This week's Alpha Trader podcast features hosts Aaron Task and Stephen Alpher talking about the markets with fund manager and Behavioral Macro blog author Mark Dow.
Prior to chatting with Dow, Task and Alpher consider that we might be entering a new phase for markets. Phase one was the panicky crash from late February into mid-to-late March, and phase two was the straight from central casting big bounce.
The "hard" part may be starting now. The idea of a re-opening economy may seemingly have the bears on the defensive, but the bulls need to ponder profits, or lack thereof. Amazon (AMZN) plans on spending its anticipated $4B+ in profits in Q2 on safety measures for workers and customers, and business is booming for the House of Bezos. Pity the retailer or restaurant that - even if allowed to open - will surely be doing so at reduced customer capacity and higher labor costs.
Following the stunning move higher, Mark Dow is now positioned for some momentum to the downside. He turned from being bullish only last week after the market was unable to rally despite a decent amount of good news - Wednesday's Fed meeting and pledge to support markets, positive data on Gilead's (GILD) COVID-19 treatment, and strong results from important players like Apple (AAPL) and Amazon.
But shouldn't the Fed's continued pumping assure that markets march even higher? No, says Dow. Fed liquidity is important to keep the engine of the system running, but the money the central bank "prints" doesn't find its way into equities unless investors place it there. While the Fed might assist through a placebo effect, ultimately it has to be investors taking on more risk appetite.
There's plenty more, including Dow's review of Fed Chair Jay Powell (Cliff's Notes: Thumbs up), why he likes the homebuilders (XHB), and his continuing thesis that a shortage of investable assets ultimately means good things for stocks.
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