Piper Sandler's Johnson: 'This market can keep working'

Craig Johnson, senior research analyst at Piper Sandler, says that he expects the economy to avoid a hard landing, and notes that some indicators would suggest that the economy is already in recession which means it will be over by late spring 2025, which should allow the earnings to start to pick up and fuel more growth next year. Johnson notes, further, that stock markets historically tend to perform well in the first six months after the start of a rate-cutting cycle; if the Federal Reserve starts rate cuts in September, which he expects, that means the market is well positioned to avoid any sort of hard landing as it rides through transitions in interest rates, the election and the economy. In The NAVigator segment, Chris Oberbeck, chairman and chief executive officer at Saratoga Investment Corp., says that private credit — which has been on the rise for several years — is being challenged by a cooling market for mergers and acquisition activity, but he expects a pickup as rates ease, making deals easier to do. Maury Fertig, chief investment officer at Relative Value Partners, talks closed-end funds — and surprises Chuck by discussing a fund that Chuck talked about on Thursday's show — in the Money Life Market Call.