The Daily Spark

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  • It is difficult to be negative on the economic outlook when household net worth relative to income is near record high levels, see chart below.

    Household net worth close to all-time highs
    Source: FRB, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Liquidity Deteriorating in Treasury Markets

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Measures of liquidity in Treasury markets continue to send worrying signals, with the average yield error approaching 4.5, see chart below.

    Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: The index displays the average yield error across the universe of government notes and bonds with remaining maturity of one year or greater, based off the intra-day Bloomberg relative value curve fitter. When liquidity conditions are favorable, the average yield errors are small as any dislocations from fair values are normalized within a short time frame. Average yield error is defined as an aggregate measure for dislocations in Treasury securities across the curve.

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  • Mid-Year Outlook for PE

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Last week, we published our mid-year outlook, it is available here. For private equity, there are three themes:

    1. Interest rates will remain higher for longer due to strong near-term growth, deglobalization, the energy transition, increased defense spending, rising Treasury issuance, and US fiscal deficits.

    2. With rates higher for longer and growth eventually slowing down, opportunities in private equity will likely continue to emerge among potential distressed companies.

    3. Ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the broader market call for a flexible, value-oriented strategy in private equity. Strategies with the ability to invest opportunistically across the capital stack are well-positioned to capitalize on the shifting fortunes of companies seeking financing in these turbulent times.

    Our private equity chart book is available here.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • Mid-Year Outlook for Real Assets

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Last week, we published our mid-year outlook, it is available here. For real assets, there are three themes:

    1. Interest rates will remain higher for longer due to strong near-term growth, deglobalization, the energy transition, increased defense spending, rising Treasury issuance, and US fiscal deficits.

    2. Office remains particularly weak for a variety of reasons, including work from home and higher interest rates, but other real asset sectors are showing resiliency. Secular growth trends continue to persist for industrial, multifamily, as well as specialty areas such as data centers, cold storage, self-storage, and student housing.

    3. The opportunity remains more compelling towards real estate debt than equity on a risk-adjusted basis in the current cycle. Real estate credit can offer a more attractive proposition due to high base interest rates, widening spreads, more protective loan structures, as well as expectations of higher-for-longer rates.

    Our real assets chart book is available here.

    See important disclaimers at the bottom of the page.


  • The FOMC has started to revise higher its estimate of where the fed funds rate will be in the long run. This is likely driven by upward pressures on inflation and rates from deglobalization, the energy transition, more restrictions on immigration, more defense spending, and higher levels of government debt.

    FOMC is revising higher their estimate of the long-run neutral interest rate
    Source: Federal Reserve Board, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Inflation Expectations Becoming Unanchored

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    There is a major gap opening up between the mean and the median of long-term inflation expectations, which means that half of the population has long-term inflation expectations that are dramatically higher than the other half, see charts below and in this chart book. This is a very significant challenge for the Fed because it cannot cut interest rates when inflation expectations are out of control.

    Inflation expectations: Big difference between median and mean
    Source: University of Michigan, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Lower income households have higher inflation expectations
    Source: University of Michigan, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Inflation expectations across education levels
    Source: University of Michigan, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Inflation expectations rising across age groups
    Source: University of Michigan, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist
    Inflation expectations rising across regions
    Source: University of Michigan, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • Since the Fed started talking about rate cuts, households have turned more and more positive on equities, see chart below.

    Households turned bullish on equities when the Fed started talking about rate cuts
    Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist

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  • While the Fed’s rate hikes have reigned in growth, especially among over-levered consumers, corporates, and banks, the easing of financial conditions since the “Fed pivot” in December continues to offset the effect of higher rates. Through the remainder of 2024, we expect above-consensus economic growth. Inflation will remain above the Fed’s target and interest rates will remain higher for longer.

    We published our consolidated views in my newest white paper, 2024 Mid-Year Outlook: An Unstable Economic Equilibrium. You can download it here.

    I will also be discussing the contents of the paper and my views in detail in an Apollo Academy class today, June 20, at 11:00 ET (eligible for a CE credit). Register here.


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  • When the Fed raises interest rates, money market funds pay a higher dividend to households. The chart below shows that this effect is very significant and currently running at $500 billion, or around 2.5% of consumer spending. Put differently, Fed hikes are boosting consumer spending through higher money market fund dividends.

    Money market funds currently pay around $500 billion in dividends. That’s 2.5% of annual consumer spending.
    Source: BEA, ICI, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Q1 2024 and Q2 2024 are estimates, dividends include dividends paid and dividends reinvested. Consumer spending is PCE.

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  • Banking Sector Outlook

    Torsten Sløk

    Apollo Chief Economist

    Our updated banking sector chart book is available here.

    Bank stocks continue to underperform the S&P 500
    Note: The KBW Bank Index consists of: Bank of NY Mellon, Bank of America, Capital One Financial, Citigroup, Citizens Financial Group, Comerica, Fifth Third Bank, First Horizon, Huntington, JP Morgan Chase, Keycorp, M&T Bank, Northern Trust, PNC, People’s United Financial, Regions, State Street, Truist, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo, and Zions. Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist
    The nationwide price per square foot for US office is down 43% from the peak
    Source: RCA, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist

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