Interest Rate Cuts
“Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.”
In its quarterly Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the Fed indicated that they may deliver three interest rate cuts this year as long as — In Powell’s words — “Inflation continues its “bumpy” trend towards the target (2%.)” Bumpy? That sounds generous at best and incredibly disingenuous at worst, especially given that Supercore inflation is rising at 5.8%. Most market participants believe that we’re on track for 3 rate cuts starting in June, thus the continuously impressive risk asset performance.
“Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little.” Read More »
“It would be premature to conclude with confidence that we have achieved a sufficiently restrictive stance…”
Key economic reports in the upcoming week are various and reasonably important, but Friday’s employment report is the only one that really matters. The Fed’s game plan was to raise interest rates enough to reduce the imbalance in the labor market. But the tightening is really quite marginal compared to the continued stimulus, and it is that stimulus that has been supportive of higher equity valuations and growth. I think the stock market sees this. What it fails to see — for now — is that the stimulus is supporting higher prices.
“There’s no money. There’s no money. If we don’t make a fiscal adjustment, we’re headed for hyperinflation…”
Markets need to figure out a normalized level of interest rates appropriate to this volatile new era of De-globalization, rising military engagement, heightened Geopolitical tensions, excessive indebtedness, and the irrational rise in deficit spending.