Reversal Of Fortune: Yield Curve Drooping As 2022 Forecast To Be Slower Market For Housing

No, not the Klaus von Bulow type of “reversal of fortune” (when he killed his wife). I am talking about a reversal in fortune for America.

Let’s look at the 10Y-2Y Treasury curve. It typically falls below 0 basis points before every recession. Except the mini-COVID recession of 2020. But notice that the Treasury curve did not recover from the COVID recession as it typically did. More along the lines of 1984-1985.

Speaking of Reversal of Fortune, everything changed once Fed Chair Powell started to speak after Tuesday’s FOMC meeting.

Hmm. Midterm elections, possible Russian invasion of The Ukraine, further problems in China, etc. While The Fed Funds Future data implies that The Fed may raise their target rate 5 times over the coming year, we’ll see.

I happen to agree with Fannie Mae’s Doug Duncan who says that he is less bullish about the housing market in 2022.

If 2021 was a great year for the US housing market, 2022 faces “a new normal” marked by a slowing down of home price rises, job layoffs in the mortgage industry, and concerns over rising inflation and interest rate hikes, according to Douglas Duncan (pictured), Fannie Mae’s senior vice president and chief economist.

Duncan said “a shift” was underway in the market and the wider economy, which would result in far more moderate home price appreciation, expected to be between 7% and 7.5% this year due to the ending of fiscal and monetary stimulus.

“One of the elements of the shift is that you’re going to see house prices up, but not nearly as far as they were in the last two years because that was driven hugely by the fiscal and monetary stimulus (now) being removed,” he told MPA.

Ominously, he added that low interest rates “may never be seen again”. Or at least until Biden appoints more doves to The Federal Reserve Board of Governors.

The doves at The FOMC.

Bidenomics: Buying Conditions For Vehicles Falls To 46 As Vehicle Prices Soar (WTI Crude UP 87% Over Past Year, Buying Conditions For Housing Falls To 77)

Here is a lesson in Bidenomics. “Going Green” sounds great to some (like Al Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio and Greta Thunberg), but there are costs to not growing America’s energy supply.

Rising energy costs have helped create the rise in consumer prices and inflation. Not to mention chip shortages for car and trucks. The University of Michigan conditions for vehicles plummeted to 46 (100 baseline) as used vehicles prices sky rocket.

Under Biden’s reign of error, West Texas Crude futures prices have risen 87% (regular gas prices are up 49% even with Biden’s releasing two days of supply from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

On the housing front, the University of Michigan buying conditions for houses fell to 72 (baseline of 100) as home prices are roaring at a 18.81% YoY clip.

To paraphrase the comic strip “Gasoline Alley,” “Unca’ Joe, what have your done t’ US?”

Too Much Money! U.S. Consumer Spending Drops, Price Index Up Most Since 1982 (REAL Personal Spending Fell 1% In December)

This is a case of “Too much money” in the economy, courtesy of The Federal Reserve.

(Bloomberg) — U.S. inflation-adjusted consumer spending fell last month by the most since February, suggesting that Americans tempered their outlays amid the latest Covid-19 wave and the fastest inflation in nearly 40 years.

Purchases of goods and services, adjusted for changes in prices, decreased 1% from November, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The personal consumption expenditures price gauge, which the Federal Reserve uses for its inflation target, rose 0.4% from a month earlier and 5.8% from December 2020, the most since 1982. Unadjusted for inflation, spending fell 0.6%, while incomes rose 0.3%.

Yes, the PCE Deflator YoY rose to 5.8% as M2 Money Stock is growing at a 13.1% YoY clip.

REAL personal spending declined 1% in December as prices rose in part thanks to the 13.1% growth in M2 Money stock YoY.

Too much money! Time to slow down, Jay Powell! Stop sucking the life out people with inflation.

US Q4 GDP Price Soars To 6.9% QoQ As Commodity Prices Skyrocket (10Y-2Y Treasury Curve Tanks)

Yes, The Federal Reserve could have raised their target rate at their January meeting, but chose not to raise rates. Instead, Chairman Powell said that rate increases are a comin’!

I hope Powell wasn’t hoping for a slowdown in inflation, because today’s Q4 GDP report showed a surge in GDP to 6.9% QoQ. But with that GDP surge we also got a surge in prices paid by consumers to 6.9% as well. Thanks to the continuing massive Federal stimulus being poured into markets.

Despite the positive news on Q4 GDP, we are still seeing 7% inflation and a diving 10Y-2Y yield curve.

Along with that surprising GDP report, we are seeing the Bloomberg Commodity Index rising like a bat out of hell (RIP, Meatloaf).

Powell apparently found paradise by the dashboard light. So, why rock the boat? Oh yes. INFLATION.

Should Powell be renamed Meatloaf?

US New Home Sales Crash -14% YoY In December As Median Price Slows To +3.4% YoY (Mortgage Applications Decline As Mortgage Rates Increase)

US new home sales spiked in December by 11.9% from November, but were down 14% year-over-year.

But the median price of new home sales (YoY) declined to 3.4%.

The Midwest saw a surge in new home sales (+56%).

The MBA’s mortgage applications index shows declining purchase applications (-1.83%) and declining refinancing applications (-12.60%) as mortgage rates increased from 3.64% to 3.72% for the week of 01/21.

Now, mortgage purchase applications rose for the week of 01/21 if we used non-seasonally adjusted data.

The Market Has Never Plunged 10% This Fast To Start A Year (But We’ve Had Biden As President For A Year!)

The stock market has never started a year falling as quickly as it is now.

The S&P 500 has dropped 11% — heading into correction territory — in the first 16 trading days of 2022 in its worst-ever start to a year, according to Bloomberg data that goes back over nine decades.

The downturn comes as traders brace for the Federal Reserve to tighten monetary policy and a surge in U.S. Treasury yields weighs on the outlook for stocks. A host of technical signals also suggest that more volatility may be coming up ahead.

S&P 500's 11% drop in first 16 days is worst of all years

“The Fed pulled the punchbowl, liquidity has evaporated, and the S&P and NDX broke below their 200dma for the first time since the Covid outbreak,” said Rich Ross, technical strategist at Evercore ISI.

A bear market down to the 3,800 level is likely for the S&P 500, Ross said, given “the dramatic erosion of the technical backdrop, in conjunction with the highest inflation, tightest policy, and most uncertain political and geopolitical condition in years” — not to mention its historic rally since 2020.

The Shiller CAPE ratio is extremely high …. not surprising how much air The Fed pumped into the market tires.

But look at Europe too!

Bad 7 Days For Cryptos And NASDAQ As Fed Quantitative Tightening Looms (Is Jerry Gergich Running The US Economy?)

It has been a tough 7 days for Bitcoin, Ethereum and the NASDAQ composite index as The Fed is anticipated to raise their target rate AND engage in quantitative tightening.

While the NASDAQ composite index has been deflating over past 7 days, Bitcoin and Ethereum plunged in recent days. What is going on??

The Russell 2000 value (white) and growth (green) indices are both deflating.

With regards to anticipated Fed rate increases, Fed Funds Futures are signaling almost 4 rate hikes in 2022 and 4 by the February 2023 meeting.

Then we have the massive increase in The Fed’s balance sheet after COVID struck in early 2020. Now, with the S&P 500 skyrocketing (until 7 days ago), why is The Fed buying sooooo much Agency MBS??

With the supply chain broken thanks to Congress/Biden/The Fed pouring trillions into an economic system that was working … we now have an economic system that is broken. Clogged ports, meat-packing labor shortages, etc. It’s as if Park’s and Recreation’s Jerry Gergich is running the economy as opposed to Ron Swanson.

The Nervous 19! Nineteen European Nations Have Negative 2Y Sovereign Yields (Only One Rate Increase Expected In 2022, ECB’s Stiff Monetary Policy)

Let’s see how The Federal Reserve is going to compete with other central banks when 19 European nations have negative 2-year sovereign yields. Call them the “Nervous 19.” Note that France has the lowest 2Y yield of the big 3 (France -0.664%, Germany -0.593% and Italy -0.092%).

True, The Fed’s reaction to COVID shutdowns was more extreme than the ECB’s reaction.

The ECB’s main refinancing rate is 0% and The Fed’s target rate is 0.25%.

Unlike the US with its 4 expected rate increases, the Eurozone is pricing in only 1 rate increase for 2022 … in October.

The ECB’s monetary policy is as stiff as French President Emmanuel Macron.

Kevin’s Famous Chili? 30Y Mortgage Rate Rises To 3.45% As 10Y Treasury Yields Rises To 1.869% (4 Rates Hikes By Fed Priced-in)

The 10-year Treasury Note yield rose to 1.869% this afternoon as Freddie Mac’s 30-year mortgage commitment rate rose to 3.45%.

And if you like The Fed Funds Futures data, it is pricing in 4 rate hikes by The Fed (March, June, September and December). For a grand total of … 100 basis points or 1%.

By keeping rates soooo low for soooo long, The Fed has committed a serious policy error. Or as Kevin Malone calls it, “The Fed’s Famous Chili!”

The Empire Strikes Out! Empire Manufacturing Index Slumps To Negative Territory As Inflation Roars (WTI Crude Futures UP 79% Since Jan 1st)

Well, Omicron is hitting hard. Not the virus itself, but governments’ reaction to the virus. The NY Empire Manufacturing Index has tanked into negative territory.

New orders are down 5%.

On the energy front, West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil futures are up 79% since January 1, 2021 while regular gasoline prices are up “only” 50% over the same period.

How about inflation and the Treasury yield curve? Inflation has soared to 40-year highs under Biden as energy prices (WTI Crude Futures) have soared 79%.

Container ships are still backed-up at LA and Long Beach ports. I thought Mayor Pete was supposed to fix the port congestion problem!

Maybe they should play the Darth Vader theme when Biden goes to the podium to stammer.