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
It is a seasonally strong period for stocks. Bulls are wasting no time getting ready for this. Stocks are rallying. In the best of circumstances, there is room to run still, with the caveat that an important inflation report is … Continued
Small-caps are lagging. With a large domestic exposure, these companies offer a reliable way to take a pulse of the economy. Rates have gone up a lot and will rise even more. A recession is imminent next year. Large-caps’ recent … Continued
Most valuation metrics in US equities are stretched. This at a time when the Fed is tightening. Depending on how inflation behaves in the months and quarters ahead and how monetary policy evolves, unwinding of overbought conditions can cause pain. … Continued
Things are slowing down. From job creation to real GDP, there are signs of deceleration. CEOs are beginning to sound pessimistic. Often, this can act as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Amidst this comes the sell-side’s overly optimistic estimates for small-cap operating … Continued
The 10-year treasury yield more than doubled in five months, completing a measured-move target of an inverse-head-and-shoulders breakout in early January. This is coming at a time when the Fed has signaled it will use both conventional and unconventional tools … Continued
The 1Q earnings season begins in earnest this week, with a host of financials getting the ball rolling. For large-caps, this year’s revision trend is flat to slightly up, but next year’s is decidedly up, which is kind of interesting … Continued
Following futures positions of non-commercials are as of April 5, 2022. 10-year note: Currently net short 362.9k, down 113.7k. Minutes for the March 15-16 FOMC meeting, out Wednesday, revealed that the Federal Reserve plans to shrink its balance sheet by … Continued
The US bond market is in the thick of interesting dynamics. The Fed plans to reduce its bloated balance sheet – meaning less demand for treasury notes and bonds – even as foreigners are buying more and the US budget … Continued
After strong rallies the past couple of weeks, major US equity indices have reached crucial levels, particularly the S&P 500, even as the Russell 2000 fails at a breakdown backtest and VIX sits at the 200-day. The S&P 500 (4543) … Continued