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Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailRecord earnings by Q4 just won't happen this year: DataTrek's Nicholas ColasDataTrek Research co-founder Nick Colas joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss his take on the volatility index, earnings outlook, and his read on investor sentiment.
Why markets actually could be hoping for a recession this year
  + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com   time to read: +3 min
Markets are not only acting unafraid of a looming recession but also may actually want one that would eradicate some of the other ills facing the U.S. economy, according to one Wall Street analysis. Wall Street economists and strategists widely expect a recession to set in later this year, the product of a number of factors. "Stocks bottom before the US economy hits its lows in any given recession because markets understand this dynamic," Colas wrote. "Markets know this history, which is why they see an upcoming recession as finally bringing the Fed around to starting the next easing cycle," Colas said. "There are other pathways to achieve those necessary goals, but none will work as quickly as an economic contraction.
The Federal Reserve's policy pendulum has swung back to inflation fighting. "The view is based on banking sector stress remaining contained, the economic expansion continuing and core inflation remaining stubbornly high." A cooling crisis Indeed, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and other central bankers in late February and early March were indicating chances of half-point rate hikes . Watching the banks, and the market To be sure, the banking situation remains in flux and could yet shape Fed policy. At the same time, the two-year Treasury note yield, which is most sensitive to Fed policy moves, has jumped about half a percentage point over the past two weeks.
The US dollar's recent decline is a bullish signal for global markets, DataTrek reports. Since its September peak, the US Dollar Index has fallen by 11.3%. "A weaker dollar at this point in the global economic cycle is both consistent with the past and a generally bullish sign about the future," he wrote. It is, however, how markets signal better times to come." Historically, the US Dollar Index, which compares the greenback's strength to a basket of currencies, spikes in moments of economic crises, such as in 2009 and 2022.
Recent economic data suggests a US recession is farther away than most investors think. A rebound in gasoline demand and calmness in the bond market are sending bullish signals about the economy. Gasoline demand has reboundedDemand for gasoline in the US turned positive in March, jumping 3.8% year-over-year. The rebound in gasoline demand has been buoyed by a near 20% decline in gasoline prices. The rebound in gasoline demand is a reversal of recent trends, as gasoline demand was consistently tracking below the prior year's levels.
I noted last week that following a strong first quarter (S & P up over 7%), the S & P 500 almost invariably is up even more by the end of the year. For the most part, the strategist community is fairly gloomy going into first quarter earnings season and the prospects for further gains in 2023. He too noted that the S & P 500 is now "within spitting distance" of his year-end price target of 4,200 and announced Tuesday he was shifting direction. Indeed, it looks like a race to the bottom to see who can claim the mantle of "lowest estimate on the Street" for full-year 2023 earnings. 2023 earnings: the trough is Q1 Q1: $50.63 Q2: $54.13 Q3: $56.84 Q4: $58.32 Source: Refinitiv That works out to $219.83, just a tad above the $218.09 that 2022 printed.
Despite peaks and valleys, stocks closed the first quarter on an up note, with the S & P 500 rallying more than 7% and the tech-fueled Nasdaq soaring about 16%. .SPX .DJI YTD line S & P 500 gains so far in 2023 Indeed, the market has lived through a lifetime of scary headlines in the first three months of 2023. Despite repeated protestations from Fed officials that they are taking the higher-for-longer approach on interest rates, markets still expect cuts. AAPL .SPX YTD mountain Apple compared to the S & P 500 Only five of the 11 S & P 500 sectors are positive for the year, despite the substantial rally for the index. The net profit margin for the S & P 500 also is expected to edge lower to 11.2%.
Today I'm eager to share this week's conversation with a top investment strategist who's anticipating trouble ahead for the economy. In the financial crisis, it was down 58% from peak to trough. I do not think that this is a repeat of the financial crisis. Investors should brace for an earnings recession and continued financial uncertainty, chief investment officer Mike Wilson explained. A crisis in the financial sector has rattled investors but markets look poised to avoid a crash.
Those rate forecasts have bolstered tech names, and mega-caps like Apple and Microsoft have pulled the Nasdaq higher. "While it sounds like Twilight Zone comment to many investors, tech stocks have become the new safety trade with Big Tech names a major beneficiary of this dynamic," Ives, a managing director and senior equity research analyst at Wedbush, wrote in a note. "And these tech stocks have been under owned and still remain in that camp in our opinion." Short sellers generated paper profit of $14 billion betting against bank stocks over the last month. Shorting bank names in March produced a "wide swath of profitable trades that returned +17.2% in less than a month," S3 Partners said.
There's another bond market signal flashing and it could mean the Fed's about to step in. The Fed raised short-term interest rates by a quarter percentage point as expected today, with market watchers expecting one more increase this year and three more in 2019. But there are other bond market signs, too, and the recent rally in bonds at the shorter-term end of the Treasury curve may just be the indicator with the most troubling track record. In effect, the bond market is telling us that the Fed could be on the brink of making a policy pivot as the economy falters. Investors are shifting focus back to the Fed's thinking on interest rates, with a PCE inflation update due Friday.
The Nasdaq 100 entered a bull market on Wednesday, rallying more than 20% from its December low. The Nasdaq has gained 17% in the first three months of 2023, with a few days left in the first quarter. The last time the Nasdaq 100 entered a bull market was in April 2020, a quarter that also marked the best stretch in the last decade. Signs of financial stress historically have prompted investors to buy more stocks, according to a Thursday note from DataTrek Research. DataTrek highlighted that the St. Louis Fed Financial Stress index reading is currently in the same ballpark as it was in July and August of 2002, as well as October 2011 — two similar periods of financial stress.
The bond market is flashing a recession signal that suggests the Fed will quickly cut rates. That's due to the large jump in short-term Treasuries, which the Fed has previously responded to by cutting rates. In all of these cases, the Fed moved quickly to cut interest rates – which suggests the signal's reappearance could be an omen for markets. "The default scenario baked into asset prices is based on the Fed pivoting - quickly - to lowering policy rates. Central bankers have raised interest rates aggressively over the past year to lower inflation, with the fed funds target rate at 4.75-5%, the highest rates have been since 2007.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's preferred bond-market indicator says a recession is on the way this year. It's the spread between the yield on three-month Treasury bills and their expected yield in 18 months. The spread between the current yield on three-month Treasury bills and their expected yield in 18 months is now inverted by a record 134 basis points. The Fed's messaging, however, contrasted with market expectations, as Powell said interest rates will still remain elevated through the year. "If the US economy continues to rumble along as it has the last few quarters, interest rates will remain high," DataTrek Research's cofounder, Nicholas Colas, wrote in a note Thursday.
Banking chaos is weighing on oil prices, as crude benchmarks hit their lowest levels since December 2021. Fed policy and US and European bank turmoil have darkened the global economic outlook in the last week. A week ago, the US benchmark was nearly 12% higher, and global crude traded about 11% higher. On Friday, regulators shut down Silicon Valley Bank, and two days later did the same to Signature Bank. "That, and lower oil prices/interest rates may soften the economic blow of tighter lending standards."
Everyday now we've been talking about Silicon Valley Bank — SVB — and I've had to catch myself several times from saying SBF — Sam Bankman-Fried — the guy behind the other big financial collapse in recent months. A) No rate hike at allB) 25 basis pointsC) 50 basis pointsTweet me (@philrosenn) or email me (prosen@insider.com) to let me know. Bank stocks are rising again as nerves calm — though SVB-driven fears are still niggling. Bank of America picked out a batch of financial stocks that offer upside right now amid the chaos. The token soared 15% as the February CPI print fueled more speculation for a smaller rate hike.
Bank stocks are now oversold, but it's not time to buy in just yet, DataTrek's Nicholas Colas said. He said regional bank stocks could see more downside, pointing to data in previous financial crises. In a note on Tuesday, the research firm pointed to the plunge in bank stocks on Monday as Wall Street reels from the collapse of SVB. Meanwhile KRE, a regional bank ETF, has plunged 23% over the past 50 trading days, which is 2 standard deviations below its long-run average. Regional banks posted a strong rebound in early Tuesday trading.
The Nasdaq has outperformed the S&P 500 to start the year by a significant margin. When the Nasdaq beats the S&P 500 by 5 points or more over 50 days, underperformance has followed. In 2023, the Nasdaq is up roughly 10.6%, while the S&P 500 is up about 4%. In every instance, the Nasdaq then went on to underperform the S&P 500, they said. They've had a great relative run versus the S&P 500, "but +12 years of market history says it is time to be more cautious," DataTrek said.
Jonathan Golub, managing director at Credit Suisse, is among those with a bleak outlook for equities. "A six-month (Treasury) yield effectively guaranteed at 5.25% changes the dynamics for investors when the stock market looks shaky," he said. "You would need to get risk-adjusted returns in equities of at least 1 or 2 percentage points more than that, so in that environment stocks are not worth the effort and are dead money. Still, stocks have managed to hold onto their year-to-date gains so far even as bond yields have risen, with the S&P 500 up 4% and the Nasdaq Composite up nearly 11%. "You no longer have to hold your nose and invest in stocks because there's no other alternative," he said.
Today, all eyes will be on central bank chairman Jerome Powell as he begins two days of hearings on Capitol Hill. Chairman of the Federal Reserve nominee Jerome Powell testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee November 28, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Fed policy aside, the stock market has marched higher to start the year, with the S&P 500 gaining about 6% over the last nine weeks. US stock futures rise early Tuesday, as investors await the two-day testimony of Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The bear market rally isn't over yet as stocks just survived a crucial test.
Stocks have held up even as analysts have cut 2023 S&P 500 earnings expectations by the most in years. DataTrek says stable earnings expectations is the best answer as to why stocks have been resilient. stable earnings expectations is the single best answer," Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek Research, in a note published Monday. "That still works out to $205/share ($51.15/share times 4), or 26 percent higher than the 2018 – 2019 pre-pandemic average S&P earnings of $162/share. "Yes, interest/discount rates are higher but without a material deterioration in earnings expectations that dynamic plays second fiddle to a stable outlook for earnings," he said.
The stock market is relying on its earnings power to limit further downside, according to a note from DataTrek. The S&P 500 continuing to deliver $200+ in earnings per share "should limit US equity market volatility," DataTrek said. In April 2021, when the S&P 500 first crossed the 4,000 level, the 2-year US Treasury yield was just 0.1%. And as long as S&P 500 earnings hold steady and the index trades flat, that could be a solid win for the bulls as many investors expect big downside ahead. "S&P 500 earnings of $210 to $220 per share have been the market's anchor as market sentiment shifts.
The year-to-date rally can't last, according to Morgan Stanley's chief US equity strategist. Sign up for our newsletter to get the inside scoop on what traders are talking about — delivered daily to your inbox. He added: "This is a perfect analogy for where equity investors find themselves today, and quite frankly, where they've been many times over the past decade." Goldman Sachs' chief US equity strategist David Kostin has said he is also skeptical of the market's gains so far in 2023. Meanwhile, JPMorgan's top stock strategist Marko Kolanovic, a long-time equities bull, says investors should ditch stocks because a recession is coming.
In the Fed minutes released this week, the central bank's own economists have started to sound the alarm on a recession. Jerome Powell, for his part, has insisted that the Fed's 2% inflation target is set in stone. The jobless rate today stands at 3.4%. We will have other things to worry about at that point besides whether the Fed's inflation target should be 2.0 or 2.75 percent." How realistic do you think the Fed's 2% inflation target is?
Bullish sentiment has returned in a big way among retail investors as they've started the year piling record amounts into stocks. Speculative bets are backSome of what retail investors are buying has troubled observers. Different from 2021, however, is that institutional and retail investors look like they're on the same team, at least to a noticeable degree. To JPMorgan's Kolanovic, retail investors' optimism foreshadows future weakness in the stock market, as weak hands get wiped out by volatility, similar to how 2022 played out. With the Fed still set to tighten monetary policy, retail investors' enthusiasm for risky assets could backfire like it did last year.
Cleveland Fed economists wrote a working paper arguing that inflation will remain above the Fed's 2% goal by the end of 2025. Unemployment will soar and a deep recession will ensue if the Fed remains committed to its current goals, the economists said. But the Cleveland Fed economists are warning of the downsides to that, noting that policymakers' Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) appears to be a stretch. The economists added that for the Fed's stated 2% inflation target to be achieved, the unemployment rate would have to climb to 7.4% for one year. We will have other things to worry about at that point besides whether the Fed's inflation target should be 2.0 or 2.75 percent."
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