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  • Credit Market Outlook

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Our latest outlook for credit markets is available here, key charts inserted below.

    Credit market outlook: Default rates rising, but credit spreads remain tight
    Thematic credit investing
    Source: Apollo Chief Economist
    Table of contents
    Source: Apollo Chief Economist
    A default cycle has started
    Source: Moody’s Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Global recovery rates
    Source: Moody’s Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    IG ICR coming down
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    HY ICR coming down
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Bonds more attractive than equities
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Credit metrics for leveraged loan deals: ICR and cash flow down. Leverage up.
    Source: Pitchbook LCD, Apollo Chief Economist
    Rise in yields due to rising risk-free rates
    Source: ICE BofA, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Divergence between and US and Europe lower rated junk bond spreads
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Corporate bond issuance
    Source: SIFMA, Apollo Chief Economist
    Secured HY bond issuance volume
    Source: Pitchbook LCD, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: A secured bond is a bond backed by collateral.
    High yield leverage rising recently
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: The lines show net leverage and total leverage for the median companies in the H0AO index.
     
    Regional bank spreads have widened recently
    Source: ICE BofA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Unweighted average spreads of bonds from ICE 5-10 Year US Banking Index, C6PX Index for bonds issued before Jan 1, 2023. There are eight banks in the Regional index and 41 banks in the Diversified index. Regional banks include BankUnited Inc, Citizens Financial Group, Huntington Bancshares Incorporated, Regions Financial Corporation, Truist Financial Corporation, Webster Financial Corp, Wintrust Financial Corp, Zions. Diversified banks include JP Morgan, Citibank, Bank of America, etc.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • VIX for IG and HY

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The CBOE has launched two new measures of implied volatility for IG and HY, and they show that credit vol has increased recently and remains above pre-pandemic levels, see chart below. These new indicators are calculated daily, and the Bloomberg tickers are VIXIG and VIXHY.

    Measures of implied vol in HY and IG
    Source: CBOE, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • P/E Ratio for S&P7 vs S&P493

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The P/E ratio for the S&P493 has fluctuated around 19 in 2023.

    And the P/E ratio for the S&P7 has increased from 29 to 45, see the first chart below.

    The bottom line is that returns this year in the S&P500 have been driven entirely by returns in the seven biggest stocks, and these seven stocks have become more and more overvalued.

    What is particularly remarkable is that the ongoing overvaluation of tech stocks has happened during a year when long-term interest rates have increased significantly. Remember, tech companies have cash flows far out in the future, which should be more negatively impacted by increases in the discount rate.

    The conclusion is that tech valuations are very high and inconsistent with the significant rise in long-term interest rates, see the second chart.

    In short, something has to give. Either stocks have to go down to be consistent with the current level of interest rates. Or long-term interest rates have to go down to be consistent with the current level of stock prices.

    The P/E ratio for S&P7 has in 2023 gone from 29 to close to 45
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: 12-month trailing P/E ratio used.
    The stock market is disconnected from 10-year rates
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • US Housing Outlook

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

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

    US housing outlook
    Why is housing still doing well?
    Source: Apollo Chief Economist
    Leading indicators of the housing market
    Fewer people listing their home for sale
    Source: Redfin, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    The total housing inventory per person continues to decline
    Source: Census Bureau, FRED, Apollo Chief Economist
    Fewer bidding wars
    Source: NAR, Apollo Chief Economist
    Higher mortgage rates not yet weighing on home price inflation
    Source: American Enterprise Institute, Haver, Apollo Chief Economist
    Monthly mortgage payment on a new mortgage has basically doubled since 2021
    Source: Bloomberg L.P., Apollo Chief Economist (Note: Calculation of monthly payment using the 30-year purchase loan application size and the 30-year effective rate.)
    Very low inventory of homes for sale
    Source: Realtor.com, Apollo Chief Economist
    Mortgage purchase applications very weak because of high mortgage rates
    Source: Mortgage Bankers Association, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Record-low number of homeowners are refinancing their mortgage at the moment
    Source: Mortgage Bankers Association, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Homesellers don’t want to sell their house and get new mortgage: The stock of total existing homes for sale moving down
    Source: NAR, Apollo Chief Economist
    Structural decline in the share of the US population moving to a new address
    Source: Census CPS, Apollo Chief Economist
    Traffic of prospective homebuyers negatively impacted by higher mortgage rates
    Source: National Association of Homebuilders, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    It currently takes 8 months on average to build a single-family house
    Source: Census, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Single-family homes are one-unit buildings.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Unemployment About to Rise Further

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act gives 60 to 90 days advance notice in cases of plant closings and mass layoffs, and the latest data shows a significant move higher in WARN notices recently, see chart below.

    In other words, the WARN data is telling us that more companies are giving advance warnings about plant closings and mass layoffs.

    Running a regression using WARN notices to predict unemployment shows that initial jobless claims in October will rise over the coming weeks to a level between 250K and 300K, see chart below.

    Rise in WARN notices points to a rise in jobless claims over the coming weeks
    Source: Department of Labor, Haver Analytics, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act helps ensure 60 to 90 days advance notice in cases of qualified plant closings and mass layoffs. WARN factor is the Cleveland Fed estimate for WARN notices.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Monthly Outlook Chart Book

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Our monthly outlook for public and private markets is available here.

    So far in 2023, S&P7 is up more than 50%. S&P493 is basically flat.
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    The stock market is disconnected from 10-year rates
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Bank stocks underperforming
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    The Fed is trying to slow down the economy and S&P500 earnings expectations are moving higher?
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    Outlook for public and private markets

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Rates Not Going Back to Zero

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Markets are pricing that the Fed funds rate will bottom at 4% in 2025 and then start rising again, see chart below. 

    The same profile can be seen for the ECB, where rates will bottom at 3% and then start rising again. 

    The conclusion is that long-term investors should plan on rates being permanently higher than they were from 2008 to 2020. 

    In other words, rates are not going back to zero.

    Interest rates are expected to stay high
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Bankruptcies Rising Because of Fed Hikes

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The September data for bankruptcy filings are out, and more and more companies are going bankrupt because of Fed hikes, see the first chart below.

    Bankruptcies are hitting companies with high levels of debt and low earnings in the Consumer discretionary, Healthcare, and Industrials sectors, see the second chart.

    Corporate bankruptcies are rising after the Fed hikes.
    Source: S&P Capital IQ, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Bankruptcy figures include public companies or private companies with public debt with a minimum of $2 million in assets or liabilities at the time of filing, in addition to private companies with at least $10 million in assets or liabilities.
    Consumer discretionary, healthcare, and industrials have the most bankruptcies.
    Source: S&P Capital IQ, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Bankruptcy figures include public companies or private companies with public debt with a minimum of $2 million in assets or liabilities at the time of filing, in addition to private companies with at least $10 million in assets or liabilities. Bankruptcies announced between January 1, 2023 and July 31, 2023.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • The Sector Maturity Wall in IG and HY

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The sectors that have higher refinancing needs in 2024 are Leisure, Retail, and Capital Goods in investment grade. And Transportation, Real Estate, and Autos in high yield, see charts below.

    Investment grade bonds maturities by sector in 2024
    Source: ICE BofA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    High yield bond maturities by sector in 2024
    Source: ICE BofA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Consumer Services Starting to Slow

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The number of people going to the movies has in recent weeks slowed down more than the usual seasonal pattern, see chart below.

    Consumer services make up two-thirds of consumer spending, and watching for signs of a slowdown in consumer spending in the service sector is critical for markets.

    Box office receipts are slowing rapidly.
    Source: Boxofficemojo.com, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


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