'Sell the rip' if US August payrolls print below 100,000, BoA's Hartnett says.


A hard landing in the US is still most likely on the cards, a top-rated Bank of America strategist said.

Bank of America branch in Palm Beach, Florida (U.S.A.)

Source: Sharecast

In a research note sent to clients, Michael Hartnett said that he was still in the camp of arguing that a so-called "hard landing" was underpriced.

He was writing ahead of the release of the August US non-farm payrolls report.

"Sell 1st rate cut", the veteran banker told clients.

"Buy-the-dip in Bonds, Bullion, Breadth (via defensives)," he added.

Should the August non-farm payrolls print below 100,000, then his recommendation was to "sell the rip".

Such a number would equate to a hard landing and a 50 basis point rate cut by the Fed at its 17-18 September meeting, push the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note to 3%, oil to $60 a barrel, the Japanese yen to 135 against the Greenback and the SOX index to 4,000.

However, if payrolls came in between 150-175,000, together with an increase in average hourly earnings of less than 0.1%, then that would equate to a soft landing, with tech/energy leading a September comeback versus defensives - particularly if the Fed still opted to cut rates by 50bp.

Compare our accounts

If you're looking to grow your money over the longer term (5+ years), we have a range of investment choices to help.

Halifax is not responsible for the content and accuracy of the Markets News articles. We may not share the views of the author. Understand the risks, please remember the value of your investment can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invest. We don't provide advice so if you are in any doubt about buying and selling shares or making your own investment decisions we recommend you seek advice from a suitably qualified Financial Advisor. Past performance is not a guide to future performance.