Downside Volume

We believe it is likely that equities are on the verge of establishing a new low. The good news is this may be an important part of a defining low in this bear market. The main reason for our near-term concern is the action of our NYSE 25-day up/down volume oscillator. The 25-day up/down volume oscillator declined to negative 3.7 this week, recording its third oversold day in the last five trading sessions. The decline was sudden and the pattern in the oscillator suggests downside volume is gaining momentum. In fact, the July 6 reading of minus 4.09 was the most oversold reading recorded since April 1, 2020. And though some might think that an oversold reading is positive, we would point out that in March and April of 2020, the market dropped to oversold and remained in oversold territory for 25 of 28 consecutive trading sessions. See page 12. Sometimes negative momentum begets more negative momentum.

Inflation

This acceleration in downside volume is coming just ahead of the releases of June CPI and PPI data. And it may reflect the concern investors now have regarding inflation. Unfortunately, we believe the consensus may be disappointed in the results. To be specific, the May headline CPI release showed prices rising 8.5% YOY, the highest pace in 40 years. See page 9. What we believe is important is that if the CPI were to remain unchanged in June, the pace of inflation would still remain high at 7.6% YOY. However, an unchanged CPI seems unlikely since even at the lower prices for WTI crude oil (CLc1 – $95.84) seen currently, WTI is up 29% YOY.

And as previously noted, housing represents 42% of the CPI’s weighting and housing rose 6.9% YOY in May. The median price of an existing single-family home rose nearly 15% YOY in May, and while 15% YOY is down from a peak rate of 26% YOY a year earlier, housing will still add to inflationary pressure. Meanwhile, rents, which represent nearly 24% of the CPI weighting, tend to follow the trend in home prices, but with a sizable lag. Given this backdrop, it is difficult to see inflation falling much in June. We have also pointed out that medical care prices have been offsetting some of the larger increases seen in transportation costs. Medical care rose a “modest” 3.7% in May, but health insurance pricing is seasonal, and we expect medical insurance, and the medical care segment of the CPI, will add to inflation in coming months.

The PPI represents the pricing pressure in the pipeline that will eventually shift to consumer prices. The PPI for final demand rose 10.7% YOY in May. If prices were unchanged in June, the year-over-year pace only falls to 9.8%. In short, there is some simple math behind the CPI and PPI data that suggests the June inflation data will not soothe investors’ nerves.

Earnings Season

Moreover, second quarter earnings season begins in earnest this week, and this could be a market moving event. A number of brokerage houses are bringing their 2022 earnings estimate for the S&P 500 index down to our $220 forecast and that is a plus. But as we noted in our March 9, 2022 (“A Bear is a Bear is a Bear”) “higher commodity costs are likely to pressure profit margins and lower revenues for many companies and could make our $220 earnings estimate too optimistic.” We still believe this is true. Our $220 estimate represents a 5.7% YOY increase from 2021, and we feel it is conservative considering that earnings for the energy sector are expected to increase between 120% YOY (IBES) and 137% YOY (S&P Dow Jones) this year. Excluding the energy and perhaps the materials sectors, we expect earnings will decline in 2022. In a week or so, investors will have a better idea of second quarter earnings results.

PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP – $169.50) released earnings results this week and its second quarter core earnings rose 8.1% YOY, but reported earnings fell 39.4% YOY due to a write-off related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. A key takeaway from the company’s earnings call was that it planned price increases and cost management. A main part of our strategy for 2022 is to focus on companies and sectors that will be most immune to both inflation and recession. This includes necessities like food, staples, energy, utilities, and we also include the defense-related industrial stocks given the increase in funding of national defense by Western countries as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Worrisome Economic Data

The June jobs report indicated an increase of 372,000 jobs and an unchanged unemployment rate of 3.6%. However, total employment in the US is yet to exceed its previous peak which is unusual for an expansion that is now over two years old. We think this is a weakness in the employment data that most economists have overlooked. See page 3. And employment gains have been a story of the haves and have-nots. Unemployment for those with less than a high school degree has risen in the last four months from 4.3% to 5.8%. Economists may be disregarding this factor since this segment represents only 6.4% of the workforce. However, the only group that has made significant gains in employment in the last two years has been those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, which represents 43% of the working public. The remaining 47% have not seen the same gains. See page 4.

Both the manufacturing and nonmanufacturing ISM indices fell in June, and were down 13% YOY and 9% YOY, respectively. However, take note that both surveys show their employment indices falling below the 50 neutral level, indicating a decline in employment. This could be a leading indicator for the BLS employment data. See page 5.

In June, the NFIB small business optimism index fell to 89.5, its lowest reading since the 88.8 seen in January 2013. The outlook for the next six months fell to negative 61, the lowest reading on record. All ten components fell in June, including plans to expand business, to increase capital expenditures, to increase employment, or to add to inventories. The only positive seen in June’s survey was that 50% of owners indicated they had unfilled job openings. See page 6.

A number of markets are trading as if a recession is approaching. As previously mentioned, the price of crude oil has collapsed from a high of $122.11 in early June to $95.84, this week. This appears to be due to a fear of a global recession. Nevertheless, oil is still up 29% from July 2021. Also falling is the 10-year Treasury note yield which had reached a high of 3.48% in June, before dropping to 2.95% this week. This decline is not a good sign since the Treasury yield curve is now inverted from the one-year note yield to the 10-year note yield. Keep in mind that the Fed expects to raise the fed funds rate to 3.5% or higher which would invert the entire yield curve in a classic sign of a recession. See page 7. Valuation can be deceiving when not put into perspective. The current trailing PE of 17.7 X looks low, relative to the 50-year and post-1947 averages, but the PE will rise if EPS forecasts are too high. Plus, the impact of inflation is best seen in the charts on page 9. When inflation moved above average (3.5% YOY) in the 1972-1982 period, PE multiples fell to single-digits and below the standard deviation range. Another way of measuring inflation is the Rule of 23, which sums inflation and PE multiples. The market has traded above 23 for the last two years and the sum is currently 24.8. Unfortunately, based on this historical benchmark, the market remains expensive. See page 9.

Gail Dudack

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The Right Environment for a Low

Second quarter earnings season will begin in earnest in mid-July, and it could be a market-moving event. First quarter earnings results disappointed the consensus in April, and this setback contributed to a sharp decline in the averages. However, GDP was negative in the first quarter, therefore, poor earnings results for the S&P 500 stocks should not have been a surprise to investors.

This month, the start of second quarter earnings season will be quickly followed by the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s report of its first estimate for second quarter GDP growth, scheduled for release on July 28. This crucial combination of earnings and economic activity should be a meaningful time for investors.

Last week we noted that despite the perpendicular selloffs in the broad averages, to date, the equity market has been unable to sustain a significant or normal rebound. Unfortunately, this is a sign of weakness. Plus, our biggest concern is that analysts have not yet significantly lowered earnings forecasts for this year. And despite multiple signs of deteriorating economic activity, economists are yet to worry about a recession in 2022. It is possible that second quarter earnings results and the BEA’s estimate for second quarter GDP growth could be the catalyst that shifts attitudes and forecasts. If so, it would create the right environment for the stock market to establish a meaningful low.

As we noted last week, the bear market finale is likely to include the realization that earnings will be lower than expected for both 2022 and 2023, and this could happen in late July. From a simple technical perspective, it would be wise to wait for an impressive high-volume 90% up day before committing to equities in a major way. A 90% up day would confirm that buyers have returned to the equity market in earnest.

Hints of Recession

US economists may not be forecasting a recession, but global markets are indicating that recession fears are rising. This week the euro sank to its lowest level against the dollar in over 20 years. The global benchmark for Brent crude collapsed 9.5% in one day. Similarly, the WTI future fell 8.2%. The 10-year Treasury bond index lost nearly 400 basis points in the last four trading sessions. In the Euro zone, purchasing managers’ surveys for June show the manufacturing sector is in a decline and the service sector has suffered a major loss in momentum. China’s growth is becoming questionable after Shanghai said it would begin new rounds of mass testing of its 25 million residents over a three-day period. This is an effort to trace infections linked to an outbreak at a karaoke bar and it stokes fears of another potential lockdown of China’s largest city of 24.5 million people. In sum, we continue to believe the US economy may already be in a recession. The good news is that the equity market tends to find its low midway through a recession.

Real Disposable Income Tells the Story

For most of the last 60 years, personal income has been in a slow steady uptrend, dipping only slightly during recessionary periods. However, in the past two years, even though personal income has inched higher, disposable income has been flat as a result of increases in both personal taxes and government social insurance taxes. This creates financial pressure on many households, and as a result, the personal savings rate fell from a high of 10.5% in July 2021, to 5.4% in May. In April, the savings rate hit a cyclical low of 5.2%, matching its November 2009 level. The savings rates for March and April were revised fairly dramatically in the last release, from 5% to 5.3% and from 4.4% to 5.2%, respectively. Nevertheless, the newly revised savings rates remain the lowest since the 2008-2009 recession. See page 3.

There was a boost in personal income in 2020 and in 2021 due to two pandemic stimulus packages passed by Congress. The 2020 package was done during the pandemic shutdown and recession, but the second stimulus package was larger and implemented during the post-pandemic recovery in 2021. See page 4. This later package in our view, coupled with massive monetary stimulus, was the recipe for the historic inflationary cycle now impacting our economy.

And for the first time in 40 years, consumers and households are seeing inflation rise faster than their income. This results in a decline in purchasing power. To date, personal consumption expenditures remain positive on a year-over-year basis, but the trend is unsustainable and is declining. See page 5. Since the US economy is 70% consumption-driven, this decline in household purchasing power is not a good sign for economic activity in the second half of the year.

The ISM manufacturing index fell from 56.1 to 53.0 in June. Although this index has been steadily declining all year, it still remains slightly above the neutral 50 level. However, the ISM manufacturing employment index was 47.3 in June, its second monthly report below 50, and a sign that employment in manufacturing is shrinking. New orders also fell from 55.1 to 49.2. This fall below 50 indicates a slump in new orders and demonstrates weakness within the manufacturing sector. See page 6.  

Watching the Russell 2000 Again

The Russell 2000 index has dropped to a key support level that is the equivalent of the price peaks made in 2018 and 2020 at the 1700 area. The charts of the other broad indices are different from the Russell, and all the other indices are well above their 2020 peaks. However, for reference the levels equivalent to the 2020 peaks are 29,500 in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, 3,380 in the S&P 500, and 9,800 in the Nasdaq Composite index. See page 8. It will be important for the Russell 2000 to stabilize at the 1700 level and begin to build support. The 25-day up/down volume oscillator declined to negative 2.96 this week and is close to an oversold reading for the first time since mid-May. The lack of a deeply oversold reading in this indicator, like the ones seen in August 2015, February 2016, December 2018, or March 2020, is somewhat bewildering given the seven 90% down days recorded in recent months. However, it implies that the equities market may not yet have found its trough. See page 9. While we believe many stocks may have found their 2022 lows, as in most bear markets, the lows will get retested. For this reason, we remain cautious.

Gail Dudack

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We believe a significant low could materialize in the next few months; however, we would not be too hasty to fully re-enter the equity market at this juncture. The first reason for our caution is that despite the market’s oversold condition and the perpendicular declines in the charts of the major indices, equities seem unable to find any upside traction this week. This is a sign of weakness, and it displays a lack of underlying demand for equities at current prices.

The second reason is, while there are many open discussions regarding a recession and the possibility that the economy is already in a recession, we have not yet seen any economist actually forecast a recession for 2022 or 2023. Most economists are fiddling with GDP targets depicting slowing “growth.” This is an important distinction because, in our experience, Wall Street’s industry analysts and strategists rarely, and are sometimes unable, to factor a recession into their industry or macro earnings estimates until their economist has forecasted a recession.

And it may not surprise readers that most economists fail to recognize a recession until it is almost, or completely, over. Therefore, this implies that earnings forecasts may be too high for 2022 and 2023 and are apt to come down in time. Ironically, we would be more confident that the lows have been found if earnings forecasts were incorporating the possibility of a recession; but to date, this has not happened. Our earnings forecast for 2022 S&P 500 earnings has been a negative outlier at $220; nevertheless, we are fearful that this too may still prove to be too optimistic.

Third, July could be the month of changes. The Bureau of Economic Analysis releases its final estimate for first quarter GDP this week. Growth is currently estimated to be negative 1.5% in the first quarter of the year, indicating a decline in economic activity. On July 28, the BEA is expected to release its advance estimate for second quarter GDP. This single data point could be pivotal since a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP. Another negative number would confirm that the US economy is currently in a recession. Yet even if second quarter GDP displays very weak growth it could be enough to prompt economists to dramatically lower their economic forecasts for the year.

July is also important since second quarter earnings season will begin mid-month. Most earnings quarters begin in earnest with the release of money center bank earnings, which are scheduled to start on July 13. Keep in mind that retailers have fiscal years and quarters that end a month later than most companies, so these results will not be available until August. But it was not just a coincidence that the equity market broke below the SPX 4000 level shortly after Walmart Inc. (WMT – $122.37), reported earnings below expectations on May 17, 2022. Its next earnings report is scheduled for August 16, 2022.

In sum, the bear market finale is likely to include a realization that earnings will be lower than expected for 2022 and 2023. This could happen in late July. And from a technical perspective, it would be wise to wait for an impressive high-volume 90% up day to confirm that buyers have returned to the equity market in earnest.

Housing – the Canary in the Coal Mine

It is clear that the housing market is slowing. Existing home sales, which represent the bulk of the overall housing market, were 5.41 million units in May, down 8.6% YOY. This pace was also down 20% from the October 2020 peak and the slowest pace since June 2020. New home sales were 696,000 in May up from April but down nearly 6% YOY, and down 30% from the January 2021 peak. See page 3.

Homeownership has been relatively stable at 65.4% for the last four quarters and has been hovering just slightly above the long-term average of 62.9%. This implies there is neither pent-up demand nor excessive ownership in the housing market. However, the median price of an existing home reached a record $414,200 in May, up nearly 15% YOY. These high house prices are the result of many things such as an emphasis on the home and homeownership during the 2020 pandemic shutdown, historically high household liquidity in 2020 due to a series of fiscal stimulus packages, historically low interest rates due to monetary stimulus, and a booming stock market. All of this made housing attractive and affordable. However, this is all changing. Moreover, while the median price of an existing single-family home rose 15% YOY, personal income increased only up 2.6% YOY in April, and real disposable income fell 6.2% YOY. This is a bad combination. See page 4.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) housing affordability composite index fell from 124.2 in March to 109.2 in April. This was the lowest reading since the 106.9 recorded in July 2007. More importantly, this index is likely to decline further as the fed raises interest rates and mortgage rates move up in unison. The headline NAR housing market index has been falling all year, but in June the traffic of potential buyers index, fell to 48, its lowest reading since June 2020. It is a sign of dwindling demand. See page 5.

Pending home sales inched up to 99.9 in May, from 99.2 in April; however, both April and May’s readings were the lowest since the 70 recorded in April 2020 during the recession. These cumulative signs of deterioration in the housing market are extremely important since the housing market represented 16.8% of GDP in 2021. Residential fixed investment contributed 4.7% and housing services represented 12.1% of GDP. However, there are other “non-housing” factors such as furniture, carpeting, appliances, etc. that also help to boost economic activity during a housing boom. We expect all of these industries to slow in the second half of the year. See page 6.

Consumer confidence can be a critical component of an economic cycle, and it can also be the canary in the coal mine that predicts a recession – even when economists fail to see it. Conference Board consumer confidence fell to 98.7 in June, its lowest level since February 2021. The survey showed that expectations fell to 66.4, the lowest point since October 2011. The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index fell to 50 in June, the lowest headline reading on record, and lower than any time during the recessions of 1980, 1982, 1990, 2001, 2008-2009, or 2020. Expectations fell to 47.5, the lowest reading since August 2011 (47.4) or May 1980 (45.3). In short, in both surveys, consumer confidence is at levels last seen during a recession. And we would remind readers that last week we pointed out that whenever inflation has reached 5% or more, it has been followed not by one recession, but by a series of tightening cycles and recessions. See “Liquidity Crisis” June 22, 2022; page 6. The market lows in June were the beginning of the discounting of a recession, in our view. But it may not be over.

Gail Dudack

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Looking for a 90% Up Day

There are several extremes appearing in technical data that suggest this bear market is nearing, or already in its final phase. However, few bear market lows are quick or V-shaped. This is particularly true when the low precedes, or is accompanied by, a recession. And we think this one is. Most bear market troughs resemble a checkmark or a W-shape and take weeks or months to complete. In short, we believe it is much too late to be bearish, but we would not be too hasty to re-enter the equity market.

Although the equity market has declined to a level that could generate a short-covering rally, we believe the resistance at SPX 4100 may be a formidable hurdle. This can be seen in the charts of the indices on page 8. The late May rally encountered resistance at the 50-day moving averages in each of the popular indices. And though the last two weeks have generated a number of downside gaps that are likely to be filled in the near future, the 50-day moving average, now at SPX 4102.46, could prove to be a hurdle once again.

And as we noted last week, it would be prudent to wait for a solid 90% up-volume day accompanied by volume that is well above average, before adding to portfolios. Strong volume and at least a 10 to one positive breadth day would be a pivotal sign that panic selling is exhausted and that buyers have come back to the marketplace with conviction. This is particularly important since recent trading sessions have included worrisome signs of a liquidity crisis.

Liquidity Crisis – The Source

The liquidity crisis is not equity-centric and may stem from the volatility seen in the cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin (BTC – $20,825.00), the bellwether of the cryptocurrency market, has seen a 75% decline from its high. The world’s most-traded cryptocurrency, fell from nearly $69,000 last year, to $17,776.75 over the weekend, which led to forced liquidations of many large leveraged bets. Some crypto analysts have been worried about a complete capitulation of the market, particularly after Celsius Network, a private company, and a popular cryptocurrency lender, froze customers’ accounts last week leaving its customers unable to withdraw or transfer funds.

More than $2 trillion has been wiped from the crypto market since its peak last November, according to Yahoo News, and since money is fungible, losses of this size often create a liquidity crisis in the broader securities markets. What is noteworthy is that a liquidity crisis is not unusual at the end of a bear market, and in fact, is another sign that we may be nearing the finale of this cycle. Nevertheless, a liquidity crisis can be vicious. It is completely disconnected from economics, fundamentals, and technicals, and is simply a massive de-leveraging wave.

Again, there are reasons to be optimistic for the second half of the year, but this is still a dangerous time, and it is wise to be cautious.

Recession Talk

In our opinion, it is good news that market watchers have become obsessed with the prospects of a recession. Some economists even agree with me that we may already be in the middle of a recession. This is another ingredient that has been missing for a washed-out market. On the other hand, we have yet to see earnings forecasts come down. That may be the last and final phase of this bear cycle. But analysts tend to be trend followers and rarely identify turning points, so cuts in earnings estimates may not appear until the third quarter.

Similarly, there is good news in investor sentiment indicators. Last week’s AAII readings of 19.4% bulls and 58.3% bears were the third week in which a combination of less than 20% bulls and more than 50% bears has appeared since April 27, 2022. Prior to this string, there were comparable single-week readings on April 11, 2013, and January 10, 2008; however, neither of these readings coincided with a market low. The 4-week AAII bullish reading of 19% on April 27 was the lowest since 1990 and the bearish 52.9% reading of May 18 was the highest since the March 5, 2009 peak of 70.3%. These are some of the most extreme readings seen in years and according to AAII, equity prices tend to be higher in the next six and/or twelve months following such a combination. See page 11.

Recession Watch

Inflation is an insidious problem that eats into household consumption and also erodes corporate profit margins. For example, the charts on page 3 display the difference between nominal and real retail sales. May’s retail sales were disappointing but still rose 8.1% YOY. However, after adjusting for inflation, real retail sales fell 0.4% YOY. Year-over-year real retail sales have been negative for three consecutive months, which suggests that second quarter profits for many retailers may decline from first quarter’s weak results. The weakness in May sales was centered in autos, appliances, and nonretail stores. Gains were seen in necessities such as gas and food. For the month of May, sales from food and beverage stores, food service and drinking places, and gasoline stations totaled 34% of total retail sales. This was actually less than we expected but remember that retail sales measures merchandise and does not include necessities such as housing and healthcare expenses. See pages 3-4.

The NAHB Housing index has been declining every month this year and in May it hit its lowest level since the pandemic shutdown in early 2020. Existing median home prices, however, reached a cyclical high of $414,200, up 15% YOY. Unfortunately, with prices and mortgage rates rising rapidly, this means many prospective buyers will be priced out of the market. Note that in May single-family existing home sales were down 8.6% YOY. This decline may steepen in coming months which is unfortunate since the housing sector typically represents 15% to 18% of US GDP. See page 5.

Rates for a typical 30-year mortgage, which were hovering just above 3.1% at the beginning of the year, are now close to 6%. And rates are apt to go higher as the Fed continues to raise the fed funds rate. Investors are focusing on the Fed’s “terminal” fed funds rate which the consensus expects to be near 4%. But, with inflation currently at 8.6%, this still equates to a negative (i.e., easy) fed funds rate, which means the Fed may need to lift rates even higher than 4% to really curtail inflation. See page 6. When we look at the history of inflation and the fed funds rate it becomes clear that whenever inflation reaches 4% YOY, a recession has always followed. More importantly, history shows that it often takes more than one tightening cycle and more than one recession to truly reverse an inflation cycle once headline CPI exceeds the 4% YOY level. See page 6. In short, we may not see a buy-and-hold cycle in equities for a very long time.

Gail Dudack

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Our view has been that based upon fundamentals, the equity market begins to find value at the SPX 3850 level. A head and shoulders top formation also implied a downside target of SPX 3800. As a result, SPX 3850 has been our 2022 target for the year. However, now that the SPX is trading below this level, it may be wise to wait for two things to materialize before substantially adding to portfolios. The first factor would be a solid 90% up-volume day that is accompanied by volume that is well above average. This would be an important sign that panic selling is exhausted and that buyers with conviction have reentered the marketplace. Second, we would wait for the results of the Federal Reserve June meeting since this announcement could be a market-moving event.

The recent down leg in prices was triggered by the “bad news” found in last week’s May CPI report coupled with the fear of higher interest rates and a possible recession. In our opinion, it was naïve to think inflation had “peaked” in May. For one thing, any inflation rate above the long-term average of 3.4% is destructive to an economy and the stock market. Moreover, a deceleration in the pace of inflation is not the same as saying the problem is solved. For another, next month’s June CPI report is also likely to be disappointing given the current environment. With crude oil currently at $122, up 65% year over year, with headline PPI up 10.8% year-over-year, with housing and rents (42% of the CPI weighting) on the rise given the recent 16.7% year-over-year gain in single-family median home prices, and with the world facing a probable food shortage this summer due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is difficult to see how inflation is going to abate significantly in the near-term.  

Policy Error

Many investors are worried that the Fed will make a policy mistake in the coming months; however, in our view, the policy mistakes have already been made. Maintaining easy monetary and fiscal policies during the post-pandemic expansion was an Econ 101 textbook recipe for inflation. This may explain why it is important for the Federal Reserve to be a non-partisan independent body that is not driven by political bias or pressures. We are not saying Chairman Powell was being political last year, but he did repeat the administration’s view that inflation would be transitory. This proved erroneous. Regardless, the FOMC has the responsibility to balance the risks of inflation and unemployment and be unimpeded in using its tools of quantitative easing and interest rates to maintain a level-handed strategy. They did not address inflation in 2021. Remember: monetary and fiscal policy mistakes were made well before Russia invaded Ukraine in February of this year.

100 Means Business

In sum, the Fed is way behind the curve in terms of fighting inflation, and equally important, they have lost the confidence of investors. It is time to admit they were wrong and very late regarding inflation and announce a 100-basis point rate hike. Markets have already sent a “lack of faith” message to the Fed by discounting a 75-basis point fed funds rate hike this week; a 100-basis point move may be a shock to markets, but it could also restore investors’ confidence and signal the world that the Fed is serious about taming inflation. The only caveat to a 100-basis point hike would be the responsibility the Fed has to not upset the fixed income markets and to protect the liquidity in these markets. Yet, all things considered, it is time to rip off the band-aid.

Many fear that an increase in interest rates will trigger a recession but we believe a recession is now inevitable. History has shown that when inflation reaches levels as high as today, the end result has always been a recession. This should not be a surprise since inflation requires the Fed to raise interest rates multiple times, or until it significantly reduces consumption. In fact, in the period between 1973 and 1983, there were three recessions in ten years. See page 4. Most of this was due to the multiple tightening cycles enacted by the Fed. In that cycle, headline CPI peaked at 14.6% in March 1980 and the inflationary trend finally turned when Fed Chairman Paul Volcker raised the fed funds rate to 14% in May 1981. See page 6.

Unfortunately, the price moves seen in crude oil, the CPI and the PPI are at or near the peaks seen in 1982. The good news is that neither core CPI nor core PPI is at similar levels. This could be a silver lining for the current cycle in terms of curbing inflation — if the Fed acts quickly and decisively.

Halfway through a recession

In a recent report (“Halfway Through a Recession,” May 3, 2022) we questioned whether or not we are already in a recession. A recession is measured as a minimum of two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth and is confirmed by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) usually after the fact. As a result, it is not unusual to not know if the economy is undergoing a recession until it is over, or at least half over. However, being in a recession is the good news. Stock markets tend to bottom in the middle of a recession, and this would put the current market weakness in a different light.

What makes us feel a recession will appear sooner rather than later is that higher interest rates are apt to slow the already decelerating housing and auto markets. The average interest rate for a standard 30-year fixed mortgage is now 5.87%, which is an increase of 36 basis points from one week ago. Rates are apt to go even higher and therefore, housing and auto activity, two important segments of the economy, may slow quickly. Moreover, the US is a consumption-driven economy, and the household sector has seen real purchasing power turn negative this year due to soaring inflation.

Meanwhile, consumer sentiment is floundering. June’s preliminary University of Michigan sentiment index fell to 50.2 from 58.4 and is below the record low set during the 1980 recession. Consumer expectations led the decline, dropping from 55.2 to 46.8, a new cyclical low. Current conditions fell from 63.3 to 55.4 reaching a new record low. The May NFIB Optimism Index fell 0.1 to 93.1, the fifth consecutive month below the 48-year average of 98. Small business owners expecting better business conditions over the next six months decreased four points to a net negative 54%, the lowest level recorded in the 48-year-old survey. Expectations for better business conditions have deteriorated every month since January. In short, there are signs of recession if one dares to look. We apologize for being so glum, but we believe it is wise to remain cautious a bit longer, or until the market can produce a convincing 90% up day. The good news is that discussions about the possibility of recession are now on the rise. The bad news is that this has not yet been factored into earnings forecasts. After the market close of SPX 3735.48, the market has dipped within our valuation model’s year-end fair value range of SPX 2735-3866. It is only 13% above the mid-range of our model (SPX 3300) which would be a great buying opportunity. See page 7. In short, equity prices are reaching good long-term valuation levels, but prices could still fall a bit more.

Gail Dudack

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