George Hosfield, CFA, discusses Ferguson Wellman's quarterly strategy titled, "Inflation's Flame Flickers," which addresses the narrow market leadership, the impact of higher interest rates on inflation and how assets are priced at this stage of the economic cycle.
George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the firm's quarterly strategy titled "Stalemate," which highlights the Fed's ongoing battle to tame inflation along with our views on the health of the banking industry and capital market expectations for the balance of the year.
Director and Chief Investment Officer George Hosfield, CFA, discusses the Fed raising interest rates, peaking inflation and our view on equities and volatility across all asset classes in our Investment Strategy titled, “Balancing Act.”
Independence Day may evoke visions of fireworks and parades or perhaps memories of the 1996 summer blockbuster movie where aliens hovered over The White House. While no actual fireworks or aliens were involved, this past Tuesday was probably the most pressing “Independence Day” for our country’s central bank as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s political independence was put to the test.
Yogi Berra might have been one of the most accomplished baseball players in history, but his greatest legacy may have been his contribution to classic sayings, otherwise known as “Yogi-isms.” His famous quote about déjà vu was supposedly uttered after watching Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris hit back-to-back home runs in 1961. However, one could easily hear it being uttered today when observing the politicians in Washington D.C. grapple with the federal debt ceiling that is due to be lifted or suspended again this year.
Last week, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield reached 4.8%, the highest since June 2007. Bonds reached another milestone last week when the aggregate bond index posted its 38 consecutive monthly drawdown, marking this the longest bond bear market on record. The specific forces pulling the levers of the bond market are numerous, and the math is complex.
Opportunity zones have become a trending topic in financial circles of late and we are taking a “walk, don’t run” approach when reviewing the space.
