Notes on the Week Ahead

When engaged in the more mundane tasks of my job, I often have classical music playing in the background. A piano concerto, in the hands of a great orchestra and soloist, is a delight to the ears as the rush and energy of the first movement gives way to the softer pace of the second. And when the conductor downshifts the tempo, the musicians follow with effortless precision.

Last Friday’s strong jobs numbers came as a relief to many who feared that the U.S. economy was quickly sliding into recession. On its face, the June employment report seems to support further aggressive Federal Reserve tightening, leading to higher U.S. interest rates and a further appreciation of the dollar, and offsetting forces impacting U.S. equities.

For additional insights from Dr. David Kelly, listen to the Insights Now podcast.

One minor side effect of this terrible pandemic is that we have all become more educated on our own immune system.  Looked at objectively, it is a masterpiece of evolutionary excellence. 

The outward signs of infection are normally easy to see – coughing, sneezing and obvious fever warn other humans to keep away, while our own exhaustion makes us less mobile and thus less likely to infect.  The extraordinary havoc wrought by Covid-19 is primarily due to the virus’s ability to make someone contagious even before these symptoms appear.

For additional insights from Dr. David Kelly, listen to the Insights Now podcast.

In times long gone by, a popular event at town fairs and school sports days was the sack race.  The competitors would assemble at the starting line, each encased up to the waist in a burlap bag and gripping firmly onto its sides.  At the gun, they would hop furiously in the direction of the finish line, 100 yards ahead.  As a sporting contest, it lacked dramatic tension, with most of the competitors biting the dust in the first 50 yards.  But it was entertaining to speculate on which brave athlete would roll over first. 

For additional insights from Dr. David Kelly, listen to the Insights Now podcast.

I refuse to believe, despite gathering evidence to the contrary, that I am getting older.  This being my mindset, I am perpetually astonished by the increasing youth of my colleagues.  According to the Census Bureau, the median age of an American today is 38 years which doesn’t, on its face, sound extraordinary.  However, what it does mean is that most of the people I work with have only experienced two recessions in their adult lives – the recession of 2007-2009 and the recession of 2020. 

For additional insights from Dr. David Kelly, listen to the Insights Now podcast.

I have been on many delayed flights recently and have a certain sympathy for the pilots who, having repeatedly told us that we would be taking off shortly, have to continually backpedal due to weather or staff or equipment. They always thank us for our patience but in reality they are the patient ones. We, the passengers, are seething, and what’s more, we have suddenly become vocal experts on dodging weather, managing staff and fixing planes. But to get us safely to our destination the pilots have to keep their cool.

Following a solid jobs report last week, investors this week will turn their attention to inflation which, to say the least, has been more of a problem this year.  We expect this Friday’s CPI report to show a 0.6% increase in prices overall and 0.4% excluding food and energy.  On a year-over-year basis, we are looking for headline inflation to fall from 8.2% to 8.1% and for core inflation to drop from 6.1% to 5.7%.

My father, otherwise a very accomplished man, never learnt how to type properly. However, he compensated for a lack of skill with an intensity of application. As children, we would hear him behind the door of his study, pecking away at his Remington typewriter using only his two index fingers. In the afternoons, it would be a gentle, relaxed clicking, interrupted every 20 seconds or so by the merry chime of the carriage return bell.

Last Wednesday, the Treasury Department announced a record monthly budget surplus for April of $308.2 billion.  The report elicited no noticeable market reaction, as investors continued to fret about high inflation today and slowing growth in the months ahead.  However, a Federal Reserve recognition of the economic implications of a fast-falling budget deficit could hold the key to a recovery in recently battered stock and bond markets.  

In the movies, in order to convey the passage of time, a director will sometimes film a scene as the seasons quickly pass before your eyes.  With wistful music playing in the background, the snow melts from trees, buds blossom, leaves rustle in the summer sun and then turn yellow and red as fall arrives.  It all, of course, seems a bit quick, but no doubt the movie has places to go and hopefully things will settle down for a while and allow the plot to evolve.

For additional insights from Dr. David Kelly, listen to the Insights Now podcast.