This article has been written by an expert contributor Henry Jennings from Marcus Today
Analysts say that every time
Analysts say that every time, and after many years in the market and seeing many pullbacks, corrections and crashes, it is nearly always the same. Markets remain hostage to human emotions – fear and greed. Even the computer programs are ruled by this, mainly because they are programmed by humans. They move faster and have less emotions when they execute, but when they panic, as with humans, they still panic. Program fear in, get fear out. And now everything is connected to everything.
This recent sell down from 7600 to 6600 on the ASX 200 has taken place in two months. At Easter, all was well. The storm clouds were gathering, but central banks were sticking to their ‘transitory’ story, happy to play the ‘Rip Van Winkle’ card and to wake up when all that nasty inflation has gone. That strategy failed and as with all previous corrections and pullbacks, the central banks are at the heart of it. Yet ‘In the Fed we trust’. So far, they have been asleep in the Catskill Mountains and been woken early to take care of business. Like many, they have been running around like crazy things trying to rewrite the narrative with the Fed heads saying, ‘I told you so’ and Powell didn’t listen.
Nearly every ‘dislocation’ in market valuations is triggered by central banks. Back in 1987 (my first experience of a valuation crunch), it was the German central bank which moved the goalposts; during the 90s, it was the central banks attacking inflation that caused the recession. In the GFC, we saw the central banks absent themselves from proper oversight and fail spectacularly to appreciate the lengths Wall Street bankers would go to in order to make extraordinary amounts of money. And then lose it. And then claim to be too big to fail. Please can you bail us out? Please?
For investors now, it is about when will we find the bottom
Bottoms are hard to pick. There will be signs, but they will be in the rear-view mirror and long gone, as the market rallies. So we are all groping for a catalyst, a turning point, something that will change the narrative. With the Greek debt crisis in 2012 and the assault on the euro, it was Draghi’s ‘Whatever it takes” moment. With the GFC, it was the central banks that cut rates aggressively and finally a coordinated global stimulus package announced in April 2009 worth US$5 trillion. Any problem is easy to solve if you throw enough money at it. It is the SOP in most instances – but it causes issues down the track. Pandemic? GFC? Print money. EU crisis? Print money. Brexit issues? Print money. For me though, the pandemic turning point was not a central bank or government stimulus plan – it was when Tokyo postponed the Olympics. Peak Covid negativity. Maybe just a coincidence.
So here are some of the signs to watch for:
- Central banks pausing rate hikes.
- Inflation starting to peak and fall.
- This is the most important one – the oil price. Whilst oil is $115, it affects everything.
- Ukraine cease fire. Oil collapses. Sanctions will remain though.
- Cathartic high volume sell off. Still not happened yet.
- Spike in the VIX index in US. It has been very constrained considering.
- Australian 10 -year yields at 3% or below.
- US and Australian reporting season guidance improves.
- An absence of crypto fails. Both platforms and funds. Confidence stabilises.
- Unemployment rises back above 5%.
- International student arrivals pushing back up to relieve job shortages.
- Job ads starting to ease. Job losses accelerate. Starting to see it in IT and Tech start-ups.
- Triple bottom to match triple top we saw in last year. 6400 could be target for bottom.
Any one of these could be the trigger. Any combo could see the bottom. You may get lucky and pick it, but it will be just that – luck. Better to climb on board the train after it has picked up a little steam.
So, what to buy when it bounces?
Plenty of highly shorted stocks that will bounce hard and fast. Unfortunately, there is usually a reason there are shorts, so you may need to be quick on your toes. In and out. Banks will be a large part of the bounce, particularly Commonwealth Bank (CBA) and National Australia (NAB) together with Macquarie Group (MQG). If you want to cover the index and are willing to leverage the bounce, the ASX 200 leveraged ETF (GEAR) could be worth a look. Goodman Group (GMG) could work for the eCommerce play and has a quality management team. Plenty of bombed out industrials too – Premier Investments (PMV) has the best retail management in the business. Other discretionary retailers have been hard hit yet retail sales are at records still. QANTAS (QAN) would be another to benefit from much lower oil prices if and when it happens. James Hardie (JHX) has been hurt on the US housing slowdown, but a lift here could help. In tough times, people don’t move but do renovations perhaps?
Of course, if you are looking for more adrenaline fuelled targets in a concerted bounce, there are plenty of Buy now pay later (BNPL) / Tech targets that have bombed. ZIP has its attractions given the progress it has made accumulating customers of some questionable quality. Other techs have also been badly mauled, so hard and fast rallies will happen in our own tech sector.
Finally remember that this fall has seen low volumes and many players are on the side-lines plump with cash and waiting to jump. What will be the sign? Picture a rally if the Fed said, ‘enough is enough. We will pause and reflect’. The trickle of money coming in from retail investors could turn into a flood from institutions and hedge funds. Just need to be patient and wait for the change in sentiment.
There is no hurry. The biggest and most neon of signs will be the oil price. Whilst that is high, be wary of bear market rallies. Being patient is not easy, but it will reap rewards. Bear markets can be tough, but they also do set investors up to ride the bull when it comes. And it will come. They always do. Nothing different about that.
More about the author – Henry Jennings
Henry Jennings, Senior Market Analyst and Media Commentator at Marcus Today Stock Market Newsletter, has been involved in financial markets since the 80s in London before emigrating to Australia. He first joined Deutsche Bank and then Macquarie Bank as Head of Equity Trading in Sydney. Since leaving Macquarie, Henry has been both an institutional and private client adviser. For the last seven years, Henry has been writing strategy and insights daily and is a frequent media commentator on all things finance on ABC TV and Radio, SBS and Ausbiz. He also hosts a series of podcasts talking to industry experts and the popular live Ask the Analyst session for Marcus Today. You can sign up for a free trial here.