From the desk of Steven Strazza @Sstrazza and Ian Culley @Ianculley
It finally happened…
The yield curve inverted for a brief moment as the 2-year yield rose above the 10-year earlier this week.
But whether or not it inverted yet is beside the point. It’s been flattening for a long time, and that’s the direction we’re headed in. It’s only a matter of time.
While media outlets and fearmongers will spin this development as an urgent warning of an impending bear market, here’s what you need to know: Throughout history, equities have done well during and after inversions.
This commonly observed leading indicator has a tendency to precede major market tops by years, not months. In other words, there’s still time. The average lead time is about 18 months after prior inversions.
More importantly, when it comes to forecasting bear markets and recessions, many experts will argue that it is actually not the 2-year we should be focused on, but the 3-month yield.
And when we do this, the outlook is the exact opposite of what the 2s/10s spread is currently portraying.
Let’s take a look!