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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
    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.


  • The number of foreigners in the labor force has increased by more than 5 million since April 2020, and a rise in immigration puts downward pressure on wage growth and hence inflation, see chart below.

    Immigration has picked up significantly since Covid.
    Source: BLS, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Coverage Ratios Continue to Decline for IG and HY

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Interest coverage ratios for September show that Fed hikes continue to have a more and more negative impact on the economy.

    Specifically, with the Fed funds rate at 5.5%, we are significantly above the Fed’s 2.5% estimate of neutral, and as a result, monetary policy is biting harder and harder, and the incoming data continues to weaken.

    The interest coverage ratio for investment grade bonds continues to fall.
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    The interest coverage ratio for high yield bonds continues to fall.
    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Response Rates Continue to Decline

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    The quality of the incoming economic data continues to deteriorate, see chart below.

    For example, the response rate to the Current Employment Survey, which collects data on nonfarm payrolls, is below 50%, and the response rate to the JOLTS survey, which collects data on job openings, is around 30%.

    The implication for markets is more adjustments, more revisions, and ultimately more volatile data.

    Response rates continue to decline
    Source: BLS, Apollo Chief Economist

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


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