1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast. I'm Tom Keane. Along 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,039 Speaker 1: with Jonathan Ferroll and Lisa A. Brawmowitz. Daily we bring 3 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:17,159 Speaker 1: you insight from the best and economics, finance, investment, and 4 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:23,320 Speaker 1: international relations. Find Bloomberg Surveillance on Apple podcast, SoundCloud, Bloomberg 5 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:29,960 Speaker 1: dot Com, and of course, on the Bloomberg terminal. This 6 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,199 Speaker 1: is a joy on radio and television and for those 7 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: of you on digital as well in its entirety. Richard 8 00:00:34,840 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: hass As a Council on Foreign Relations. We celebrate his 9 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,919 Speaker 1: new book coming out on American Citizenship. We'll look for 10 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: that in January. I'm told the movie rights have been sold. 11 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: Bread Pitt scheduled to play Richard uh Here the Bill 12 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: of Obligations and Ten Habits of Good Citizens. But Ambassador, 13 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 1: I really feel strongly we need to switch to what 14 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:59,000 Speaker 1: you built at the Council on Foreign Relations with Elizabeth 15 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: Economy and David Sex. You have been definitive in the 16 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,600 Speaker 1: last three weeks on China. Nobody's done it better than you. 17 00:01:06,160 --> 00:01:09,760 Speaker 1: On your website, I want you to synthesize together all 18 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: you and your experts. Experts have learned about how this 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: president of China gets from Pelosi to the Party Congress. 20 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: Well has challenge Tom, is that what's worked for China 21 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: for the last three or four decades, not just for 22 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: Siji and Paying, but for his predecessors and for the 23 00:01:28,480 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: Communist Party, has been the deliverance of high levels of 24 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: economic growth. That was the basic bargain with Chinese citizens. 25 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: You don't worry so much about political rights, but we'll 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: give you an ever improving standard of living. The problem 27 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 1: for the Chinese, though, is not now. Because of everything 28 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: from their own economic mismanagement to COVID, the mismanagement there, 29 00:01:49,800 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: to supply chain issues, you name, name it, the leadership 30 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: cannot deliver that anymore. And the question in is how 31 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: do you how do you justify a country of one 32 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: point three billion being run by ninety million, which is 33 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: the Communist Party. And my concern, and I think a 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: lot of observers concerned, is that increasingly the substitute is 35 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 1: going to be nationalism. That explains not what I would 36 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 1: call the reaction, but the overreaction to the speaker's trip. 37 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 1: But I see ambassadors were all looking through the rose 38 00:02:19,960 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: colored glasses of having to have read eight hundred pages 39 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: of Jonathan Spence years ago. The fact is Elizabeth Economy 40 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: is written like no one on the fragility that he 41 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 1: may face at the party conference and at the federal level. 42 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,399 Speaker 1: How fragile do you believe he is as he goes 43 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,880 Speaker 1: into these important meetings. Actually, don't think he's all that fragile. 44 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: If you think about the anti corruption drive Tom, whatever 45 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: impact it had on corruption, what we also know is 46 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,239 Speaker 1: it had an enormous impact on removing any opposition to 47 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: sees and thing. So my sense this November and maybe 48 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: not a complete coronation, but he's going to get that 49 00:02:58,880 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: that their term. There may be some limits on his 50 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: soul leadership, but I think it's a pretty safe bet. 51 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:08,320 Speaker 1: The odds are extremely high that he will get a 52 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: third term and conceivably even more than that one day. Richard, 53 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: you've been a leading voice on this, and I think 54 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: it's so so important to go over what you just 55 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: said moments ago. That's political legitimacy through nationalism and not 56 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: through economic stability. That's a change to shift, and Richard, 57 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: I wonder what you think that looks like for the 58 00:03:24,880 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: next couple of years and what we need to be 59 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:30,920 Speaker 1: wary of. Well, the words mean, Jonathan, uh, what it 60 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: looks like I'm we're already seeing it is China's established 61 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:37,320 Speaker 1: a much more muscular baseline against Taiwan. What they've been 62 00:03:37,360 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: doing in the last few weeks, which, by the way, 63 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: it was being developed over the course of months and years, 64 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: it wasn't a spontaneous response, far far too elaborate, far 65 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: too large. Well, that's now become the new normal. We're 66 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,920 Speaker 1: seeing a much higher level of exercises, many more encroachments 67 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: into air space and c space near Taiwan. China has 68 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: been building up it's military for years. My guess is 69 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: one the lessons of they'll take from the Ukraine War 70 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:05,600 Speaker 1: is they've got to build off certain types of conventional forces, 71 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 1: also their nuclear forces. They will conclude from Ukraine that 72 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 1: the reason the United States has not gotten directly involved 73 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 1: is because of Russia's enormous nuclear arsenal. Watch China's nuclear expansion. 74 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: It's going to be robust, so my senses, over the 75 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: next few years, they are going to increasingly fill out 76 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: their their military strength. They're going to demonstrate it in 77 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: the hopes of intimidating others. Ironically, Jonathan, it could well 78 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 1: have exactly the opposite effect. China's foreign policy has been 79 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,840 Speaker 1: is and probably will be heavy handed, and what they're 80 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: doing is increasingly turning up the level of alarm and 81 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: among its neighbors, above all Japan, to some extent, Taiwan, Australia, 82 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: obviously the United States. That's where we are, Richard. One 83 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: speculation has been that perhaps it won't turn into a 84 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: hot war in the very near term, but you will 85 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: see China clamp down and isolate Taiwan basically and not 86 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: allowing expor or imports at a time when Taiwan is 87 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: the main exporter of semiconductor chips. This a major potential 88 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,280 Speaker 1: risks of the global economy. How realistic do you see 89 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:13,160 Speaker 1: that as an outcome that could plausibly happen? And what's 90 00:05:13,160 --> 00:05:16,839 Speaker 1: the US response? It's a good point lea sorority beginning 91 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: to see certain economic sanctions against Taiwan and Taiwan, Japan, 92 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: South Korea and others have made a I think a 93 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:28,960 Speaker 1: terrible strategic era. They have allowed themselves to become overwhelmingly 94 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: dependent on their needs to export to China and their 95 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: need to import from China. This excuse them China enormous 96 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: leverage over its neighbors. So one of the real challenges 97 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: I would say going forward is whether China's neighbors begin 98 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:48,040 Speaker 1: to reduce their trade dependence on the mainland. And then, yes, 99 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: as you suggest, we've also got a race here in 100 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,520 Speaker 1: the semiconductor world whether we can somehow reduce Taiwan's centrality, 101 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: not by doing anything to Taiwan, by increasing our own 102 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,159 Speaker 1: capabilities and that of others. But my, that's that's that's 103 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: a project of years, not not much, Richard. We really 104 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 1: need to continue this conversation another time. It is so 105 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: so important, and again you've been a leading voice on it, 106 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: and I followed you over the last couple of weeks. 107 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:12,799 Speaker 1: Is after that trip from speaking below to the Taiwan 108 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: and I think this is going to be something we 109 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 1: all need to pay attention to. Richard House there of 110 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:23,839 Speaker 1: the Council on Foreign Relations, let's speak English right now. 111 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: We can do that with Anasteis Ramosa, the chief investment 112 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: strategist at I Capital. Anastasia the SMP up sevent from 113 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:31,839 Speaker 1: the June low. Then that's that one hundred up close 114 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: to twenty three percent from the June low. When do 115 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: we stop calling this of their market rally? Well, maybe 116 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: i've read about now John and I think the market 117 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: probably does not move materially higher from here. I think 118 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,440 Speaker 1: forty three hundred will likely continue to be a resistance. 119 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: But probably the biggest takeaway that maybe we don't have 120 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 1: to retest the laws that we have seen of thirty 121 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: seven hundred. And the reason I say that, I think 122 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:57,839 Speaker 1: there is enough that's changed fundamentally to to justify that. 123 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: The reason why we were back at dirty seven hundreds 124 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,240 Speaker 1: were worried about the FED depressing valuations, and we're worried 125 00:07:04,279 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: about the types of cuts that we need to take 126 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: to the next twelve month of earnings or three. And 127 00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:13,320 Speaker 1: as we look around today, as inflation is easing, it's 128 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: giving the FED more wiggle rooms. So perhaps they don't 129 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: have to continue to depress those valuations. Because even if 130 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: the high hundred basis points tom that's already god in 131 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: in the stage of the continuum. Here of the inflation 132 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: curve is a complete mystery. There's a couple of kinks. 133 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: We don't know where it's going to stop along the way. 134 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:34,520 Speaker 1: Maybe it's a glide to whatever. If inflation in the 135 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: US and globally comes down more rapidly than the wisdom, 136 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,280 Speaker 1: what does that do to your stock market call, well, 137 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: I think it props it up significantly. I mean, we 138 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: were just talking about Home Depot and Walmart, and this 139 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: would be as the types of stock that I would 140 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,280 Speaker 1: not be bullish on in this environment. However, if inflation 141 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: does ease up and all of a sudden, consumers have 142 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: more wiggle room in their budgets to spend on things 143 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: that are not just this inials, and that props up 144 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,560 Speaker 1: that sector. You know, if inflation eases up and the 145 00:08:04,600 --> 00:08:06,840 Speaker 1: FED eases up as a result of it, then we 146 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: can expect more from technology shares, from the high growth stocks, 147 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 1: and so on and so forth. So I think that's 148 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: a very important dynamic. But I think Tom, in order 149 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,720 Speaker 1: for us to matually break above forty three hundred, and 150 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: for us to work our way Highers, we need to 151 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:26,120 Speaker 1: see earnings revisions actually turn the other way around. The 152 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: reason why I say forty three hundred seems to be 153 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 1: the cap is because it's based on that hundred and 154 00:08:30,880 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: two hundred forty dollars of next all month earnings and 155 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 1: a multiple that's somewhere around seventeen and a half times. 156 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,080 Speaker 1: You know, how much more we're willing to pay. I 157 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: think the FED would probably need to ease up on 158 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,640 Speaker 1: policy a lot in order for us to justify paying more. 159 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: And you know how much can economy accelerate to justify 160 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: higher earnings. I don't think that's the outcome right now. 161 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: That's exactly where I wanted to go. Do you think 162 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 1: that it's too cute to believe that the FED is 163 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,360 Speaker 1: going to push back against the essentially easing and financial 164 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: conditions that we've seen over the past weeks. Yes, there's 165 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: so much talk about that. And first of all, if 166 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: you look at the easing of the conditions, most of 167 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: that occurred in equities. And if you look at something 168 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:11,960 Speaker 1: like the Goldman Sachs financial condition, and it certainly is up, 169 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,720 Speaker 1: but it's still well off where it was just in 170 00:09:14,760 --> 00:09:17,120 Speaker 1: the beginning of the year, and it's roughly out of 171 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,200 Speaker 1: twenty year average. I think, yes, there's been easy on 172 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,880 Speaker 1: the market on the on the margin, but it's not 173 00:09:22,960 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: been that significant. The second thing that I would say 174 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:30,440 Speaker 1: is I think Fetcher Powell actually outlined a pretty good 175 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,560 Speaker 1: reaction reaction function. First of all, he said that they 176 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 1: want to be a little bit more cautious as they 177 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: get to neutral, and we're now close to neutral. Uh, 178 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: they also want to be a little bit more cautious 179 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 1: because they know that the typing that since the system 180 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: acts with a lag and we put a lot of tightening, 181 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,280 Speaker 1: and he said these words that there's more tightening in 182 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: the pipeline. So let's just see how that plays out. 183 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: And then the third part of this reaction function that 184 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: he's outlined is if inflation continues to surprise to the upside, 185 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: we will do more. But if it does in there's 186 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: probably a case for us to do less. And you know, 187 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: to Tom's point, we are chipping away at more and 188 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: more pieces of the inflation puzzle. So I think against 189 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: all that the Fed can actually maybe let the financial 190 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:15,559 Speaker 1: conditions he's up a little bit and still do a 191 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: little bit less going forward at least. Did you hear well? 192 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: I think I heard, which is cham and Pound did 193 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,560 Speaker 1: a good jump? Did you hear that? Yeah? But I 194 00:10:22,559 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: think I guess and actually just said Schamon Pound did 195 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: a good jump. I think that she's not alone in 196 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: thinking that Some people think that the ambiguity are just 197 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:31,360 Speaker 1: sort of holding the line is the way to go 198 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: of my capital. We are thrilled to bring you Brian 199 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,400 Speaker 1: Nagle out of Wharton he's with OpCo Oppenheimer in company 200 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:47,719 Speaker 1: with the optimistic John Stulfus. Mr Nagel is forced a 201 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: gunpoint to look at the glass is half full every morning. 202 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: He's also expert on retail, Brian, who wins it retail 203 00:10:57,320 --> 00:11:00,520 Speaker 1: in the next eighteen months to two years of the 204 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:05,439 Speaker 1: different segments, which is your strong by Yeah, good morning, 205 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:07,959 Speaker 1: So look, I we we I think I'll answer that 206 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:09,800 Speaker 1: one way. But we saw I think a very strong 207 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:12,439 Speaker 1: report from from Home Depot today, you know, So I 208 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:16,439 Speaker 1: think the home improvement category from a category perspective, is 209 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: a winner in in retail over the time frame you 210 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: laid out, Tom. I also tend to think, look, I 211 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: think the at leisure category, you know, and that's why 212 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: I need names like Nike and Lulu Limit I think 213 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: are very well positioned here. Then another category that I've 214 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: been recommending for a while, which I think there's a 215 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: lot of underlying strength at this point, is the autoparts 216 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: category and leading operators such as auto Zone and and 217 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: A Riley. I mean, the commonality across all these is 218 00:11:43,679 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: your you know, they're healthy spaces with good underlying consumer 219 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: demand and then dominated by really strong, highly functional, good 220 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,560 Speaker 1: operating good operating companies. Bryan, Let's stick with Home Depot 221 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,439 Speaker 1: for a second, because you really pinpointed on that if 222 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:02,600 Speaker 1: you're so optimistic, if it's doing so well, why are 223 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: the shares down more than and lower and pre market 224 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: trading after the earnings report? Sure? So, look, I mean, 225 00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: there's no secret out there. There's a lot of market 226 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: concerns and I know some of your other guests just 227 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: talking about this, a lot of market concerns about a 228 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,679 Speaker 1: forthcoming recession in the United States, and if any of 229 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: us take out our recessionary playbook, home improvement and housing 230 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:25,679 Speaker 1: would be victims. Okay, And that's that's what the That's 231 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: what's been happening with the market here, you know, is 232 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 1: you look at the conversations I have with our clients 233 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:33,520 Speaker 1: every day, you know, is whether or not there's a 234 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: recession coming, and then whether recession is coming to how 235 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: severe is going to be. And I think the market 236 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: right now is very much continued to take the view, 237 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:43,720 Speaker 1: you know, despite a lot of signals otherwise that that 238 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 1: recession is on the way. That's what's happening with Home Depot. 239 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: You know what I find so fascinating right now is 240 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: as you look at that is a backdrop with the marketplace. 241 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:56,559 Speaker 1: If you look at home results today. Okay, we could 242 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: benet picky that their traffic was weaker off a very 243 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:01,760 Speaker 1: strong aults over the last couple of years, but I 244 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: think the overall results are very strong and very unsuggestive 245 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 1: of any type of economic downturn or recession. Do you 246 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: really have this argument going on the market list? Well, 247 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,320 Speaker 1: but in fairness, though, you are seeing even Walmart, even 248 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:15,120 Speaker 1: though they beat expectations that they had already ratcheted down, 249 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,840 Speaker 1: they are talking about billions of dollars of canceled orders, 250 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:21,320 Speaker 1: a number of headwinds. They have downgraded their forecasts over 251 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,959 Speaker 1: the past few months, in addition to the likes of Target. 252 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: At what point do you see more headwinds than you're 253 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,319 Speaker 1: making out in terms of the consumer not being able 254 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,280 Speaker 1: to spend as much, being more discretionary in terms of 255 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 1: what they decided to buy given the high price of 256 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: basic stables. Yeah, look, it's okay, It's a great question. 257 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: So you know, if you kind of compare contrasts, like 258 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,679 Speaker 1: a home deeople in a Walmart too, again too very 259 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 1: dominant retailers, right, but positioned differently. I mean home depot 260 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,719 Speaker 1: given what they sell, and that's home improvement products, which 261 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:54,559 Speaker 1: are largely to homeowners or professional customers. You know, they're 262 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 1: they're dealing with generally speaking, a higher and consumer arguably 263 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: one consumer. It's more insulated econom the pressures. You know, 264 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: Walmart is different. Okay, well, walm Walmart tends to you know, 265 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: to cater to lower middle income consumers that are more 266 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,959 Speaker 1: susceptible to economic economic pressures. Now, my colleague at Alpenheimer 267 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:14,079 Speaker 1: covers very closely Walmarts. I would leave the investment opinions 268 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: to him, but I think that's one big difference between 269 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,320 Speaker 1: those companies. You're serving a different consumer. Now, what I 270 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 1: would start if you look at home depot or other 271 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:27,320 Speaker 1: companies that are serving these generally more affluent type consumers. Look, 272 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: I think there you have, you know, to the extent 273 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: we start to see real job issues which were not 274 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: yet you know, that would that would start to concern 275 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 1: me more from the consumer spending standpoint. But like right now, 276 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:41,440 Speaker 1: I think overall, again, there there's weakness, there's some weakness 277 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:44,280 Speaker 1: out there, but overall consumer spending is holding up quite well. 278 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: And can you just finish up by telling us what 279 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: the correlation is between house prices and home deep hog profits. 280 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,200 Speaker 1: Then this is important given them we own expecting the 281 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:56,000 Speaker 1: housing market to take a real bating. Does that name 282 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: hold up in that world? Yeah? So, look, it's it's 283 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: so when I think about the various macro factors that 284 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:07,120 Speaker 1: drive demand at home depot, home price appreciation is key, okay, 285 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,400 Speaker 1: And it's the home price appreciation always and over time. Essentially, 286 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: what happens is if I'm a homeowner, Okay, my home 287 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:17,560 Speaker 1: is appreciating in value, I viewed that home as more investment, 288 00:15:17,560 --> 00:15:20,880 Speaker 1: really and make investments at that home that's either remodeling 289 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: projects or in some cases just maintenance. So if if 290 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:25,520 Speaker 1: if I were to you know, if if we were 291 00:15:25,520 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: to know, if I were to learn that home prices 292 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: across the United States would decline in some dramatic fashion, 293 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 1: that would be a negative for home people, no question. Okay, 294 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:37,120 Speaker 1: I don't think we're seeing that right now. There's always 295 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 1: pockets across the country, and you know, certain areas maybe 296 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,480 Speaker 1: that overvalue just johing to see some softness at home prices. 297 00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: But you know, as of the last data, home price 298 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: appreciation in the United States is very much intact. And 299 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,640 Speaker 1: I really think that's a key to positive driver of 300 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,160 Speaker 1: demand for home depot and also to get you thillis 301 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,680 Speaker 1: brogo that on the lightest with housing and home depot 302 00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:03,359 Speaker 1: and retail. Right now, Gregory Daco joins US chief Economist 303 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: and E why Parthenon with there instant younger of course, 304 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 1: and we're thrilled he could join this morning, Greg. One 305 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:11,960 Speaker 1: of the great debates we're having here as an optimism 306 00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 1: seen out of part of JP Morgan this morning on 307 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: inflation coming down faster. That buttress is up against your 308 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: good analysis of a recession or lack thereof, because a 309 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 1: recession needs to be persistent, profound and pervasive. Is our 310 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: inflation persistent, profound and pervasive? I think Tom, we're in 311 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: an environment that's quite unique. I know there are a 312 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: lot of desires to compare the current situation to prior instances, 313 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 1: prior cycles. We were just talking about the housing slowdown. UM, 314 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: I don't think we're in the oh, seven oh eight 315 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,840 Speaker 1: type of environment. We have household finances that are generally 316 00:16:50,040 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: still healthy in terms of wealth at elevated levels, in 317 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: terms of leverage at twenty year lows UM and in 318 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: terms of excess savings. Those are good conditions entering this 319 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,000 Speaker 1: type of environment where there will be a slowdown led 320 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:09,000 Speaker 1: by interest rate sensitive sectors. That is, as we were saying, 321 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 1: what the Fed intends to do. It intends to cool demand. 322 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:15,000 Speaker 1: The housing sector alone is not enough. It wants to 323 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:19,000 Speaker 1: cool the broader set of of indicators in terms of 324 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 1: demand and hope that inflation follows suit. So I would 325 00:17:22,640 --> 00:17:25,520 Speaker 1: expect to see persistence in inflation, but I think the 326 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 1: key theme on the inflation front is going to be 327 00:17:27,600 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: that divergence between headline inflation and core inflation. Headline inflation 328 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: is going to cool with accelerating momentum thanks to energy prices, 329 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 1: but core inflation is likely to sort more persistence going 330 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: into next year. Greg, you just went through the strength 331 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:43,400 Speaker 1: of household bane shapes and you brought us some applcate 332 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:45,320 Speaker 1: numbers when you look at low income, middle income and 333 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:49,040 Speaker 1: how high income households is the same true from one 334 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: group to the other. Well, I think we are going 335 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: to come out of this, this COVID crisis with a 336 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:57,720 Speaker 1: K shaped recovery. I know that K shaped recovery was 337 00:17:57,920 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: the theme of of last year, but I think we 338 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: have to be conscious of the fact that inflation is 339 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,640 Speaker 1: not affecting everyone in the same way. So lower families 340 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 1: that spend more on gas, on rent, on food are 341 00:18:07,080 --> 00:18:10,280 Speaker 1: likely to be disproportionately affected by this high inflation environment 342 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,399 Speaker 1: and see their ability to spend being constrained. The higher 343 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 1: income families less. So inflation is still going to be 344 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:19,360 Speaker 1: a concern and a constraint on spending overall, but it's 345 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:21,879 Speaker 1: not going to affect everyone in the same way. I 346 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,480 Speaker 1: think when we look at the housing market and the 347 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: direction of the housing market, what we are starting to 348 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: see is that there is this weakening in home sales 349 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 1: which has already occurred over the past six months. That's 350 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:36,360 Speaker 1: feeding through to home builders sentiment. It will feed through 351 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,679 Speaker 1: two starts. I think there is further to go to 352 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: the downside in terms of housing activity, um, but that 353 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: will take place over the next few months. It's not 354 00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: over yet. We're likely to see some further downside on 355 00:18:47,880 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 1: the housing front when it comes to overall home building activity. 356 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:53,119 Speaker 1: So what are you looking for, Greg? In order to 357 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: determine how deep the downturn will be? We talk about 358 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,160 Speaker 1: soft landing and hard landing, and it kind of conflates 359 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 1: this idea of a slow down that is probably expected 360 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: across the board. What are you looking at. Well, what 361 00:19:07,040 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: I'm looking at is what businesses are doing. We are 362 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: in this unique environment where businesses that we talked to 363 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:17,359 Speaker 1: are still talking about hiring workers at a slower pace, 364 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: but they're still talking about hiring workers. We recently hosted 365 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,399 Speaker 1: the E Y CEO Roundtable and one of the key 366 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:26,399 Speaker 1: indicators that I paid close attention to is what I 367 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 1: call the talent gradient. How companies are reacting to this 368 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:34,280 Speaker 1: expected slowdown in economic demand. And what we are hearing 369 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: is that businesses are looking to initially slow hiring rather 370 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 1: than proceed with massive layoffs. That's the first option, slow hiring, 371 00:19:43,040 --> 00:19:46,680 Speaker 1: than strategic hiring freezes, then strategic layoffs, and then more 372 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: broad based layoffs. But the talent gradient has moved up, 373 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: and what that means in terms of the potential for 374 00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 1: consumers to continue spending is that that should support household 375 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:59,360 Speaker 1: income going forward. The same is true for business investment. 376 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: Businesses are still looking to build resilience. They're not retrenching, 377 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:06,640 Speaker 1: and that's another encouraging sign in terms of this potential 378 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:09,560 Speaker 1: recession being milder than the prior ones that we just 379 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 1: lived through, at least for the upper tiers or the 380 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:14,480 Speaker 1: middle class and the upper middle class and the wealthy, 381 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:16,639 Speaker 1: but not necessarily the lower class right, which are being 382 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: hit on both sides. Right, you're seeing the cutbacks happening 383 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,240 Speaker 1: more there because there aren't the workers, and the wages 384 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 1: are going up much more quickly. What are the longer 385 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 1: term consequences of the K shaped recovery that you're talking about. Well, 386 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,119 Speaker 1: I think one of the key consequences of this K 387 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:34,359 Speaker 1: shaped recovery is that we're going to see a different 388 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:37,080 Speaker 1: approach to labor going forward. We're going to see an 389 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,720 Speaker 1: approach in which labor is ued as much more valuable 390 00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: than it was pre COVID. An environment where there is 391 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: there are difficulties to find the appropriate labor to train 392 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,200 Speaker 1: them to pay them will mean that companies are more 393 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:52,400 Speaker 1: likely to retain their workers with more interest but there 394 00:20:52,440 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: are they are going to be strategic when it comes 395 00:20:54,800 --> 00:20:57,719 Speaker 1: to which sectors they're working in. Sectors that are seeing 396 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: the more severe slow down in economic activity are likely 397 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: to be the ones that transition more at a faster 398 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,760 Speaker 1: pace from this reduced hiring process towards more massive layoffs. 399 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: So we are likely to be in an environment where 400 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: both higher inflation and higher interest rates and this different 401 00:21:14,840 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: talent gradient affect the response of consumers and their ability 402 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 1: to navigate through this period of uncertainty. But really my 403 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,000 Speaker 1: key focus right now is what businesses are doing. We 404 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 1: know there's a consumer slowdown underway. We haven't seen yet 405 00:21:29,119 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 1: a massive slowdown in terms of business investment and hiring, 406 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:34,760 Speaker 1: and that will be key engaging whether we do end 407 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 1: up in a recession and how severe that recession is. 408 00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 1: Greg also gonna get your reaction to that. I said 409 00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:41,440 Speaker 1: looking ahead to rerate out sounds that sounds next step 410 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: for this economic grega that of a y path and on. 411 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: This is the Bloomberg Surveillance Podcast. Thanks for listening. Join 412 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,120 Speaker 1: us live week days from seven to ten AMI Eastern 413 00:21:52,359 --> 00:21:56,400 Speaker 1: on Bloomberg Radio and on Bloomberg Television each day from 414 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: six to nine am for insight from the best and economics, finance, investment, 415 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,879 Speaker 1: and international relations. And subscribe to the Surveillance podcast on 416 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: Apple podcast, SoundCloud, Bloomberg dot com, and of course on 417 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: the terminal. I'm Tom keene In. This is Bloomberg