The FOMC dot plot yesterday surprised many with expectations of two more 25-basis-point hikes by December. Futures traders are only betting on one hike in July. Several times over the last several months, they have been forced to readjust; odds … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of May 9, 2023. 10-year note: Currently net short 731.7k, down 17.4k. This week, April’s CPI (consumer price index) and PPI (producer price index) were published. Both showed continued decelerating trend in inflation … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of March 21, 2023 (data is now current, with publication this week of two weeks’ worth of data). 10-year note: Currently net short 571k, up 63.7k. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stood his … Continued
The federal government is up to the gills in debt. Interest payments run up in the billions every year. This was not much of an issue in a low-interest-rate environment. But right now, the Federal Reserve is tightening. Higher rates … Continued
Most traders on Wall Street grew up in a low-interest-rate, low-inflation environment. It is hard for them to relate to why Volcker acted the way he did in the late-‘70s/early-‘80s. Greenspan, Bernanke and Yellen operated at a time when inflation … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of January 25, 2022. 10-year note: Currently net short 264.7k, down 6.8k. Jerome Powell, Fed chairman, has a task at hand – to bring inflation, the likes of which has not been seen … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of August 10, 2021. 10-year note: Currently net long 108.8k, up 21.1k. FOMC minutes for the July 27-28 meeting are due out on Wednesday. In that meeting, it was stated that progress has … Continued
Last week, the FOMC slightly tilted hawkish. Repercussions were felt across assets. Then early this week, dovish members were out in full force, pacifying investors that monetary morphine is here to stay; major equity indices are back at/near their highs. … Continued
Last March, the Fed essentially urged investors to take on risk and go up the risk curve. They have obliged. Leverage is high in the system. This works as long as the prevailing upward momentum is in place. When a … Continued
VIX is on the verge of a breakdown. After sustaining over 20 for a year, it risks losing that level in the sessions ahead. A decisive breach opens the door toward mid- to high-teens near term. This will have taken … Continued