The world of fixed income investments faced significant headwinds in Q3 2023, as reflected in a roughly 4% decline in the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Bond Index, a prominent benchmark in the global fixed income market.

The Fed pauses rate hikes but fails to calm markets; S&P 500 down 2.9%, US bond yields rise. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

The Fed held its September meeting and the message from Jay Powell was clear: they will continue to keep rates elevated until inflation moves more convincingly toward 2.0%. The Fed held rates steady at 5.25% - 5.5% at this meeting but kept the option of an additional rate hike on the table, maintaining its outlook for a peak fed funds rate of 5.6%. The S&P 500 and the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite reacted negatively, dropping 2.9% and 3.6% respectively. That marked the third straight negative week and worst weekly performance since March for each. As Vanda Research notes, inflows into the artificial intelligence (AI) sector continue to decline.

The hawkish pause by the Fed has sent U.S. real yields to levels not seen since 2008, triggering a market selloff in credit.

The FOMC kept rates unchanged as expected but made clear that higher rates are the new normal. US 2-year yields hit the highest level since 2006, after what can be described, as a still somewhat hawkish Fed.

The oil supply shortage is set to worsen in Q4, European key rates are at their highest since the ECB was founded in 1999 and the US 12-month inflation continues to remain high in many segments of the economy. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.

US stocks had a mixed week, with value stocks leading the market as U.S. WTI oil prices rose above $90 per barrel for the 1st time since November 2022. Tech and growth stocks lagged after Apple’s new product introduction event on Tuesday that featured a price increase on its top-of-the-line iPhone 15. However, broad market sentiment received a boost from the largest IPO of 2023 as shares of Arm started trading on the Nasdaq on Thursday. Wednesday’s release of the August CPI data showed that the Fed has made progress in its fight against inflation, but rising energy prices may prompt the central bank to further tighten monetary policy. The headline CPI numbers showed the largest monthly increase since August 2022, due to the effect of higher gasoline prices.

ECB may have just administered its final interest rate hike in this tightening cycle, while the Fed appears poised to hit the pause button at its upcoming meeting. This signals a potential approach to terminal rates, unless economies deliver unexpected upside surprises or inflation lingers at elevated levels longer than anticipated.

The ECB just raised its key rates again today, by 25bp (main Refi rate at 4.50%, deposit rate at 4.00%).

Mexican imports surpass Chinese ones in the US, marking a significant trade shift. Oil prices continue to rise, markets anticipate that the Fed will take a break in September amid a long period of US equity outperformance. Each week, the Syz investment team takes you through the last seven days in seven charts.