Fundamental Strength of the U.S. Economy is a Bullish Sign

Sentiment about the U.S. economy is overwhelmingly negative, even as growth fundamentals continue to point to expansion. In my view, that’s bullish. (1)

In a recent Wall Street Journal-NORC poll (2), conducted with the University of Chicago, a staggering 83% of respondents said the economy was in a poor or ‘not so good' state. 35% of respondents reported being unhappy with their financial situation, which marks the highest level of dissatisfaction since 1972 – the first year of the survey.

Consider this: According to the poll’s findings, people are more unhappy today than they were in the aftermath of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, when the jobless rate was double digits and millions of people lost their homes. Today’s inflationary pressures, and in particular higher food and gas prices, are a major thorn in folks’ sides. I get that. But thinking the economy today is worse off than it was in 2008 and 2009 feels like sentiment has become overly pessimistic. If economic growth exceeds these hyper-low expectations, even by just a little, I think that’s great for stocks.

Early data in Q2 point to this better-than-expected growth outcome.

The most important growth factor in the U.S. economy – consumer spending – continues to exceed expectations. Data shows consumer spending increased 0.9% in April, with March’s figure revised higher from 1.1% to 1.4%. Consumers are also increasingly shifting from goods spending to services spending, which should bode well for inflationary pressures in the second half of 2022. Goods spending was up 0.8% in April, while services spending in areas like hotels and restaurants moved up 0.9%. 

The U.S. Labor Department (3) also reported that employers added 390,000 new jobs in May, with wages increasing 5.2% year-over-year. For the year leading up to May, the economy added a robust 400,000 jobs per month, the strongest period of job gains dating back to 1939. Initial jobless claims also fell to 200,000 in the final week of May, indicating that employers are holding on to workers in hopes of avoiding further shortages. The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.6%, a far cry from the 10+% unemployment rate reached during the 2008 Financial Crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Manufacturing and services in the U.S. continue to demonstrate resilience. The May Manufacturing PMI was 56.1% (4), which marked an increase of 0.7% from April and firmly suggests the economy remains in expansion mode. Manufacturing activity has been expanding for 24 straight months now in the U.S., and businesses surveyed continue to point to strong demand looking ahead. For every cautious comment made in the survey, there were five positive growth comments.

The U.S. services sector also posted strong activity in May, with the Services PMI(5) registering at 55.9%. Services have also expanded for 24 months straight. A close read of the May jobs report offers a hint that the services sector could feel additional tailwinds heading into summer—retailers cut nearly 61,000 jobs in May, but leisure and hospitality employers added 84,000.

Finally, the inflation issue – while still a negative force in the economy – improved slightly in April. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index ticked up by 0.2%, which marked the smallest rate of increase since November 2020. The 12-month rate of increase in April (+6.3%) was also a step down from March’s +6.6%. Excluding food and energy prices, the PCE rose +4.9% year-over-year in April, which marked the smallest increase since last December. It’s still too early to call ‘peak inflation,’ but April showed the issue getting better – not worse.

Bottom Line for Investors

My goal with this week’s column was not to demonstrate that the U.S. economy is in perfect shape and that no one should worry. Plenty of headwinds persist.

But I do firmly believe the positives outweigh the negatives, with key growth fundamentals nearly confirming expansion in the months ahead. Perhaps the obvious revelation here is that inflation is a very powerful negative force for sentiment, but it also may be so powerful that it causes many people to miss or ignore the parts of the economy that are working well and growing. In my view, that creates a bullish setup: any time a strong or modestly strong economy is under-appreciated to this degree, even the tiniest upside surprise can send stocks rallying. 

Have questions about pursuing your financial goals? Schedule a no-obligation conversation with us today - Schedule here!

______________________________________________________________________

1 U.S. News. May 27, 2022. https://money.usnews.com/investing/news/articles/2022-05-27/u-s-consumer-spending-beats-expectations-in-april-inflation-likely-peaked

2 Wall Street Journal. June 6, 2022. https://www.wsj.com/articles/inflation-political-division-put-u-s-in-a-pessimistic-mood-poll-finds-11654507800?mod=djemRTE_h

3 Wall Street Journal. June 6, 2022. https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-jobless-benefits-fell-last-week-extending-stretch-of-low-filings-to-four-months-11654174339

4 ISM. 2022. https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-report-on-business/pmi/may/

5 ISM. 2022. https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-report-on-business/services/may/

DISCLOSURE

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.

Zacks Investment Management, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zacks Investment Research. Zacks Investment Management is an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm and acts as an investment manager for individuals and institutions. Zacks Investment Research is a provider of earnings data and other financial data to institutions and to individuals.

This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. Do not act or rely upon the information and advice given in this publication without seeking the services of competent and professional legal, tax, or accounting counsel. Publication and distribution of this article is not intended to create, and the information contained herein does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment or strategy is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole.

Any projections, targets, or estimates in this report are forward looking statements and are based on the firm’s research, analysis, and assumptions. Due to rapidly changing market conditions and the complexity of investment decisions, supplemental information and other sources may be required to make informed investment decisions based on your individual investment objectives and suitability specifications. All expressions of opinions are subject to change without notice. Clients should seek financial advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in any security or investment strategy discussed in this presentation.

Certain economic and market information contained herein has been obtained from published sources prepared by other parties. Zacks Investment Management does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information. Further, no third party has assumed responsibility for independently verifying the information contained herein and accordingly no such persons make any representations with respect to the accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of the information provided herein. Unless otherwise indicated, market analysis and conclusions are based upon opinions or assumptions that Zacks Investment Management considers to be reasonable. Any investment inherently involves a high degree of risk, beyond any specific risks discussed herein.

The S&P 500 Index is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks, mainly blue-chip stocks, selected by Standard & Poor’s. The S&P 500 Index assumes reinvestment of dividends but does not reflect advisory fees. The volatility of the benchmark may be materially different from the individual performance obtained by a specific investor. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. Zacks Investment Management, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Zacks Investment Research. Zacks Investment Management is an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm and acts as an investment manager for individuals and institutions. Zacks Investment Research is a provider of earnings data and other financial data to institutions and to individuals.

 This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. Do not act or rely upon the information and advice given in this publication without seeking the services of competent and professional legal, tax, or accounting counsel. Publication and distribution of this article is not intended to create, and the information contained herein does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment or strategy is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole.

Any projections, targets, or estimates in this report are forward looking statements and are based on the firm’s research, analysis, and assumptions. Due to rapidly changing market conditions and the complexity of investment decisions, supplemental information and other sources may be required to make informed investment decisions based on your individual investment objectives and suitability specifications. All expressions of opinions are subject to change without notice. Clients should seek financial advice regarding the appropriateness of investing in any security or investment strategy discussed in this presentation.

Certain economic and market information contained herein has been obtained from published sources prepared by other parties. Zacks Investment Management does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information. Further, no third party has assumed responsibility for independently verifying the information contained herein and accordingly no such persons make any representations with respect to the accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of the information provided herein. Unless otherwise indicated, market analysis and conclusions are based upon opinions or assumptions that Zacks Investment Management considers to be reasonable. Any investment inherently involves a high degree of risk, beyond any specific risks discussed herein.

The S&P 500 Index is a well-known, unmanaged index of the prices of 500 large-company common stocks, mainly blue-chip stocks, selected by Standard & Poor’s. The S&P 500 Index assumes reinvestment of dividends but does not reflect advisory fees. The volatility of the benchmark may be materially different from the individual performance obtained by a specific investor. An investor cannot invest directly in an index.

The Dow Jones Transportation Average is a 20-stock, price-weighted index that represents the stock performance of large, well-known U.S. companies within the transportation industry. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. The volatility of the benchmark may be materially different from the individual performance obtained by a specific investor.