Bank of Canada: Inflation Is Too High, We Need Higher Interest Rates

In a blunt and direct discussion, Bank of Canada (BoC) Governor Tiff Macklem made a compelling case for fighting inflation by declaring that “the economy has entered this period of excess demand with considerable momentum and high inflation, and we are committed to getting inflation back to target.” To do so, the BoC hiked its … Read more

Inflationary or A Bubble – Housing Prices Help Push A Fed Driving Recession-Pricing for Home Builders

Two recent studies from the Federal Reserve say a lot about its core concerns for inflation. These studies were released back-to-back just one week following Fed Chair Jerome Powell confirming the new religion at the Fed for (aggressively) fighting inflation. Researchers at the St. Louis Federal Reserve identified housing services (aka rents) as a core … Read more

An S&P 500 Breakdown Away from Bearish Trading Conditions – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary: The S&P 500 takes the spotlight going into trading this week. The index is a breakdown away from officially ushering in a return to bearish trading conditions. Trading last week completed the stock market’s return to the reality of macro conditions. Fed-speak dominated the air as sellers followed through on topping out … Read more

Trading Around Soaring Interest Rates

In “Jim Bianco: “Arguably One of the Worst Forecasts In Fed History’” I wrote about the prospects of trading soaring interest rates with the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT). I have recently and belatedly faded rallies in TLT by buying puts and taking small profits on the way back down. (TLT goes up when … Read more

Fed-Speak Triggers A Swirl of Resistance, Breakdowns, and Stiff Support – The Market Breadth

Stock Market Commentary: How many times and how many ways does the Fed need to communicate its seriousness about normalizing monetary policy and fighting inflation? Apparently, the answer for Fed-speak is many times and a LOT of ways. Fed Governor Lael Brainard delivered one way with a speech on Tuesday titled “Variation in the Inflation … Read more