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12 Jul 2024

Gold >2400 as markets believe lower than expected CPI report is opening the door to rate cuts by the FED starting in September.

Source: www.zerohedge.com

12 Jul 2024

BREAKING: Odds of a Fed rate cut by September 2024 skyrocket to 83% after June CPI inflation, according to Kalshi.

June 2024 marked the first NEGATIVE month-over-month inflation print since May 2020. Headline inflation is now at a 12-month low and 100 basis points away from the Fed's 2% target. Prior to the CPI inflation report today, prediction markets saw a 67% chance of rate cuts by September. Exactly 1 year ago, the Fed stopped raising interest rates. Does the Fed have the green light to cut rates? Source: The Kobeissi Letter

11 Jul 2024

📉 Is a Fed Rate Cut on the Horizon Before the Elections?

Recent economic data, especially in the job market, has underperformed, and Fed Chairman Jerome Powell's dovish remarks at the Sintra Forum have shifted market expectations. Reinforcing this sentiment, the just-released US Core CPI came in below expectations at 3.3%. Investors are now buzzing about a potential rate cut as early as the Fed’s September meeting, right before the US Presidential Elections. This is clearly reflected in the yield curve, with the spread between the 3-month and 2-year US Treasury yields dropping sharply from -60 bps to -85 bps over the past three days. This significant drop indicates an 85% probability that the market is pricing in a rate cut by September. The critical question remains: Will the US macroeconomic landscape deteriorate enough to prompt the Fed to start normalizing its monetary policy before the elections? #Fed #MonetaryPolicy #InterestRates #EconomicOutlook #Investing #FinancialMarkets #SyzGroup

10 Jul 2024

What do Serbia, Czech Republic and India have in common?

central banks are ALL accumulating gold... Source: Bloomberg, Krishan Gopaul

9 Jul 2024

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday expressed concern that holding interest rates too high for too long could jeopardize economic growth.

Setting the stage for a two-day appearance on Capitol Hill this week, the central bank leader said the economy remains strong as does the labor market, despite some recent cooling. Powell cited some easing in inflation, which he said policymakers stay resolute in bringing down to their 2% goal. “At the same time, in light of the progress made both in lowering inflation and in cooling the labor market over the past two years, elevated inflation is not the only risk we face,” he said in prepared remarks. “Reducing policy restraint too late or too little could unduly weaken economic activity and employment.” Source: CNBC, Yusuf on X

3 Jul 2024

The Secured Overnight Financing Rate, a benchmark connected to overnight repo transactions, is back to the all-time-high of 5.40% , according to New York Fed data published yesterday.

Clogged bank balance sheets are behind the spike of this key repo funding rate. This move is similar to funding market pressures seen in late-2023. The Secured Overnight Financing Rate spiked seven basis points to 5.40% on July 1, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York data published Tuesday. The return of such swings in SOFR is largely thanks to the Federal Reserve, which is still removing liquidity from the system via quantitative tightening, or QT, albeit at a slower pace with the intention to reduce potential strains on the market. Still, that’s reawakened volatility around key quarter-end funding periods as seen last week, when banks tend to pare repo activity to shore up balance sheets for regulatory purposes and borrowers either find alternatives or pay up. At the same time, the glut of government debt sales means more collateral needs financing from the repo market.

3 Jul 2024

SUMMARY OF FED CHAIR POWELL'S COMMENTS (7/2/24):

1. The trend of disinflation appears to be resuming 2. Need to be more confident before reducing rates 3. Fed doesn't see 2% inflation "this year or next year" 4. Budget deficit is very large and unsustainable 5. 4% unemployment is still a very low unemployment rate 6. Moving too fast creates risk of inflation returning The Fed needs more data before rate cuts can begin. Source: The Kobeissi Letter

28 Jun 2024

BREAKING: The Fed's preferred measure of inflation (Core PCE) moved down to 2.6% in May, in-line with expectations and the lowest since March 2021.

Core PCE inflation fell to 2.6%, in-line with expectations of 2.6%. So Both headline and Core PCE inflation declined last month. Another welcomed sign by the Fed. Note that "Supercore" PCE rose by 0.1% in May, its smallest monthly increase since August 2023. Health Care (light blue) was the dominant contributor, and 5 of the main sub categories actually declined (if it wasn't for soaring health insurance costs, supercore would be negative). The Fed Funds Rate is now 2.7% above Core PCE, the most restrictive monetary policy we've seen since September 2007. Source: Charlie Bilello

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