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Fed Outlook: An Itchy Trigger Finger
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Fed Chairman Bernanke's monetary policy testimony to Congress was not expected to be a big deal. The economic projections of senior Fed officials were already published and the minutes of the June 19-20 policy meeting showed the Fed in a wait-and-see attitude However, most of the economic data released since the Fed policy meeting were weaker than expected. While Bernanke did not signal that policy action was imminent, the tone of his testimony was clearly concerned.
Cognitive Dissonance
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
At the race track if too many participants bet on the same horse, the betting odds on that horse go down and if he wins the payout is small. Popularity reduces the reward. Similarly in the stock market if too many participants put their money on the same stock, and it becomes a market favorite, driving the price ever higher, the upside potential is diminished. Popularity reduces the potential reward.
One Way Pockets
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
This morning I awoke to headlines "Asia Signals Drop In Global Demand," "Euro Zone Fragmenting Faster Than EU Can Act," "European Worries Send Shares Lower," and "Investors Brace For Shaky Earnings Season." Such musings have the S&P 500 futures off about six points. Somewhat offsetting these negative quips are these headlines, "Fed Officials Favor QE3" and "Obama To Seek One-year Extension For Some Of Bush Tax Cuts;" but alas, this morning the negatives are outweighing the positives.
A Closer Look at the June Employment Data
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Given the discrepancy in job growth between the first and second quarters, seasonal adjustment may still be an issue. However, there's concern that a high level of uncertainty in the outlook could undermine hiring in the remainder of the year.
Gleanings
With this Gleanings report, we begin a monthly chart presentation and discussion, which attempts to pull together the separate disciplines of Economics, Fundamentals, Technical analysis, and Quantitative analysis.
The report contains what we think are currently some of the most important charts. We will have an overview and then highlight some of the key near-term variables that we believe could have a measurable effect on where the various markets are going.
The Virtue of Necessity
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The call for this week: In my opinion, last week the Commodity Index bottomed and the Dollar Index topped. If so, recession fears should abate in the months ahead. Moreover, if a recession was really on the horizon "junk" bond yields would be rising on worries of increased defaults and that is not happening with the iShare High Yield Fund (HYG/$91.29) attempting to make a new reaction high (i.e., lower yields).
Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
With worries about Europe and the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act behind us, we can go back to looking at the economy. At issue is whether recent signs of slowing were an illusion or more real. In particular, the June job market figures will be critical.
Perspective; or where you stand is a function of where you sit!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Perspective is the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance. And last Thursday the stock markets perspective changed abruptly. The day started out well enough with an opening 20-point pop to the upside, but from there the Dow Dive commenced. The causa proxima for the dive was more softening economic reports from China and Germany followed by a lame Philly Fed report, which saw that index accelerate its swoon from Mays -5.8 reading to -16.6.
Mood
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
M-O-O-D: That is the important word right here. And, what a difference a few weeks makes for last week the markets seemed to switch from the glass being half-empty to half-full leaving Mr. Market in a more forgiving mood. Importantly, market mood frequently sets the near-term trend. If the mood is positive, all things are possible; if it is negative, little is.
Atlas Shrugged?!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The call for this week: Over the weekend the eurozone agreed to lend Spain up to 100 ($126 billion) to shore up its teetering banks. That decision prompted this from my friend David Kotok, captain of Cumberland Advisors: The fact is the absence of banking collapses is good news. That is correct. Good news! We establish that good news by what we DO NOT see on TV. We do not see banks collapsing and failing to pay depositors. This means we may not witness the euro system collapsing and failing. Bank runs and deposit failures are symptoms of liquidity constraints.
1-800-GET-ME-OUT?!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The call for this week: Friday was the first day of hurricane season here in Florida, yet the storm didn't hit our beaches but rather blew onto the Street of Dreams with a 275-point "storm surge." The media attributed Friday's Flop entirely to the disappointing employment numbers, but the truth was the market was already headed down before the release of those numbers. And when the SPX's 1290 level was breached, the rout was on. And despite the break below my 1290 pivot point I can't shake the feeling that all of this is just part of the bottoming process.
Job Recap/How Big of an Impact from Europe?
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Job growth has slowed. However, its unclear exactly why or even, despite all the hand-wringing on Friday, whether its something to worry about. A European recession would have a moderate impact on U.S. exports, but there are some positives.
There are a number of other possible explanations for the recent slowdown in (seasonally adjusted) job growth.Firms may be reluctant to hire for a number of reasons: political uncertainty, fiscal policy uncertainty, higher gasoline prices, and worries about the fallout from Europe.
Being There
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The call for this week: I am out of the country seeing institutional accounts, so these may be the only strategy comments for the week. In my absence the stock market will likely resolve its near-term directionality because the "selling stampede" is now 18 sessions long and such stampedes tend not to last for more than 17 to 25 sessions. Despite the decline, by my work there has been no Dow Theory "sell signal," although there are some Wall Street wags who are using very short-term pivot points and believe otherwise.
I Should Have?!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The brilliant Lee Cooperman, captain of hedge fund Omega Advisors, quoted Joe Rosenberg on CNBC last week, You can have cheap equity prices, or you can have good news, but you cant have both! Clearly, we currently have bad news, which in my opinion has resulted in cheap equity prices. Playing to that quote, my father always told me, Good things tend to happen to cheap stocks. As stated, the real question is, If we get a rally from this oversold condition is it the start of a new up leg, or is it just a compression rally that will be brief followed by still lower prices?
Balance, Grasshopper
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The stock market has been consolidating its huge gains from the October 4 undercut low for roughly three months in a ~75 point range (1350-1420). That consolidation has allowed the markets internal energy to be rebuilt and the oversold condition to be worked off. Because of that process, I continue to think the odds that we will see a move below the 1320-1340 zone remain pretty dim. Accordingly, I suspect the stock market is going to put in an intermediate bottom probably this week.
Austerity Its All In The Timing
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
One problem with designing fiscal stimulus is determining how rapidly to move back toward fiscal balance. The U.S. economy has already faced some degree of austerity. According to the National Income and Product Accounts, government consumption and investment subtracted 0.6 percentage point from GDP growth over the last six quarters, where in normal times, it would have added about 0.3 percentage point (consistent with population growth). Real GDP averaged 1.8% growth over the last six quarters. It would have been nearly a full percentage point higher if not for the contraction in government.
Toto, I have a feeling were not in Kansas anymore.
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
While most people know The Wizard of Oz as one of the most popular films ever made, what is little known is that the book was based on an economic and political commentary surrounding the debate over sound money that occurred in the late 1800s. Indeed, L. Frank Baums book was penned in 1900 following unrest in the agriculture arena due to the debate between gold, silver, and the dollar standard. I revisit the dollar/gold topic this morning because I think the most important chart in the world may be in the process of breaking down. The chart in question is that of the U.S. Dollar.
The Labor Market Outlook
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The April Employment Report disappointed stock market participants. However, it really wasnt a bad report. Private-sector job growth has been moderately strong this year. The Household Survey data suggest that the economic expansion has been strong enough to absorb the growth in the working-age population, but not enough to take up much of the labor market slack that was generated during the downturn. These figures tell us nothing about where the labor market is headed. Job growth over the next six months will have important implications for investors and for the November election.
Truth or Consequences?
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
When youre wrong you say youre wrong; at least thats what the pros do. Clearly, I have been somewhat wrong by being conservative, but not by much because the INDU is actually 70 points lower than at the April 2, 2012 intraday high. Given the aforementioned litany of cautionary indicators, my sense remains the S&P 500 (1403.36) will spend some more time below 1425 while the short-term overbought condition is alleviated and the stock markets internal energy is rebuilt. Fridays market action only reinforced that belief with the indices gapping higher and then closing well below those highs.
Growing Concerns
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Real GDP rose less than expected in the advance estimate for 1Q12. However, the details were a mixed bag. The report added little to the debate about where the economy is headed. The first thing to remember about the advance GDP report is that the figures will be revised, and revised again. There is often a larger difference between the advance estimate and subsequent estimates. However, the underlying story behind the numbers typically does not change much. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of GDP, helped by mild weather. Yet, the personal income figures suggest caution.
Dow Direction Dictates
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
This week we will see more major companies reporting earnings. From our research universe, stocks that are favorably rated by our fundamental analysts and appear positive on our proprietary algorithms are: Brinker ; Baidu; Pultegroup; and Caterpillar. For the past few weeks I have wrongly suggested that my sense is the S&P 500 (SPX/1378.53) will remain mired in the 1385 1425 consolidation zone. Subsequently, the SPX dropped below that envisioned zone, yet has rallied back into the 1375 1385 zone, which has now become an overhead resistance level.
Blowin in the Wind
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Recent economic data have been mixed, but generally consistent with moderate economic growth. The recovery continues, but has failed to gather much steam and remains relatively fragile. Were on our way, but weve a long way to go. Over the last year, the economy has faced a number of headwinds, capping the pace of improvement. Those headwinds appear to be lessening to some extent although there are uncertainties, particularly as one looks to 2013.
The Outlook for Earnings
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The stock market has risen nicely this year, partly on improving economic data, but are such gains justified by the earnings outlook? The level of the S&P 500 Index does not appear to be out of line with earnings expectations, but there may be some pressure on profits over the longer term. As the election approaches, we may hear more about class warfare. Its unclear what role the distribution of income will take in this years election, but investors should pay attention.
Pigs and Panics!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
As stated, this is a key week for the equity markets and we continue to wait and see how the equity markets resolve themselves on a short-term basis, a trading stance we have been in for weeks. Meanwhile, for investors, I met with a portfolio manager last week whose investment style I think is suited for the current stock market climate. The investment style of Troy Shaver, PM of Dividend Asset Capital, sub-advisor to Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund (GSRAX/$15.05), is to invest in companies that increase their dividends by 10% per year on average for 10 years in a row.
Shrugging Off Bad News!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
March came in like a bear, but went out like a bull, capping the best first quarter since 1998. For the quarter the SPX gained 11.99% for its 10th best start of the year ever. For me it was almost like dj vu as I recalled the best first quarter of my lifetime, which was 1975s surge of 21.59%. Why dj vu? Well, it is because I began writing strategy In November of 1974 with the line, I believe now is the time to accumulate stocks. At the time the Dow was trading below 600, having fallen from its March high of 891 for a 34% decline.
Better News On Consumer Spending, But ...
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The monthly report on personal income and spending rarely gets much interest from the financial markets. However, the spending figures are a direct part of the governments GDP calculation. The latest numbers (through February) paint a much brighter picture than they did a month ago. While the outlook has improved from a month ago, its not enough for most Fed policymakers. It will take much more substantial economic growth to undo fully the recessions damage to the labor market. QE3 is still seen as unlikely, but its not off the table completely.
Patience
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
I continue to exercise patience with the equity markets while I sit on the cash raised over the past number of weeks. Unlike many, I consider cash an asset class. Indeed, to assume the investment opportunity sets that are available to you today are better than ones that will present themselves next week or next month is nave. To take advantage of those opportunity sets one needs to have some cash. For those wishing to be more aggressive, it looks to me as if the U.S. dollar is in the process of breaking down.
Game On
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Nothing in the recent economic data suggests that the Fed is any closer to raising short-term interest rates. However, the figures also imply that further Fed asset purchases are less likely. While the Fed did not surprise last week, the bond market had factored in some chance that the Fed would eventually undertake QE3. In the short term, the recent pop in bond yields may simply be a case of be on the bus or be under it. However, bond yields seem unlikely to rise sharply from here, at least for now.
LOSE CASH
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
I do expect stocks to be higher by year end. Last Tuesdays upside breakout turned out to be the first 90% Upside Day of this year. To negate that action would require a sell-off on heavy volume that results in a closing price below the previous rallys closing high of 1374.09 on the SPX. Still, the stock market may have enough forereach to tag 1420, but in my opinion the games not worth the candle. For investors not sharing my counsel, I continue to like the strategy of buying stocks that have recently declined for one-off reasons where the bullish fundamental story is still intact.
Employment Outlook Weather and Gasoline
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Nonfarm payrolls rose more than expected in February, with an upward revision to figures for December and January. The job market figures have been strong. However, an unusually mild winter has certainly had an impact. Its difficult to isolate the effect of mild weather. The labor market is definitely improving, but recent figures may be somewhat exaggerated. Mild winter weather may pull forward some seasonal gains that would have otherwise occurred in March and April. In addition, higher gasoline prices threaten to dampen the pace of improvement in the near term.
The Ambergris Factor!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
I had a meeting with two PMs from Switzerland that had 10 questions they wanted answered. 1. Would you buy cyclical stocks or defensive stocks? I would buy cyclicals because I dont believe we are going to see another recession in the U.S. for the near future. 2. 2011 was a risk on/risk off year, so is it a top down or bottom up strategy for 2012? Last year you only had to get two things right. You had to raise cash in March/April and put it back to work during the bottoming sequence of August October. One always needs to employ a bottom up strategy combined with a top down view.
Street Smarts
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
While I remain cautious (not bearish) there are still things to do. For example, I continue to like the strategy of looking at companies whose share price has collapsed for a one-off event. Recall, this was the case with Acme Packet (APKT/$30.26/Strong Buy) back in January, where in our analysts view the stock swoon had taken a lot of the price risk out of the equation. A similar sequence occurred last week with Vocus (VOCS/$13.52/Strong Buy), where our fundamental analyst maintains his positive view.
More Mixed
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The economic data reports have become more mixed. Growth is rarely even across time and industries, but the stock market often has a hard time with conflicting evidence. For Mr. Market, the economy has to be either booming or falling apart completely. Mild winter weather has clearly been a factor in the last few months, but unusual weather often merely shifts growth from one quarter to another. Last year, the economic gears were starting to catch, but gasoline rose from around $3 per gallon at the beginning of the year to $4 per gallon in early May. Are we in for a repeat?
ARRA, Three Years On
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law on February 17, 2009. Did it help? Yes, but estimates of the impact vary. Before Barack Obama took office, he selected Christina Romer to be the chair of the Council of Economic Advisors. Romer, a professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley and an expert on the Great Depression, is exactly the sort of person youd want advice from in combating a severe recession. Its long been rumored that Romer had requested a significantly larger stimulus package than the roughly $800 billion in ARRA.
Fun, Fun, Fun
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
There have now been 37 trading sessions in 2012 and so far the S&P 500 has yet to experience a 1% Downside Day. This 37-session skein has occurred 11 other times in the past 84 years and has on every occasion except one seen the equity markets higher by the end of the year. Still, the rise since the buying stampede ended, which stopped on January 26, 2012 at Dow 12841.95, has felt unnatural to me. Surprisingly, the Industrials reside only 141 points above their intraday high of January 26th, causing one market maven to exclaim, no wonder I feel like were in the Trading Twilight Zone.
Where Things Stand
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The economy continues to operate far below its potential, which means that an extended period of above-trend growth is needed to mop up current slack. Real GDP growth has long trended about 3% per year. This trend is not the same a potential output. In fact, potential output should be below this trend partly due to the aging of the population. However, those arguing that the housing sector has either permanently reduced potential output or overstated potential output prior to the housing correction are off base. We have a lot of ground to make up, especially in the job market.
Abbondanza!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Despite overbought conditions, a Dow Theory upside non-confirmation, the end of the buying stampede on January 26th, a stock market that has used up most of its internal energy in the short-term, a massive downside reversal from Wall Streets premier stock last Wednesday (AAPL/$502.12), saber rattling in the Hormuz Strait, a ~21% rise in the price of gasoline since mid-December, et all the stock market has trudged higher. Manifestly, the SPX has now gone 35 trading sessions in 2012 without suffering a 1% down day.
The Federal Budget Outlook
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The White Houses Office of Management and Budget will release its revised budget outlook this week. That outlook is expected to show a substantial reduction in the 10-year budget deficit, largely due to the required discretionary spending cuts specified in last years Budget Control Act. For the most part, the legislative battle ahead is not whether to cut, but what to cut. More importantly, tax policy, and in turn, the economic outlook, remains a major uncertainty into 2013.
The System will Hold Together...
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The implications are that things are likely going to get a little less fun for investors for a while with the major averages transitioning from a steep price rise to more of a sideways to downward pricing structure. This does not mean you cant make money. On the upside, my algorithms show that our fundamental analysts Strong Buy ratings on 7.6%-yielding CenturyLink (CTL/$38.02) and non-yielding Whiting Petroleum (WLL/$50.89) are setting up for a potential upside breakout. Meanwhile, our analysts Underperform rating on ViaSat (VSAT/$45.22)is being confirmed by my algorithms to the downside.
Compelling Valuation, or Value Trap?
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Remember all those Negative Nabobs that caused you to panic and sell-out at the August lows? Or, the Bear Boos who told you the undercut low of October 4, 2011 was the start of a whole new leg to the downside? Then there was the Cowering Crowd that insisted the first half of 2012 was going to be terrible. Such rants have left the world profoundly underinvested in U.S. equities. Revenues and earnings are at all-time highs, yet the SPX is ~13.5% below its October 2007 high; indeed, Strange brew trying to get through to you (Cream 1967; Eric Clapton at his finest).
The January Jobs Report
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Make no mistake. The labor market is improving and theres hope for strong job growth this spring. Moreover, average weekly hours have been trending higher, consistent with an expected increase in new hiring in the months ahead. However, not to harsh your mellow, the January employment data were not as rosy as the headline figures would seem to suggest. These data should not change the picture for the Fed. We still have a lot of ground to make up in the labor market.
Precisely Watson?
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
I have repeatedly commented that earnings comparisons were going to get more difficult because the trailing four quarters earnings reports have been so strong; and, thats precisely what is happening. For example, with 180 of the S&P 500 companies reporting, there has been 1.81 upside earnings surprises for each disappointment versus a more normal ratio of 3:1. Accordingly, it makes sense to screen for companies producing Triple Plays that would be companies beating earnings and revenue estimates and also raising forward earnings guidance.
The Fed: Dual Targets Or Dueling Targets?
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The Fed has adopted an inflation target, as many other central banks have done long ago. However, the Fed retained its dual mandate, with a soft employment target. How will the two goals be achieved and what happens when they conflict? The Fed says is will use a balanced approach. The Fed lengthened the period for which it expects to keep short-term interest rates at exceptionally low levels. However, the five Fed governors and 12 district bank presidents have differing opinions on when the Fed should start raising short-term interest rates and what the rate target will be at the end of 2014.
The Inflation Outlook
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
When the Fed embarked on its second round of asset purchases in 2010, officials were worried about the threat of deflation. The 2011 inflation results suggest that the Fed was successful in warding off deflation, but inflation did not surge as some had feared. Despite the moderate inflation results for 2011, some still believe the Feds accommodative policy will lead to a substantial increase in inflation sooner or later. However, were still a long way from a full economic recovery, and there will be plenty of time to unwind the Feds accommodation when appropriate.
Everybodys Unhappy!?
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
On January 3 I stated that session felt like an emotional peak and that January 10 felt like the price peak. Subsequently I wrote, The only question in my mind is if the markets are going to have a pullback into the 1230 1240 support zone, or go sideways to correct their overbought condition and allow the internal energy to be rebuilt. So far, it has been a sideways consolidation until last weeks upside breakout causing one old Wall Street wag to exclaim, Breakout or fake-out?! On a short-term basis I think it is a fake-out believing a trading top is due this week ...
The Turtle?
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
The turtle makes no progress until it sticks its neck out; I have been sticking my neck out since Thanksgiving, believing the Santa rally was beginning. I stuck with that strategy until the first day of trading this year, which felt like a short-term emotional trading peak. A short-term price peak occurred on 1/10/12 at 1296.46 basis the SPX. The only question in my mind was whether we were going to get a pullback into the 1230 1240 support zone, or if we would experience a sideways correction as the overbought condition was worked off and the markets internal energy was rebuilt.
Fed Policy Outlook More Communication Is Good
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The Federal Open Market meets next week to set monetary policy. Its widely expected that short-term interest rates will remain unchanged and that (for the time being) there wont be another round of asset purchases (QE3). The Fed will begin publishing the range of senior Fed officials projections of the appropriate federal funds rate target (for the fourth quarter of this year and the next few years). There are more benefits than risks in making these projections public.
Steady As She Goes Into Early 2012
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
Much like the situation last year, the economy appears to be poised for improvement. Again, there are still some headwinds and a number of downside risks to the growth outlook and much will depend on developments in Europe and in the oil market over the next few months. Theres still some prospect for further accommodation from the Federal Reserve we may see another round of asset purchases announced later this month.
The January Barometer
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Its amazing that equity markets have rallied in light of the strong U.S. dollar. That action suggests that stocks are not ready for the pullback I have been expecting following last Tuesdays upside blow off. Still, while the Dow Industrials and Dow Transports have tagged new reaction highs, the SPX and NDX have not. Such divergences always leave me cautious, especially since we are past the seasonally sweet spot for stocks. At some point we are going to get a profit-taking event, whether it is from last Tuesdays intraday high or the 1300-1320 overhead resistance zone remains to be seen.
The Year of the Dragon
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Since the day after Thanksgiving I have stuck with the strategy that the Santa Claus rally had begun. On November 25th the SPX was changing hands around 1158. We are now 100 points higher. Consequently, I would not chase the dragon right here since I anticipate that an upside blow off is due ...
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