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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Headlines included Omicron, Jobs, Manufacturing, and Services PMI. So, what led the charge lower and why?
Monday
The S&P 500 jumped to open the week, rising 1.32%. This was a bounce day after a strong move lower the previous Friday. The bounce is not surprising as the move lower was based on information not formerly available (Omicron). Light market trade on Friday from the holiday on Thursday exasperated the situation.
Tuesday
Selling pressures resumed on Tuesday as all the gains from Monday were reversed and then some. The S&P 500 fell 1.90% on the day. Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Chair Powell indicated that inflation was proving more resilient than anticipated while testifying on Capitol Hill. This gave markets moment for pause. This is an indication that we will likely see rate hikes (monetary tightening) quicker than anticipated.
Wednesday
Wednesday started strong as investors responded favorably to ISM Manufacturing data. That momentum quickly faded, however, as the first case of Omicron was detected in the US. The S&P 500 gave back another 1.18%.
Thursday
Another bounce came on Thursday as the markets faded Omicron concerns. Initial jobless claims continued their run at lower levels as only 222K initial claims were filed. The S&P 500 rose 1.42%.
Friday
Happy Jobs Friday! It was a mixed report. Private nonfarm employment was a hard miss, coming in at 235K when 530K were expected. The rate of unemployment fell, however to 4.2%, even as participation rose to 61.8%. Largely overlooked was the fact that ISM Services PMI rose to 69.1 for November. Services make up over 80% of our economic activity, this data carries strong meaning. For perspective, this is the highest reading dating back to the start of tracking in 1997. The pandemic low (April) was 41.8!
Conclusion
Interestingly, the jobs data released on Friday seemed bleak as a result of seasonal adjustments. In all actuality, 778K jobs were added, but, that is adjusted down in comparison to last year’s figures. Aside from a miss on wage growth (which actually signals less inflationary pressure), the jobs report was quite favorable:
- 778K jobs added
- 4.2% unemployment rate, a decrease
- 61.8% participation, an increase
- 7.8% Underemployment rate, a decrease
- 4.8% YoY Earnings increase, equal
So why the fall on markets? The FRB has a dual mandate, inflation of approximately 2% and full employment. Full employment has historically been deemed to occur at around 4%, however inflation is running hot at 5% (PCE). Investors see the job market as stable enough that the FRB will be turning their attention to inflation. This happens by the FRB taking away accommodative policies such as bond buying programs. It then moves to them tightening monetary policy by raising interest rates and selling bonds on their balance sheets. All of which signals contained economic growth expectations in the near term.
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Always remember that while this is a week in review, this does not trigger or relate to trading activity on your account with Financial Future Services. Broad diversification across several asset classes with a long-term holding strategy is the best strategy in any market environment.
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.