Blog Archives

iM’s Business Cycle Index Signals a Looming Recession – Update 1/12/2023

  • Knowing when the U.S. economy is heading for recession is paramount to successful investment decisions.
  • Our weekly Business Cycle Index would have provided early reliable warnings for the past seven recessions and signaled the Covid 2020 recession one week late.
  • The BCI is now signalling a recession, earliest in 12 weeks but not later than 25weeks.

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Expect Further Losses For Stocks but 10-Year Forward Returns Look Better: Update December2022

  • The average of S&P 500 for Nov-2022 was 3,917 (16% down from Dec-2021 average of 4,675) and is 385 points higher than the corresponding re-calibrated long-term trend value of 3,532.
  • For the S&P 500 to reach the corresponding long-trend value would entail a 10% decline from the November average value, indicating that the S&P 500 is not significantly overvalued anymore.
  • The Shiller CAPE-ratio is at 28.3, 10% higher than its 35-year moving average (MA35), currently at 25.8, forecasting a relatively high 10-year annualized real return of about 7.2%.
  • The long-term trend indicates a forward 10-year annualized real return of 5.5%
  • However, rising inflation with a falling CAPE-MA35 ratio, similar to what occurred in the period 1964-1973, implies very low or negative 10-year forward annualized real returns.

Posted in 2020, blogs, featured

Expect Further Losses For Stocks but 10-Year Forward Returns Look Better: Update November 2022

  • The best fit line and prediction band were re-calculated from Jan-1871 to Sep-2022. This added over 10 years of data after July-2012, the end date of the previous regression analysis.
  • The average of S&P 500 for Oct-2022 was 3,726 (20% down from Dec-2021 average of 4,675) and is 207 points higher than the corresponding re-calibrated long-term trend value of 3,519.
  • For the S&P 500 to reach the long-trend would entail only a 6% decline from the October average value, indicating that the S&P 500 is not significantly overvalued anymore.
  • The Shiller CAPE-ratio is at 27.2, only 6% higher than its 35-year moving average (MA35), currently at 25.7, forecasting a relatively high 10-year annualized real return of about 7.5%.
  • However, rising inflation with a falling CAPE-MA35 ratio, similar to what occurred in the period 1964-1973, implies very low or negative 10-year forward annualized real returns.

Posted in 2020, blogs

Expect Further Losses For Stocks And Very Low 10-Year Forward Returns: Update September 2022

  • The average of S&P 500 for September 2022 was 3,853 (18% down from December 2021 average of 4,675) and is still 1,243 points higher than the corresponding long-term trend value of 2,610.
  • For the S&P 500 to reach the long-trend would entail a 32% decline from the September average value, possibly over a short period.
  • The Shiller CAPE-ratio is at a level of 28.4. That is 10% higher than its 35-year moving average (MA35), currently at 25.7.
  • The CAPE-MA35 ratio is at 1.10 (down from the December 2021 level of 1.51), forecasting a relatively high 10-year annualized real return of about 7.1%.
  • However, rising inflation with a falling CAPE-MA35 ratio, similar to what occurred in the period 1964-1973, implies very low or negative 10-year forward annualized real returns.
  • The historic long-term trend indicates a September 2032 value of 4,943; a 10-year forward real annualized return of only 2.5% (up from the December 2021 forecast of 0.2%).

Posted in 2020, blogs

An Upcoming Recession is Signaled by the Forward Rate Ratio

  • Prior to recession the yield curve becomes inverted, as indicated by the Forward Rate Ratio between the 2-year and 10-year U.S. Treasury yields (FRR2-10) being less than 1.00.
  • The FRR2-10 crosses 1.000  downward signifying that US economic activity is in the boom phase of the business cycle, nearing the next recession.
  • The average lead time after FRR2-10 becomes less than 1.00 to the subsequent recession start was 14 months for the seven of the eight last recessions.

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Expect Further Losses For Stocks And Very Low 10-Year Forward Returns: Update July 2022

  • The average of S&P 500 for May 2022 was 4,040 (14% down from December 2021 average) and is still 1,469 points higher than the corresponding long-term trend value of 2,571.
  • For the S&P 500 to reach the long-trend would entail a 36% decline from the May average value, possibly over a short period.
  • The Shiller CAPE-ratio is at a level of 31.0. That is 21% higher than its 35-year moving average (MA35), currently at 25.6.
  • The CAPE-MA35 ratio is at 1.21 (down from the December 2021 level of 1.51), forecasting a 10-year annualized real return of about 6.3%.
  • However, rising inflation with a falling CAPE-MA35 ratio, similar to what occurred in the period 1964-1973, implies very low or negative 10-year forward annualized real returns.
  • The historic long-term trend indicates a 10-year forward real annualized return of only 1.9% (up from the December 2021 forecast of 0.2%).

Posted in 2020, blogs, featured

Expect Further Losses For Stocks And Very Low 10-Year Forward Returns: Update June 2022

  • The average of S&P 500 for May 2022 was 4,040 (14% down from December 2021 average) and is still 1,469 points higher than the corresponding long-term trend value of 2,571.
  • For the S&P 500 to reach the long-trend would entail a 36% decline from the May average value, possibly over a short period.
  • The Shiller CAPE-ratio is at a level of 31.0. That is 21% higher than its 35-year moving average (MA35), currently at 25.6.
  • The CAPE-MA35 ratio is at 1.21 (down from the December 2021 level of 1.51), forecasting a 10-year annualized real return of about 6.3%.
  • However, rising inflation with a falling CAPE-MA35 ratio, similar to what occurred in the period 1964-1973, implies very low or negative 10-year forward annualized real returns.
  • The historic long-term trend indicates a 10-year forward real annualized return of only 1.9% (up from the December 2021 forecast of 0.2%).

Posted in 2020, blogs

The iM-Inflation Attuned Multi-Model Market Timer

  • Investment risk can be reduced by a multi-model market timer whose many components use different and uncorrelated financial and economic data, including inflation.
  • This model seeks to determine effective asset allocation for risk-on and risk-off periods for equities considering the effect of inflation.
  • Four risk scenarios are possible: risk-on & normal-inflation, risk-on & high-inflation, risk-off & normal-inflation, and risk-off & high-inflation. Different ETF groups apply to each risk scenario.
  • From 2000 to 2022, switching accordingly between risk-related ETF groups would have produced an annualized return of about 39% versus 6.5% for buy and hold SPY.

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Evaluating Popular Asset Classes for Inflation Protection

  • We tested nine asset classes which are supposed to provide protection against inflation according to an Investopedia article. The test period was from January 2005 to May 2022.
  • Investopedia provides no definition for inflationary environment, but this analysis uses the 6-month moving average of the inflation rate and the University of Michigan: Inflation Expectation© series to define it.
  • For this investigation we consider separately the inflationary periods which fall within the Risk-on and Risk-off phases for equities, as defined by the iM-Multi-Model Market Timer.
  • From the asset classes listed by Investopedia only the Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) provided some inflation protection relative to the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY).
  • Better inflation protection is provided by energy sector ETFs XLE and PXE, but energy sector funds were not among the asset classes listed in the Investopedia article.

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The Stock Market Has Peaked, S&P 500 Death Cross For The Ides Of March: Update March 2022

  • The average of S&P 500 for February 2022 was 4436 (5% down from December 2021 average) and is still 1896 points higher than the corresponding long-term trend value of 2540.
  • A reversal to the long-trend would entail a 43% decline, possibly over a short period aggravated by the imminent S&P500 death cross.
  • The Shiller CAPE-ratio is at a level of 35.9 (down 7.2% from its recent peak of 38.7). That is 41% higher than its 35-year moving average (MA35), currently at 25.5.
  • The CAPE-MA35 ratio is 1.41 (down from the end of December 2021 level of 1.51), forecasting a 10-year annualized real return of about 4.6%.
  • The historic long-term trend indicates a 10-year forward real annualized return of only 0.8% (up from the end of December 2021 forecast of 0.2%).

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