According to Bloomberg, an increasing array of stock market signals are coming to bear on equity markets as Wall Street weighs the chances of an around-the-bend recession.
Key quotes
Nine turbulent weeks and a correction in U.S. stocks have left analysts with a thorny question. What’s the market saying about the economy? And while few see incontrovertible signs investors are bracing for a recession, it’s a word that’s been coming up more as they seek a signal in the chaos.
“What’s driving the sell-off? The idea that the market sees something that we don’t,” said Bruce McCain, chief investment strategist at KeyBank. “That global growth and the global economy are much weaker than you would’ve thought otherwise reinforces concern that there aren’t too many places to hide.”
It doesn’t take a degree in technical analysis to be concerned. More than $3 trillion has been lopped from U.S. equity values since late September, a sell-off that has driven the S&P 500 down 10 percent and tech stocks well past the threshold for a correction.
To see how violent it’s been, look at the number of stocks where this year’s once-robust price momentum has come asunder — those trading below their 200-day average. Support is wearing thin, with just 37 percent of S&P 500 companies exceeding their long-term moving mean.
Odds the U.S. will fall into a recession in the next year stands at 15 percent, according to Bloomberg’s U.S. Recession Probability Forecast index. While they see the economy losing a bit of speed next year and in 2020, the median estimate of economists calls for 2.6 percent economic growth in the next 12 months.