ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
Stock Market Commentary Say whatever you want, Jerome (Jay) Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, affectionately known as J-Pow, has become a master orchestrator of the stock market. Other Federal Reserve Board members peppered the airwaves with hawkish talk about tapering and inflation in the days preceding Powell’s address at this year’s Jackson Hole, … Read more
The Stock Market’s Value The U.S. Federal Reserve’s dual mandate is stable prices and maximum employment. Yet, when the Fed sets monetary policy, the most direct and immediate impact plays out in financial markets. When the Fed eases monetary policy, the dominant theme the last 20 years, asset prices invariably increase. Indeed, over the years … Read more
The early 2000s built upon the 1990s momentum for extending home loans to as many people as possible. The drive culminated in the “ownership society” which incentivized the financial system to over-extend credit and fuel a housing bubble. That bubble collapsed spectacularly from 2008 to 2009. In the wake, builders became very wary about building … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The Federal Reserve seemed to change the rules of the game. To-date, easy money policies and stubborn dovishness in the face of rising inflation was a formula for higher asset prices, reflation and inflation-friendly trades, and even rising fears of an over-heating economy. Last week, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell shifted the … Read more
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell served up the alley-oop and James Bullard delivered the slam dunk. While the latest statement on monetary policy had nothing to say about a hawkish turn at the Fed, Powell served up notice during the press conference. Powell noted growth and inflation prospects that exceeded prior expectations, which in turn … Read more