by Scott Martindale
  President & CEO, Sabrient Systems LLC

As earnings season gets going, I believe we will see impressive reports reflecting stunning YOY growth in both top and bottom lines. According to Bloomberg, sell-side analysts' consensus YOY EPS growth estimate for the S&P 500 is north of 63% for Q2, 36% for full-year 2021, and 12% for 2022. But I still consider this to be somewhat conservative, with plenty of upside surprises likely. However, the market’s reaction to each earnings release will be more predicated on forward guidance, as investors are always forward-looking. To me, this is the bigger risk, but I am optimistic. Today’s lofty valuations are pricing in the expectation of both current “beats” and raised guidance, so as the speculative phase of the recovery moves into a more rational expansionary phase, I expect some multiple contraction such that further share price appreciation will depend upon companies “growing into” their valuations rather than through further multiple expansion, i.e., the earnings growth rate (through revenue growth, cost reduction, and rising productivity) will need to outpace the share price growth rate.

Despite the lofty valuations, investors seem to be betting on another blow-out quarter for earnings reports, along with increased forward guidance. On a technical basis, the market seems to be extended, with unfilled “gaps” on the chart. But while small caps, value stocks, cyclical sectors, and equal-weight indexes have pulled back significantly and consolidated gains since early June, the major indexes like S&P 500 and Nasdaq that are dominated by the mega caps haven’t wanted to correct very much. This appears to reinforce the notion that investors today see these juggernaut companies as defensive “safe havens.” So, while “reflation trade” market segments and the broader market in general have taken a 6-week risk-off breather from their torrid run and pulled back, Treasuries have caught a bid and the cap-weighted indexes have hit new highs as the big secular-growth mega-caps have been treated as a place to park money for relatively safe returns.

It also should be noted that the stock market has gone quite a long time without a significant correction, and I think such a correction could be in the cards at some point soon, perhaps to as low as 4,000 on the S&P 500, where there are some unfilled bullish gaps (at 4,020 and 3,973). However, if it happens, I would look at it as a long-term buying opportunity – and perhaps mark official transition to a stock-picker’s market.

The past several years created historic divergences in Value/Growth and Small/Large performance ratios with narrow market leadership. But after a COVID-selloff recovery rally, fueled by a $13.5 trillion increase in US household wealth in 2020 (compared to an $8.0 trillion decrease in 2008 during the Financial Crisis), that pushed abundant cheap capital into speculative market segments, SPACs, altcoins, NFTs, meme stocks, and other high-risk investments (or “mal-investments”), it appears that the divergences are converging, leadership is broadening, and Quality is ready for a comeback. A scary correction might be just the catalyst for the Quality factor to reassert itself. It also should allow for active selection, strategic beta, and equal weighting to thrive once again over the passive, cap-weighted indexes, which also would favor the cyclical sectors (Financial, Industrial, Materials, Energy) and high-quality dividend payers (e.g., “Dividend Aristocrats”). But I wouldn’t dismiss secular-growth Technology names that still sport relatively attractive valuations (Note: the new Q3 2021 Baker’s Dozen includes four such names).

In this periodic update, I provide a comprehensive market commentary, offer my technical analysis of the S&P 500 chart, review Sabrient’s latest fundamentals based SectorCast quant rankings of the ten US business sectors, and serve up some actionable ETF trading ideas. To summarize, our sector rankings reflect a solidly bullish bias; the technicals picture has been strong for the cap-weighted major indexes but is looking like it is setting up for a significant (but buyable) correction; and our sector rotation model retains its bullish posture.

As a reminder, Sabrient’s newer portfolios – including Small Cap Growth, Dividend, Forward Looking Value (launched on 7/7/21), and the upcoming Q3 2021 Baker’s Dozen (launches on 7/20/21) – all reflect the process enhancements that we implemented in December 2019 in response to the unprecedented market distortions that created historic Value/Growth and Small/Large performance divergences. With a better balance between cyclical and secular growth and across market caps, most of our newer portfolios once again have shown solid performance relative to the benchmark (with some substantially outperforming) during quite a range of evolving market conditions. (Note: we post my latest presentation slide deck and Baker’s Dozen commentary on our public website.)  Read on….