Inflation, Higher Rates and Recession Risks Weigh on Stocks and Bonds

Hello everyone. I hope this letter finds you safe and healthy and you are all enjoying the Summer. We are enjoying our first real summer on the Rhode Island coast and I now understand the allure. One of my favorite things is that our twin daughters have take up surfing lessons. They’re about to turn seven and watching them figure out the world is always interesting. Surfing, in particular, has presented them with some unique challenges. The waves are different every week so you never have the same conditions. One week the instructors compared it to surfing in a washing machine. The following week the waves were so modest, they basically put their wetsuits on to paddle around in the water for an hour. They’re trying to learn something new while adapting to constantly changing conditions and as a Dad, I enjoy watching the range of emotions that envelop them. There’s frustration, anger, sadness and most of all joy.

That basically sums up my feelings about the markets in the second quarter. Joy came in small doses but I have to constantly remind myself that corrections, albeit frustrating, are normal and healthy for the markets. There were plenty of days this past quarter that made me feel like I was surfing in a washing machine, but I also get a nice reminder while watching the kids that even less than ideal conditions can teach us things and make us better. Inflation will moderate at some point, recession, if it comes will pass, and better times will be ahead. We will also be better for having experienced the difficult challenges. Please understand if you’re feeling frustrated or concerned, we would love to hear from you. These are frustrating times and we want you to know we’re here for you. With that said, let’s discuss what happened this past quarter.

The S&P 500 continued to decline in the second quarter, hitting the lowest level since December 2020 as still-high inflation, sharp increases in interest rates, rising recession risks, and ongoing geopolitical unrest pressured stocks and other assets.

After a rebound in March, the S&P 500 dropped sharply in April to start the second quarter. While some of the reasons for the declines were similar to the first quarter (rising rates, high inflation, geopolitical concerns) the primary catalyst for the April sell-off was something new: a massive COVID-related lockdown in China. Unlike most of the rest of the world, China continues to enforce a “Zero-COVID” policy, whereby small outbreaks are met with extremely intense city- and province-wide lockdowns. At the peak of the recent COVID outbreak and subsequent lockdowns throughout China, it was estimated that 46 separate cities and provinces, impacting 300 million people and representing nearly 80% of China’s economic output were shut in and shut down, essentially halting the world’s second-largest economy. This sharp drop-in economic activity not only increased the chances of a global recession but also compounded global supply chain problems (Shanghai, the world’s busiest port, operated far below capacity during the lockdowns). The severe decline in economic activity in China combined with lingering concerns about rising interest rates and high inflation hit stocks hard in April, and the S&P 500 fell 8.7%.

The selling continued in early May, as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 50 basis points at the May 4^th meeting, the single-biggest rate hike in 22 years. Additionally, at the press conference, Fed Chair Jerome Powell clearly signaled that the Fed would continue to hike rates aggressively to tame inflation and that weighed on stocks, pressuring the S&P 500 to fall to new 2022 lows in mid-May. But towards the end of the month, markets staged a modest rebound thanks to potential improvement in multiple market headwinds. First, as COVID cases declined, the Chinese economy started to reopen, and by the end of May, the port of Shanghai was operating at 80% capacity, a material improvement from earlier in the month. Additionally, Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic stated that the Fed might “pause” rate hikes in the late summer or early fall, and that gave investors some hope that the end of the Fed rate hike cycle may be closer than previously thought. Finally, some inflation metrics implied price pressures may be peaking. Those potential positives, combined with deep, short-term oversold conditions in equity markets, prompted a solid rally in late May and the S&P 500 finished the month with a fractional gain. 

But the relief didn’t last long. On June 10^th, the May CPI report showed inflation had not yet peaked as CPI rose 8.6% year-over-year, the highest reading since 1982. That prompted a violent reversal of the late-May gains, and the selling and market volatility was compounded when the Federal Reserve increased interest rates by 75 basis points on June 15^th, the biggest rate hike since 1994. Additionally, Fed Chair Powell again warned that similar rate hikes are possible in the coming months. The high CPI reading combined with the greater-than-expected rate hike hit stocks hard, and the S&P 500 dropped sharply in mid-June to its lowest level since December 2020. During the last two weeks of the quarter, markets stabilized as commodity prices declined while U.S. economic readings showed a clear moderation in activity and that rekindled hope that a peak in inflation and an end to the rate hike cycle might come sooner than expected. Those factors, combined with the fact that markets had become near-term oversold again, resulted in a modest bounce late in the month, but the S&P 500 still finished with a solidly negative return for June.

In sum, the factors that pressured stocks in the first quarter, including high inflation, the prospect of sharply higher interest rates, geopolitical unrest, and rising recession fears, also weighed on stocks in the second quarter and until investors get relief from these headwinds, markets will remain volatile. 

Second Quarter Performance Review

All four major stock indices posted negative returns for the second straight quarter, and like in the first quarter, the tech-heavy Nasdaq underperformed primarily thanks to rising interest rates while the Dow Jones Industrial Average relatively outperformed. Also, like the first quarter, rising rates and growing fears of an economic slowdown fueled the continued rotation from high valuation, growth-sensitive tech stocks to sectors of the market that are more resilient to rising rates and slowing economic growth.

By market capitalization, large-cap stocks again outperformed small-cap stocks in the second quarter, although the performance gap was small. Large-cap outperformance continued to be driven by the rise in interest rates as well as growing recession fears. Small-cap stocks are typically more reliant on debt financing to sustain their businesses, and therefore, more sensitive to rising interest rates than large-cap stocks. Additionally, investors again moved to the relative safety of large caps amidst rising risks of a future slowing of economic growth or recession.

From an investment style standpoint, both value and growth registered losses for the second quarter, a departure from the first quarter where value posted a positive return. However, value did again handily outperform growth on a relative basis in the second quarter. Rising interest rates, still-high inflation, and increasing recession concerns caused investors to continue to flee growth-oriented tech stocks and rotate to more fairly valued sectors of the market, although again, both styles finished the quarter with negative returns.

On a sector level, all 11 S&P 500 sectors finished the second quarter with negative returns. Relative outperformers included traditionally defensive sectors such as utilities, consumer staples, and healthcare, which are historically less sensitive to a potential economic slowdown, and the quarterly losses for these sectors were modest. Energy was also a relative outperformer thanks to high oil and gas prices for much of the second quarter, although a late-June drop in energy commodities caused the energy sector to finish the quarter with a small loss.

Sector laggards in the second quarter were similar to those in the first quarter, with communication services, tech, and consumer discretionary sectors seeing material declines due to the aforementioned, broad rotation away from the more highly valued corners of the market. Specifically, internet stocks again weighed on the communications sector, while traditional retail stocks were a drag on the consumer discretionary sector following unexpectedly bad earnings from several major national retail chains. Financials also lagged in the second quarter thanks to rising fears of a future recession combined with a flattening yield curve, which can compress bank profit margins.

Source: YCharts Data as of 6/30/22

Internationally, foreign markets declined in the second quarter as the Russia-Ukraine war continued with no signs of a ceasefire in sight. However, foreign markets relatively outperformed U.S. markets as foreign central banks are expected to be less aggressive with future rate increases compared to the Fed. Emerging markets outperformed foreign developed markets thanks to high commodity prices (for most of the quarter) and despite rising global recession fears.

Source: YCharts Data as of 6/30/22

Switching to fixed-income markets, most bond indices again registered solidly negative returns as still high inflation and the prospect of faster-than-expected rate increases from the Fed weighed on fixed-income investments.

Looking deeper into the bond markets, shorter-term Treasury Bills again outperformed longer-duration Treasury Notes and Bonds as high inflation and the threat of more than previously expected Fed rate hikes weighed on fixed income products with longer durations. Short-term Treasury Bills finished the quarter with a slightly positive return.

Corporate bonds underperformed in the second quarter as rising recession fears paired with already-high inflation weighed considerably on corporate debt. For much of the quarter, high-quality investment-grade bonds and lower-quality high yield corporate bonds had similar negative returns, implying investor concerns about a future recession were general in nature. However, an increase in disappointing economic data hit high-yield corporate bonds at the end of the quarter and they underperformed their higher-quality counterparts. 

Source: YCharts Data as of 6/30/22

Third Quarter Market Outlook

The S&P 500 just realized its worst first-half performance since 1970 as initial market headwinds of high inflation and sharply rising interest rates combined with growing recession risks and extreme geopolitical uncertainty pushed stocks and bonds sharply lower through the first six months of the year. 

Those declines are understandable considering inflation reached a 40-year high, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates at the fastest pace in decades, the world’s second-largest economy effectively shut down and the Russia-Ukraine war raged on.

But while the volatility and market declines of the first six months of 2022 have been unsettling and painful, the S&P 500 now sits at much more historically attractive valuation levels. And at current prices, a lot of negatives have been priced into the market, opening the possibility of positive surprises as we move forward in 2022.

Regarding inflation and Fed rate hikes, markets have aggressively priced in stubbornly high inflation and numerous additional rate hikes from the Federal Reserve between now and early 2023. But if we see a definitive peak in inflationary pressures in the coming months, then it’s likely the Federal Reserve will hike rates less than currently feared, and that could be a materially positive catalyst for markets.

On economic growth, the Chinese economic shutdown has increased global recession concerns, but recently officials in Shanghai declared “victory” against the latest COVID outbreak and if Chinese economic activity can return to normal, that will be a positive development for global economic growth. Meanwhile, recession fears are rising in the U.S., but stocks are no longer richly valued, and as such, aren’t as susceptible to an economic slowdown as they were at the start of the year.

Finally, regarding geopolitics, the human tragedy in Ukraine continues with no end in sight, but the conflict has not expanded beyond Ukraine’s borders, and many analysts believe that some sort of conflict resolution can be reached in the coming months. Any sort of a truce between Russia and Ukraine will likely reduce commodity prices and global recession fears should decline as a result.

Bottom line, the markets have experienced numerous macro-and micro-economic headwinds through the first six months of the year, and they have legitimately pressured asset prices. But the sentiment is very negative at the moment, and a lot of potential “bad news” has been at least partially priced into stocks and bonds at these levels, again creating the opportunity for potential positive surprises.

To that point, the S&P 500 has declined more than 15% through the first six months of the year five previous times since 1932. And in all those instances, the S&P 500 registered a solidly positive return for the final six months of those years.

Obviously, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results, and we will continue to be vigilant to additional risks to portfolios, but market history provides a clear example that positive surprises can and have occurred even in difficult markets such as this. More importantly, through each of those declines, markets eventually recouped the losses and moved to considerable new highs.

We are keenly aware of the challenges facing the market and the economy as we head into the second half of the year, and we are committed to helping you effectively navigate this challenging investment environment. Successful investing is a marathon, not a sprint, and even temporary bouts of volatility like we experienced over the past three months are unlikely to alter a diversified approach set up to meet your long-term investment goals.

Therefore, it’s important for you to stay invested, remain patient, and stick to the plan, as we’ve worked with you to establish a personal allocation target based on your financial position, risk tolerance, and investment timeline.

Rest assured that our entire team will remain dedicated to helping you successfully navigate this market environment.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments or to schedule a portfolio review.

Warmest Regards,
Michael Dembro
Chief Investment Officer, PPG
Registered Representative, RJFS

The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock  market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly known as “The Dow” is an index representing 30 stock of  companies maintained and reviewed by the editors of the Wall Street Journal. The NASDAQ-100 (^NDX) is a stock market index  made up of 103 equity securities issued by 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ. It is a modified  capitalization-weighted index. … It is based on exchange, and it is not an index of U.S.-based companies. The S&P MidCap 400®  provides investors with a benchmark for mid-sized companies. The index, which is distinct from the large-cap S&P 500®,  measures the performance of mid-sized companies, reflecting the distinctive risk and return characteristics of this market  segment. The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which  represent approximately 8% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The MSCI EAFE (Europe, Australasia,  and Far East) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure developed market equity  performance, excluding the United States & Canada. The EAFE consists of the country indices of 22 developed nations. The  MSCI Emerging Markets is designed to measure equity market performance in 25 emerging market indices. The index’s three  largest industries are materials, energy, and banks. The MSCI ACWI (All Country World Index) is a free float-adjusted market  capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets.  As of June 2007 the MSCI ACWI consisted of 48 country indices comprising 23 developed and 25 emerging market country  indices. The developed market country indices included are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,  Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden,  Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. The emerging market country indices included are: Argentina, Brazil,  Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco,  Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, and Turkey. The Barclays Capital US Aggregate Index  is an unmanaged market value weighted performance benchmark for investment-grade fixed rate debt issues, including  government, corporate, asset backed, mortgage backed securities with a maturity of at least 1 year. The Bloomberg Barclays  U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index is composed of fixed-rate, publicly issued, non-investment grade debt, is unmanaged, with  dividends reinvested, and is not available for purchase. The index includes both corporate and non-corporate sectors. The  corporate sectors are Industrial, Utility and Finance, which include both U.S. and non-U.S. corporations. The Barclays Capital  Municipal Bond is an unmanaged index of all investment grade municipal securities with at least 1 year to maturity. 

Any opinions are those of Professional Planning Group and not necessarily those of Raymond James. Expressions of opinion are  as of this date and are subject to change without notice. The information has been obtained from sources considered to be  reliable, but we do not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. The information contained in this email does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material. Any  information is not a complete summary or statement of all available data necessary for making an investment decision and  does not constitute a recommendation. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Future investment  performance cannot be guaranteed, investment yields will fluctuate with market conditions. Investing involves risk and you  may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your  financial advisor about your individual situation.