Bank of America Declares Stock Rally Over as Investors Shift to Bonds and International Markets
Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett pronounced the recent stock market rally finished, attributing its brief surge to tariff-cut Optimism in Q2. The S&P 500’s 14% April gain—sparked by Trump’s tariff pause—failed to offset a 3.7% year-to-date decline. Hartnett’s note on May 8 emphasized the classic trader adage: ’Buy the expectation, sell the fact.’
Global markets now overshadow U.S. equities, with Hartnett favoring bonds and international assets. He framed American markets as trapped in a ’late-stage structural bear market,’ coinciding with investor withdrawals following Trump’s UK trade deal signing. Bank of America’s data corroborates the pivot away from risk assets.