Stocks and bonds both declined for the third consecutive quarter, the longest streak in almost 50 years. The S&P 500 fell 5.3%, ten-year Treasury yields rose 85bps and two-year yields rose 130bps resulting in the most inverted yield curve in several decades. The dollar rose for the fifth straight quarter, increasing 7%, the largest quarterly gain in nearly 8 years. The big story for the quarter was the tightening of financial conditions driven by expectations of a more aggressive global rate… View More
Stocks And Bonds On Pace For 3rd Consecutive Negative Quarter Of the 187 quarters since 1976, there has never been a period that has seen negative quarterly returns for both stocks and bonds three quarters in a row. Should the S&P 500 close below 3,785 today, this will occur. Negative returns for both stocks and bonds are more often than not associated with recessions which are looking more and more likely these days. S&P 500 Sees Its Most Volatile Half Since 2009 My colleague, Todd… View More
We had been bullish on stocks all the way back to March 2009, when mark-to market accounting was fixed and the Financial Panic started to recede. At that time the S&P 500 traded as low as 666. What a time to buy! After that we remained bullish. We didn’t recommend selling in spite of a wide range of fears that spooked many others, including the Great Recession lasting through 2010, a double-dip recession, a second wave of home foreclosures, an implosion in commercial real estate, the pass… View More
Midterm election years have historically been the most volatile year for stocks in the four-year presidential cycle. The average intra-year decline for the S&P 500 in a midterm election year is 19 percent, much higher than the 12-13 percent average in the first, third, and fourth years of the cycle. We would argue that monetary policy is generally tighter in a midterm election year and presidents pursue anti-growth policies to rally their bases. Today’s equity market fits the historical pa… View More
Numbers do not lie, and the inflation numbers for August were released this morning. Today’s Inflation (CPI) numbers show Inflation in August went up from the previous month. The market is selling off today because the bond market is adjusting to the prospect of the Federal Reserve raising rates at their next meeting by at least 75bps. With inflation at these levels, the FED will need to continue to raise rates to stem off inflation making the prospects of a soft landing fade. The U.S. CPI ro… View More