Takeaway: We're knocking on recession's door according to historical jobless claims data.

In the two charts below, Hedgeye Financials analyst Josh Steiner highlights how jobless claims data sub-330,000 is a harbinger of recession and hence significant stock market selloffs.

The first chart shows the last three cycles and the length of time jobless claims dropped below 330k before recession hit. The numbers are as follows: 24, 45, and 31 months (average: 33 months). With the current cycle in its 29th month below that level, we are

  • 5 months past the minimum
  • 4 months shy of the 33-month average
  • 16 months from the max

Chart #1

What Jobless Claims Say About Recession (And Risk Of Significant Stock Market Selloff) - zgogo

In the last cycle, the bottoming in jobless claims preceded a massive equity selloff.

CHART #2

What Jobless Claims Say About Recession (And Risk Of Significant Stock Market Selloff) - jobless stocks

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