Quote from drsteph:
They say that recessions start about 6-12 months after a significant plunge in the market, so average 9 months.
Inverted yield curve, declining manufacturing numbers, and negative savings rates all bode extremely poorly for the economy.
Can't raise rates - ARM resets will worsen and foreclosures will rise and the subprime market will disintegrate causing a banking crisis.
Can't lower rates - there will be a rout out of the USD and inflation will heat up, causing wage increases leading to a wage-price spiral.
Staying the course seems the most intelligent thing to do, which is what we have seen. But it doesn't last forever.
The US consumer is tapped out at the low end - vis a viz walmart's lousy holiday season. The mid range customer will feel the heat of any interest rate increases, and only the upper customer will feel relatively unscathed - until a equity correction causes them to feel 'poor' and pull back.
You will know that things are getting bad when the rate cuts start happening. By then though, it will likely be too late as the equity market correction will have happened.
I suspect september is when things start to get ugly. But I have been surprised by the length and strength of this expansion, which may yet be pushed out with credit expansion maneuvers. Until there are clear signs of credit contraction and risk premium gets built back into the market, it seems like status quo to me. Even though I KNOW in my mind its all based on fluff.
Just my opinion. DYODD.