Base case: global recession

The Treasury yield curve is flattening, with the 10-year/3-month yield differential plunging sharply, to a current 0.24%. Another 75 basis point rate hike at the next FOMC meeting is expected to drive the 3-month T-Bill discount rate above the 10-year yield, the negative spread warning of a deep recession in the next 6 to 18 months (subsequent reversal to a positive spread would signal that recession is imminent).

10-Year & minus 3-Month Treasury Yield

The S&P 500 is retracing to test short-term support at 4200. Breach would warn of another decline, while follow-through below 3650 would signal the second downward leg of a bear market.

S&P 500

 

21-Day Volatility troughs above 1% (red arrows) continue to warn of elevated risk.

S&P 500

Dow Jones Industrial Metals Index is in a primary down-trend, warning of a global recession.

DJ Industrial Metals Index

Supported by a similar primary down-trend on Copper, the most prescient of base metals.

Copper

Brent crude below $100 also warns of an economic contraction. Goldman Sachs project that crude oil will reach $135 per barrel this Winter, while Ed Morse at Citi says that WTI Light Crude will likely remain below $90 per barrel. Obviously, the former foresees an economic recovery, while the latter sees an extended contraction. Of the two, Morse has the best track in the industry.

Brent Crude

Natural gas prices are climbing.

Natural Gas

Especially in Europe, where Russia is attempting to choke the European economy.

Russia: EU Gas

Causing Germany’s producer price index to spike to 37.2% (year-on-year growth).

EU: PPI

Conclusion

Our base case is a global recession. A soft landing is unlikely unless the Fed does a sharp pivot, Russia stops trying to throttle European gas, and China goes all-in on its beleaguered property sector. That won’t address any of the underlying problems but would kick the can down the road for another year or two.

CGEP | The energy transition will be massively disruptive

Jason Bordoff, Founding Director, The Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University:

“We are going to have a severe energy crisis in Europe this winter. That’s almost inevitable.”

Ed Morse | Oil will fall to $85 per barrel

Citi’s Ed Morse says that supply is growing faster than expected, while demand is contracting as recession fears grow. His base case is that crude will fall to $85 per barrel.

Global recession warning

Copper broke primary support at $9,000 per metric ton, signaling a bear market. Known as “Dr Copper” because of its prescient ability to predict the direction of the global economy, copper’s sharp fall warns of a global recession dead ahead.

Copper (S1)

The Dow Jones Industrial Metals Index broke support at 175, confirming the above bear signal. A Trend Index peak at zero warns of strong selling pressure across base metals.

DJ Industrial Metals Index (BIM)

Iron ore retreated below $125 per metric ton, warning of another test of $90. Further sign of a slowing global economy.

Iron Ore (TR)

The Australian Dollar is another strong indicator of the commodity cycle. After breaking primary support at 70 US cents, follow-through below support at 68.5 confirms a bear market. A Trend Index peak at zero warns of selling pressure.

Australian Dollar (AUDUSD)

Brent crude remains high, however, propped up by shortages due to sanctions on Russian oil. Penetration of the secondary trendline (lime green) is likely, as signs of a slowing economy accumulate. Breach of support at $100 per barrel is less likely, but would confirm a global recession.

Brent Crude (CB)

Long-term interest rates are falling, with the 10-year Treasury yield reversing below 3.0%, as signs of a US contraction accumulate.

10-Year Treasury Yield

ISM new orders fell to their lowest level since May 2020, in the midst of the pandemic.

ISM New Orders

The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow forecast for Q2 dropped sharply, to an annualized real GDP growth rate of -2.08%.

Atlanta Fed GDPNow

Conclusion

We would assign probability of a global recession this year as high as 70%.

ASX confirms a bear market

The ASX 200 broke primary support level at 7000, confirming a bear market.

ASX 200

Long-term interest rates are rising, with bond ETFs falling.

Australia: Bond ETFs

A-REITs respected resistance at the former primary support level of 1500, confirming the primary down-trend. Trend Index peaks below zero warn of strong selling pressure.

ASX 200 REITs

Financials fell dramatically last week, testing primary support at 6000, as the prospect of falling residential property prices and rising defaults looms. Higher interest rates and wider net interest margins should offset this to some extent. Expect retracement to test resistance at 6000. Follow-through below this level would confirm a primary down-trend and strengthen the overall bear market (Financials have been one of the stronger sectors).

ASX 200 Financials

Consumer Discretionary respected resistance at 3000, signaling another decline with a target of 2600 [3000-400]. Trend Index peaks below zero warn of strong selling pressure.

ASX 200 Consumer Discretionary

Consumer Staples broke support at 13K, with respect of the new resistance level warning of another test of 12K.

ASX 200 Consumer Staples

 

Utilities continue their primary up-trend, rising Trend Index troughs indicating strong buying pressure.

ASX 200 Utilities

Industrials are headed for another test of support at 6350. Breach would warn of another test of primary support at 6000.

ASX 200 Industrials

Telecommunications broke support at 1400, signaling a primary down-trend. Trend Index peaks below zero warn of strong selling pressure. Breach of support offers a target of 1200 [1400-200].

ASX 200 Telecommunications

Health Care is consolidating below 42.5K. Reversal below 40K would warn of another test of primary support at 37.5K. A Trend Index peak close to zero would warn of fading buyer interest.

ASX 200 Health Care

Information Technology continues in a primary down-trend, with Trend Index peaks below zero warning of selling pressure. Follow-through below 1400 would offer a target of 1100 [1500-400].

ASX 200 IT

The Energy sector is advancing strongly, while Trend Index troughs above zero signal buying pressure. The prospect of Chinese lockdowns easing is likely to boost demand for oil and gas, sending prices soaring.

ASX 200 Energy

Metals & Mining respected resistance at 6250, warning of another test of 5500. Declining Trend Index peaks suggest buyer interest is fading. Respect of support at 5500 would signal that the up-trend is intact but breach seems more likely and would offer a target of the November ’21 low at 4750.

ASX 300 Metals & Mining

The broad DJ Industrial Metals Index respected resistance at 200, while Trend Index peaks below zero warn of strong selling pressure. Easing of lockdowns in China may increase demand but a bear market remains likely.

DJ Industrial Metals Index

Iron ore is also undergoing a correction. Breach of support at 125 would warn of another test of primary support at 90.

Iron Ore

The All Ordinaries Gold Index is again testing support at 6000, while Trend Index below zero warns of selling pressure.

All Ordinaries Gold Index

The price of Gold in Australian Dollars, however, is trending upwards, with rising Trend Index troughs indicating increased interest from buyers. Expect a test of A$2800 per ounce. Breakout would offer a target of A$3400 [2800 + 600].

Gold in Australian Dollars

Conclusion

ASX 200 broke support at 7200, confirming a bear market. Rising long-term interest rates and a poor global economic outlook are expected to weaken most sectors, while easing of China’s lockdown restrictions should provide some relief to energy and metals.

Our weighting for ASX sectors is:

  • A-REITs: heavily underweight
  • Financials: neutral
  • Staples: neutral
  • Discretionary: heavily underweight
  • Utilities: overweight
  • Industrials: neutral
  • Telecommunications: underweight
  • Health Care: neutral
  • Information Technology: heavily underweight
  • Energy: heavily overweight
  • Iron ore & Base Metals: underweight
  • Critical Materials (e.g. Lithium and Rare Earth Elements): heavily overweight
  • Gold: overweight

Michael Every | Commodities and the US Dollar are key

This is a follow-on to — A New World Order — posted yesterday. The first 13 minutes are worth listening to.

Michael Every, Global Strategist at Rabobank, says commodities and the US Dollar are key investments in the coming decade.

No soft landing

10-Year Treasury yields have climbed in response to the December FOMC minutes which suggest a faster taper of QE purchases and faster rate hikes. Breakout above 1.75% would offer a medium-term target of 2.3% (projecting the trough of 1.2% above resistance at 1.75%).

10-Year Treasury Yield

The Dollar Index retreated below short-term support at 96, warning of a correction despite rising LT yields.

Dollar Index

Do the latest FOMC minutes mean that the Fed is serious about fighting inflation? The short answer: NO. If they were serious, they would not taper but halt Treasury and MBS purchases. Instead of discussing rate hikes later in the year, they would hike rates now. The Fed are trying to slow the economy by talking rather than doing — and will be largely ignored until they slam on the brakes.

Average hourly earnings growth — 5.8% for the 2021 calendar year — is likely to remain high.

Hourly Wage Rate

A widening labor shortage — with job openings exceeding total unemployment by more than 4 million — is likely to drive wages even higher, eating into profit margins.

Job Openings & Unemployment

The S&P 500 continues to climb without any significant corrections over the past 18 months.

S&P 500

Rising earnings have lowered the expected December 2020 PE ratio (of highest trailing earnings) for the S&P 500 to a still-high 24.56.

S&P 500/Highest Trailing Earnings (PEmax)

But wide profit margins from supply chain shortages are unsustainable in the long-term and are likely to reverse, creating a headwind for stocks.

Warren Buffett’s long-term indicator of market value avoids fluctuating profit margins by comparing market cap to GDP as a surrogate for LT earnings. The ratio is at an extreme 2.7 (Q3 2020), having doubled since the Fed stated to expand its balance sheet (QE) after the 2008 global financial crisis.

Market Cap/GDP

Stock prices only adjust to fundamental values in the long-term. In the short-term, prices are driven by ebbs and flows of liquidity.

We are still witnessing a spectacular rise in the M2 money stock in relation to GDP, caused by Fed QE. The rise is only likely to halt when the taper ends in March 2022 — but there is no date yet set for quantitative tightening (QT) which would reverse the flow.

M2/GDP

Gold continues to range between $1725 and $1830 per ounce with no sign of a breakout.

Spot Gold

Conclusion

Expect a turbulent year ahead, driven by the pandemic, geopolitics, and Fed monetary policy. Rising inflation continues to be a major threat and we maintain our overweight positions in Gold and defensive stocks. A soft landing is unlikely — the Fed could easily lose control  — and we are underweight highly-priced growth stocks and cyclicals, while avoiding bonds completely.

Inflation is coming

Inflation tops investor concerns according to Fed report

Concerns over higher inflation and tighter monetary policy have become the top concern for market participants, pushing aside the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve said on Monday in its latest report on financial stability. ….Roughly 70% of market participants surveyed by the Fed flagged inflation and tighter Fed policy as their top concern over the next 12 to 18 months, ahead of vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variants and a potential Chinese regulatory crackdown. (Investing.com)

The market is no longer buying the Fed’s talk of “transitory” inflation.

Fed’s Bullard expects two rate hikes in 2022

St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard on Monday said he expects the Fed to raise interest rates twice in 2022 after it wraps up its bond-buying taper mid-year, though he said if needed the Fed could speed up that timeline to end the taper in the first quarter. “If inflation is more persistent than we are saying right now, then I think we may have to take a little sooner action in order to keep inflation under control,” Bullard said in an interview on Fox Business Network……Bullard has been among the Fed’s biggest advocates for an earlier end to the Fed’s policy easing, given his worries that inflation may not moderate as quickly or as much as many of his colleagues think it will. (Reuters)

The Fed are reluctant to hike interest rates, to rein in inflationary pressures, as it would kill the recovery.

Producer Price Index

Producer prices (PPI) climbed more than 22% in the 12 months to October 2021, close to the high from 1974 (23.4%). Consumer prices have diverged from PPI in recent years but such a sharp rise in PPI still poses a threat to the economy.

Producer Price Index (PPI) & Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Iron and steel prices, up more than 100% year-on-year (YoY), will inevitably lead to price increases for automobiles and consumer durables. Other notable YoY increases in key inputs are construction materials (+30.6%), industrial chemicals (+47.3%), aluminium (+40.7%), and copper (+34.5%).

Producer Price Index: Commodities

Underlying many of the above price rises is a sharp increase in fuel, related products and power: up 55.7% over the past 12 months.

Producer Price Index: Fuel & Energy

Conclusion

Inflation is coming, while the Fed are reluctant to hike interest rates. Buy Gold, precious metals, commodities, real estate, and stocks with pricing power —  a strong competitive position which enables them to pass on price increases to their customers — if you can find them at reasonable prices. Avoid financial assets like bonds and bank term deposits.