In the coming months, stock markets expect shocks, according to Bank of America (BofA).
Investors underestimate the risks of changes in the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve.
The S&P 500, a key indicator of the US stock market, has risen by more than 90% since reaching a pandemic low in March 2020. It has consistently reached record high levels over the past few months.
The sell-off last week was a sign that investor sentiment remains nervous and may be vulnerable to more serious shocks in the future, Bank of America said.
According to the bank's experts, the US stock market underestimates the risks of the impending tightening cycle. Record high stock prices and a possible change in the Fed's policy have increased the risk of an "instability shock" that threatens the stock market in the coming months.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's speech at a virtual meeting of central bank leaders in Jackson Hole on Friday may provoke stock market volatility, BofA warns.
According to the chief technical strategist of Bank of America, Paul Ciana, there are signals threatening to turn the markets down, writes the BCS. The ratios of key market instruments do not favor purchases of risky assets, he believes.
The ratio of US government bonds to the broad Russell 2000 stock market index reached a new historical low in March and has since increased. According to Ciana, historically, when this indicator recovered from such low levels, it preceded the period when the bond market surpassed the Russell 2000, that is, stock markets were under pressure.
In addition, debt securities also rose against copper and oil, which is another negative signal, including for global economic dynamics.