How About Zero Rate Cuts this Year?At the time of writing (April 7) - the market is pricing in three rate cuts this year. I don't see it. In fact, I think there is a very good chance of NO rate cuts this year. Now that is not a scenario the market is pricing in. However, with inflation likely to remain stubbornly high - where property prices are not falling - and the labor market remains tight - why would the Fed cut? Let's explore....
Immigration’s Impact on JobsThe headline will read 303K new jobs were added to the economy for the month of May. And on the surface, it gives the appearance of a very strong number. However, how many of these were full-time jobs? And where were the jobs being added? When we look into the details of the jobs report - it paints a very different picture. My take: the headline number is not as strong as some assume.
S&P 500 +10.1% for Q1 – Can it Continue?If you asked me at the end of December whether I thought the S&P 500 would be up ~10% at the end of the first quarter this year - I would have said "unlikely". And yet here we are. With the promise of (coming) interest rate cuts and continued strong economic growth (implying growth in earnings) - US equities have arguably exceeded most analysts full year targets. For we have already exceeded all but 1 of 18 full year S&P500 forecasts "experts" made at the beginning of the year.
Powell’s Itchy Trigger FingerWhy does Powell think the Fed needs to cut rates? For me it's curious. Itchy (trigger) finger maybe? What's he so worried about? I was surprised by his (continued) dovish rhetoric and contradiction(s) last meeting. For example, on the one hand, growth is accelerating, inflation is falling and we have a strong labor market. Great! But we still need to cut rates and taper QT (soon!). I must be missing something - it's hard to understand why the Fed is so keen to pull the trigger... what do they see we don't?
Don’t Fight the Fed…"Don't fight the Fed" is a popular Wall St. adage for investors. The phrase was coined by well known investor Marty Zweig in 1970. At the time, Zweig explained the Federal Reserve policy enjoys a strong correlation in determining the stock market’s direction. Fast forward ~50 years and his theory has proven mostly correct.
The Real Surprise with Powell’s (Dovish) StatementInvestors were on tenterhooks going into today's Fed interest rate decision. Markets were up sharply the past few weeks - expecting Powell to remain dovish. However two consecutive months of hotter-than-expected inflation prints had some thinking twice. Turns out Powell is a dove. However, he delivered more dovish 'fuel' for stocks that what many expected.
Will Powell Heed Volcker’s Wisdom?Next week Fed Chair Jay Powell will deliver the FOMC's March statement on monetary policy. Interest rates are not expected to change - however his sentiment might. When we last heard from Powell - he was dovish - igniting a rally in risk assets. However, with inflation heating up and a tight job market - Powell may perform another pivot. Markets expect three rate cuts this year - those expectations might be dialed back to just two.
A Different Lens on the ‘AI Bubble’25 years ago Cisco (CSCO) was the largest company on the S&P 500 by market cap. Its shares soared on the demand for networking equipment. But it didn't last. The stock lost 89% of its value in two years. Nvidia is not only charting a very similar technical pattern to CSCO - there are also similarities with valuation metrics. Both the price-to-earnings ratio and price-to-sales multiples have been very similar. What we don't know (or cannot know) is whether the same fate lies ahead for NVDA (as investors pay a staggering 35x sales for a slice of the AI pie)
Are Semi’s Set to Cool their Gen-AI Heels?Whilst the technology sector is outperforming the benchmark index this year -- semiconductor stocks have done the bulk of the heavy lifting. And it's not difficult to explain investor FOMO. It's entirely due to the hype around "AI" and specifically something called "Generative AI". For example, in a report by Grand View Research, they valued Gen-AI at ~$13B last year. However, its anticipated CAGR is estimated to be ~36% - which puts the industry hitting $109B by 2030. That's a sharp ramp higher from basically zero two years ago. And today - there a very few chipmakers who produce the GPUs required to meet the insatiable demand. However, is the demand semis are seeing today (and revenue) sustainable long-term? That's unlikely.
It’s Not If “Long & Variable Lags” Hit… It’s WhenMilton Friedman coined the expression "monetary policy operates with long and variable lags". In the 1970s - he felt it was up to around two years before those effects are felt. Today it's believed to be sooner - given open transparency of Fed speak and data tools available. But is it? It's been two years since the Fed's first hike and we're just starting to see labor markets soften and consumer demand weaken. Have the full effects of tighter policy been absorbed? I don't think so.
