Get Ready For A FOMO-Fueled Stock Market Melt-Up: Ed Yardeni
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Yardeni says premature rate cut risks Fed credibility and may spark a dangerous market melt-up.
July producer prices rose 0.9% month-over-month, the biggest spike since 2022, raising inflation concerns.
A possible Federal Reserve rate cut in September could supercharge an already euphoric U.S. stock market, stoking fears of a melt-up rally driven more by momentum and the fear of missing out (FOMO) than fundamentals.
That's the take from Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, who said the economy "is too resilient and inflation is not close enough to 2.0% for Fed officials to muck around with easing."
The S&P 500 – as tracked by the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
VOO
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– has jumped 3.4% since August 1, when a weaker-than-expected jobs report triggered bets on easier monetary policy. The index closed at another record high last Thursday, highlighting the bullish mood among stock investors.
Yet markets are already pricing in a cut, and the potential policy shift is adding fuel to Wall Street's fire.
Inflation Says A Rate Cut Is Not Needed
However, last week, signs of inflationary pressures re-emerged, questioning the urgency of a Fed move in September.
The July Consumer Price Index held steady at 2.7% year-over-year, but it was the Producer Price Index that delivered a jolt. Prices at the wholesale level surged 0.9% month-over-month, the largest monthly increase in three years, pushing the annual rate to 3.3%—well above expectations of 2.7%.
That development could be a red flag.
Yardeni said that "Trump's tariffs aren't pushing inflation higher (so far), but they may have caused inflation to stall around 3.0% rather than falling to the Fed's 2.0% target."
How Much Higher Can Stocks Go?
If the Fed cuts interest rates, stock market valuations may reach bubble territory.
The Buffett Ratio—calculated as the ratio of total market cap to GDP—rose to a record 3.1 in mid-August.
The S&P 500's forward price-to-earnings ratio hit 22.5 that week, just 11%.