1. The labor market shows signs of modest cooling, but is still hot.
2. The S&P 500 index is approaching its all-time high and continues to trend upward.
3. The banking sector is still struggling, but upcoming earnings reports may provide some optimism.
The US banking industry could face a significant drop in stock prices within the next 16 months if the economy enters a recession, according to macro guru Hugh Hendry.
The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.1% annual pace in the second quarter, downgraded from the initial estimate of 2.4%, but still demonstrating resilience in the face of higher borrowing costs and inflation concerns.
A CNBC survey found that 74% of Americans are feeling financially stressed, with inflation, rising interest rates, and a lack of savings being the top stressors, making it difficult for many workers to contribute to their retirement plans.
Bankruptcies have increased by 17% in August, marking the 13th consecutive month of rising company failures, as businesses struggle to cope with the Federal Reserve's interest-rate hikes.
The US banking industry faces significant downside risks from inflation and high interest rates, which could weaken profitability and credit quality, according to FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg.
Bank of America warns that the US economy still faces the risk of a "hard landing" due to rising oil prices, a strong dollar, and potential interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve, contrasting with the optimistic outlook of other Wall Street banks.
The US banking system is expected to undergo a major consolidation as confidence in the financial sector wanes, with regional banks likely to decrease by half in the coming years, according to Kevin O'Leary, a venture capitalist from Shark Tank. People are withdrawing money from banks due to concerns over potential failures and the limited guarantee on deposits, leading to a drop in total deposits for five consecutive quarters.
Despite bond rating agencies issuing warnings and downgrades for banks in the US, equity analysts argue that the warnings were inaccurate due to rising bank stock prices and better-than-expected earnings reports. However, the regional banking sector has still experienced a significant decline this year and faces uncertainty regarding the future role of banks in providing credit to the economy. Additionally, the debate about banks revolves around interest rates and the state of real estate, particularly office buildings.
The US economy is facing a looming recession, with weakness in certain sectors, but investors should not expect a significant number of interest-rate cuts next year, according to Liz Ann Sonders, the chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. She points out that leading indicators have severely deteriorated, indicating trouble ahead, and predicts a full-blown recession as the most likely outcome. Despite this, the stock market has been defying rate increases and performing well.
Kyle Bass predicts that the US banking industry will suffer losses of hundreds of billions of dollars due to exposure to the office market, representing a 10% hit to US banking equity, while industrial and multi-family sectors will remain strong.
Bank of America believes that the US economy has shifted into a new phase of the economic cycle, indicating a recovery, and recommends investing in sectors such as financials, industrials, and materials that have historically outperformed during previous recoveries.
US banks are experiencing significant deposit outflows, with total bank deposits plunging by over $70 billion in a week, the lowest levels since May, leading to concerns about the ongoing regional banking crisis; meanwhile, US commercial banks have also suffered significant losses in deposits, with 60% of deposits moving to higher-yielding money market funds, and the balance of unrealized losses on securities at commercial banks rising to $558 billion in Q2; to address these issues, the Federal Reserve has reached an all-time high of $107.8 billion in its banking loan facility to provide funding to distressed banks.
Bank of America's stock fell 0.31% as the overall stock market had a mixed trading session, with the S&P 500 rising and the Dow Jones falling, ending a three-day winning streak.
The US economy shows signs of weakness despite pockets of strength, with inflation still above the Fed's 2% target and consumer spending facing challenges ahead, such as the restart of student loan payments and the drain on savings from the pandemic.
The regional banking crisis in the U.S. during March of this year has had lasting effects on the industry and the economy, with tightened credit conditions and a risk of over-correction in interest rates, according to interviews with regional bank executives and economists.
Bank of America's data indicates a slowdown in consumer spending, with spending on their credit cards decreasing and other categories, particularly discretionary ones, slowing down as well. This suggests cracks in the resilient consumer narrative and could potentially prompt the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates.
The Federal Reserve's shift towards higher interest rates is causing significant turmoil in financial markets, with major averages falling and Treasury yields reaching their highest levels in 16 years, resulting in increased costs of capital for companies and potential challenges for banks and consumers.
US bank stocks are currently the market's Achilles' heel, as they need to participate in any recovery rally in order to validate the notion that higher interest rates won't lead to a recession next year.
In the past year, America's four largest banks have lost hundreds of billions of dollars in deposits, with approximately 30% of the total exiting JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citi, indicating a decline in trust in the banking system and a potential mass consolidation of regional banks in the US.
