Inflation Protected
Most financial assets are trading within the confines of the feedback loop between markets and Fed policy. Investors should avoid expensive assets such as spread product, and hold positions with attractive long-term value such as U.S. TIPS over nominal Treasuries and U.S. Treasuries over German bunds.
Some tentative signs of life in the global manufacturing data suggest that Treasury yields have some room to move higher in the near term.
Risk assets are stuck in a range driven by the Fed feedback loop. But the current rally may continue for another quarter or two.
While the post-GFC linkage between oil prices and medium-term inflation expectations evident in the 5-year/5-year (5y5y) CPI swaps market will continue to be debated for years to come, this is an empirical fact that will affect monetary policy and the evolution of FX and real interest rates over the medium term.
The inflation outlook priced into the market is overly bearish, and TIPS breakevens will move higher as the drag on inflation from food and energy prices dissipates.
The Fed's recent dovishness represents an acknowledgement of the feedback loop between Fed policy and financial conditions. Expect Fed hawkishness to ramp back up prior to the next rate hike, likely in June.
The Fed's recent dovishness represents an acknowledgement of the feedback loop between Fed policy and financial conditions. Expect Fed hawkishness to ramp back up prior to the next rate hike, likely in June.
If the EM rally is sustained, the Fed will once again become resolute in its commitment to hiking interest rates. This in turn will spur another relapse in EM risk assets. Chinese policymakers are attempting to juggle contradictory objectives without a clear and realistic plan of action to resolve existing problems.
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Fed policymakers will soon shift their focus toward the strong employment and inflation data and stress that further rate hikes this year are likely. This will stem the rally in risk assets and cap the upside in long-dated yields.