Saturday, August 27, 2011

Fwd: The End of the World, Part 1 - John Mauldin's Weekly E-Letter



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The End of the World, Part 1
By John Mauldin | August 27, 2011

Fine, then. Uh oh, overflow, population, common food, but it'll do to

Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs,
listen to your heart bleed – dummy with the rapture and
the revered and the right, right. You vitriolic, patriotic, slam,

fight, bright light, feeling pretty psyched.

It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine.

R.E.M. song from 1987

It's not really the end of the world, but to read some of the analysis and data over the past week, it's hard not to wonder if it's not the beginning of the Endgame at the very least. There is more to cover than I can really do justice to, but we will just start. We HAVE to look at the US data first (briefly) and then on to Europe, where it will may be the end of the euro experiment, depending on two voting populations. Can you spell "Banking Crisis," gentle reader? A nod to Bernanke's finger-pointing speech, some links on the scourge of high-frequency trading, and we end on a positive note about the Boomer generation growing older. And, I answer the question that is burning in your brain: "How many years of US corn production will China's dollar reserves buy?" Write your answer down now. This letter may print out longer than usual, as there are plenty of charts. Let's skip the "but firsts" and jump right in.

What Is the CBO Seeing (or Smoking?)

Last week I finally stopped being wishy-washy (with my 50-50% chance of a recession call) and said the US would be in recession within 12 months. And suggested that you consider moving to the sidelines your longer-term equity investments, except your conviction stocks. (I have some of those in the biotech space and simply intend to buy more if the prices go down. But remember, I am looking out ten years and expect an eventual bubble, so I don't care if I am early for some of my high-risk money.) Stocks typically go down about 40% or more in a recession. David Rosenberg estimates that we have seen 27% of a typical bear-market move, so that would suggest the possibility of another 30% downdraft (give or take).

None of the data this week makes me want to change my opinion on recession. Rich Yamarone (Bloomberg Chief Economist) and I traded emails as we got new data this morning, comparing notes. He does better charts than I do, so we will use his. (I hear, by the way, that he is being addressed as Lord Vader in the halls of Bloomberg. Come to think of it, his voice is rather raspy.)

As he points out, when GDP year-over-year drops by more than 2%, we have always had a recession. So with today's second-quarter revision (first revision of many) down to just 1% (technically 0.99%, but we are among friends here), where are we? At 1.5% year-over-year. Here is the chart:

The normally bullish staff at economy.com gave us this rather dismal paragraph tonight as a summary to the week:

"The last week of the summer brings a rare Northeast hurricane and a heavy load of data that will show the economy running close to stall speed. Second quarter GDP was revised down to 1%, and the slight improvement in growth we expect for this quarter assumes no new financial shocks. Upcoming indicators for August will bear the mark of steep declines in stock prices. The employment report will be the headliner; nonfarm payrolls are expected to rise just 30,000, and the unemployment rate likely will tick up 0.1 percentage point to 9.3%. We think the ISM manufacturing survey dipped into contraction territory for the first time in two years, and auto sales and consumer confidence likely also fell during the month. There will also be significant interest in the minutes of the August Federal Open Market Committee meeting, especially given Chairman Ben Bernanke's omission of details regarding policy easing options in his Jackson Hole speech."

Ugh. More on the Bernank later.

The Michigan Consumer Sentiment number was just awful. It dropped 8 full points (which is huge for this index) to 55.7. The index has fallen nearly 20 points in three months. In the chart below, note the close previous correlation between sentiment and GDP. Which do you think is more likely to happen: sentiment to rise or GDP to fall?

Unemployment claims are back up over 400,000, to 417,000. If the employment gain is really just 30,000, that bodes poorly for any recovery. So, exactly how does that square with the recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections? Quoting:

"CBO expects that the recovery will continue but that real (inflation-adjusted) GDP will stay well below the economy's potential—a level that corresponds to a high rate of use of labor and capital—for several years. On the basis of economic data available through early July, when the agency initially completed its economic forecast, CBO projects that real GDP will increase by 2.3 percent this year and by 2.7 percent next year. Under current law, federal tax and spending policies will impose substantial restraint on the economy in 2013, so CBO projects that economic growth will slow that year before picking up again, averaging 3.6 percent per year from 2013 through 2016."

Let me work you through the numbers. We grew at less than a total of 1.4% for the first six months of 2011. To get to 2.3% as an average for the year, we would need to grow by (back of the napkin) 3.2% for the last half of the year. We could reduce the deficit by a lot if we could sell what these guys are smoking to engender such optimism. I think demand would be strong, especially on Wall Street. (Note: these are the same people that told us in 2000 that all government debt would be gone by 2010. Just saying.)

Their projections are likely based on assumptions about recoveries from past recessions. But since 1945, all recessions have been business-cycle recessions. We are now in a deleveraging/balance-sheet/post-credit-crisis recession for which we have no modern analogs, except maybe Japan. And that hasn't turned out too well, as in, two decades of going nowhere. Yet we are applying the same methodology (massive debt and deficits along with zero interest rates) that did not work there, and will soon bring Japan to ruin.

We have a fundamentally different economic scenario than at any time for the last 66 years. Why then should we expect the same outcome? EVERY indicator (employment, GDP, ISM, sentiment, etc.) is far below its average result two years after the official end of a recession. That should speak volumes.

So why does what the CBO says mean anything? Because Congress is making projections for future deficits, based on what appear to be wildly optimistic assumptions. That means future deficits are likely to be worse than expected. If we enter recession, as I expect, then revenues will be down (as unemployment will be up and profits down) and expenses will go up. That de minimis deficit reduction currently being negotiated by the "Gang of 12" will disappear in a cloud of smoke and maze of mirrors. This will mean that more pain in the terms of future spending cuts and/or tax increases will be needed. (I know a fair number of congressional staffers read this letter. Please pay attention here – your bosses need to be given a "heads up.")

If we are in for a slow-growth, Muddle Through decade, then the deficit projections by CBO are dismally off. Get the spreadsheets. Factor in slower growth and higher unemployment and two recessions by the end of the decade (typical for the aftermath of a banking/debt crisis), and see what those deficit projections look like.

Given the large amount of data coming next week, as the month ends, I will stop here and get back to the US next week.

The End of the World, Part 1

In trying to decipher Europe it is hard to know where to start, but let's begin with some assumptions:

For the euro to survive, one of two things must happen. Either the Germans (and the Dutch and Finns and French) decide to back the concept of some sort of eurobond financing of the balance sheets of the peripheral countries, OR there need to be massive write-downs of insolvent-country debt and the various countries need to backstop their banks, because bank losses will be massive.

The former needs buy-in from German voters. Polls show Germans are against the idea of eurobonds by something like 5-1 (75% against, 15% for). (More on Germany below.) The latter option assumes the peripheral countries will lose access to the private bond markets, thus forcing sudden and enormous austerity (read Depression levels or worse). Will they simply throw in the towel and leave the euro on their own, remaining in the free-trade zone but with their own currencies, much as Denmark, the Czech Republic, or Sweden are now? Or opt to suffer and remain in the euro?

Germany could decide not to back the peripheral country debt, and leave the Eurozone. But this would be painful for Germans. If you think the Swiss franc trade is crowded (and way overvalued) because people are looking for a safe haven, what would a new Deutschmark look like to investors? Switzerland is a country (and one of my favorite in the world, so no slight intended – I will be in Geneva for my birthday in October) of just over 7 million people, only somewhat larger than the population of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area where I live (although with much better weather!).

Germany, on the other hand, is the world's 4th largest country by GDP, with a population of over 82 million. It is well-run and respected. The new mark would climb to far higher levels against the remaining euro countries and other currencies, which for an export-driven nation would not be very helpful. Mercedes and BMWs cost a lot now (and don't forget tool parts and other things Germany excels in making). Double the value of your currency in a short time? Watch your market share drop. Painful is perhaps an inadequate word.

So, what to make of the remarks this week by respected German leaders? Let's fire up a few quotes here ( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/8720792/Germany-fires-cannon-shot-across-Europes-bows.html):

"German President Christian Wulff has accused the European Central Bank of violating its treaty mandate with the mass purchase of southern European bonds. In a cannon shot across Europe's bows, he warned that Germany is reaching bailout exhaustion and cannot allow its own democracy to be undermined by EU mayhem.

" 'I regard the huge buy-up of bonds of individual states by the ECB as legally and politically questionable. Article 123 of the Treaty on the EU's workings prohibits the ECB from directly purchasing debt instruments, in order to safeguard the central bank's independence,' he said. 'This prohibition only makes sense if those responsible do not get around it by making substantial purchases on the secondary market,' he said, speaking at a forum of half the world's Nobel economists on Lake Constance to review the errors of the profession over recent years.

"Mr Wulff said the ECB had gone 'way beyond the bounds of their mandate' by purchasing €110bn (£96.6bn) of bonds, echoing widespread concerns in Germany that ECB intervention in the Italian and Spanish bond markets this month mark a dangerous escalation.'" (London Telegraph)

Who Will Rescue the Rescuers?

From the same article: "The blistering attack follows equally harsh words by the Bundesbank in its monthly report. The bank slammed the ECB's bond purchases and also warned that the EU's broader bail-out machinery violates EU treaties and lacks 'democratic legitimacy'. The combined attacks come just two weeks before the German constitutional court rules on the legality of the various bailout policies. The verdict is expected on September 7."

Yet "Nobel laureate Joe Stiglitz told the forum that the euro is likely to fall apart unless Germany accepts some form of fiscal union. 'More austerity for Greece and Spain is not the answer. Medieval blood-letting will kill the patient, and democracies won't put up with this kind of medicine.' "

His solution? Germany will either have massive banking losses (see below) or assume some debt. Why give up the dream of a united Europe over a few trillion and your credit rating? Yet (Ambrose Evans-Pritchard writing in the Telegraph):

"Marc Ostwald from Monument Securities said Germany is drifting towards a major constitutional crisis. 'This has all the makings of the revolt that unseated Helmut Schmidt [in 1982], and indeed has political echoes of the inefficacy of the Weimar regime,' he said.

"Mr. Wulff said Germany's public debt has reached 83pc of GDP and asked who will 'rescue the rescuers?' as the dominoes keep falling. 'We Germans mustn't allow an inflated sense of the strength of the rescuers to take hold,' he said.

" 'Solidarity is the core of the European Idea, but it is a misunderstanding to measure solidarity in terms of willingness to act as guarantor or to incur shared debts. With whom would you be willing to take out a joint loan, or stand as guarantor? For your own children? Hopefully yes. For more distant relations it gets a bit more difficult,' he said."

The final option is for the peripheral nations to eschew austerity and leave the Eurozone, launching their own currencies again. This would mean long and painful bank holidays and massive losses for European banks and local citizens, depending on how many countries left. And the lawsuits would last for decades – nothing short of a full-employment act for lawyers all over the world.

And Merkel was not helped by her own Labor Minister, Dr. Ursula von der Leyen. Rather than simply hand over further loans to Athens – money many Germans believe they will never see again – Dr. von der Leyen suggests Berlin should ask for collateral. Gold, preferably. From the Irish Times:

"One month after euro zone leaders agreed a bailout reform package, and a month before the package goes to vote before national parliaments, a senior German minister appeared to be calling for a renegotiation.

"On an aircraft back from Belgrade, a thin-lipped chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly told advisers: 'I'm going to have to have a word with Ursula.'

"Even before she landed, German officials were in full damage limitation mode, working the phones and issuing statements denying the minister spoke for the government. 'This is sub-optimal,' groaned a senior government source. 'No one is amused.' "

Some back-bench minister? Hardly. Dr. von der Leyen, a 52-year-old mother of seven, is one of Dr. Merkel's most ambitious ministers and one of two names regularly mentioned as a possible successor.

But she only reflected a rather contentious Bundestag meeting this week, in which one after another representative voiced opposition, invariably noting that the voters disapproved.

Of course, none of this is helped by Finland negotiating a side collateral deal as part of their conditions for approving their portion of the next loan to Greece. And a chorus of countries have jumped on that wagon. How do you explain to YOUR voters that the Finns got actual in-the-bank collateral and you got nothing but Greek promises? But if everyone gets collateral, the whole deal will fall apart. What's the point if you give back a large chunk of your loan? It just means you need even more!

The Problems of Debt in the Eurozone

Let's look at some charts. This first one is the amount of principal debt in terms of GDP from July 2011 to July 2012 (plus budget deficits, in red) needed by ten European countries. Note that France and Italy are well over 20%! Source: Peterson Institute of International Economics (hat tip, Simon Hunt!)

"From the same report this chart illustrates how Germany could become the banker for the Euro Zone. The question is will it? The question will be more clearly defined in September when Germany's Constitutional Court will rule on the legal complaints against the Euro Zone rescue packages. If the comments being made by the Bundesbank and by the country's President are a hint as to the outcome of the court then a negative ruling is a real risk. Who then will take the losses?" (Simon Hunt)

Note in the chart that Germany holds the largest percentage of net debt.

Claims of Euro Area members from netting of Euro System cross-border payments (in billions of Euros):

And then there are the interest-rate issues. Rates were rising rapidly in Spain and Italy until the ECB stepped in. Everyone knows Greece, Ireland, and Portugal are on life support and cannot get debt on their own. The ECB inserted an IV into Spain and Italy and started them on a slow drip. The real question of the moment is, can they get off that support and stand in the markets on their own? The answer a few weeks ago was starting to look like "No."

And look at the massive growth in ECB lending to Italian banks, which are getting shut out of the "normal" market. It has literally more than doubled in a few months:

Credit spreads at French banks are blowing out. Review how much France has to borrow in the next 12 months, in the first chart. Then look at their deficit-to-GDP (above 10%, according to Charles Gave) and realize that there is no reason why S&P should not downgrade them as well. How do they cut spending? Taxes are already at 50% of GDP. Wealthy French have voted with their feet by moving away.

The list of country woes is long in Europe. Massive unemployment in Spain and Portugal. Deficits everywhere. Voting populations in both creditor and debtor nations are upset.

It is only a matter of time until Europe has a true crisis, which will happen faster – BANG! – than any of us can now imagine. Think Lehman on steroids. The US gave Europe our subprime woes. Europe gets to repay the favor with an even more severe banking crisis that, given that the US is at best at stall speed, will tip us into a long and serious recession. Stay tuned.

Thoughts on Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole often provides fireworks and significant speeches. Bernanke came up with neither this week, which I think is a good thing. But he did forcefully point out that the Fed has done about all it can do and that the forces of civil government need to step up to the plate with credible actions. It was as close to finger pointing as a Fed Chairman can do, and parts of the speech actually sounded as if he was trying to channel his inner Richard Fisher (Dallas Fed President). Basically, he said the Fed has done what it can with as easy a monetary policy as is possible and prudent. Quoting from Joan McCullough's remarks on the speech:

"Yeah, the Fed underestimated the severity of our ills and so this recovery is gonna take longer than expected. But underneath it all, the US still has the capability of generating growth. Here are the precise words with which he threw responsibility back at Congress and the Administration; he starts out kind of slow:

" '… Notwithstanding the severe difficulties we currently face, I do not expect the long-run growth potential of the U.S. economy to be materially affected by the crisis and the recession if – and I stress if – our country takes the necessary steps to secure that outcome.'

"Just in case they didn't understand that they had just been handed the baton, he continued with this:

" '… most of the economic policies that support robust economic growth in the long run are outside the province of the central bank."

"With this closing castigation cum zing:

" '… Finally, and perhaps most challenging, the country would be well served by a better process for making fiscal decisions. The negotiations that took place over the summer disrupted financial markets and probably the economy as well, and similar events in the future could, over time, seriously jeopardize the willingness of investors around the world to hold U.S. financial assets or to make direct investments in job-creating U.S. businesses.' "

As I said, for a Federal Reserve Chairman, that is as close to reading the riot act as you are going to get.

Some Thoughts on Getting Older

I turn 62 on October 4 while in Geneva. I don't feel that old, and hope I don't look it, but the birth certificate verifies the age. I should note that my mother turned 94 last week and is still quite active. I was talking with a Rice University classmate (of '72) and old friend, John Benzon, who has recently retired from Price Waterhouse and is trying to figure out what "Act 2" will be. I realized that when we graduated, we had barely lived 1/3 of the lives we now have.

So with that on my mind, two items hit my inbox today. The first was from Lance Roberts of Streettalk Advisors. The San Francisco Fed did a report recently that suggested that we aging Boomers will be a drag on the stock market as we sell to support our retirement (shades of Harry Dent!). From the report:

"The baby boom generation born between 1946 and 1964 has had a large impact on the U.S. economy and will continue to do so as baby boomers gradually phase from work into retirement over the next two decades. To finance retirement, they are likely to sell off acquired assets, especially risky equities. A looming concern is that this massive sell-off might depress equity values."

You can read his short piece and the link to the Fed piece at http://www.streettalklive.com/financial-blog/253-boomers-are-going-to-be-a-real-drag.html.

I am not so sure, though. I think the Boomer generation is a little different from previous generations. I remember going to my grandmother's in my early years, when my aunts and uncles were the age I am now. Even though active – and most lived well into their 90s – they had a far more sedentary lifestyle than many Boomers do today. Boomers are more active and, whether for financial reasons or simply because they don't want to retire (that would be me!), they are going to work longer than previous generations. In fact, the only cohort that has seen their employment rates rise is workers over the age of 55! Good for them (although tough on my young kids, who need those jobs).

Then I got this picture from Jon Sundt, the president of Altegris, a close friend, and my business partner. He is 50, at the tail end of the Boomer Generation. This is a wave he caught at the Mentawai Island Chain, 80 miles off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. He goes there every summer. They go into the middle of the Indian Ocean to find these large waves. And it is mostly Boomer surfers. (I'm not sure how much I like the guy who's responsible for a large part of my monthly cash flow taking these risks, but that's another story!)

Go to a gym or running trail: it is not just kids out there any more. There are lots of people my age where I work out. Some of the trainers are over 50! We all have friends who are pushing the envelope – climbing mountains, biking, etc.

And the new biotech that will come out within the next five years is going to offer cures for many of the things that kill us sooner than we simply wear out. Cancer, Alzheimer's, sclerosis of the liver, viruses are all on the short target list. I was talking about this with Scott Burns, noted author and long-time newspaper columnist (and a long-time friend). He calls it "catastrophic success" in his next book, as living longer is a "success," but it makes our collective pension, Social Security, and Medicare problems even worse. Maybe MUCH worse. I smiled and told him there are worse problems than living longer. I intend to be writing and traveling for a few more decades.

And as my Dad used to say (he made it to 86), "God willing and the creek don't rise" I intend to do 62 pushups on October 4th, which will be a personal best. I can't do much about getting older (I will be very disappointed if I do not get a whole lot older!), but I don't have to go quietly into that dark night. And neither do you, gentle reader. So, make sure you are around to read my musings a whole lot longer, as well. If you hang around long enough, you will even see me turn bullish! It won't be that long, I promise. It will seem like just a few weeks from now.

And while I was having lunch with Scott, he asked me the question, "How many years of US corn production would the dollar reserves of China buy?" I mused, maybe 40. Wrong. It is only 12. And that is just corn. Not soybeans, wheat or rice or cattle, hogs or chickens. Think about that and stand back in awe at the productivity of the American farmer.

It is time to hit the send button. I stupidly forgot to save this letter and had an unexpected "hard" crash. I thought I lost almost the entire e-letter; but checking the Web, I found a back door to the temporary files where most of it was still store, so only lost a few hours re-creating it – but now it is late, 2 am). That means this letter might not be there Saturday morning, and for that I apologize. Have a great week!

Your looking forward to the next third of this life analyst,

John Mauldin
John@FrontlineThoughts.com

Copyright 2011 John Mauldin. All Rights Reserved.

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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Fwd: Dynamic Economic Decision Making - John Mauldin's Outside the Box E-Letter



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Subject: Dynamic Economic Decision Making - John Mauldin's Outside the Box E-Letter
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Dynamic Economic Decision Making
By John Mauldin | August 22, 2011

This week's Outside the Box is from my good friend John Silvia, the Chief Economist at Wells Fargo and fishing buddy in Maine. He has written a powerhouse book called Dynamic Economic Decision Making: Strategies for Financial Risk, Capital Markets, and Monetary Policy.

Combining three intellectual disciplines – economics, business, and decision making– that have traditionally been taught separately, Dynamic Economic Decision Making forges a new path that redefines how we view business choices. And that is the main point of the book. So many business leaders and investors make decisions based on static factors, historical patterns, or straight-line assumptions that it is no wonder that all too many bad decisions are made. And worse, we train our MBAs to approach decision making with outmoded tools that have proved themselves worthless in the real world.

Jim McTague of Barron'swrote:

"For the price of a book you receive the equivalent of a three-credit course from a top MBA program. Silvia, one of the nation's most astute economists, has written a comprehensive, accessible masterpiece on applied economics. The author is an able teacher: Anyone, novice or expert, will profit from this well-written book."

I agree. Even though John sent me this book for review, I will download it to my iPad for $40! (note to my editor at Wiley, who published this book: Why can Silvia get $39 for Kindle and I get $12?) I get a lot of reading done as I travel, and this is one I want to get through.

I asked John to write a short piece to give us a flavor of his main points, and I don't think you'll be disappointed. You can get the book on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Economic-Decision-Making-Strategies (37% off).

Have a great week, and learn to enjoy volatility. And please get the fact that Silvia (and I) keep noting: We are not going back to the old days. We are in a brand new world and we need to deal with it.

Your actually looking forward to the future analyst,

John Mauldin, Editor
Outside the Box
JohnMauldin@2000wave.com

Dynamic Economic Decision Making

The Great Recession of 2008-10 demonstrated the power that macroeconomic and financial forces have to alter the risks and rewards that frame choices for both private and public sector decision makers. Moreover, these forces completely overwhelmed the complex, micro mathematical strategies that were the rage of many investors. Yet many approaches to decision-making in finance and economics are more like cookbooks—they tell you how to prepare a specific meal, step-by-step, but not the fine art of being the gracious host that leads the guests through a wonderful evening. Too much focus is exclusively on the fine techniques of micro management, while ignoring the reality of the broader set of macro scenarios faced by actual decision-makers involving the many changes in economic growth, finance, and globalization that are ongoing. Is it any wonder that failure and surprise accompany the economic shocks of the day? Our finest financial engineers fail in the face of real world change.

Dealing With Cyclical & Structural Change

"You can't argue with a hundred years of success."

--William I. Walsh(The Rise and Decline of the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Lyle Stuart, New Jersey, 1986)

Actually you can when the environment changes around you—not knowing that the economic world is changing and the world is always changing. In the early 1950s, A&P, which was then the leading grocery chain in America, ranked only behind General Motors in annual sales. Americans tastes changed. They wanted choices, not the limited availability associated with the Great Depression and World War II periods of thrift. A&P stores did not provide the level of variety, nor cleanliness, expected by the new, growing middle class suburban households that began to emerge after the war. America's tastes had changed and the offering of A&P did not. (See Jim Collins, Good to Great, Harper Business, 2001, pp. 65-69.)

Three forces interact to drive economic success. First, economic activity provides the overall flow of information and sets the character of surprises and our decision-framework. Yet, in practice, decision makers conduct stress tests, risk assessments and simulations that do not deal with the cyclical nature of economic behavior. This would appear for two reasons.

Second, most business and public policy decision-makers are not trained to deal with or think in terms of the business cycle. Forecasting for most consists of straight-line projections from a spread sheet.

Third, dealing with the business cycle demands a set of assumptions and the interaction of those assumptions that can require scenario building. The results of these scenarios on the outlook for growth, inflation and interest rates, for example, can be more complex than decision-makers have the time or willingness to engage.

Many decision-makers feel more comfortable on focusing on the business, where they feel comfortable, and not of forecasting. Even more misleading, over time the model of the economy does not fundamentally change and, thus retaining its original framework. In addition, many simulations are defined in terms of allowing one factor, for example economic growth, to fluctuate. This is done to simplify the analysis but with the knowledge that other key variables are likely to change at the same time.

There is a tradeoff here between simplicity and reality. Often, the comfort of simplicity leads to a misrepresentation of the outlook. Better to deal with the complexity and get a sense of the issues than fall back on simplicity and misrepresent the future outlook. These simulations and ignore the reality that other drivers, such as inflation, interest rates, profits and exchange rates, also move along with changes in growth. Over the last fifty years, the economy does has not ever returned to its prior "normal" but a new framework has always emerged with each business cycle, always different than previous frameworks, sometimes in significant ways. The original equilibrium was never restored. Creating economic models as if it did will not make it so.

Decision-traps limit the leader's ability to deal with cyclical but especially longer-term changes. Decision-makers tend to anchor their expectations about the future in the past and to think in terms of their historical investments in their career and in their firm. Their career is their memory of events and decisions tend to be framed in terms of our experience. Decisions about the future of the firm tend to reflect the firm's existing structure. Seldom do firms break out of character and set a new course. This causes them not to examine the marginal costs and benefits of moving to a new future. In addition, public policy makers are slow to recognize the changing character of competitiveness in industries (autos, textiles, and consumer electronics) and thereby subsidize such industries for far too long. This is not only a U.S. tendency but very much the general case as evidenced by the United Kingdom in the post-World War II period until Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher took office in 1980 and introduced a market-driven approach regarding subsidization of industries.

Finally, decisions on the future of the institution reflect the influence of past decisions (path dependent) and which sets the parameters for success regarding future decisions. In some cases, decisions today cut off options tomorrow while other decisions today open up options for the future. A student who decides to go to one college cuts off the opportunity to go to another college. An athlete decides to play baseball and give up playing soccer. A business firm decides to pursue project A and set aside project B. Once we decide on one path, generally we cut off other options and decisions today will reflect our decisions in the past. Business decisions also have this tendency for path dependence as will be shown in several cases in this chapter.

Four Biases in Decision-making

(For a great read on decision-making biases see Michael Roberto, Know What You Don't Know: How Great Leaders Prevent Problems before They Happen.)

Two aspects of successful decision-making in a changing economic world are evident so far. First, a strategy is needed that recognizes the reality of fluctuations in economic growth as well as in the four other economic drivers. Second, this strategy should prevent economic shocks or change from causing business failures. If they use the three techniques to identify change, decision makers now have observations that suggest the future direction of economic change. But what mental barriers prevent decision makers from accepting such change?

Normalization of Deviance

Our first decision-making challenge is the normalization of deviance. In this situation we normalize, learn to live with, small deviations in the normal run of affairs. We learn to live with a dripping faucet, a toilet that runs a bit longer, a door that sticks. Diane Vaughan, sociology professor at Columbia, made a study of the Challenger space shuttle disaster of 1986. (The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture and Deviance at NASA.Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.) Vaughan's study focused on the gradual development of a set of beliefs that small deviations from the norm in the behavior of the O-rings under cold temperatures were acceptable since no major problems had occurred. Since most flights had occurred with temperatures in a normal range the overwhelming evidence was that there was no problem. The small amount of erosion that did occur in some flights was considered an anomaly. Over time, these anomalies became the accepted course, much like the sticky door, and so they were taken for granted as the normal course of action. Deviations from the normal became accepted as part of the acceptable risks of any flight. At the time of the flight in 1986 the temperatures at launch were much colder than normal and disaster soon followed.

In business, normalization of deviance was apparent in the credit standards involved in subprime lending yet borrowers continued to pay, or enough of them paid, so that the entire enterprise was profitable, at least in the short run. The rise in housing prices over the last twenty years provided the underlying rational of the housing mortgage market. Credit standards were continually eased, often for political purposes, by government-supported enterprises such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. At the same time, capital gains taxes were lowered on housing taxes on income in general were rising and interest rate deductions were eliminated for consumer credit and auto loans. Thus, to meet their desire for consumption, households increasingly took equity from their homes through home equity loans, which reduced the capital cushion of ownership. Easier credit standards, meanwhile, meant that the purchaser of the home had "less skin in the game," that is the buyer of the home has less invested in the home and therefore less interest in paying off the mortgage if events turned bad (which they did as house prices fell) and therefore the real credit risk in lending was rising. This ultimately proved to be the undoing of the market. Lower credit standards meant more buyers could qualify. Rising demand for housing initially drove up prices. Eventually, supply caught up. Housing prices slowed and the carrying costs of the mortgage could not be justified. Many buyers, walked away now.

In recent years, the normalization of deviance was evident in the housing market bust of 2008-2009 and the deterioration of credit standards that came to be accepted. Mortgage standards eased by 2005 and 2006 such that 60 day plus delinquencies were rising earlier in the life of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) suggesting that the risk profile of the borrowers had risen and likely this rise was faster than investors in these loans had expected. The rapid rise of delinquencies in 2006 suggested that indeed the housing problem was much greater than many had expected. In short the mortgage market framework changed and many failed to notice. The fact that home prices were rising justified the increasing deviance of lending standards—until home prices no longer could rise and started to fall dramatically. In fact, in the history of markets, it often takes a substantial change in prices to reveal the underlying deviance of traded prices from their fundamentals. Success was defined in terms of rising home ownership even though the underlying credit quality of the borrower and the appraisal/market value of the house were increasingly suspect. The markets normalized the deviance in credit standards as long as home ownership rates went up.

Change as a process not an event

A second barrier to effective decision-making is the failure to recognize change as a process and not an event. Decision-makers want to identify one event as the "cause" of a significant change. Yet, the lessons of the pre-World War I period is that an entire sequence of decisions lead to the outbreak of the conflagration and not a single cause such as the shooting of Archduke Ferdinand. (Barbara Tuchman, The Guns of August, Ballantine Book, 1962.) Since 1956, three firms have dropped out of the Dow Jones index, Bethlehem Steel, General Motors and Woolworth. Yet there is not a single event in each of these company histories that caused the companies' relative decline. Instead, changes in the overall economy led to an increasing disconnect between the economy and the framework of decision-making in each company. (Jim Collins,Good to Great, provides an interesting view on Bethlehem Steel. James O'Toole, in Leading Change, provides a view on the decline of General Motors.) Catastrophic failures such as Johns Manville (Asbestos litigation led to bankruptcy filing in 1982.) and Enron (irregular accounting concerns led to bankruptcy in 2001) can be attributed to singular failures over a short period of time.

For business firms the trend growth in the globalization of trade signifies the process of rising competition that characterizes the economic framework today. Recent years have also produced a trend of lower inflation and lower interest rates. Lower inflation, on average, suggests a reduction in pricing power with products and services increasingly being perceived by customers as commodities—perfect substitutes in a perfectly competitive market place. The challenge for businesses is to create the impression, if not the reality, of product differentiation—imperfect substitutes in a monopolistically competitive environment. For example, in financial services, are the services offered significantly different to justify a pricing for service model or are all the benefits of a financial service firm generated at the back-end by reducing back office recordkeeping costs?

The Illusory Correlation

A third decision-making stumbling block is the illusory correlation. This idea, which is particularly popular when many decision-makers are scrambling for simplistic explanations in a very complex environment, is the leap from observing one economic trend and then using that trend as an explanation of another trend without any intervening theory. Certainly odd events happen and there is a tendency to ascribe cause-effect to situations where no real link exists. This illusion is particularly prevalent among financial commentators.

It is also true among decision makers at firms or in state governments who ascribe changes to individual decisions. In fact national or global trends are the real culprits. U.S. presidents and corporate head are credited or blamed for every advance or decline on their watch while trends occur totally outside their control.

In the early years of the post World War II period, some analysts asserted that the economic success of the Soviet Union validated their economic model. In fact, the correlation of economic growth and with the Soviet model was purely coincidence. The Soviet Union was living off the resource transfers from other nations and countries that it had conquered with little regard to the long run consequences. It had the incentives within its economic framework that would insure continued success over the long run. In economic studies, the appearance of success in the short-run may hide underlying problems and those countries, states and companies may be living off past success with little provision for the future. Flash-in-the pan success in the short-run, may give the appearance of a new economic model but often that success is illusory unless supported by long-run oriented policies.

In economic or business comparisons, Americans are hampered by their anchoring bias dating back to the early post-World War II period. Japan and Germany had been destroyed by war. China, India, and Russia were not trading partners. Brazil and Mexico were run by military juntas. The U.S. had a largely closed economy and little global competition. Yet current public policy makers continue to speak in terms of America's leadership in many industries—textiles, furniture and consumer electronics—that have become global. In fact, the post-World War II period was an exception in economic leadership with one country—America—holding such a dominant position. The reality is that change is constant and memories of the past are a prescription to failure in most cases.

Sunk Costs

Finally, decision makers'ability to react to cyclical and structural change is hampered by their attachment to sunk costs, which are the costs already put into a project that are past and irreversible and are not altered by the decision to continue ahead or to stop the project. Richard Brealey (Professor at the London Business School) and Stewart Myers (professor at MIT) point out the decision in 1971 whether to continue with Lockheed's development of the TriStar airplane after $1 billion had already been spent. Lockheed had already spent one billion dollars and was not recoverable whether Lockheed went ahead or not with the project. (Richard A. Brealey and Stewart C. Myers, Principles of Corporate Finance, third edition, McGraw-Hill, 1988, p. 95.) In 1981 Lockheed announced it would stop production of its money-losing L-1011 jetliner. Eventually Lockheed dropped out entirely from commercial airline production. (John Greenwald, Jerry Hannifin/Washington, Joseph J. Kane/Burbank, Catch a Falling TriStar, Time magazine, December 21, 1981.) Overly committed to certain activities, decision makers stick with investments that are quickly losing their value. They are unable to let go of the past and move on to new opportunities. As a result, these investments lose value. Cyclical and secular change, by its nature, means that old investments become sunk costs, and barriers to innovation.

In fact, in many cases decision makers escalate their commitment believing that just a bit more investment will allow them to achieve their goal. (For a real-world example of the sunk cost effect with tragic consequences see Krakauer, J. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. New York: Anchor Books, 1997.) In public policy, this can be seen in the commitment to retain the scale of many industries through protectionism and subsidies beyond any economic justification. While many U.S. firms in the textile, furniture, steel, auto and consumer electronics industries are globally competitive, government subsidizes these industries on a scale that allows weak companies to persist. They then can sell products at low prices and thereby hamper the ability of competitive firms to earn a profit and reinvest so as to remain globally competitive. Policy focuses on preserving jobs with little regard to workers and their skills. As a result, there are too many workers in old technology fields when these workers must to move into fields where they have a competitive future.

Example abound for both private and public policy decision-makers today. Credit standards are an obvious example of the normalization of deviance whereby credit standards that were questionable in the past now serve as good credit today. As for the illusory correlation, every investor can recite numerous examples of one-time wonders in forecasting the future of stock prices. Sunk costs are exemplified in both the public and private sectors by those continuously failing projects that continue to somehow get financing without ever becoming successful.

As for the current cycle/structural evolution of the economy, each of these decision biases is well represented. For successful investors, the challenge is to recognize our own biases and to better adapt to the constant evolution of the economy. Change in the economy is a process, not an event, and the bias to recognize the old blinds us to what is new.

Copyright 2011 John Mauldin. All Rights Reserved.

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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Fwd: The Recession of 2011? - John Mauldin's Weekly E-Letter



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The Recession of 2011?
By John Mauldin | August 20, 2011

The data this week was just ugly. Even the uptick in the leading economic indicators, seized upon by so many talking heads, must have a large asterisk beside it. This week we look at the increasing probability that we are headed for recession, and the follow-on implications. Then I take a perilous and speculative journey into the realm of the political, commenting on Texas (and my) Governor Rick Perry’s rather interesting comments about the Fed and Ben Bernanke. There is a lot to cover, and lots of charts, so we will jump right in. But please read at the end about two events coming up in the next few months that you might be very interested in attending.

The Recession of 2011?

It was relatively easy for me to forecast the recessions of 2001 and late 2007 over a year in advance. We had an inverted yield curve for 90 days at levels that have ALWAYS heralded a recession in the US. Plus there were numerous other less accurate (in terms of consistency) indicators that were “flashing red.” (For new readers, an inverted yield curve is where long-term rates go below short-term rates, a [thankfully] rare condition.)

And since stocks drop on average more than 40% in a recession, suggesting that you get out of the stock market was not such a challenging call. Although, when Nouriel Roubini and I were on Larry Kudlow’s show in August of 2006, we got beaten up for our bearish views. And you know what? The stock market then proceeded to go up another 20% in the next six months. Ouch. That interview is still on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AUoB7x2mxE. Timing can be a real, um, problem. There is no exact way to time markets or recessions.

My view then was based on the inverted yield curve (as an article of faith) and, not much later in 2006, my growing alarm as I realized the extent of the folly of the subprime debt debacle and how severe a crisis it would become. I changed my assessment from a mild recession to a serious one in early 2007 as my research revealed more and more fault lines and the damning interconnection of the global banking system (which has NOT been fixed, only made worse since then). I should note that my early views were rather Pollyannaish, as I thought (originally) that losses to US banks would only be in the $400 billion range. I keep telling people that I am an optimist.

With the Fed artificially holding down rates on the short end of the curve, we are not going to get an inverted yield curve this time, so we have to look for other indicators to come up with a forecast for the US economy. We grew at less than 1% in the first half of the year. That is close to stall speed. And that was with a full dose of QE2! So now, let’s look at a series of charts that cause me to be very concerned about the near-term health of the economy. Then we turn to Europe and problems compounding there.

The Streettalk/Mauldin Economic Output Index

Last year I was having a discussion with Lance Roberts of Streettalk Advisors in Houston about how to build an indicator that might give us a clue as to the direction of the economy. Most indicators use one or two data points and thus can be suspect.

For instance, the Philly Fed Economic Index went from 3.2 in July to -30.7 in August, helping to tank the market. Almost every subcomponent (new orders, employment, etc.) was not just down but negative. This was truly a shocker. You can see the gory details at http://www.philadelphiafed.org/research-and-data/regional-economy/business-outlook-survey/2011/bos0811.cfm.

The Empire Index (New York) went from -3.8 to -7.7. The Empire Index suggests that the August ISM manufacturing number will be 49, or in a state of negative growth. The Philly Index suggests a very dismal 42, which if true would suggest we are already in recession. But these are regional indexes.

Now, just for fun, let’s look at a combined index that David Rosenberg created from the Philly Index plus the Michigan Consumer Confidence Index. (Those of us old enough can remember Jack Nicholson playing the Joker in Batman back in 1989. When Batman escaped with the help of something from his tool kit, Nicholson said, “Where does he get all those wonderful toys?” When I read Rosie’s newsletter, I have the same reaction. “Where does he get all those wonderful charts?” He swears he makes them himself. I stand in awe.)

Notice that with Rosie’s combined index where it is today, we are either at the beginning of a recession or already in one. And the Philly Fed Index is consistent with a 90% chance of a recession.

And that is again consistent with the following chart from Rich Yamarone, which I used last month but that bears looking at again. Rich is chief economist at Bloomberg. (By the way, for Conversation subscribers, I just recorded a powerhouse session with Rich, which will be available as soon as we can get it transcribed.)

Is There a Recession in Our Future?

I previously wrote, in late July:

“And the last chart is one I had not seen before, and is interesting. Rich notes that if year-over-year GDP growth dips below 2%, a recession always follows. It is now at 2.3%.”

Oops. Last week David Rosenberg updated that chart. This from Rosie:

If Rich is right, then the next revisions to second-quarter GDP will be down from an already abysmal 1.3%. And the growth in the second half is not going to be all that good for jobs and consumer spending

But these are charts of single data points. You can quibble that the Philly Fed could be influenced by something local or that the 1.6% number might be different this time. So Lance Roberts of Streettalk Advisors (with me looking over his shoulder) created an index that combines a number of economic indexes in an effort to build an index that is not subject to single (or double) indicators. The Streettalk/Mauldin Economic Output Index is composed of a weighted average of the following indexes:

Chicago Fed National Activity Index
Chicago PMI
The Streettalk ISM Composite Index
Richmond Fed Manufacturing Survey
Philly Fed Survey
Dallas Fed Survey
Kansas City Fed Survey
The National Federation of Independent Business Survey
Leading economic indicators

Note that there are six regional and national indicators, plus the NFIB survey, which is national. Lance’s index is not driven by one region or index or survey. When the combined indicator falls below 30, it has always indicated either that we are in a recession or about to be in one. The chart is overlaid, below, against GDP and LEI (leading economic indicators) – both tend to have a fairly high correlation to our Economic Output Composite Index. And LEI is currently supported by the yield spread and money supply (more on that below).

A few quick notes before the chart. First, note the increases in the index with the onset of QE1 and QE2 and the sharp drops when QE ends. The red at the end of the chart is the recent drop, and it takes us into recession territory. Recessions are indicated by gray bands

Note: I will be speaking at the Streettalk conference on October 14 in Houston, and tickets are currently on sale at www.streettalklive.com. David Rosenberg will also be speaking. They put on a very good conference at a reasonable price.

Now, a comment on the uptick in the leading economic indicators this week. Even the ECRI noted that it was because two of the financial components added to the positive numbers. One was the sharp rise in M2 money supply. But a lot of that is because people are going to cash, which is not all that positive from a macro viewpoint. The other is the steepness of the yield curve, which is being manipulated at the short end. Without their positive contributions, the index would be down 0.5%, down three of the last four months, and in a pattern that led to a recession in late 2007. Coincidence?

One last chart from Batman, I mean Rosie. Here he gives us the latest data from Larry Meyer’s Macroeconomic Advisers, where they track the real GDP index (inflation-adjusted). It is also in recession territory.

Housing is terrible. Existing-home sales were bad. The inventory for homes for sale grew, even as mortgage rates are at all-time lows. A 30-year mortgage is at 4.15%. It is possible we could see a 30-year mortgage with a “3” handle if we slip into recession. I could go on and on about the negative data, and may do so in future letters, but I will resist writing another book tonight, as we have a few other topics to cover.

The Bright Side of Europe’s Dysfunctionality

To say that the government of Europe is dysfunctional is an no-brainer. The bright side is that it makes the US government look slightly better, and that’s not saying a lot. This past week Nicholas Sarkozy asked Angela Merkel out, so they could decide what to do about the euro crisis. What they said was, we need yet another eurozone governing body overseeing fiscal debt and promises by governments not to run large deficits – like that has ever worked. And they unequivocally said “non” and “nein” to the idea of eurobonds, which everyone else says is vital if the euro is to survive. Oh, and we will harmonize our tax structures within five years. As if that solves the crisis today. Note to Nick and Angela: the problem is not tax structures, it is debt that cannot be repaid.

Lars Frisell is the chief economist for the Swedish group that regulates that nation’s banking system. Yesterday he was quoted as saying:

“It won’t take much for the interbank market to collapse. It’s not that serious at the moment, but it feels like it could very easily become that way and that everything will freeze.” (hat tip, Art Cashin)

My friend Porter Stansberry wrote today:

“In Europe, the problem is a bit different … and slightly more technical. Most of the debt in Europe is held by the big banks, not the sovereigns. Look at just two French banks, for example. Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas have combined deposits of a little more than 1 trillion euro. But they hold assets of 2.5 trillion euro. Those assets equal France's entire GDP.

“And those are only two of France's banks. Right now, the tangible capital ratios of these banks have fallen to levels that suggest they are probably bankrupt – like UniCredit in Italy and Deutsche Bank in Germany. BNP's tangible equity ratio is 2.85%. Credit Agricole's tangible equity ratio is 1.41%. (UniCredit's is 4.42%, and Deutsche Bank's is 1.92%).

“These banks have long been instruments of state policy in Europe. They've funded all kinds of government projects and favored industries. Making loans is far more popular with politicians than demanding repayment for loans. As a result, these banks are left with nothing in the kitty to repay their depositors. If there's a run on these banks (and there will be), how will they come up with money that's owed?”

I totally agree (although Porter is wrong about US debt). If there is a sovereign debt credit crisis in Europe, it is entirely possible that 80% of Europe’s banks will be technically insolvent, depending on the level of the crisis. Frisell could be eerily prescient. We gave them subprime; they may pay us back with their own crisis and in spades, as Dad used to say.

I really need to do a whole letter on Europe again soon. The next real crisis in Europe that is not bought off with yet more debt will push the world into recession. It is that serious. That is why the ECB keeps ignoring its charter and taking on bank debt and buying sovereign debt they know will be marked down.

The entire world economy now swings on the German voters and whether they will take on all of Europe’s debt, risking their own AAA status and putting themselves at serious risk. Supposedly, Finland wants collateral from Greece if it contributes its portion of a guarantee. Think every other country will not want some of that action? I simply do not have the space to go into it tonight, but this is VERY serious. Maybe next week. And just as I was getting ready to hit the send button, economy.com sent me an email entitled “Article: Europe's Leaders Know the Way but Lack the Will, by Tu Packard. Summary: The stability facility lacks credibility.”

That more than sums it up. Dysfunctional indeed.

We now need to turn to Governor Perry, our newest candidate for president.

The “Treasonous” Fed

I have been asked many times what I think about Governor Perry getting into the presidential race. Over six months ago he told me personally there was no way he would run, and he was serious when he said it. I believed him. But what I think happened in the interim is that he looked at the field of candidates and said, “I can play in that league.” And as long as he can keep from making any more gaffs like he did with his Fed comments, he can indeed play in the current field. He has the charm of being plainspoken and blunt, and that might just play well this year. Whether the country is ready for another Texan is a different question.

(Sidebar: my personal bet is that there are at least two and possibly three other potential candidates who would be taken seriously if they got into the race. They, too, have got to be saying, “Is this all I’m up against? I can play in this league. In fact, I might just be the MVP.” The lure of the presidency is a powerful one. My bet is we have not seen the final field of candidates. And it is not impossible that a challenger emerges on the Democratic side as well. Obama’s poll numbers, even among Democrats, are not good. This is a very interesting political year and as wide open as I can remember.)

But however injudicious Perry’s actual remarks were, he is right to call into question Fed actions. Why do I as your humble analyst get that right and politicians don’t? Let me be clear. I want a VERY independent Fed. I do not want Congress or the President dictating Fed policy. I do not like Senators holding up Fed nominations for political gain, whether it was Dodd fighting Bush over his nominees or current GOP senators fighting Obama over his. That is simply wrong in every way. But I think Fed actions are fair game for comment and disagreement. And I agree with Perry that QE2 was not helpful. It was not very wise policy – but that is a long way from “treasonous.” Let’s see if the electorate gives him a “mulligan” on that comment.

Think about this. The Fed announced this week that it would extend low rates until 2013. They are practically pushing people into higher-risk assets in a search for yield, at PRECISELY the time we may be slipping into recession, which will put those assets at their highest risk. I think this could end in tears and land those who are close to retirement in even worse shape.

Note to Governor Perry: If you want to learn how to properly criticize the Fed and the US government, go read the last ten speeches of another Texan, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher (who should be the next Fed chair!). Let’s take a look at a few paragraphs from his latest speech, this week (again, hat tip Art Cashin).

“I have spoken to this many times in public. Those with the capacity to hire American workers―small businesses as well as large, publicly traded or private―are immobilized. Not because they lack entrepreneurial zeal or do not wish to grow; not because they can’t access cheap and available credit. Rather, they simply cannot budget or manage for the uncertainty of fiscal and regulatory policy. In an environment where they are already uncertain of potential growth in demand for their goods and services and have yet to see a significant pickup in top-line revenue, there is palpable angst surrounding the cost of doing business. According to my business contacts, the opera buffa of the debt ceiling negotiations compounded this uncertainty, leaving business decision makers frozen in their tracks.

{Mauldin note: Opera buffa (Italian; plural, opere buffe) is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica.’ Us Texans have our literary abilities.}

“I would suggest that unless you were on another planet, no consumer with access to a television, radio or the Internet could have escaped hearing their president, senators and their congressperson telling them the sky was falling. With the leadership of the nation―Republicans and Democrats alike―and every talking head in the media making clear hour after hour, day after day in the run-up to Aug. 2 that a financial disaster was lurking around the corner, it does not take much imagination to envision consumers deciding to forego or delay some discretionary expenditure they had planned.

“Instead, they might well be inclined to hunker down to weather the perfect storm they were being warned was rapidly approaching. Watching the drama as it unfolded, I could imagine consumers turning to each other in millions of households, saying: ‘Honey, we need to cancel that trip we were planning and that gizmo or service we wanted to buy. We better save more and spend less.’ Small wonder that, following the somewhat encouraging retail activity reported in July, the Michigan survey measure of consumer sentiment released just recently had a distinctly sour tone.

“Importantly, from a business operator’s perspective, nothing was clarified, except that there will be undefined change in taxes, spending and subsidies and other fiscal incentives or disincentives. The message was simply that some combination of revenue enhancement and spending growth cutbacks will take place. The particulars are left to one’s imagination and the outcome of deliberations among 12 members of the Legislature.

“Now, put yourself in the shoes of a business operator. On the revenue side, you have yet to see a robust recovery in demand; growing your top-line revenue is vexing. You have been driving profits or just maintaining your margins through cost reduction and achieving maximum operating efficiency. You have money in your pocket or a banker increasingly willing to give you credit if and when you decide to expand.

“But you have no idea where the government will be cutting back on spending, what measures will be taken on the taxation front and how all this will affect your cost structure or customer base. Your most likely reaction is to cross your arms, plant your feet and say: ‘Show me. I am not going to hire new workers or build a new plant until I have been shown what will come out of this agreement.’

“Moreover, you might now say to yourself, ‘I understand from the Federal Reserve that I don’t have to worry about the cost of borrowing for another two years. Given that I don’t know how I am going to be hit by whatever new initiatives the Congress will come up with, but I do know that credit will remain cheap through the next election, what incentive do I have to invest and expand now? Why shouldn’t I wait until the sky is clear?’”

You can read the whole speech at http://www.dallasfed.org/news/speeches/fisher/2011/fs110817.cfm. In addition to his reasoning for his latest dissent at the Fed, Fisher also goes into detail about the Texas job-growth machine, which is what Perry will be touting.

Again from Art Cashin:

Bullard, of the St. Louis Fed, said “Policy should be set by the state of the economy, not according to the calendar,” pointing to the Fed’s decision to stand pat until mid-2013.

Next came the Philly Fed’s Plosser, who said, “There is a price to be paid” for monetary policy and that the Fed’s decision was “inappropriate policy at an inappropriate time.”

Now that, Rick, is how to take the Fed to task.

Some Final Thoughts

If we are headed into recession, and I think we are, then the stock market has a long way to go to reach its next bottom, as do many risk assets. Income is going to be king, as well as cash (and cash is a position, as I often remind readers).

If we go into recession, we’ll know several things. Recessions are by definition deflationary. Yields on bonds will go down, much further than the market thinks today. And while the Fed may decide to invoke QE3 to fight a deflation scare, the problem is not one of liquidity; it is a debt problem.

It is not unusual for a recession to last a year, which means it could well take us into next summer and election season. And while the NBER (the people who are the “official” recession scorecard keepers) will tell us when the recession started, about nine months after it has, it is unlikely they will give an all-clear before the election.

There is little stomach for more fiscal stimulus. The drive is to cut spending. Fed policy is impotent. Unemployment will rise yet again and tax receipts will fall and expenses related to unemployment benefits will rise, putting further pressure on the deficit. Already, 40 million of our citizens are on food stamps. Wal-Mart notes that shoppers come into their stores late at night on the last day of the month and wait until midnight, when their new allotment of food stamps is activated.

It is hard to see at this moment what pulls us out, other than the blood, sweat, and tears of American entrepreneurs. Fisher is right; the US government should create certainty, create policies to foster new business, and get out of the way.

So, I guess I am going out on a limb, without any help from an inverted yield curve, and saying that we will be in recession within 12 months, if we are not already in one. This will be unlike any recession we have seen, as there is not much that can be done, other than to just get through it as best we can. Sit down and think about your own situation and prepare.

And frankly, for those of us who are entrepreneurs, this will offer some very interesting opportunities. I am not one for digging a hole and crawling in it. Stay aware of what can be done and create your own solutions!

Some Hope and Needed Help, Plus Travels

I will be the keynote speaker and honoree in Atlanta at the Hedge Funds Care Southeast Benefit on November 9th. The online registration link is http://www.hedgefundscare.org/event.asp?eventID=74. This group raises money for abused children, and their numbers are growing as the economy gets worse. You participation is appreciated. They are doing a special small private lunch with me as well, so take a look.

I will also be speaking at the Singularity Summit in New York, October 15-16. Rather than focusing on the bad news, this conference looks at how wonderful and bright our future is. I love these guys and am honored to be included. You can find out more and register at http://www.singularitysummit.com/program. If you are interested at all in the future, you should consider coming.

I am home for another 30+ days, and I need it. Starting in late September, my schedule once again gets crazy. Europe (Ireland for four days on a fact-finding trip, as I think Ireland is the true “ground zero” in Europe; but that’s just me) plus Geneva and London. It looks like a quick trip to South Africa (seeing Dubai as a long layover on the way), Houston, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, some place in Maryland, and then Atlanta. I am enjoying my time in Dallas. One of the twins (Amanda) and her husband moved down last week, so now six of seven kids are near Dad. Just one more to go, and she should graduate in December.

Even being home, this has been a very busy week and tough all the way around. It seems that the demands on my personal bandwidth just keep increasing, even as my growing staff takes on more and more of the load. Without them I would crash and burn. I am not complaining, as many in our industry are looking for work. I know I am blessed beyond any reasonable measure.

There are 243 emails in my personal inbox. If one of them is yours, I will try and get to it as soon as I can. But I do enjoy hearing from my readers, as it keeps me grounded. I intend to catch up some this weekend, even while making it to the gym. I am taking the time while home to make sure I get into the gym.

Have a great week. And remember, we get through this. Time passes faster every year. We will get through this decade and then be set up for the biggest bull market of our lives. Patience, grasshopper.

Your wishing he had better news analyst,

John Mauldin
John@FrontlineThoughts.com

Copyright 2011 John Mauldin. All Rights Reserved.

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