Inflation/Deflation
In Section I, we review the three possible economic scenarios over the coming year, and underscore that the “soft landing” scenario remains improbable. A “no landing” scenario could occur, but it would ultimately lead back to the recessionary path and thus is not a basis for investors to maintain pro-risk portfolio positions. US stock prices continue to be buoyed by rate cut expectations, but nonrecessionary cuts still appear to be a long way off. In Section II, we present our best estimate of the inflationary threshold that results in a positive or negative stock price / bond yield (SBY) correlation, and whether investors are likely to approach this level over the coming one-to-two years. US core inflation does not likely need to return to the Fed’s target in order for the SBY correlation to return to positive territory, but a move back to a positive correlation will very likely occur in the context of falling equity prices.
The debt ceiling game’s endpoint will avoid default only if it implies economic pain. For the Republicans, the best strategy is not to lift the debt ceiling unless the Democrats cut spending a lot, or unless the economy starts to tank. Plus: there are signs that the mania in ‘AI’ stocks has gone too far too fast.
The consumption outlook remains solid thanks to households’ sizable excess savings, incomes that will be boosted by a tight labor market and ample capacity to add debt to augment their buying power.
Financial commentators, politicians and policymakers have increasingly been blaming stubbornly high inflation on companies pursuing aggressive pricing strategies to boost earnings and margins. In this Special Report, we investigate the concept of “greedflation” – companies persistently raising prices faster than costs are increasing to pad profit margins - and see if the associated conclusions about corporate pricing power and inflation are borne out by the data in the US, euro area and UK.
Global growth will weaken in the coming months, yet monetary authorities worldwide will be reluctant to ease policy. This state of affairs foreshadows a clash between markets and policymakers in the months ahead. China’s recovery is losing steam. The latest divergence between Emerging Asian and LATAM currencies will not last.
A restrictive policy by the ECB and a weak manufacturing sector will create headwinds for European stocks this summer. How should investors position their portfolios in this context?
