George Hosfield, CFA, discusses Ferguson Wellman's quarterly strategy titled, "Inflation's Flame Flickers," which addresses the narrow market leadership, the impact of higher interest rates on inflation and how assets are priced at this stage of the economic cycle.
George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the firm's quarterly strategy titled "Stalemate," which highlights the Fed's ongoing battle to tame inflation along with our views on the health of the banking industry and capital market expectations for the balance of the year.
Director and Chief Investment Officer George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the Fed raising interest rates, peaking inflation and our view on equities and volatility across all asset classes in our Investment Strategy titled, “Balancing Act.”
As the second quarter came roaring to a close, stocks marched consistently higher while bond yields moved drastically lower. Those trends continued the first week of July, but it is doubtful that they can continue in unison much longer. Either the economy stabilizes and rates stop falling, or the stock market will inevitably take a break from this rise higher.
by Shawn Narancich, CFAExecutive Vice President of Research
While Chinese stocks endured more losses in a week that now puts the A-Shares Index into correction territory, U.S. investors continue to preside over a range-bound market domestically. With U.S. equity indices near record levels and late quarter news flow reduced to a trickle, all eyes were focused on the U.S. Supreme Court decision this week regarding the legality of federal tax subsidies for states not running their own insurance exchanges. A high court ruling upholding a key tenet of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was greeted with a sigh of relief by investors who own hospital stocks, while sending speculators short names such as HCA Holdings running for cover. While minor tweaks to the ACA are still possible, such as the repeal of the medical device tax, this week’s key ruling all but assures that the key structure of the national healthcare law will remain intact at least until the Obama administration leaves office.
Gathering Pace
As healthcare stocks reacted to the Supreme Court drama, investors with more cyclical leanings received the latest confirmation that moribund first quarter consumption and weak retail sales were transitory. U.S. consumption spending in May rose at the fastest month-to-month rate in nearly six years, and the 0.9 percent surge easily outpaced a smaller increase in consumer income. Indeed, the U.S. consumer has not forgotten how to spend! Coupled with a strong job market confirmed by a surge in May hiring and an upbeat retail sales reported for the same month, we are left to conclude that the U.S. economy has picked up considerable pace from the slight contraction it experienced during the first quarter. Our best guess is that the Federal Reserve will exit zero interest rate policy sometime later this year, and it will most likely be in September.
Greece Ad Nauseum
The melodrama of Greece failed to find a resolution this week, but European stocks seem to have found their footing nonetheless. Regardless of whether ongoing talks with Greece are successful in retaining the country as a solvent member of the Eurozone economy, the European Central Bank (ECB) has demonstrated its commitment to do, as chief Mario Draghi famously observed several year ago, “whatever it takes,” to keep the Eurozone and its currency viable. Exhibit A of this commitment is the ECB’s ongoing program to enhance the European monetary base by purchasing $60 billion of European bonds every month until at least the fall of next year. Exhibit B, key in the latest Greek crisis, is the central bank’s commitment to fund Greek banks with loans to accommodate ongoing deposit flight from these institutions. Our main observation here is that if no acceptable resolution is reached and Greece ends up leaving the common currency, then Europe and its central bank will do what is necessary to keep the region’s banking system and economies liquid, thus preventing any lasting type of contagion from Greece’s exit.
Our Takeaways from the Week
by Shawn Narancich, CFAExecutive Vice President of Research
Green Shoots
A week chocked full of economic insight concluded with a bang, as a strong jobs report for the month of May provided more assurance to investors that a contraction in first quarter GDP is likely to be transitory. The U.S. economy created a net 280,000 nonfarm jobs last month, nearly a third better than what Wall Street was expecting. Good news on the jobs front was widespread among various industries and accompanied by more evidence that wage gains are firming. After being hamstrung by the West Coast ports strike, an exceedingly strong dollar and another harsh conclusion to winter, the U.S. economy now appears to be gathering speed.
In its attempt to determine the right time to begin raising interest rates, the Fed will triangulate today’s bullish job report with additional evidence of gathering momentum in manufacturing released earlier this week, that coming in the form of an ISM report showing that activity has picked up for the first time since last fall. As well, construction spending perked up in April and previous months’ activity was revised upward. Finally, Yellen & Co. would observe that U.S. light vehicle sales posted another strong number in May, rising to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 17.8 million vehicles sold, a 10-year high. The plurality of this week’s data reveals an economy no longer in need of unconventional monetary policy and leads us to believe that the Fed will achieve lift-off from zero interest rate policy this fall, most likely in September.
Raise Rates in 2015 … Mais Non?
As investors were digesting the good news domestically, the International Monetary Fund was busy revising down its estimate of how fast the U.S. economy will grow this year. In an unusual move, Managing Director Christine Lagarde urged the Fed to hold off on raising rates this year, arguing that doing so would lead to an even stronger dollar and threaten the rate of expansion globally. The French may be opinionated, but even her admonition is likely to fall on deaf ears. We have said repeatedly that when the Fed raises rates, it will be for the right reasons, and the data we are beginning to see affirm for us that the U.S. economy is rebounding in the second quarter. Like last year, we see a second quarter reversal carrying through with strength into the second half of 2015.
Markets on the Move
Although the IMF might not be convinced, bond investors have responded in dramatic fashion, selling longer dated issues in mass and sending benchmark U.S. rates to their highest levels of the year. Equities in the financial sector are doing the opposite, rallying in anticipating of higher rates boosting banks’ net interest margins. In anticipation of rising rates, we recently increased our weighting to financials, while further trimming our exposure to a consumer discretionary sector that appears closer to full value.
Our Takeaways from the Week
by Tim Carkin, CAIA, CMT
Senior Vice President
Divergent
This week the market is showing some interesting divergence. The S&P 500 performance is paltry, nearly flat on the year. Technology, biotech and consumer discretionary sectors, which are more heavily weighted in the NASDAQ, started selling off heavily last week leaving the NASDAQ down more than seven percent year to date. This week small cap stocks, which had been performing admirably, sold off more than four percent and are now negative on the year. Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and other large financials also sold off heavily after the Fed’s latest stress test results. On the plus side, emerging market stocks rallied significantly this week in hopes of new Chinese stimulus.
Need for Speed
A few good economic readings came out this week. Last month’s Q4 GDP number was revised up to an annualized 2.6 percent from 2.4 percent. This came as consumer spending in February rose by the most in three years and jobless claims declined last week to the lowest level in four months. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE), a favorite economic indicator of past Fed Chairman Bernanke ticked up 0.1 percent in February. Lower jobless claims and a low inflation rate give the Fed a little cushion to work with when considering stimulus and rate increases.
Rise of an Empire?
The constant media attention of developments in the standoff between Ukraine and Russian is weighing on the market. We did get good news on that front in an announcement from the IMF of $14-18 billion in aid. In addition, our Senate approved $1 billion in loan guarantees and the EU promised more than 10 billion euros in the next few years. On the other hand, Yulia Tymoshenko, former Prime Minister of Ukraine, announced her candidacy for president. This ensures the standoff will remain in the news through the Ukrainian elections on May 25th.
Takeaways for the Week
