Economic statistics are inherently backward looking while interest rate actions by the Federal Reserve Bank (the Fed) generally have a six to 12-month lag effect. The Fed is raising interest rates to slow the economy, which in turn should bring down inflation. This has typically been the relationship and the order of events, and we believe that will be the case this time around.
A Cycle Within a Cycle
The U.S. economy has been expanding for over 10 years, the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. When looking back, the bull run in stocks and the economic expansion may seem “easy” but there have been multiple periods of angst as we flirted with slow growth.
Feeling the Summer Heat
After rising in lockstep for most of this year-to-date, stocks and bonds moved in dramatically different directions after a week chocked full of market moving developments.