Coronavirus Scare Reveals The Nature Of Stock Market Risk

Published Friday, January 31, 2020 at: 7:00 AM EST

Stocks plunged on Friday on fears of the Coronavirus causing a global slowdown, but market history is loaded with such frights. The Standard & Poor's 500 performance over the course of the 128-month expansion illustrates the transitory nature of unexpectedly bad world news.

Stock prices are almost whimsical when it comes to discounting risks. While the Coronavirus is suddenly a huge concern, the threat posed by the long-term U.S. debt is arguably a far more serious risk to global growth, and yet it has not frightened stock investors. Why? The answers tell us a lot about the nature of financial market risks.

Federal spending outpaced revenues by an amount equal to 3.9% of GDP in 2018. Unchecked, this annual gap widens to 4.8% in 2029, according to the Congressional Budget Office and is forecasted to make the long-term debt soar in the next decade.

The CBO's projections indicates that the U.S. debt will become financially unsustainable unless it is checked by either cutting spending or increasing revenue. Though it's a financial disaster waiting to happen, the stock market is not collapsing. The next chart explains the fundamentals driving the market's view.

The market knows that the U.S. government will eventually be rational and fix the deficit, probably by raising the federal payroll taxes, which show up as FICA withholdings on your paycheck. It won't require an onerous change in tax policy.

Fritz Meyer, an independent financial economist whose analysis we license, calculated the breakeven point for fixing the long-term debt problem, as is shown in the dotted line. Budget deficits of 2.9% of GDP annually would result in no increase in the long-term debt as a % of GDP. To be clear, if federal revenue were increased annually to level the annual level of deficit spending at 2.9% of GDP, the long-term debt would stop soaring. The financial disaster would be averted. And what's more interesting is that the annual average budget deficit annually since 1969 is precisely 2.9%! If the nation can simply run a deficit in line with the long-term norm for the past 50 years, the risk posed by the long-term debt of the United States would be solved!

The U.S. has one of the lowest total tax burdens among the 34 OECD countries. The U.S.'s comparatively low tax burden allows some flexibility in solving the long-term entitlement spending problem.

This chart includes data for the 36 countries that belong to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development but not non-OECD countries, such as China, Brazil, India and Russia. It includes all forms of taxes: federal, state and local; income taxes, sales taxes, VAT taxes, estate taxes, property taxes, etc. and the U.S. ranks among the lowest-taxed of all the developed nations.

The Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 1.8% in value on Friday, closing at 3,225.52, on fears about the Coronavirus. The drop occurred after airlines in the U.S. cancelled flights to and from China amid growing fears of a worldwide slowdown. Past performance is never a guarantee of future performance but the market's resilience after earth-shaking events plaguing modern society indicates that this sudden new fright will be resolved. If the stock market believes the long-term debt will be resolved, as the numbers indicate, curing the Coronavirus may also be very doable.


This article was written by a veteran financial journalist based on data compiled and analyzed by independent economist, Fritz Meyer. While these are sources we believe to be reliable, the information is not intended to be used as financial or tax advice without consulting a professional about your personal situation. Tax laws are subject to change. Indices are unmanaged and not available for direct investment. Investments with higher return potential carry greater risk for loss. No one can predict the future of the stock market or any investment, and past performance is never a guarantee of your future results.

This article was written by a veteran financial journalist based on data compiled and analyzed by independent economist, Fritz Meyer. While these are sources we believe to be reliable, the information is not intended to be used as financial advice without consulting a professional about your personal situation.

Indices are unmanaged and not available for direct investment. Investments with higher return potential carry greater risk for loss. Past performance is not an indicator of your future results.

2024

    2023

    2022

    2021

    2020

    2019

    2018

    2017

    2016

    2015

    Contact Us

    Call Us: 301-770-9880

    Email: info@burtwealth.com

    Burt Wealth Advisors
    6116 Executive Blvd. Suite 500
    N. Bethesda, Maryland 20852

     

     

     

     

    Start Your Risk Questionnaire