This yr guarantees to be one of the vital attention-grabbing years economically, politically, and market-wise in historical past. We’ve two vital world conflicts/wars ongoing, simply as President Xi of China is reiterating his promise to annex Taiwan, and Kim Jong Un of North Korea threatens to wipe the US off the map. In the meantime, now we have the probably Republican candidate getting thrown off state ballots below the disgusting guise of making an attempt to protect democracy. The US is unfortunately within the technique of changing into a banana republic. Wars and revolutions will not be a tail danger. They’re taking place now and are prone to metastasize in 2024.

With this backdrop, now we have the most costly inventory market in historical past previous to 2020. The worth-to-sales ratio is 2.62, and the full market cap of equities is 176% of GDP; each figures are close to file highs and dwarf the historic averages previous to the pandemic. And the fairness danger premium is zero. Which means the earnings yield of shares is lower than that yield supplied by merely proudly owning a risk-free T-bill. In different phrases, buyers will not be getting compensated in any respect for the additional danger of proudly owning shares over bonds.

We expect earnings development this yr will probably be within the low single digits at finest. Nevertheless, Wall Avenue gurus have penned in EPS development of almost 12% this yr. However even when that development is someway extremely achieved, the market has already priced in that hope. The ahead 12-month P/E ratio for the S&P 500 is nineteen.3. This P/E ratio is above the 5-year common of 18.8 and above the 10-year common 17.6, in line with FactSet.

Subsequently, financial development should completely soar in 2024 to justify these valuation metrics. Or, the Fed should slash borrowing prices again in the direction of ZIRP. However the latter situation would solely happen if the Fed was reacting to an economic system that was falling aside, which can’t be excellent news for shares. But, even within the former situation, the Fed wouldn’t be reducing charges in any respect. Nonetheless, there are 3 charge cuts indicated by the Fed’s dot plot, and the 6 cuts are being priced in by the futures market. Subsequently, even within the extremely unlikely situation of exploding GDP this yr, it will most likely entail rising charges as a substitute of charge cuts, which might nonetheless present a headwind for shares.

The overhanging downside is that the Treasury should discover a purchaser for $7 trillion of presidency debt this yr alone. $5 trillion have to be rolled over, and $2 trillion will probably be wanted to fund the annual deficit. This may put great stress on the bond market it doesn’t matter what.

The month of March will probably be key time for markets. The reverse repo facility ought to get run down in on the finish of the Q1 or the beginning of Q2. That straightforward liquidity for the already illiquid bond market will disappear. March can also be the month when the BTFP is scheduled to run out. This entails the method of the Fed promoting $133 billion in Treasuries and MBS which are sharply underwater again to the banks; and in change, the banks pay 100 cents on the greenback to the Fed, plus curiosity. Powell wants to finish this program to cease the rampant hypothesis on Wall Avenue and to make sure inflation retreats in the direction of the two% goal. However doing so will wreak havoc on the regional banking system. His determination on this entrance will probably be vital.

The recession penciled in for final yr didn’t materialize due to the large fiscal spending and the bailout of the whole regional banking system; a.okay.a. BTFP. Nevertheless, the circumstances for engendering a recession haven’t been resolved, they’ve been exacerbated—whatever the soft-landing mantra prevalent within the MSFM. They’re screaming goldilocks whereas in actuality, the economic system is extra fragile at the moment than ever.

The longest and steepest yield curve inversion in 43 years continues to sign a pointy recession lies forward; simply at it continues to stress financial institution earnings and lending practices.
The Index of LEI confirms that the recession continues to be within the playing cards
So does the NFIB survey
Delinquencies and bankruptcies on the non-public and company degree are surging and that’s pressuring consumption
The refinancing of shopper and enterprise debt at a lot larger rates of interest inexorably marches on
Banks proceed to curtail C&I loans
14 straight months of a shrinking manufacturing sector
And, the Fed is burning the bottom cash provide by $95 billion every month

This doesn’t assure a recession; nevertheless it does just about assure {that a} booming economic system will not be within the bag. And meaning buyers shouldn’t blindly personal the S&P 500 and belief in a bull market that by no means ends.

I very nicely perceive that the Fed and Treasury will certainly search to bailout each hiccup available in the market and the economic system. Nevertheless, that is outdated information. The federal government rode to the rescue within the tech bubble recession on the flip of the millennia and in the course of the world monetary disaster and actual property crash of 2008. However neither ZIRP, or QE, or TARP, or any of the alphabet soup of bailout packages served to cease the 50% + debacle in markets.

These inflationary bailouts do are inclined to paper over the problems finally; however not instantly. And naturally, they lead to extra issues that change into way more dire and intractable in the long term. Within the vanguard of those issues is one other spherical of asset bubbles, much more debt being incurred, and the situation of out-of-control inflation, which additional eviscerates the center class.

In sharp distinction to latest historical past, if the Fed and Treasury had been to attempt to truncate the recession, debt default, and reconciliation of asset costs, by one other spherical of cash printing and spending this time round, they are going to be doing so with the sting of record-high inflation recent within the minds of customers and companies and buyers. Subsequently, the arrogance on the earth’s reserve standing of USD and the US bond market could possibly be obliterated. Which means, what we might very nicely see is a situation the place the economic system enters a recession however long-term bond yields go up as a substitute of down as is often the case. Such an unprecedented and harmful mixture of upper borrowing prices in a faltering economic system would lead to carnage for inventory valuations.

Monetary circumstances and credit score spreads stay quiescent for now. Subsequently, we stay internet lengthy in our Inflation/Deflation and Financial Cycle Mannequin. However we stay able to dash for the slender exit door as soon as the promote sign is acquired.

My prediction and admonishment for 2024, be ready for every part.

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Michael Pento is the President and Founding father of Pento Portfolio Methods, produces the weekly podcast known as, “The Mid-week Actuality Test” and Creator of the e book “The Coming Bond Market Collapse.”