We have had, for months, an inverted yield curve. If you have that situation for more than a momentary blip, it suggests a recession is on the way. Then there’s the LEIs, leading economic indicators. They have come in negative for 16 straight releases. That’s not a misprint. Every month for 16 months, the LEIs have determined negative action in the economy.
And we have China. Their economy is on the ropes in many ways and like it or not, we’re connected at the hip with them. Not to mention the sky high P/Es on many of our biggest stocks, nor the fact that all these earnings beats you hear about are only because estimates have been lowered to the ground!!
And we the BRICS meeting in South Africa. There’s been all manner of speculation concerning just what exactly they’re going to come away with. Is Saudi Arabia going to announce they’re now a full blown member? Are they truly going to announce their gold backed currency for use in trade between member nations?
It’s not often that you have a specific week, where the economic structure of the world could literally change. That’s exciting and frightening at the same time.