The monitor flashed quite a bit of red last month. But the market was seemingly undeterred and pushed higher anyway. Should this continue?
Fixed Income: 2-Yr Treas Yield 3.91% | 10-Yr Treas. Yield 3.91%
The bond markets saw volatility in August as questions mounted about an impromptu rate-cut by the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB). The most meaningful fall came at the beginning of the month. The perceived weakness in jobs data prompted a move to safety as expectations increased for a rate cut. At the time, people were calling for 0.50% before the September meeting. Cooler heads prevailed and the market is now expecting a 0.25% cut in September. The more impressive data point over the last month was the parody reached on the last trading day of August. This was the first time the two closed at parity since July 5th, 2022! It is still to be determined if rate normalization (higher rates on longer dated fixed income) will prevail. It is a good sign that the anticipated rate cuts are making a large enough impact for us to reach parity.
Equities: Dow Jones 1.76% | S&P 500 2.28% | NASDAQ 0.65%
The market moves that led to a strong month for fixed income signaled weakness for the equity markets. The Nasdaq lost almost four percent in the first week of the month to spend the next two weeks crawling out of that hole. The last week of the month saw the index continue to falter. Strong earnings from bellwether Nvidia (NVDA) was not enough to bolster confidence. Investors seemed to come to the realization that the FRB will likely take a slow methodical path towards rate reductions. That path did not buoy equity markets. In a retracement of the July trades, other major market categories failed to capitalize on weaker large caps:
S&P 400 (Mid Cap Index): 0.21%
Russell 2000 (Small Cap Index): 1.59%
Conclusion
It was, in all, a good month… That’s for two reasons, 1) fixed income made up ground that equities lost, 2) the spread between the 2-yr treasury and the 10-yr treasury reached parity. Something of a signal that the soft landing the FRB is looking for has been achieved. Generally, a recession (that would be evident by this point) would have caused a normalization of the curve.
A Look Ahead…
We see two key reasons to expect further volatility in equity markets during the next month:
- The 22.40 price to earnings (P/E) ratio for the S&P 500 will need to narrow further before markets can start a real rally.
- September is notoriously the worst month of the year for equities:
- 2023: 5.35%
- 2022: 8.92%
- 2021: 4.89%
- 2020: 4.12%
- 2019: 2.32%
Some logic would point to the high frequency in recent years being a signal that volatility should weaken in September. I find that unlikely given the elevated P/E referenced.
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Jobs data missed expectations in April, but earnings did not disappoint! What drove markets last week?
Monday
Markets opened the week (and month) in the green. The S&P 500 led the way, up 0.25%, while the NASDAQ shed about 0.5%. This deviation is a continuation of the re-opening trade that has been playing out over the last 6 months.
Tuesday
There was a sharp reversal of fortunes on Tuesday as the markets dove in a way we had not seen since March. Former Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Chair, Janet Yellen indicated that monetary policy may tighten sooner than the FRB is saying. She later indicated (after market close) she in no way was trying to postulate on the direction of the FRB.
Wednesday
As a result of former FRB Chair Yellen’s retraction, markets surged at the open. This momentum faded as the day wore on. The S&P 500 ended up gaining 0.07%, while the NASDAQ fell 0.37%. The NASDAQ led the losses on Tuesday, so this further extends the re-opening trade at play.
Thursday
As a prelude to the jobs report, markets celebrated the lowest initial unemployment number since the start of the pandemic. The figure fell to 498K. For perspective, pre-pandemic, the figure was frequently around 200K. The S&P 500 gained 0.8% on the day, with the NASDAQ rising by 0.4%.
Friday
The monthly unemployment report was in focus on Friday. It was an abject disappointment. Unemployment rose to 6.1% from 6.0% and nonfarm payroll employment rose 266K. Expectations were for the unemployment rate to fall to 5.8% and payrolls to add 1M! While new hirers disappointed, the participation rate increased, which left more unemployed workers to be counted. By that measure the increase in the unemployment rate is not as disappointing. It just means that more people are feeling optimistic about job prospects. Even with the disappointment around jobs the S&P 500 managed to add 0.7% on the day.
Conclusion
If there is one thing the jobs report reminded us of this past Friday, it is that recoveries are uneven. The S&P 500 added 1.5% on the week. Earnings season has been robust with growth near 50% YoY and 86% of companies beating expectations. The miss on employment was actually viewed as a net positive. The FRB may not take the punch bowl away too soon as expected. Also, perhaps inflation concerns were overblown. More likely than not, it is an example of how non-linear life can be. We will likely see a lift in new hirers in coming months offsetting April’s ‘disappointment’.
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Any and all third-party posts or responses to this blog do not reflect the views of the firm and have not been reviewed by the firm for completeness or accuracy.