The Dynamic Allocation Strategy equity weighting remains above benchmark.

Most top-level indicators favor equities over fixed income.

U.S. Large-Caps, U.S. Value, International Developed, and U.S. Growth received the highest allocations. Click the link below to read more about the strategy’s positioning.

Full strategy commentary: NDRDAS202406031

Other posts

Thoughts From The Divide: Regrets

BY JON WEBB
With the Fed in blackout, the market has been left to its own devices to digest this week’s onslaught of economic data. The inflation data was particularly indigestible. CPI numbers came in hotter than expectations, with both Core and Headline higher than forecasts on a YoY basis at 3.8% and 3.2%, respectively: only slightly worse than expected, but worse than expected. The market also had to deal with PPI that was substantially hotter than expected: the month on month came in at 0.6%, double the consensus forecast. Under the surface, goods inflation appeared to once again be rearing its head, accounting for “about two-thirds of the rise in the headline PPI”, courtesy of “a 1.2% surge in goods prices, the biggest increase since August 2023”. (The Houthis are not helping). While the Fed may have taken a temporary vow of silence, Yellen is under no such constraint. Speaking in an interview on Fox, the Treasury secretary said, “I regret saying it, [inflation,] was transitory”, following up with the jab that “I think transitory means a few weeks or months to most people” (how long is a piece of string? To be fair, predicting inflation is, apparently, tricky: “there are clear limitations to how far into the future we can forecast inflation”). Read more →

Thoughts From The Divide: Strength in Numbers

BY JON WEBB
The rest of the world isn’t quite experiencing the same economic momentum as the US (the latest S&P Flash PMI noted that “input costs rose at the fastest pace in six months, while firms increased their selling prices to the largest extent since April last year”), making cuts a more palatable choice, but we feel for the Fed, who wants to be the odd man out? Read more →

Thoughts From The Divide: Is it safe?

BY JON WEBB
We were very sad to see that Warren Mosler has decided to take an extended break from posting on X. Mr Mosler has helped inform our views about the overall policy stance. Most of all, Mosler was right: tight monetary policy did not stop the economy, and those who bet on that lost. Fiscal was certainly a factor, although reasonable people might debate how much of a factor. But with Fed officials mostly of like mind in thinking it is time to cut rates (see quote above), the question we find ourselves asking is whether it is finally safe to bet against Mosler. Or, to put it another way, “Is the U.S. consumer tapped out?”. Read more →
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