Displaying items by tag: rates

(Washington)

Earlier this week it seemed that the market might finally have a reason to believe the Fed might pause its inexorable march higher in rates. That reason was that inflation had dipped below the Fed’s target. Being just a single occurrence, it was a weak-footed hope. Now, new data shows the American consumer is doing well, as retail sales jumped 0.9% in November. The explanation for the jump is that a drop in gasoline prices helped fuel more retail spending.

FINSUM: Consumers are obviously still feeling comfortable, which will give the Fed a bit of comfort about the stage of the cycle.

(Washington)

The moment many investors have been waiting for (or not, depending on how you look at it) has arrived. Rate hikes finally have a chance to slow after their steady rise over the last couple of years. New inflation data has come in showing weakness. Inflation has now fallen below the Fed’s 2% rate, which means the central bank has cause to pause its rate hikes as the economy looks to be on more fragile footing.

FINSUM: There are two ways to look at this. The first is that it takes some momentum away from the current yield inversion. But on the other hand, it could be an indicator that the economy is headed towards recession.

(New York)

If financial shares are any indicator of the coming stock market environment, asset prices look set for a long rough patch. According to Morgan Stanley, financial shares are suffering as “The carefree days of rising rates and pristine credit quality could be coming to an end”. The bank’s research team continued, “We cannot ignore the growing risk of a bear credit market next year preceding a recession as well as the negative impact of weaker economic growth”.

FINSUM: Banks stocks are trading like the economy is headed towards a bear market, and we can’t help but think it may not be a bad call.

(New York)

This market is going against all precedent. December is usually a strong month for stocks, with momentum usually dominating trading. However, everyone knows this month has been brutal, continuing the strong volatility and losses that have plagued the market since October. The same old problems are dogging the market too—rising rates, a trade war, and the threat of recession. What has really gotten worse is that part of the rate curve has inverted, which seems to have really spooked investors globally. Last week the S&P 500 saw it worst performance since March, falling 4.6% for the week.

FINSUM: Here is a question for our audience: what is going to stop this market from falling? There are so many factors pushing the market down, none of them easy to resolve. This makes us worry that there is no floor on prices right now. Even the Trump-Xi “truce” didn’t save things.

(Istanbul)

Alongside the renewed fall in equities, EMs and especially EM currencies have been taking it on the chin. With western markets seizing up and oil prices tumbling it is a double whammy for emerging markets. EMs are hurt by declines in oil, but are doubly wounded by the risk-off mood that is pervading markets. Treasuries have seen big yield declines as investors flooded in, and that has meant outflows from EMs, which have seen their currencies drop considerably. The Rand and Lira have been hurt most.

FINSUM: This ship probably won’t be righted until western markets exercise their demons.