The Numbers & “Heat Map”

THE NUMBERS

 

Sources: Index Returns: Morningstar Workstation. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. Three, five and ten year returns are annualized excluding dividends. Interest Rates: Federal Reserve, Freddie Mac

US ECONOMIC HEAT MAP
The health of the US economy is a key driver of long-term returns in the stock market. Below, we grade 5 key economic conditions that we believe are of particular importance to investors.

CONSUMER SPENDING

A+

Consumer spending is expected to strengthen as individuals with lower tax rates spend their windfalls.

FED POLICIES

C-

The Federal Reserve increased the Fed Funds Rate by 0.25% in March, and is expected to implement at least 2 more hikes this year. Rising interest rates tend to reduce economic growth potential and can lead to repricing of income producing assets.

BUSINESS PROFITABILITY

A-

4th quarter earnings season was stellar, with S&P profits growing at a fast pace. Q1 2018 earnings season has gotten off to a strong start as well.

EMPLOYMENT

A+

The unemployment rate currently stands at 4.1%, the lowest reading since 2000. March’s headline jobs growth number was slightly below expectations, but there is substantial evidence that the prospects for those seeking work are very favorable.

INFLATION

B

Inflation is often a sign of “tightening” in the economy, and can be a signal that growth is peaking. The inflation rate remains benign at this time, but we see the potential for an increase moving forward. This metric deserves our attention.

OTHER CONCERNS

INTERNATIONAL RISKS

5

The above ratings assume no international crisis. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest level of crisis, we rate these international risks collectively as a 5. These risks deserve our ongoing attention.

The “Heat Map” is a subjective analysis based upon metrics that VNFA’s investment committee believes are important to financial markets and the economy. The “Heat Map” is designed for informational purposes only and is not intended for use as a basis for investment decisions.

“Your Financial Choices”

The show airs on WDIY Wednesday evenings, from 6-7 p.m. The show is hosted by Valley National’s Laurie Siebert CPA, CFP®, AEP®. Laurie will not host a live show this week –April 25. Instead you can tune in to WDIY at the normal time for a recorded show. Questions submitted online will be addressed on the next live show scheduled for May 2. For more information, including how to listen to the show online, check the show’s website www.yourfinancialchoices.com and visit www.wdiy.org. 

The Markets This Week

by Connor Darrell, Head of Investments
Earnings season is now in full gear and the initial data has been quite strong. According to Factset, a little less than 20% of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings thus far, and the blended earnings growth rate for these companies has been 18.3%. The healthy earnings growth pushed equity markets higher for the second straight week, while bonds finished down as the ten year Treasury note pushed close to 3%.  The 3% threshold will be an important milestone in the normalization of interest rates.  Rising interest rates have been discussed ad nauseam in financial news outlets, but are a natural part of the economic cycle and should be expected to continue as the economy strengthens. The Bureau of Economic Analysis will release its first estimate of Q1 2018 GDP growth this week, and investors will likely be focusing on the year over year numbers as they look for further evidence of an improving economy.

What Happened To the Infrastructure Bill?
Following the passage of tax reform at the end of last year, it was widely expected that lawmakers would quickly shift their attention to infrastructure. For the time being, scandals, international tensions, and unrest within the Trump Administration seem to have slowed the legislative momentum established following the tax victory, and it now looks unlikely that an infrastructure spending bill will be introduced in Congress until after the mid-term elections in November. From a market perspective, the delay is unlikely to have major implications, but from an economic growth standpoint, an infrastructure bill could be an interesting wild card.

In terms of economic impact, infrastructure spending has similar effects to tax cuts. The increased spending on projects should have a positive impact on labor markets and create new jobs. In theory, those workers then have more money in their pockets to spend on goods and services, which should be a tailwind for economic growth. Many observers have been quick to point out that some aspects of the tax bill are “front loaded”, in that their effects phase out over time. An infrastructure bill passed during 2019 could potentially pick up some of the slack and help to carry growth momentum a little bit further, essentially allowing us to squeeze even more juice out of this long expansion. Given that outlook, it is entirely possible that this becomes the longest economic expansion in history, exceeding the period from 1991 to 2001 when the US experienced 120 straight months of economic growth. Given that the current expansion is already over 105 months old, there isn’t a lot further to go.

Of course all of this is incredibly difficult to project with any real degree of confidence, especially when considering the myriad of external factors and the possibility of significant changes to the composition of congress following the mid-term elections. But even without further stimulus in the form of infrastructure spending, the economy remains on firm footing and the risks of recession remain relatively low in the immediate future.