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Weekly Market Pulse: A Most Unusual Economy

By |2022-07-11T06:35:09-04:00July 10th, 2022|Alhambra Portfolios, Alhambra Research, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Markets, Real Estate, Stocks|

The employment report released last Friday was better than expected but the response by bulls and bears alike was exactly as expected. Both found things in the report to support their preconceived notions about the state of the economy. I do think the bulls had the better case on this particular report but there have been plenty of others recently [...]

Weekly Market Pulse: Things That Need To Happen

By |2022-07-04T18:11:29-04:00July 4th, 2022|Alhambra Portfolios, Alhambra Research, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Markets, Real Estate, Stocks|

Perspective: per·​spec·​tive | \ pər-ˈspek-tiv b: the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance Merriam-Webster Perspective is something that comes with age I think. Certainly, as I've gotten older, my perspective on things has changed considerably. As we age, we tend to see things from a longer-term view. Things that seemed so important at the time, years ago, turned out [...]

A Triple Dose of the Real Fed

By |2022-06-15T19:46:36-04:00June 15th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

Today was a wonder to behold, Jay Powell performing at his absolutely most Volcker-esque. The biggest single-meeting rate hike since ’94, a triple-dipper 75 bps, all because the Fed thinks the US economy most threatened by inflation. Total seventies vibes. That’s not what invoked the myth, though. Instead, it was how just like his ancient predecessor, the current Fed Chairman [...]

Update The Conflict of Interest Rate(s)

By |2022-06-10T20:14:48-04:00June 10th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

What changed? For over a month, the Treasury market had the Fed and its rate hiking figured out. Rising recession risks had been confirmed by almost every piece of incoming data, including, importantly, labor data. It is the jobs market where much of the official “inflation” jawboning is centered, all that Phillips Curve stuff. So, whatever might seriously undermine Phillips [...]

Simple Economics and Money Math

By |2022-06-09T20:08:48-04:00June 9th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

The BLS’s most recent labor market data is, well, troubling. Even the preferred if artificially-smooth Establishment Survey indicates that something has changed since around March. A slowdown at least, leaving more questions than answers (from President Phillips).That as much because of the other employment figures, the Household Survey. April and May, in particular, not just a slowdown but a drop [...]

UST 2s & Euro$ Futures *Whites* Both Ask, Landmine At Last?

By |2022-05-24T19:56:19-04:00May 24th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

The 2-year Treasury right now is the key point, the spot on the yield curve which is influenced mostly by potential alternative rates including those offered by the Federal Reserve. Because of this, the market for the 2s is looking forward at what those alternate rates are likely to be, then pricing yields accordingly. Since the FOMC sets those alternative [...]

Weekly Market Pulse: Inevitable?

By |2022-05-22T11:51:23-04:00May 22nd, 2022|Alhambra Portfolios, Bonds, Commodities, Currencies, Economy, Markets, Real Estate, Stocks|

Inevitable adjective incapable of being avoided or evaded I heard that word a lot last week. There is now a fully formed consensus that the US, and indeed the world, now faces an inevitable recession. It can't be avoided. Central banks will have to keep hiking rates because that's the only way to kill inflation. Yes, the inflation is due [...]

Are The 2s Already Rejecting Rate Hikes?

By |2022-05-20T19:57:09-04:00May 20th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

There was still another scramble for collateral yet again this morning. Nowhere near the intensity and duration of yesterday’s more massive flux, still it was obvious enough even if of the less egregious kind to only stick around for a little over an hour. Beginning at the European open (a place where recession signals are outright compounding), the 4-week bill [...]

Peak Inflation (not what you think)

By |2022-05-11T22:02:59-04:00May 11th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

For once, I find myself in agreement with a mainstream article published over at Bloomberg. Notable Fed supporters without fail, this one maybe represents a change in tone. Perhaps the cheerleaders are feeling the heat and are seeking Jay Powell’s exit for him? Whatever the case, there’s truth to what’s written if only because interest rates haven’t been rising based [...]

Dollar Now Leads, Rest Of The Market Pack Now Follows

By |2022-05-06T20:14:29-04:00May 6th, 2022|Bonds, Currencies, Economy, Federal Reserve/Monetary Policy, Markets|

The US$ continues on its rampage, particularly zeroed in on China for simple if misunderstood reasons (that have nothing to do with “devaluation”). What about the rest of the marketplace, the other stuff which identifies the eurodollar’s various cycles? You know about T-bills, which, yet again today, are more like what the dollar is suggesting. Other than those, what’s the [...]

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