Sheltered from the Storm | September 24, 2022

Sheltered from the Storm The bear market rally in July and August had many people hopeful, but that rally has now disappeared and we are essentially back at the June lows on the S&P 500. All this has happened as the Fed has consistently raised interest rates to address inflation, which has sent the bond […]
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Move Along, Nothing to See Here | September 17, 2022

Move Along, Nothing to See Here Investors have been hanging on every word from the Federal Reserve for years as their policies have been the most consistent driver of markets, be it stocks, bonds, housing, private equity, etc. Some level of rate increases has been baked in by markets, but, of course, that level gyrates […]
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Is Energy Inflation Tamed? | September 10, 2022

Is Energy Inflation Tamed? Spot WTI crude prices are down about 29% from the Ukraine Invasion peak back in March. Retail gasoline prices have come down about 25% from the peak earlier this year and diesel prices are down almost 13% from the peak. Those are all very meaningful declines, but all three are still […]
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This Week in History | August 20, 2022

This Week in History 51 years ago, on August 15, 1971, the gold standard came to a close as the gold-dollar peg was completely removed. From that date forward, we have had a fiat currency, that is, a currency not backed by anything tangible. The result? Since August 1971, the CPI has risen more than […]
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Good News is Good News is Bad News | August 13, 2022

Good News is Good News is Bad News A lower-than-expected CPI report for July (8.5% vs 8.7% expected) had markets rallying in expectation of interest rates quickly coming back. But stronger markets make the Fed’s job more difficult, potentially leading to more rate increases than expected. It is unlikely that would be received well by […]
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Something’s Got to Give | August 6, 2022

Something’s Got to Give There is an extraordinary dichotomy in market outlooks Bull Case: The growth slow-down has been priced in The consumer remains strong Labor market is still tight Inflation will recede Recession will be mild at worst, avoided at best Rates will decline soon, buy risk (stocks, bonds, RE, etc.) Bear Case: Valuations […]
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Sugar High? | July 30, 2022

Sugar High? The stock market rallied as the Fed said we have reached the neutral rate. Markets are already anticipating a reversal of rate increases as stocks and bonds rallied. It’s as if the recession has been cancelled, or maybe it’s over before we knew it was here. But the Fed emphasized that it is […]
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