Simon White: Inflation is peaking at 3.5% before dropping to 2.8%, complacency mirrors the 1970s, and geopolitical risks threaten market stability | Macro Voices

Rising inflation and geopolitical instability could lead to significant stock market sell-offs and economic challenges.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team Mar. 23, 2026

Key takeaways

• Inflation is expected to peak at 3.5% in the short term before dropping to around 2.8% within a year.
• The perception of inflation as transitory is overly complacent, drawing parallels with the 1970s inflationary environment.
• The probability of an April ceasefire in the current conflict has significantly decreased, indicating prolonged instability.
• Current inflation mirrors historical patterns, particularly the 1970s, where temporary inflation perceptions led to prolonged challenges.
• There is a non-negligible tail risk in the market that could lead to significant stock sell-offs.
• Current stock market valuations are significantly higher than historical averages, indicating potential risk.
• Market sentiment suggests complacency regarding inflation, which could lead to underestimation of economic challenges.
• Food inflation historically impacts CPI more than energy inflation during shocks.
• Rising fertilizer prices are expected to increase CPI within six months.
• Sticky inflation is likely due to energy and food prices, complicating the Fed’s response.
• Inflation dynamics are influenced by geopolitical events, affecting market stability.
• Historical inflation trends provide valuable insights into current economic conditions.
• Economic planning must consider potential tail risks and market volatility.
• Understanding market valuation metrics is crucial for assessing future performance.
• Inflation trends require careful monitoring to anticipate economic shifts.

Guest intro

Simon White is a macro strategist at Bloomberg and co-founder of Variant Perception. He has advised some of the largest hedge funds, banks, and financial institutions worldwide on the economic outlook and investment strategies. His expertise includes analyzing monetary policy interventions, inflation dynamics, and risk-off scenarios.

Inflation dynamics and historical parallels

• Inflation is expected to peak at 3.5% before dropping to 2.8% within a year.

• I think we’re looking at roughly 2.8% in spot CPI which is only about 40 basis points higher than it is now… we’re looking for quite short term shock.

  — Simon White

• The current perception of inflation as transitory is overly complacent.

• I think that’s quite complacent and that’s why it’s helpful to look at the seventies… no analogy is perfect but you know the seventies does have an uncanny amount of commonalities with them today.

  — Simon White

• Current inflationary environment mirrors the 1970s, leading to prolonged economic challenges.

• Stubborn and inflation has been all proven very stubborn… it stayed above the target rate… that act two ends you match it up to the seventies pretty much by and on October 1973.

  — Simon White

• Historical inflation trends provide insights into current economic conditions.
• Inflation dynamics are influenced by geopolitical events, affecting market stability.

Geopolitical influences on market expectations

• The probability of an April ceasefire in the current conflict has decreased significantly.

• The whole market has an April ceasefire now down to 40% probability from something like 65% not that long ago.

  — Simon White

• Geopolitical events significantly influence market stability and inflation.
• Market expectations have shifted due to geopolitical tensions.
• Understanding geopolitical context is crucial for economic forecasting.
• Prolonged instability impacts economic conditions and market behavior.
• Geopolitical influences require careful monitoring for economic planning.
• Market stability is closely tied to geopolitical developments.

Stock market risks and valuation concerns

• There is a non-negligible tail risk in the current market that could lead to significant stock sell-offs.

• I think it’s worth bearing in mind that you know at the non-negligible tail risk just given we are in a sort of not a similar situation… but there is still nonetheless you know a choke point in the supply states.

  — Simon White

• Current stock market valuations are significantly higher than historical averages.

• The case with cyclically adjusted price to earnings ratio was 18 and today it’s more like 40.

  — Simon White

• High valuations indicate potential risk of further market deterioration.
• Historical precedents highlight potential for market volatility.
• Understanding market valuation metrics is crucial for assessing future performance.
• Economic planning must consider potential tail risks and market volatility.

Market sentiment and inflation complacency

• Market sentiment suggests the situation is not as dire as it may seem.

• I think the market’s getting to the point where it feels like you know what this isn’t gonna be a major issue… this is not something to get overly your knickers in the twist about and I’d argue again along with inflation that’s something that is beginning to look a little bit complacent.

  — Simon White

• Complacency regarding inflation could lead to underestimation of economic challenges.
• Inflation trends require careful monitoring to anticipate economic shifts.
• Market sentiment influences economic behavior and planning.
• Understanding current economic climate is necessary to grasp market sentiment.
• Inflation complacency poses risks to economic stability.
• Economic analysis must account for market sentiment and inflation dynamics.

Food inflation and its impact on CPI

• Food inflation has historically had a larger impact on CPI than energy inflation during shocks.

• There’s an underappreciated fact that in the seventies the food shock was actually much bigger than the energy shock in terms of on its effect on CPI.

  — Simon White

• Rising fertilizer prices will likely lead to an increase in CPI within six months.

• When that starts to rise it’s a very reliable lead by the six months that good CPI will start to rise.

  — Simon White

• Understanding historical inflationary shocks is crucial for current economic analysis.
• Commodity price movements influence broader economic indicators.
• Food and energy prices significantly affect inflation dynamics.
• Economic forecasting must consider the impact of food inflation on CPI.

Energy and food prices driving sticky inflation

• Sticky inflation is likely due to energy and food prices, complicating the Fed’s response.

• I think if you take account of the fact that you have energy and food for providing I think it’s very unlikely you’re not gonna get some second round effect that is gonna feed into to core inflation and you get the sticky inflation that we saw in the nineteen seventies…

  — Simon White

• Historical patterns of inflation provide insights into current trends.
• Energy and food prices are critical factors in inflation dynamics.
• The Fed’s response to inflation is complicated by persistent price pressures.
• Economic forecasting must account for potential second-round effects on inflation.
• Understanding historical inflation dynamics is crucial for anticipating future trends.
• Sticky inflation poses challenges for monetary policy and economic stability.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.