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  • Recovery Rates Declining

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Recovery rates decline when the costs of capital stay higher for longer, see chart below. This dynamic argues for wider credit spreads when rates stay higher for longer.

    The longer the costs of capital stay elevated, the lower the recovery rate will be
    Source: Moody’s Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Real Estate Agents Less Busy

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    There are more real estate agents per 1,000 jobs in Florida, Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, see the first chart. With many homeowners locked into sub-4% mortgage rates, existing home sales are at the lowest level since 2010, and the number of home sales per real estate agent is at the lowest level in decades, see the second chart.

    Real estate agents per 1,000 jobs
    Source: BLS, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Data for May 2022.
    Home sales per real estate agent
    Source: NAR, BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • The Rise and Fall of AI

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The hype around AI is starting to fade, see chart below.

    The rise and fall of AI
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Why Is Demand for IG Credit So Strong?

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Current drivers of credit demand are retail and pensions seeking higher all-in yields, and annuity sales driven by more baby boomers retiring and by a higher level of interest rates giving policyholders higher monthly payments, see chart below. For more, see also our latest credit market outlook here.

    Annuity sales driven by higher interest rates and more baby boomers retiring
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • S&P 7 vs S&P 493 Earnings Expectations

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Earnings expectations have diverged for the S&P 7 and the S&P 493, see chart below.

    Earnings expectations have been moving sideways for the S&P 7 and down for the S&P 493
    Source: FactSet, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • The Fragile Soft Landing

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Markets fluctuate between the “lagged effects of Fed hikes are slowing down consumers, firms, and bank lending,” and “the easing of financial conditions since the December Fed pivot has boosted growth, including January hiring,” see chart below.

    The bottom line is that what currently looks like a soft landing is a fragile equilibrium, and there is still more than 50% chance we will end up in either a hard landing scenario where the Fed cuts faster than the market expects or a no landing scenario where the Fed has to raise rates again. It makes sense that rates volatility and swaption volatility are high relative to VIX.

    The fragile US economic outlook
    Source: Apollo Chief Economist

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  • China: Number of Births Declining

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    China began its one-child policy in 1980 and ended it in 2016. In 2021, it started its three-child policy, encouraging couples to have three children. The UN projects that China’s population will decline from 1.4 billion today to 800 million by the end of this century. China’s demographic headwinds have significant implications for growth, savings, and FX reserve accumulation and, therefore, Chinese appetite for buying US Treasuries.

    China: Number of births at the lowest level in decades
    Source: UN, National Bureau of Statistics of China, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • US Housing Outlook

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Our latest outlook for the housing market is available here, key charts below.

    US Housing Outlook
    A housing recovery has been driven by
    Source: Apollo Chief Economist
    Home price inflation rebounding
    Source: Haver Analytics, BLS, S&P, Apollo Chief Economist
    100 largest US cities: Share of cities with positive rent growth is rising
    Source: Apartmentlist.com, Apollo Chief Economist
    Very low inventory of homes for sale
    Source: Realtor.com, Apollo Chief Economist
    ARM share of total mortgage applications has declined recently
    Source: MBA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist (Note: It is 5-year ARM)
    Total housing inventory per person continues to decline
    Source: Census Bureau, FRED, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Outlook for Banks

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Our updated banking sector chart book is available here, key charts below.

    Outlook for US regional banks
    US banks hold half of CRE debt outstanding
    Source: S&P Capital IQ, Apollo Chief Economist
    Small banks account for almost 70% of all commercial real estate loans outstanding
    Source: Federal Reserve Board, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Banks with total assets between $100 million and $10 billion are more exposed to CRE loans
    Source: FDIC, Apollo Chief Economist
    Non-owner-occupied CRE past-due and noncurrent loans
    Source: FDIC, Apollo Chief Economist. (PDNA stands for Past Due and Non-Accrual rate defined as loans that are past due and are in non-accrual status.)
    Important differences between regional banks and money center banks
    Source: FRB, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Outlook for China

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    About 18% of China’s population is older than 60. Over the coming decades, that share will rise to 32%, higher than in the US, see chart below. Our latest outlook for China is available here.

    China aging faster than the US
    Source: UN, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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