the tightening cycle in the not so distant future. However, the last two rounds didn’t end until the fed funds rate was raised above the prevailing rate of CPI.

The mid-October market bounce extended through November. The S&P 500’s monthly gain (+5.4%) stretched both of our downside-to-median estimates by congruent amounts. Since September 30th, downside for our “New Era” (1995-to-date) weighted average widened from -5% to -17%.

Read this week's Major Trend.

This earnings season has not been free of concern, and profit margins are clearly weakening from last year’s highs. Our earnings waterfall template highlights several themes coming out of third quarter results.

A new study looking at the relationship between inflation and profit margins is introduced. The goal is to understand how the latest margin peak was reached in mid-2021 and what impact inflation might have on margin forecasts underlying next year’s earnings estimates. Full report will be sent mid-month.

Read this week's Major Trend.

When Jerome Powell took the reins of the Federal Reserve in early 2018, many commentators cheered the fact that he does not possess a Ph.D. in Economics. It will be many, many years before historians are able to conclude whether that’s a good or bad thing.

Yesterday’s action, though, left us wondering whether Powell might stealthily be in the process of earning a different designation—that of Chartered Market Technician (CMT). 

Read the latest MTI update...

Read the latest MTI update...

The 2022 bear market has been driven by collapsing valuation multiples, particularly for expensive growth stocks and unprofitable companies. Coming into the year, U.S. stocks stood as one of the most egregiously valued equity markets around the world, motivating investors to look elsewhere for more reasonably priced alternatives. Fortunately, international stock markets offered much better valuations that could serve as havens from the coming U.S. valuation collapse. Unfortunately, the strategy of seeking refuge in moderately priced foreign markets was foiled by an unusually strong U.S. dollar, leading us to take a closer look at how moves in the USD affect investment outcomes for domestic investors.

Our studies of economic and stock market history are meant to provide perspective, not an investment roadmap. But occasionally a current trend will resemble the past so closely it’s eerie.

Take the current inflation cycle. If (as we believe) June’s CPI inflation rate of 9.1% represents the peak for this business cycle, then many of its characteristics have lined up almost perfectly with the “average” of past inflationary episodes.

Read this week's Major Trend. 

Read this week's Major Trend update.