Analyst uncertainty still high even as earnings estimates surge
As we have discussed for some time now, equity analysts are raising their forecasts for corporate earnings more broadly and by larger amounts than at any previous time in our 20-year data history. However, while analysts are confident earnings are rising, they still show significant uncertainty about the future level of earnings, as reflected in the dispersion or disagreement in estimates for US companies.
Inflation is steady on the surface, volatile underneath
Inflation expectations have been a topic of growing interest thanks to the extraordinary fiscal and monetary support in place for much of the last year, most recently the huge $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan that is currently sending checks out to millions of Americans.
All of this new spending by the federal government, along with the economic recovery permitted by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, is provoking more discussion about whether demand for goods and services will outpace the economy’s ability to produce them and push prices higher.
Earnings uncertainty still extremely high going into Q2 reporting season
As Q2 earnings season gets underway, the level of uncertainty about future earnings among analysts remains extremely high. Despite somewhat calmer equity market activity recently, our data shows that the level of disagreement among analysts regarding earnings over the next 12 months (NTM) is still well above the highest levels reached in the Great Financial Crisis (2008-09) period (chart below).