Overbought conditions, dampened sentiment, and continued hawkishness from global central bank officials combined to snap a five-week winning streak for the S&P 500 last week. Sticky inflation pressures and softening economic data added to a risk-off tone last week where extended global equity markets took a pause. The week saw the S&P 500 close down 1.4% while developed (-3.5%) and emerging (-4.5%) markets fell further. Interest rates didn’t move much either way but commodity markets softened on the dampening global growth sentiment where WTI closed the week back below $70. The risk-off tone translated to a bid for the USD which closed 0.65% stronger on the week.

• A pricey and top heavy S&P 500 which has rallied 23% since October has investors on edge but BCA issued a reminder that valuations aren’t a very reliable short to intermediate term market buy/sell indicator.

• Markets digested a slew of hawkish Fed speakers last week with a dot plot backdrop showing zero of 18 members projecting any rate cuts in 2023 and a median Fed Funds rate at the end of 2024 only slightly lower than year-end 2023 projections.

• Markets have been increasingly pricing in the more hawkish Fed narratives. As recently as May 3rd, year- end Fed Funds projections were 4%, they are now over 5%.

• The BoE hiked rates 50bps last week, more than markets expected (25bps), joining Canada and Australian central banks who have surprised markets on the hawkish side of the ledger.

• A contrarian note from Bianco Research projects the July CPI release will be the 2023 low, forcing the Fed very much in the higher for longer camp.

• If leading economic indicators and inverted yield curve were the only metrics you monitored, the supporting case for recession would be overwhelming with May’s LEI registering a 14th straight monthly decline and the duration and depth of yield curve inversion both in rare form.

• A research note from Pictet illustrates very clearly how the TINA regime is a thing of the past, at least for now, with earnings yields, corporate bond yields, and T-bill yields fully converged – something we haven’t seen in decades.

• • June’s flash U.S. PMI readings (C, M, S) of 53, 46.3, 54.1 reflected additional deterioration in the manufacturing sector but surprised on the upside across the service sectors.

  • June’s flash non-U.S. PMIS looked like U.S. readings with manufacturing readings of Eurozone (43.6), UK (46.2), Japan (49.8), and Australia (48.6) alongside service sector readings of Eurozone (52.4), UK 53.7), Japan (54.2), and Australia (50.7).

  • The Housing Market Index in June continued to rebound to 55, surpassing both spot forecasts of 50 and consensus range of 48-52.

  • Housing Starts (1.631M) and Permits (1.491M) surpassed consensus estimates and registered above (starts) and at the high end (permits) of their respective forecasted ranges.

  • Existing Home Sales of 4.30M came in above the 4.25M consensus estimate and at the high end of the range. This release was 0.2% above prior month and -20.4% YOY.

• The FOMC met market expectations by ‘skipping’ June but made clear in the post-meeting press conference that future hikes are on the table. The ECB stepped down to a 25 bps hike following a path of two 75 bps and three consecutive 50 bps moves while the BOJ made no changes.

• U.S. inflation numbers eased slightly in May creating a little more breathing room for Fed officials to skip in June and wait on more data for the July decision which is now trading at a 60% probability for a 25 bps hike.

• Consumer surveys are adding to the disinflation narrative with UofM and NY Fed responses showing 1yr forward expectations falling materially while longer term expectations have remained relatively anchored under 3%.

• Yield curve slope indications for growth and monetary policy conditions have changed meaningfully. The 3m/10yr slope has ‘flattened’ from peak inversion of -1.89% to -1.57% while the 2yr/10yr has ‘deepened’ from -0.72% to near record inversion of -0.93%.

• The past couple weeks had seen breadth measures improve but still leaves the S&P 500 well into short-term overbought territory with 14-day RSI above 70, 2.37 standard deviations above the 200 dma, and 2.85 standard deviations above the 50 dma.

• The latest data on banks’ aggregate holdings indicate loan portfolios slightly above pre-SVB levels and deposit balances at March 22nd levels – following three straight weeks of outflows.

• With over 40% of banks reporting tightening lending standards, a BCA research study noted that on average, private credit outperformed private equity by 40%-50% over the following five years and by 10%-20% over the following 7rys with no adjustment for risk disparity in either case.

• The case for a stimulus response in China grew last week with property investment (-7.2% vs -6.7%), decelerating retail sales (12.7% vs 13.7%), industrial production decelerating from 5.6% to 3.5%, and new home prices falling 0.1% MoM.

• An OPEC report projecting 2023 oil demand at 2.3mbpd above 2022 levels served to boost oil prices and offset weak growth/recession price action early in the week. Some would argue that may be under appreciating potential demand destruction as we approach year end.

•  CPI inflation in May was generally in line but cooled versus April’s reading with headline and core readings of 4% and 5.3% respectively alongside MoM of 0.1% and 0.4%. Headline readings were slightly under consensus while core reads were spot on.

• Producer Prices (PPI) in May cooled more than forecasted with YoY headline (1.1% vs 1.6%), core (2.8% vs 2.9%), and super core (2.8% vs 3.3%) all below consensus. MoM numbers were also soft with headline (- 0.3% vs -0.1%), core (0.2% vs 0.2%), and super core (0.0% vs 0.1%).

• May’s NFIB Small Business Optimism Index of 89.4 was slightly better than consensus 88.4 and above the forecast range of 87.5 to 89.0.

• Retail Sales for May stayed healthy, beating the forecast (0.3% vs -0.1%) and landing at the high end of the range. Ex-vehicles (0.1% vs 0.1%) and ex-vehicles & gas (0.4% vs 0.2%) were both at and above estimates respectively.

• Industrial Production for May slipped -0.2%, below consensus estimate of 0.1% and at the low end of the forecast range.

• U of M Consumer Sentiment for June came in above consensus (63.9 vs 60.0) and the high end of the range of estimates (59.4 to 63.0).

• Weekly Jobless Claims again surpassed estimates (262k vs 248k) and the four-week average increased from 237.5k to 246.75k.

• A table this week from Bespoke reminds us of the old saying ‘be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy’ illustrating returns following three recent reasons to be fearful (debt ceiling, SVB bank failure, Fed rate hiking cycle)
• Thankfully, the debt ceiling was suspended for a sixth time last week in a last minute budget negotiation compromise. Not thankfully, we have $30t in outstanding debt and zero political will on either side to address any actual material budget issues.
• Large caps record outperformance over small caps and U.S. outperformance over non-U.S. can be, at least partially, explained through an examination of sector weighting differences with growth stocks (NASDAQ) leading the way and more prevalent in U.S. markets.
• Economic reports last week took some pressure off the FOMC with respect to a June rate hike with unemployment edging higher and wage growth slightly below consensus. The June Fed Funds contract is now pricing a 76% “hold-steady” rate decision and 24% on a 25 bps hike.
• The combination of a slowing economy and substantially higher interest rates (debt service) has led to a notable increase in leveraged loan defaults.
• A BCA Commodity and Energy Strategy research note predicted China’s CCP will be announcing a new round of credit led policy stimulus shortly to address fledging economic growth.

• • The May Employment Report registered 339,000 jobs, well over consensus 190,000, but the unemployment rate rose to 3.7%. Participation Rate stayed at 62.6% while average hourly earnings were in line with consensus for both MoM (+0.3%) and YoY (4.3%).

  • The April JOLT Survey showed job openings increasing 3.67% to 10.10mm but down 14.05% from one year ago.

  • Eurozone headline and core inflation eased to 6.11% and 5.3% respectively, both cooling off from prior month readings.

  • The March Case-Shiller Home Price Index rose 0.42% from the prior month and +0.63% YoY.

A light economic calendar, the unofficial end to Q1 earnings season, ongoing debt ceiling negotiations, and ample FedSpeak were primary drivers behind the capital markets last week in what amounted to some risk-on price action. Equity markets posted solid gains on the week. The S&P 500 was up 1.65% marking a fresh YTD high (+9.2%) while developed (+0.71%) and emerging (+1.12%) markets weren’t far behind. Year to date global equity markets have returned 9.5% with developed international (+12.2%) offsetting the emerging markets (+2.9%) and U.S. markets in line. Rates jumped sharply higher across the curve last week, taking the 10 yr UST yield back up to 3.7% while both commodities and the USD edged higher.

• Charlie Bilello updated his CNBC “Markets in Turmoil” fail safe go long market signal, illustrating very clearly the “be greedy when others are fearful” rule of thumb. This S&P 500 rally does seem to be lacking breadth, despite marking a YTD high last week, and has been range bound.

• Much like Wall Street earnings forecasts, consensus economic forecasts too have been well below the mark as evidenced by the surging Bloomberg Economic Surprise Index.

• Alpine Macros’ look at the Fed Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey illustrates a significant shift tighter in CRE lending standards along with a dramatic fall in loan demand.

• Fedspeak last week saw hawkish comments from Bullard, Logan, Barkin, Mester, Bostic, and Kashkari countered by a doveish but undecided Goolsby. Powell’s remarks Friday echoed past statements but market based expectations for a 25 bps hike in June did move briefly higher.

• A surprise hike this month by the BoA and an unexpected inflation acceleration in Canada serve to remind investors and global central banks that monetary policy (risks) remain.

• U.S. politicians are talking tough on the debt ceiling with mid-week signs of progress followed by a breakdown on Friday, putting talks on “pause.”

• The WMT earnings report marks the unofficial end to Q1 earnings season with blended earnings decline of – 2.2% and revenue growth of 4.1%. Forward earnings estimates for Q2 (-6.4%), Q3 (0.7%), and Q4 (8.1%) see recovery eventually but not until year end.

• A Goldman Sachs look at corporate debt shows a move higher in default rates but ample runway when accounting for generationally low coupons, excluding floating rate bank loans.

• The contrarian narrative from MRB to those in the recession camp includes, while inevitable eventually, the cost of capital is not yet at a breaking point for the U.S. economy and delevered private/consumer sectors and the relative importance of CRE vs RRE are tangible positives.

• NY Fed Household Debt and Credit Report showed credit growth slowing from 8.5% to 7.6% in Q1 with a deceleration in mortgages offsetting notable increases in credit card and HELOC debt while credit card delinquencies are beginning to turn higher.

• April Retail Sales were mixed versus forecasts with headline (0.4% vs 0.7%), ex-vehicles (0.4% vs 0.4%), and ex-vehicles & gas (0.7% vs 0.4%) but rebounded from the declines posted in March.

• April Industrial Production beat expectations (0.5% vs 0.0%) as did the reading on Manufacturing Output (1.0% vs 0.1%).

• The Empire State Manufacturing Index fell from 10.8 to -31.8 in May, the second largest monthly drop on record, albeit a notoriously volatile index over recent months.

• The Housing Market Index in May registered 50, ahead of the spot forecast of 45 and the consensus range of 43-46. Starts of 1.401M and Permits of 1.416M were both within consensus range. Existing Home Sales declined 3.3% MoM to 4.28M.

• Initial unemployment claims of 242k was improved over the prior month jump higher to 264k.

Markets last week continued to wrestle with banking sector weakness, the debt ceiling stalemate, and a mixed bag of economic data points. The S&P 500 closed the week down 0.29%, outperforming developed (-1%) and emerging (-2.13%) markets, leaving global equity markets up 8% YTD. Bond yields edged slightly higher with the 10yr UST closing at 3.46% while the USD clawed back a good percentage of its YTD losses, up 1.45% for the week. WTI drifted back down to the $70 support level again, joining industrial metals in taking the overall commodity complex lower on the week.

• Bank balance sheet stress, declining deposits, FDIC seizures, curtailed lending activity, and commercial real estate exposure amount to significant uncertainty surrounding policy, consumer/business confidence, and the overall economic outlook.

• Key banking system monitoring points are deposit outflows and loan/lease growth alongside credit spreads and bond market receptiveness to new issuance.

• The latest IMF Global Financial Stability Report highlighted the stark difference between U.S. and European bank stresses in terms of bond market-oriented balance sheet losses with exposure nearly 2x higher in the U.S. and losses as percentage of Tier 1 capital nearly 5x higher.

• BCA U.S. Political Strategists are assigning a 10% probability of a technical default on U.S. debt thanks to historically high political polarization which may introduce greater risks if the economy proves resilient. Regardless of default, the investment implication is clearly negative.

• MRB is maintaining a contrarian stance on recession highlighting a stabilizing housing market, the poor track record of a contractionary ISM Manufacturing Index, the manufacturing weighted and narrow variable LEI, and resilient unemployment despite the uptick in claims.

• While non-U.S. equities are up 18% in USD terms since the mid-October bottom, momentum has slowed materially over the past two months, defensive sectors have been outpacing the cyclicals, and higher beta geographies have underperformed the U.S.

• Economic data out of China including a sharp decline in aggregate financing and new loan issuance alongside weak PMI and trade data have supported the view of what looks like a lopsided and tempered recovery.

• The BoE met expectations by delivering a 12th consecutive rate increase, hiking rates by 0.25% to 4.5%.

• April’s headline and core CPI readings slowed as expected with headline and core readings of 4.9% and 5.5% respectively. MOM registered 0.4% for both headline and core, as forecasted.

• April’s headline and core PPI also slowed relative to prior month levels and came in below consensus on both headline (2.3% vs 2.5%) and core (3.2% vs 3.3%) readings.
• Initial jobless claims of 264k were well above the 245k consensus and the estimated range of 240k-250k, taking the four-week moving average to 245.5k. Claims are now 82k above the 1yr low in September of 2022.
• May’s U of M Consumer Sentiment survey fell sharply to 57.7, well short of consensus forecast for 63.0 and the prior month reading of 63.5.
• April’s NFIB Small Business Optimism Index deteriorated slightly to 89.0, just below the 89.7 spot consensus and at the low end of the forecast range (89.0-90.0).