• US indices took a hit after a soft NFP report sparked recessions fears

• But risk sentiment rebounded, and investors eagerly bought the dip

• What events may disrupt the market’s supposed immunity to downside risks?

V-shaped recovery

July’s softer-than-expected NFP report sent shockwaves across all asset classes as fears that the US economy is on the brink of a recession emerged. The CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), Wall Street’s fear gauge, surged to levels last seen during the pandemic, while even safe havens tanked due to traders unwinding winning positions to meet margin calls.

However, risk sentiment quickly recovered in the following week after US weekly jobless claims fell back from one-year highs, marking the largest decline in 11 months. When the dust settled, markets deemed the initial selloff as an excessive and unjustified reaction, with funds and investors appearing more than willing to buy the recent dip.

Meanwhile, some other secondary news like Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway holding its largest cash position since 2004 acted as an additional tailwind for the latest pullback. Undoubtedly, the latest stock market rally has been largely overstretched, though participants won’t hesitate to defend their profits whenever risks arise.

All in all, the recent market turbulence was enough to trigger notable adjustments in expectations about major central banks’ interest rate paths, but it appears that markets are once again getting ahead of themselves.

What’s next?

In nearly the past two years, every attempt for a sizable correction in the stock market has been shuttered, leading to severe losses for the bears. Nevertheless, pullbacks are an essential aspect of healthy uptrends, albeit investors are paying significant attention to the upcoming volatility events.

The Jackson Hole Economic Symposium on August 22-24 is first and foremost on investors’ radar, with Fed Chair Powell expected to give an updated outlook on the US economy and the Fed’s interest rate trajectory. Currently, the data does not support the aggressive rate cuts that markets are pricing in. However, this narrative could quickly shift if upcoming macroeconomic releases point to a further slowdown.

On August 28, Nvidia will reveal its Q2 earnings, which are expected to garner significant attention. The majority of AI and cloud projects are powered by Nvidia’s advanced chips, thus markets are expected to assess the viability of the AI rally through the Nvidia’s financial results and guidance.

Is it a bubble?

Although the ongoing stock market rally has been relentless, corporate earnings have also been growing at an outstanding pace. In a sense, that’s why Nvidia Q2 results are so important given that Big Tech has been doing most of the heavy lifting in the past couple of years.

This could change though as small caps have historically performed better during the Fed’s cutting cycles, so their underperformance might be soon coming to an end. At the moment, both the S&P 500’s and Nasdaq’s 12-month forward P/E multiples are standing very close to their 2020 pre-pandemic levels. That is significant considering that both indices have skyrocketed in price terms.