Market Watch (January 14)
“For investors, a meaningful erosion of central-bank independence would weaken the Fed’s inflation-targeting discipline and be negative for both stocks and bonds, as markets have long operated under the assumption that Fed independence will hold.” Although “we do not expect the Trump administration to capture the Federal Reserve, continued pressure on central-bank independence is likely to weigh on the U.S. dollar.” Ultimately, “market calm is conditional on the Senate acting as a backstop to Fed independence. If that condition is misread, markets will break down.”
Tags: Bonds, Capture, Central bank, Discipline, Dollar, Erosion, Fed, Independence, Inflation, Investors, Markets, Negative, Senate, Stocks, Trump, U.S., Weaken
Washington Post (December 2)
Results have been “predictable” in Iran where “markets were subordinated to ideology, which meant the farming had to occur no matter what.” Now, “reservoirs around Tehran are at dangerously low levels. Water rationing is in effect. Iran’s president has even said the country’s capital city will need to move. And the government still cannot abide a market price for water.”
Tags: Capital, Farming, Government, Ideology, Iran, Market price, Markets, Predictable, Reservoirs, Results, Subordinated, Tehran, Water rationing
Wall Street Journal (November 23)
“Fear of bursting investment bubbles. Concern the economy is slowing. Pressure on investors to cash in profits. These forces are colliding in markets, leading to the sharpest intraday swings for stocks in months and leaving investors bracing for more.” Already, the S&P 500 is down 3.5% in November.” Not to be outdone, the “Nasdaq composite has slid more than 6%” during the same period.”
Tags: Bubbles, Bursting, Cash, Colliding, Concern, Economy, Fear, Intraday swings, Investment, Investors, Markets, Nasdaq, November, Pressure, Profits, S&P 500, Stocks
Barron’s (October 31)
“A U.S.-China summit in South Korea did just enough, even if it didn’t fix everything that has kept the two sides at odds.” It has “put markets at ease,” at least for a while. “The de-escalation appeared to be more a win for China than for the U.S., but also took a worst-case scenario off the table for markets.”
Tags: At ease, China, De-escalation, Fix, Fragile, Markets, South Korea, Summit, Temporary, Trade truce, U.S., Win, Worst-case scenario
MarketWatch (August 26)
“Wall Street is more focused on Nvidia than on threats to Fed independence. That may be a big mistake.” The “muted reaction to Trump’s attempt to fire Fed’s Lisa Cook indicates markets are ‘not properly priced’ for a rupture in the monetary-policy process.”
Tags: Attempt, Cook, Fed independence, Fire, Markets, Mistake, Muted reaction, Nvidia, Properly priced, Rupture, Threats, Trump, Wall Street
New York Times (August 5)
U.S. retail investors are “unsinkable” at the moment. “Economists were alarmed last week when President Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, after a weaker-than-expected jobs report.” Markets sneezed, then “largely shrugged it off, despite potentially disastrous long-term effects to assets like the dollar. One big reason: retail investors didn’t seem as concerned as economists.” Retail investors are fearlessly buying on dips and “emerging as a potent investing force beyond meme-stock booms.”
Tags: Alarmed, Assets, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Buying, Dips, Disastrous, Dollar, Economists, Fired, Investing force, Jobs report, Markets, McEntarfer, Retail investors, Trump, U.S., Unsinkable
Bloomberg (July 7)
Wall Street currency traders are increasingly “flying blind” as once reliable models misfire and new forces, “like the broad shift of money out of the US and foreign investors buying dollar hedges,” drive markets. Since Trump’s second term began, currency experts “have been blindsided by the dollar’s selloff and are now questioning whether the past few months will go down as a chaotic but short-lived adjustment or the start of a harder-to-navigate era.”
Tags: Adjustment, Blindsided, Chaotic, Currency traders, Dollar hedges, Flying blind, Foreign investors, Markets, Misfire, Reliable models, Selloff, Trump, U.S., Wall Street
Barron’s (July 7)
“Trade tensions are likely to recapture markets’ attention this week and through the summer months as President Donald Trump looks to ride his recent wins on taxes and immigration into tariff negotiations.” Since “reshaping the international trade system is a vastly complex enterprise,” the ensuing “uncertainty tied to trade talks… likely will be a feature for markets into the back half of the year and possibly beyond.”
Tags: Attention, Complex, Immigration, Markets, Recapture, Reshaping, Tariff negotiations, Taxes, Trump, Uncertainty
Washington Post (June 12)
“Trump miscalculated on China. Now the administration is trying to fix the mess.” The United States “started off with the economic upper hand, thanks to low unemployment, falling inflation and a strong global network of alliances,” but Trump “overplayed” his hand with China. As a result, “markets are volatile because of uncertainty. Recession fears loom.” Now, the “two nations have a chance for a reset. But both must recognize they remain mutually dependent.”
Tags: Administration, Alliances, China, Falling inflation, Global network, Low unemployment, Markets, Mess, Miscalculated, Mutually dependent, Overplayed, Recession fears, Reset, Trump, U.S., Uncertainty, Upper hand, Volatile
South China Morning Post (June 3)
“Hong Kong companies favour markets closer to home and in Southeast Asia to grow their businesses because of higher tariffs and other trade barriers in the US and Europe, according to a survey by HSBC, with many expressing confidence about their expansion plans.” Following the disruption of Trump tariffs, the new pivot is being “supported by Hong Kong and Beijing’s efforts to forge stronger ties with markets in Southeast Asia and the Middle East as US-China trade ties remain tense.”
Tags: Businesses, China, Companies, Confidence, Disruption, Europe, Expansion plans, Hong Kong, HSBC, Markets, Middle East, Pivot, Southeast Asia, Survey, Tariffs, Trade barriers, Trump, U.S.
