But hope was soon dashed. Stocks fell 40% by April 1942. The victory at Midway turned around the war, and the markets.
Note one of the darkest periods was May 1940, Dunkirk, and the fear the Nazis would win. One of the worst months for stocks in the 20th century.
3/8
While stocks look like they did well during WW2, up about 40% during the war, inflation was such a big problem that they underperformed the CPI for a decade.
The "real," or inflation-adjusted SPX lost.
4/8
This can be seen here. The only things to beat CPI during WW2 was the CRB and small stocks (the WW2 version of Ark!).
Note that in the 1940s, ETF or index funds did not exist. Buying small stocks was incredibly hard, like buying individual emerging/frontier stocks today.
5/8
Turning to WW1, the data is a bit sparse.
The war started Jul 28, 1914. The US financial markets closed from Jul 30 to Dec 14, 1914. When they opened, the DJIA was 29% lower.
During this period the recessions (shaded) were the market closure and the Spanish Flu (red box).
6/8
Also have interest rates for that period. They boomed.
7/8
Prices boom during WW1. They more than doubled. And like WW2, stocks could not beat CPI.
So, while stocks did advance during WW1 and WW2, you were worse off as inflation and prices advanced more.
8/8
Conclusion
The rally in stocks last week looks like the Sept 1939. Let's see how long the overlay holds, because if it does, it will get really ugly.
During both WW1 and WW2 stocks could not beat CPI, similar to now, the SPX has lagged CPI for a year now.
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The immediate pushback is familiar: this “supply shock” will hurt real growth, so the Fed should cut rates.
This well-known economist has been making exactly that argument.
3/4
That is only half the equation. A supply shock hurts growth, but it also raises inflation, so the real question is which side dominates.
In 2022, inflation rose more than real growth fell: the blue CPI line and arrow moved sharply higher while the green real-GDP bars and arrow moved modestly lower. The bottom panel shows the Fed’s answer: hikes, not cuts, as the federal funds rate moved from near zero in early 2022 to above 4% by year-end 2022.
Why? When inflation rises faster than growth falls, nominal growth (real GDP plus inflation) rises. If today’s oil shock does the same thing as 2022, the correct takeaway is not automatic cuts. It is possible that the Fed may have to stand pat or even consider hiking.
Ten seafarers have now been killed in 13 attacks on merchant vessels since the Iran conflict erupted on February 28 — more than the 7 U.S. servicemen killed in the war.
The focal point is shifting: can the Strait of Hormuz be reopened? Is the Administration pivoting to that mission?
Every day without a visible path to reopening, the market will price in more risk.
A 10% increase in energy prices that persists for a year would push global inflation up by 40 basis points and slow economic growth by 0.1-0.2%, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.
So, what price measures "persists for a year?"
🧵
2/5
As the table below shows, crude oil futures prices for delivery into 2027 are trading in extreme backwardation.
3/5
Below is the calendar spread between the first contract (now April) and the 6th contract (now September).
As the bottom panel shows, this spread is -25%, a record since the mid-1990s when the contract specifications were last changed.