BlackRock — the world’s largest asset manager — says central banks are 'delibera...

Many experts have already sounded the alarm on the U.S. economy. But you still want to pay attention to what BlackRock — the world’s largest asset manager — has to say for a very simple reason: it’s predicting a recession unlike any other.

“Recession is foretold as central banks race to try to tame inflation,” BlackRock’s team of strategists write in their 2023 Global Outlook.

In fact, the strategists believe that central banks are “deliberately causing recessions by overtightening policy” in an effort to bring price levels under control.

In the past, when the economy entered a downturn, the Fed typically stepped in to help. But due to the cause of this projected recession, BlackRock says we can’t count on the central bank.

“Central bankers won’t ride to the rescue when growth slows in this new regime, contrary to what investors have come to expect.”

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And that does not bode well for stocks. The S&P 500 has already plunged 18% year to date, but BlackRock believes that equity valuations “don’t yet reflect the damage ahead.”

If this recession does turn out to be different from previous ones, maybe it’s time to look for unconventional ways to hedge against it. Here are three assets to consider.

Real estate

It may seem counterintuitive to have real estate on this list. When the Fed raises its benchmark interest rates, mortgage rates tend to go up as well, so shouldn’t that be bad for the real estate market?

While it’s true that mortgage payments have been on the rise, real estate has actually demonstrated its resilience in times of rising interest rates according to investment management company Invesco.