Commodities prices are encouraging sign of growth rather than troublesome indicator of inflation
Despite hiccups global economic recovery gains traction
Bonds could test Fed’s willingness to let economy run hot
Rising commodity prices are getting plenty of attention right now, with most of the focus being the inflationary impacts of these recent moves. For context, the CRB commodity index was hitting two-decade lows this time last year as economic uncertainty spiked amid COVID-related shutdowns. Now, with fiscal stimulus providing liquidity and the Fed hoping for the opportunity to let the economy run hot, commodities across the board have broken out to new multi-year highs. Copper bottomed in March 2020, completing a 40% decline from its early 2018 peak (and matching its 2016 low). It has since doubled, reaching its highest level since 2011. Oil prices are back to where they peaked in 2019 and lumber prices are three times higher than they were a year ago.
The latest All Star Charts Monthly Conference Call (subscriber link) is in the books and no doubt JC and the team had to chug a pot (or two) of coffee to get through that blizzard of charts.
Judging by the performance of the publicly traded Starbucks stock, our team are clearly not the only investors who rely on a caffeine boost to perform our best.
One thing we want to watch out for is this recent relative strength in Consumer Staples. I don't think it's necessarily time to sound the alarm just yet, but continued relative strength out of this group is not consistent with higher stock prices.
Now, a couple of weeks doesn't make a trend. But it is curious to see this one not confirming the new lows that the rest of them are putting in:
Key takeaway: Investor optimism has been unwinding even as indexes have moved into record territory and breadth remains strong (NYSE new high list at its highest level since 2004). This week’s featured chart shows the spread between institutional and individual sentiment collapsing. This has tended to occur ahead of market strength, not weakness. While the risks from a strategic positioning perspective are undiminished (especially in the context of valuations and household equity exposure), the short-term and intermediate-term sentiment picture has improved in recent weeks as optimism has come off the boil. It looks to me like investor sentiment has moved off of the risk side of the scale and the weight of the evidence is turning more constructive not more cautious.
Sentiment Chart of the Week: Sentiment Spread, II less AAII
At the beginning of each week, we publish performance tables for a variety of different asset classes and categories along with commentary on each.
Looking at the past helps put the future into context. In this post, we review the absolute and relative trends at play and preview some of the things we’re watching to profit in the weeks and months ahead.
The market continues to fire on all cylinders right now. Last week's gains were nothing but a continuation of the same resiliency and momentum we've come to expect from risk assets over the last year.
From the desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza and Ian Culley @Ianculley
One lesson you learn pretty quickly as a market analyst is that not all assets are created equal.
Each and every financial instrument carries its own unique bundle of nuances... from a stocks' beta or systematic volatility as well as its residual risk, to the fee structure and rebalancing methodology of an exchange-traded fund or note, to the settlement and delivery procedures governing futures contracts.
All of these things impact the behavior and performance of these various markets.
Today, we're going to focus specifically on the inner workings of International Country ETFs and the way they are impacted by the currency component inherent in these vehicles.
Key Takeaway: New high lists are expanding, yet investors are turning more cautious. Weight of the evidence favors focusing on opportunity over risk. Commodity market strength encouraging development for economy and investors. Rotation to cyclical leadership has just begun.
