The Dividend Cafe

I have a view of where the United States is in its economic cycle that I have had for quite some time, and that has substantially informed many of the macro assumptions I bring to portfolio management. I have shared this overarching worldview many times over the years in Dividend Cafe and elsewhere, and I am constantly refining it, analyzing it, and even challenging it.

It has the word “deflation” in it, though I really believe the term “Japanification” is a better encapsulation of my perspective. “Deflation” is often associated with “depression” and no one in their right mind believes we are in another “great depression.” And of course, the boom of inflation that we saw in 2021 and 2022 did not create a lot of discussion about the threat of deflation (like worrying about freezing to death in a heat wave). But temperatures do get very cold in the same places that they get very hot (I just made up that analogy right there). And as I have written before, there was nothing in the 2021-22 inflation that remotely contradicted my macroeconomic thesis.

So what I want to do today is re-hash the greater macroeconomic view that I believe properly frames our perspective at The Bahnsen Group. Some history is needed, some updated data, and some general understanding of what is making this road to Japanification tick. I promise it won’t be boring.

Okay, I don’t promise it won’t be boring if you are still reading desperate to get to some juicy tabloid gossip. But if you are still reading because you need a little more E-conomic talk and a little less E! Channel in your life, then you have come to the right place. Let’s jump in to the Dividend Cafe …

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~ Mark S.

It is the subject of much obsession at places like National Review’s Capital Matters, and I am engaged in many efforts to fight for the interests of shareholders when it comes to the activity of corporate managers taking their P’s and Q’s from the radical and incoherent agenda of various fads and virtue-signaling alphabet soup movements. I have primarily noted that ESG has really been more of a marketing tactic for Wall Street to raise money at higher fees than anything else. But there is no question that there are many other consequences and intentions behind the movement, and that the movement’s lack of clarity and specificity as to what “environmental, social, and governance” principles they advocate has rendered it a moving target. I commend Aswath Damodaran of NYU for his frequent wisdom on the issue, and I will soon be posting more about general shareholder activism and rights and what TBG is doing in this regard.

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~ Tom

As for the more practical aspect of your question, no, we really couldn’t possibly be responsible for “running a portfolio on TV” if you know what I mean. Updating what we have added and subtracted and bought and sold and when and why would require a really different forum to take on that responsibility. We are never making Buy or Sell recommendations on TV, but rather just speaking at a point in time as to what we are doing and why. People use that information in a number of different ways, but I would never recommend one use it as a holistic portfolio strategy (partially for the very reasons you cite). Our clients, obviously, see the whole enchilada week by week etc. (our WPHR is sent to clients every Wednesday, and yes, regulatory requirements render that a client-only communique). I hope this helps.

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~ D.M.

The main thing to say is that: Saudi has not yet done it, it will take a while to happen, it may happen at very small levels, and we do not expect a significant devaluation from this alone.

The major thing for investors to understand is not that the collapse of the dollar is imminent (I wish I had one dollar for every time someone has suggested that or fretted over it in front of me over the last 25 years, for I would surely have a great deal of very spendable and exchangeable and useable dollars). Rather, it is that China is desperately seeking international legitimacy for their Yuan. The rest of this subject is mostly noise.

[TheDCToday.com] https://bahnsen.co/3JMMeP1

Futures opened last night down -50 and were down -85 into the evening. This morning markets pointed to a down -265 open pre-market. Futures would improve in the next three hours before the opening.

January looks to be the greatest month for bond market auctions in history, with every single auction printing below-market yields. More demand than supply across the yield curve; each auction of new treasury debt means one thing – these buyers don’t believe these yields will last.

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The month of January has launched 2023 in a very different direction than 2022 thus far. I do not mean because markets are up thus far whereas they were down in 2022 (though technically both of those things are true). But beyond the mere directional change in markets (which could reverse at the drop of a hat), the themes and factors influencing markets – in other words, the stuff that matters – has changed. Moving way down the totem pole has been what the Fed is doing or is expected to do, and moving way up in priority (to the very top) is what will happen in the economy as a result of what the Fed has already done.

I am going to elaborate on what that means in today’s Dividend Cafe, and more importantly, make the case for and against a 2023 recession. And I hope that after reading my case you will decide I have made the perfect call …

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Dow: +204.45 (+0.61%)

Weekly jobless claims again reflected the strength of the labor markets with initial claims coming in at 186,000 versus a median forecast of 205,000

Durable goods orders came in at 5.6% compared to a 2.4% forecast, but a quick look behind the curtain shows that much of this was lifted by a 116% spike in aircraft orders

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Dow: +10 points (+0.03%)

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“…because inflation is ultimately driven by demand.”

I find this interesting because I believe I have heard you say, quite emphatically, that inflation is first and foremost a supply side phenomenon. So is this simply a theoretical disagreement among peers or am I misinterpreting something? ”

~ Mike

Inflation, by definition, is one or the other or both. “Too much money chasing too few goods (or services)” – it is an algebraic expression that can have one or both inputs contributing (MV=PT)

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Futures opened last night about even give or take 20 points, and stayed that way until early morning when we began moving lower and then notably so pointing to a down -150 point open.

Dow: +104.41 (+.31%)

A flash read today on US Composite PMI data showed a slight improvement over December, although still handily in contraction territory and the slowest since last October at 46.6 from 45 the month prior. Manufacturing PMI was little changed at 46.8 up from 46.2 with Services PMI at 46.6 from 44.7. Could the data in the chart below pick back up above 50 into positive territory before we end up registering an official recession this year, of course, but that economic margin is about as thin as it gets right now. For what its worth, this PMI data point is what led to markets recovering after the mornings initial sell off and was a ‘less bad’ read following December – not so bad that we fear recession is immanent, but cool enough to back the ‘Fed will pause soon’ narrative.

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Futures opened last night pretty close to flat (down -20 points) and stayed right there into the evening. This morning futures pointed to a dead flat open pre-market when I first woke up.

The worst performers of 2022 are so far the best performers into 2023, partially as tax loss selling leads to re-buying post-wash sale rules.

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