Expectations of early interest rate cuts are high, especially as recession signals are set to rise through Q1 2024. Will Central Banks stay the course and normalise interest rates, or will be take the easy option of further low interest rate distortion?
Would you rather lose your job to stagflation, recession or deflation? Argentina’s voters have gone for the populist option – good luck! OpenAI – I guess the genie is out the bottle.
Lots of conflicting signals in markets, but what does it all mean? It largely boils down to inflation – to understand it we have to think beyond conventional economics and address the causes and reality, rather than punishing the economy!
US Inflation looks to have been beaten, but that might not mean very much if the global economy is still headed into recession. Rates and consumption are a lagging problem for the markets, and there is a chance even strong economies will stall.
Markets are focused on the immediate debt-ceiling crisis, and the short-term game of guessing rates vs inflation. Down the line are the bigger challenges of the medium and long-term: issues we need to be investing in now to garner long-run returns or just to survive!
What does £5.40 a coffee tell us about the economy? That inflation is sticky. Do we face a stagflationary bust or a reflationary boom? Either will mean Central Banks have failed. At the heart of today’s economy are a succession of issues to resolve – not least is the need for a reset on corporate behaviours to drive stable growth.
The Market Commentariat think deflation will counter inflation, rates will fall, and recession will be limited. The world is more complex - supply side factors are more volatile. Stagflation is a more likely outcome than recession.
As Janet Yellen warns of default risk, and Jay Powell hikes rates, the risks to the global economy are mounting: a deflationary bust, or stagflation? Market confidence in the face of a deepening credit crunch is falling.
