Bear/Bull Market

In Section I, we discuss why the rally in stock prices over the past month reflects the soft-landing view, and why that is not a likely economic outcome. US inflation is slowing, but target inflation remains elusive. Meanwhile, cracks in the US labor market are already apparent, and there is strong evidence against the view that US stocks are appropriately priced for an eventual US recession. This underscores that conservative investment positioning is still warranted. In Section II, we check in on the indebtedness risk of several major economies, and examine whether these risks exist primarily in the household, nonfinancial corporate, or government sectors. While there are limited cyclical implications of recent trends in global indebtedness, there are several problems that will eventually “come home to roost” – particularly in the US and China.

In Section I, we discuss the implications of the banking crisis that emerged in March. We do not expect what happened in the US or Europe to morph into a full-blown meltdown of the financial system, but this month’s events will likely lead to a further tightening in bank lending standards, raising further the odds of a US recession over the coming year. We continue to recommend an underweight stance toward risky assets versus government bonds over the coming 6-12 months, and defensive positioning within a global equity portfolio. In Section II, we estimate the impact of recently-passed US legislation on US business investment over the structural horizon and conclude that it will indeed boost capex growth over the coming several years. Assets poised to benefit from this trend will likely underperform over the coming year but should be bottom-fished following the next recession.

Rather than teetering into recession, global growth has firmed since the start of the year. While we still expect inflation to decline, the risk that central banks will need to lift rates more than discounted has increased. Long-term focused investors should start raising cash allocations by trimming their equity holdings.

Bulls and bears are perplexed because they suffer from recency bias. The investment roadmap and framework of the past 15 to 20 years should not be used to analyze current US financial markets. US corporate earnings will likely plunge substantially even in the case of a mild recession.

We analyzed US bear markets since 1954 to identify reliable indicators for distinguishing new equity bull markets from bear market rallies. Our checklist of indicators does not suggest it is time to overweight equities in a multi-asset portfolio. Remain underweight on equities, overweight on fixed income, and neutral on cash.

The risk of a recession in 2023 is being supplanted by the risk of another inflation wave. We will turn more defensive on equities if it continues to look like inflation is making a comeback.

Ironically, increased confidence that the economy can withstand higher bond yields may be necessary to lift yields to a level that is actually detrimental to growth. Thus, until more investors are convinced that a recession will be averted, a recession will be averted. Remain tactically bullish on stocks for now. A more defensive posture will likely be necessary later this year.

The US economy will experience a period of benign disinflation over the next few quarters. Beyond this goldilocks period, either the economy will slip into a mild recession in 2024, or more ominously, a second wave of inflation will prompt the Fed to slam on the brakes, leading to a deep recession.

It is not unusual for a period of rebounding share prices to occur between an inflation-driven selloff and a growth scare. Initially, stocks rally on falling inflation and prospects of lower interest rates. Then, worries about corporate profits intensify, and equity prices deflate along with falling Treasury yields. This is what happened in the US in 2000-2001 and is likely to occur in the coming months.

Relative to beaten-down expectations, global growth will surprise on the upside in 2023. Investors should overweight equities for now but look to turn more defensive in the second half of the year.