Stargazer Asset Management Weekly – August 9 2021

This week we look at current inflation/employment dynamics and the recent move in yields and the dollar.
BY ERIC FILL

SAM Weekly _ August 9 2021

Other posts

Thoughts From The Divide: The Vital Few

BY JON WEBB
Winston Churchill said the above line in a speech delivered in 1940 to the House of Commons, noting in his survey of the war efforts that “The gratitude of every home in our Island… goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger are turning the tide of the world war”. While we don’t want to focus this week on the “psalm of swords” (though we would note Denmark’s government may have broken the first rule of Fight Club in recommending its citizens stock up on water, food, medicine, and iodine tablets!), the British Bulldog’s words are particularly apt at the moment given so much of the economic landscape is dependent on “the vital few”. Read more →

Thoughts From the Divide: Avoiding the Inverse

BY JON WEBB
Along with the release of the January Fed minutes this week, there was a deluge of Fed Speak, with Jefferson, Harker, Waller, and Cook all opining on the outlook for cuts. Most of the refrain was along the lines of Powell’s need for “confidence”, with Waller saying that he needed “to see at least another couple more months of inflation data” and Cook echoing the idea, saying that “as we gain greater confidence that disinflation is ongoing and sustainable, that changing outlook will warrant a change in the policy rate”. Harker pushed back on immediate cuts, asking for markets to “just give us a couple of meetings”, following up by saying, “I would caution anyone from looking for it right now and right away”. But while there may be some pushback on timing, that cuts are coming appears to be very much fait accompli in the mind of the Fed. Read more →

Thoughts From the Divide:  Subjest to Change

BY JON WEBB
As the saying goes, “needs must when the devil drives”. We have no problem understanding the Fed’s decision to announce (at 7pm last night) that the details of the BTFP program needed to be altered. The problem was the overly juicy arbitrage, whereby banks could use the BTFP window to flip cash from the Fed into the RRP and pocket the not-insubstantial difference. We were impressed by the chutzpah involved in arbitraging two Fed facilities! Read more →
Back to all posts →