House on Fire

The new Omicron variant could further complicate our world's economic activity and increase the chaos on supply chain breakdowns - from semiconductor delays to worker shortages. "It certainly increases the uncertainty for inflation," quipped Jerome Powell a few days ago. More Fedspeak that market observers continue to interpret for the benefit of their balance sheets. More recently, Fedspeak has finally fessed up that inflation is not temporary.

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CommentaryDean Smith
Your Duration Risk May Be Greater Than You Think

Many investors hold fixed income securities in their portfolios. After all, the much-maligned "60/40" rule still defines a standard for both retail and institutional portfolios, even if it isn't as strictly adhered to as it once was. Given the uncertainties about the interest rate outlook, it seems prudent to quantify how much interest rate risk exists in a typical portfolio and what investors and advisors can do to help manage that risk.

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CommentaryDean Smith
A Well Respected Man

There is no doubt that Jerome (“Jay”) Powell is a well-respected man – “doing the best things so conservatively.” He is the Goldilocks of Fed Chairmen, a solid Republican nominated by Obama to the Board of Governors, and Trump as chair of Federal Reserve in 2018. He has befriended the stock market by the tone of his policy stance – neither too dovish nor too hawkish.

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CommentaryDean Smith
Let the Good Times Roll!

In 1978 the 10-yr Treasury average yield was 8.4%, the GDP growth was 5.5%, and the inflation rate was 7.6%.

In 2021 the 10-yr Treasury average yield has been averaging 1.3%, GDP growth is around 6.3%, while the (annualized) CPI inflation rate in the U.S. accelerated to 5.4% in June of 2021 …

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CommentaryDean Smith