Displaying items by tag: fed

(New York)

Rates are rising, and with it, investors need to take a closer look at their portfolios. Rising rates can have serious effects on some dividend-focused sectors, such as utilities, REITs, or consumer discretionary, and most bonds. With that in mind, here is an ETF to help combat rising rates. One fixed income ETF built for the current rate environment is the iShares Interest Rate Hedged Corp Bd ETF (LQDH). What makes this ETF special versus others is that it is actively managed and has longer-term fixed income exposures, which stands in sharp contrast to the mostly short-term bonds these funds typically hold. It holds a 3.62% yield and charges 0.24% per year.

FINSUM: That seems a good expense ratio and yield given that this is an actively managed fund. Interest rate hedged ETFs seem like a good idea right now given the strong economy and increasingly hawkish Fed.

(New York)

Dividend stocks may have done well over the last month, but generally speaking, the last decade has been bleak. With the exception of a few months and quarters, dividend stocks have been largely out of favor with investors, who have instead devoted their capital to quick-growing growth stocks, especially in the tech sector. That said, the next year may be very good for good dividend payers, as yields are attractive and payouts are growing quickly. According to one portfolio manager in the space, “We are getting those yields and dividend growth—this is going to be a very good year for dividend growth—from the usual suspects”.

FINSUM: This seems like a risky bet to us. While dividend stocks have a place in the portfolio, the risk of rate rises to dividend sectors is considerable.

(Washington)

The Fed has hiked rates many times over the last couple of years, but the overall attitude of Fed officials has been very relaxed. They have been diligent to project a very mild outlook of rate hikes. However, that may be set to change, argues the Financial Times. The US economy is growing very strongly, and the odds that the Fed may have to adopt a much more hawkish position are growing. The Fed’s hikes, though frequent, have been small, meaning policy is still accommodative and pro-growth. However, given the state of the expansion, a sharp move higher in rates is looking increasingly necessary.

FINSUM: Given the Fed’s most recent statement, this argument carries some weight. We can see Powell and the team getting more hawkish. That said, the economic tailwind of tax changes is fading, so perhaps it won’t be necessary.

(New York)

Several Wall Street analysts are warning that the US will fall into a recession in 2019. Some are even pegging the odds as high as 100%. The reason for the recession will be the increasingly aggressive Federal Reserve, which yesterday adopted a more hawkish stance on the economy and rates (with a more aggressive dot plot and the removal of “accommodative” from its policy statement). The current trade war is the other big factor which could push both the US and global economy into recession, as international trade is already contracting.

FINSUM: Forecasting the timing of the next recession seems futile to us. However, we will admit that the Fed adopting a more hawkish stance (and the fact that the funds rates is now higher than inflation) worries us.

(New York)

Something very interesting is happening on Wall Street. Just when US outperformance over global assets has been peaking, US analysts are urging clients to move their money into emerging markets. The catalyst for the recommendations is that the Fed’s tightening cycle is getting more intense, which means US equity values might be peaking before a downturn. That, coupled with currently weak emerging market valuations, means EMs seem to have better upside.

FINSUM: We see the argument, but must disagree. There are two reasons why. Firstly, emerging markets have tended to do badly in periods of rising US rates, and secondly, because EMs will feel the pinch of the trade war, which means their economies are likely to be hurt even more than the US’.