Q2 Earnings Are Proving Policy Efficacy

July 23, 5:00 pm EST

We have a big earnings week.  The tech giants report, along with about a third of the S&P 500.  And we get our first look at Q2 GDP.

As we’ve stepped through the year, we’ve had a price correction in stocks, following nearly a decade of central bank policies that propped up stocks.  This correction made sense, considering central banks were finally able to make the hand-off to a U.S. led administration that had the will and appetite (and alignment in Congress) to relax fiscal constraints and force the structural reform necessary to promote an economic boom.

From there, for stocks, it became a “prove-it to me” market.  Let’s see evidence of this “hand-off” is working — evidence the fiscal stimulus is working. That came in the form of first quarter earnings.  This showed us clear benefits of the corporate tax cut.  The earnings were hot, and stocks began a recovery.

The next steps, as fiscal stimulus works through the economy, we’ve needed to see that the uptick in sentiment (from the pro-growth policies) is translating into better demand and economic activity.  So, with Q2 earnings we should start seeing better revenue growth, companies investing and hiring.  And we should see positive surprises beginning to show up in the economic data.

We’re getting it.  Almost nine out of ten companies reporting thus far have beat (lofty) earnings expectations.  And about eight out of ten have beat on revenues.  This week will be important, to solidify that picture.  And though many of the economists all along the way of the past year didn’t see big economic growth coming, it has been steadily building since Trump was elected, and the Q2 number should push us to over 3% annual growth (averaging that past four quarters).

Now, let’s talk about the big mover of the day: interest rates.  The 10-year yield traded to 2.96% today, closing in on 3% again.

We’ve discussed, many times, the role that Japan continues to play in our interest rate market.  Despite 7 hikes by the Fed from the zero-interest-rate-era, our 10 year yield has barely budged.  That’s, in large part, thanks to the Bank of Japan.

As I’ve said in the past, “Japan’s policy on pegging its 10-year yield at zero has been the anchor on global interest rates. Forcing their benchmark government bond yield back to zero, in a world where there has been upward pressure on interest rates, has meant that they can, and will, buy unlimited amounts of JGBs to get the job done. That equates to unlimited QE. When they finally signal a change to that policy, that’s when rates will finally move.”

With that in mind, there were reports over the weekend that the Bank of Japan may indeed signal a change in that “yield curve control” policy at their meeting next week. And global rates have been moving!

If you haven’t joined the Billionaire’s Portfolio, where you can look over my shoulder and follow my hand selected 20-stock portfolio of the best billionaire owned and influenced stocks, you can join me here.