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November 05, 2009 at 07:00 PM
The stock market has fallen a bit in the last few weeks. This is due to a combination of factors, including disappointing macroeconomic news (housing, employment) and a few bad earnings reports.
I’m not worried that this is the start of a new move down in stock prices. I know that seems to be the prevailing view of many pundits, but there are reasons to be a little more optimistic.
First off, interest rates are very low. Investors need to generate return, and that isn’t possible through CD’s. There is still plenty of money on the sidelines, and I believe that investors will continue committing to risky assets, including stocks and bonds, because they have no other choice.
My long-held belief is that rates will stay low, which will likely put a floor on prices. But if I’m wrong and the Fed raises rates, it would signal increased confidence in the economic recovery. The U.S. dollar would appreciate, which would make our assets more attractive the foreign investors. This would likely cause stocks to rise, and since credit spreads are still wide, would not dramatically increase borrowing rates.
