Around the Bond Market, April 2025

President Trump Critiques the Fed   Earlier this week, President Trump indicated he thinks the Fed should be “early, or on time” cutting rates, but not “too late,” adding it is “a perfect time to lower the rate.” Pressed by a reporter asking if the President has the...

No Help From Bonds

CPI Update: Softer Than Feared   The latest inflation report showed that consumer prices cooled more than expected. The CPI fell -0.1% in March, the first monthly decline since May 2020. The median forecast expected the CPI to rise 0.1% in March. YoY, consumer prices...

FOMC is Waiting for Clarity, Too

Fed Waiting, Like the Rest of Us   The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met this week, deciding to leave the reserve rate unchanged as expected (a unanimous decision amongst voters). The Fed’s so-called “dot plot,” which projects participants’ expectations...

Dueling Mandates in Play for FOMC

Atlanta Fed GDP Now Shows First Signs of GDP Sputtering in Several Years   The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the first quarter of 2025 came in at -2.8% on March 3, down from -1.5% on February 28. Following releases from...

Around the Bond Market, Feb 2025

Quantitative Tightening Ending Soon   This week’s press about the Fed minutes release were the same: the Fed is worried about tariffs and is in no rush to lower rates. But beneath the headline the Fed signaled Quantitative Tightening (QT) for Treasuries is...

CPI Update: Fed on Hold

CPI rose 0.5% in January, above the 0.3% gain expected and an uptick from a 0.4% increase in December. Year-over-year, prices rose 3.0%, a tenth of a percentage point higher than expected and the fourth consecutive month of acceleration.   Source: Stifel as of...