CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Monday suggested the market losing streak is “manufactured,” related to bigger economic forces instead of the strength of companies’ earnings. He likened recent declines to those in 2011 that were sparked by a financial crisis in the Eurozone, when many countries struggled to pay off debts and engaged in deficit spending.
“Just like 2011, it’s a very manufactured crisis — something totally man-made that can be un-made with the stroke of a pen,” Cramer said. “I think that means it will go away, but not before the market tests lower levels.”
According to Cramer, in retrospect, the 2011 downturn looked almost manufactured. He stated that markets were soothed by Mario Draghi, then the head of the European Central Bank, who promised to do “whatever it takes” to solve the crisis. Draghi ended up easing debt problems buy buying bonds from Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain, which sat at the heart of the crisis.
During that time, Cramer said, positive earnings did little to move markets. The same is true now, Cramer continued, because aside from outfits with heavy business in China, U.S. companies are positing strong quarters, but stocks continue to decline.
But unlike 2011, the global market volatility is primarily related to problems in the U.S. itself, Cramer surmised. Beyond major tariff upset and uncertainty, Cramer noted that President Donald Trump threatens to create a constitutional crisis as he calls for the firing of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The specter of the debt ceiling once again plagues Congress, he added.
Cramer predicted agencies could issue a debt downgrade for the U.S., especially because they did so in 2011 when circumstance for the country were less inflammatory.
“Long story short, we need to get used to a market that’s down every morning because the earnings won’t matter in this environment,” he said. “It will be the tariffs and the talk about firing Jay Powell that define this period.”
