Stock Strategists Are Getting Nervous About the Market

The sharp gains in stock prices so far this year coupled with continued low volatility are making some market strategists nervous. Despite low inflation and stable growth, an increasing number are urging caution.

They admit that the rally could continue for a while if earnings continue to improve and bond yields remain low, but the fact remains that the current bull market in stocks has entered its ninth year.

(Related: Bob Doll Sees Stocks Rising; Scores His 10 Predictions)

In addition, the economy is expected to continue its moderate growth of around 2% a year, despite the 2.6% annualized growth rate reported in the initial reading for second-quarter GDP growth, and interest rates are more likely to rise than fall much from current levels given Federal Reserve policy to hike short-term rates at least once more this year and to begin unloading its quantitative easing purchases in an effort to reduce its balance sheet.

Raymond James’ models “suggest this static period is ending with a downside attempt due,” writes Jeffrey Saut, the firm’s chief investment strategist, in a recent market commentary. “Given that potential, our advice (unlike our advice since April) is to not buy into the first dip if it does indeed happen.”

Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist of U.S. equity strategy at CFRA, writes, “The S&P 500 is entering into a historically challenging two-month stretch and the market is long overdue for a decline of 5%+.” But he adds that “since we see no recession on the horizon, however, a decline should not lead to devastation.”

Prices Have Risen Too High Too Fast

Stocks have been climing to records highs at an unprecedented speed. The Dow Jones industrial average has set three thousand-point milestones in a calendar year for the first time, and it broke above 20,000, then 22,000 in a matter of months. Those last two moves were “big jumps in a short time,” writes Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at the Commonwealth Financial Network. In contrast, he notes, it “took years of basebuilding” for the two previous big breaks — through 14,000 and 18,000.

Previous climbs to milestones in 2006-2007 and 1998-2000 that followed extended periods of flat markets, similar to 2015 and much of 2016, and had little pullback afterward led to massive price declines. The stock market didn’t recover for years.

“Right now with confidence high, with earnings doing very well and much better than expected and with market psychology bullish and likely to get more so, more gains in the market are quite likely,” writes McMillan. “At the same time, you could have said the same … in 2006 and 1999.”

Volatility Remains Extremely Low