Market Commentary 9/23/2022

Markets In Turmoil As Fed Raises Rates Yet Again

It was another brutal week for the equity and bond markets. Fed Chairman Powell reiterated his belief that pain is necessary in order to bring down inflation. The Fed raised by 75 bp and emphasized that more hikes are ahead. Chances are very high of a global recession. Bank CEOs are talking about stagflation, or a combination of slow growth, high unemployment, and rising rates. The volatile gyrations in the equity market make us wonder when something will break. Fear is high as it feels as if we are paying back all of the stimulus and easy money policies we’ve had over the last few years… With interest. 

If you listened to the talking heads, you would think there is no loan activity.  While the rapid rise in rates has slowed the pace of activity, there are still transactions happening at the right price. With the rise in interest rates, it is harder to qualify for a mortgage. This will continue to put pressure on housing prices.

Famed bond investor Jeffrey Gundlach spoke after the Fed’s meeting this Wednesday and made some good points.  He sees the S&P bottoming somewhere between 3,500 and 3,000. He is also noticing some very compelling bond opportunities. In particular, he advised that you should never time the bottom. As the market washes out, you should not sell, but look to accumulate for the long term. This same formula applies to real estate investing. Become more opportunistic while there is panic in the air.