Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Edward Yardeni, president and chief investment strategist at Yardeni Research, says it is possible that long-term recession predictors like the inverted yield curve and leading indicators may not be right this time, but mostly because the economy has been going through a series of recessions in various sectors. At the same time as those niche downturns, Yardeni says there have been simultaneous recoveries occurring in other portions of the economy, creating a counterbalance that has kept the United States out of a full-blown recession and which appears likely to keep it out of any protracted decline. Also on the show, John Cole Scott of Closed-End Fund Advisors and the Active Investment Company Alliance, talks about the widest discounts the closed-end fund industry has seen in decades and how that is a big buy signal right now. Plus, David Trainer of New Constructs puts ride-share company Lyft back in The Danger Zone, noting that its recent rebound shouldn't fool anyone into thinking the company is out of the woods and looking solid for the future.

Jordan Lopez, manager of the Payden High Income Fund, says that the healthy economy -- which he sees as being able to avoid a protracted and/or deep recession -- has high-yield securities in a good place, able to pay out returns that beat current inflation rates without much additional default risk. He notes that with a lot of high-yield debt currently having intermediate maturities, companies can be flexible and patient, which will help to guard against rising costs of capital until the rate trend turns. Also on the show, Lawrence McMillan, president of McMillan Analysis, says the market has been pushing against support levels and if it breaks through 4,300 on the Standard and Poor's 500, it could break out of its current range and fall significantly; still, he feels like most of the downside pressure is a short-term risk, with longer-term technical indicators holding up reasonably well. Plus, Christian Munafo of Liberty Street Advisors and the Private Shares Fund talks about burgeoning opportunities in private-equity and venture-capital investing, and David Miller of the Catalyst Mutual Funds talks in the Market Call about using insider-buying as a buy/sell factor in stock selection.

Robert Frick, corporate economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, says that, in hindsight, the economy was never in real danger of a recession because of the strong consumer and with the consumer now getting stronger the economy will be able to move forward at reasonable growth levels. Frick also calls the inverted yield curve and the leading economic indicators 'irrelevant,' noting that conditions were so changed by the pandemic that the key numbers to watch changed. He watches spending, and while he feels good about prospects, Frick is not optimistic due to economic challenges facing the nearly one-third of Americans who qualify as 'lower-income.' Also on the show, Tom Lydon of VettaFi turns to uranium for his ETF of the Week. And the Market Call features a first in the history of the show -- coverage of preferred securities -- with Douglas Crimmins of Relative Value Partners talking about generating income at reasonable prices.

Financial journalist Allan Sloan -- a seven-time winner of business journalism's highest honor, the Loeb Award -- says that while it appears the country can avoid a recession, America can't avoid long-term financial trouble if leaders in Washington can't find a way to compromise and make progress on financial goals. He says the Fitch Ratings downgrade of U.S. credit is a sign that the markets recognize how intractable the country's political divide is. In The Big Interview, Rohan Reddy, director of research at Global X ETFs, talks short-term Treasury investing in a high-rate market with an inverted yield curve, but also touches on other investment themes driving pockets of the market today. In the Market Call, Mike Liss of the American Century Value fund, discusses relative-value investing and the ease of finding reasonable bargains today.

Brian Barish, president and chief investment officer for Cambiar Investors, says that rising interest rates have increased the cost of capital for businesses, which is shifting which industries and businesses can thrive. The increased cost of capital is changing market conditions to where value and growth investing are now on a more equal footing, and should be more balanced moving forward. Leo Leydon, president of Financial Focus Advisory Services, says the economy has had its recession in the form of two negative GDP quarters last year, and that people expecting a bear market have been wrong; while he expects a pullback in the market, Leydon thinks it will be short enough to be treated like a buying opportunity. Susan Fahy examines the latest 'Credit Gauge' from VantageScore, which shows that delinquencies are up slightly but that American consumers are using credit more cautiously. Plus, forensic accountant Tracy Coenen gets real in discussing pre-nups, post-nups and 're-nups,' and showing how some cases involving 'Real Housewives' cast members highlight the struggles couples have when dividing both assets and debts when the relationship and the money don't turn out as anticipated on the wedding day.

Joe Terranova, chief market strategist at Virtus Investment Partners, says the worst is over for the economy -- the worst being the horrible stock and bond market of 2022 -- and that while recessionary conditions exist or may bubble up in some sectors, the overall market is likely to be strong, retaining or growing the gains the market has experienced thus far this year. David Trainer, president and founder at New Constructs puts Wayfair back in the Danger Zone, noting that with the stock having more than doubled this year, recent good news has merely made the situation more dangerous. Also on the show, Chuck takes a listener's question on declaring for Social Security benefits and Craig Copeland, director of wealth benefits research at Employee Benefit Research Institute, talks about the negative impacts that caring for loved ones can have on the caregivers' retirement confidence.

Darrell Cronk, chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Wealth and Investment Management, says the slow-developing impacts from the Federal Reserve's monetary tightening policy 'still lies before us,' putting the market 'in a vulnerable spot' as it enters August, September and October, historically the toughest months of the year. As a result, he expects a 'tactical correction' late this year, and urges patience while that plays out. Also stressing patience on this show is Jason Brown of The Brown Report, who notes that the market has hit a band of resistance short of returning to all-time highs and he expects it to struggle to break through, although he thinks support levels will hold up because the negatives have been priced in. He expects a choppy, range-bound market that works well for options and covered-call strategies but is hard on directional traders who need bullish or bearish trends. Plus, Scott Caraher, head of senior loans at Nuveen says rate hikes are stressing low-rated companies and are likely to spur new defaults, but also creating opportunities in higher-rated paper that can get through the economic downturn and thrive when rates eventually start to reverse their course

Crit Thomas, global market strategist at Touchstone Investments, says the stock market's strong run makes investors feel good, but it has gotten to a point where the market is expecting more that a slowing economy that is dealing with inflation can deliver. Thomas says the current earnings recession is problematic -- regardless of whether the broad economy enters a recession -- because it shows that micro issues and what is happening at the company level will be more important than the macro, big-picture issues moving into 2024. In the ETF of the Week, Tom Lydon of VettaFi looks at a new fund that puts a different twist -- driven by artificial intelligence -- on 'Buy on the dips.' Ted Rossman of Bankrate.com looks at how inflation and rate changes are impacting credit-card users, and what it all says for the big picture at a time when credit-card debt nationally now exceeds $1 trillion. In the Market Call, Dorrit Lowsen, president of Change Finance, talks stocks through the lens of her firm's unique take on ESG investing.

Abhay Deshpande, founder and chief investment officer, at Centerstone Investors says the economy is still playing out the last effects of the pandemic, and that a recession is likely to be the end of those financial consequences before 'the normal progression starts to resume.' Deshpande says it will be a 'run-of-the-mill recession,' a mild slowdown that investors will want to muddle through in stocks, rather than seeking shelter in fixed income. Also on the show, Regina Conway of Slickdeals discusses how inflation has been impacting the impulse-buying habits of American consumers, Chuck answers a listener question and Michael Roomberg of Miller Howard Investments talks energy stocks in the Market Call.

Bill Adams, chief economist at Comerica Bank says that the economy is not headed toward a significant downturn felt across many sectors of the economy, showing up in declining incomes and employment and it lasts for several quarters. While he sees slow growth and a few other issues, Adams believes the Federal Reserve has done enough to avoid a recession, and expects the central bank to wait at least one more meeting before having a rate hike in November to help play out the policies it has been pursuing to reduce inflation. Mark Newton, global head of technical strategy at Fundstrat Global Advisors also sees the market and economy riding out a few years down the road before there is any recession; Newton expects investors to be able to make money this year and next before he sees a bear market ending the rally. In the latest installment of 'Find Me The Money,' forensic accountant Tracy Coenen discusses how earnings discrepancies and career moves make it imperative for women to get their share of a couple's retirement savings -- even if it means giving up the house -- to avoid becoming a statistic about poor lifetime savings. Plus, Charles Rotblut, editor of AAII Journal, talks about the positive value proposition of buying a ticket for Tuesday's $1.55 billion MegaMillions drawing.