Monetary Policy

Negative Rates are No More, But The Era of Big Central Banks Reigns Supreme

Negative Rates are No More, But The Era of Big Central Banks Reigns Supreme

7 min readIntroduction The Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) meeting last month was perhaps the most consequential central bank meeting of the entire year. The BOJ raised interest rates by 10 bps  to 0-0.10%, all-in-all a small amount in magnitude.  However, this marked the first interest rate increase by the central bank in 17 years. Moreover, it marked…

Inflation: Winners and Losers

Inflation: Winners and Losers

6 min readIn the past twelve months, inflation has slowly become one of the greatest issues challenging the global economy. As the Fed has responded with the most aggressive interest rate increases in decades, treasury professionals have an opportunity for higher return potential on their cash investments. However, they need to be aware of the impact inflation…

Shifting Dynamics of a Maturing Expansion (Part 2)

Shifting Dynamics of a Maturing Expansion (Part 2)

14 min readCo-authored by: Matthew Paniati Abstract The past few years have been mostly predictable for investors, with an expanding economy accompanied by steadily rising interest rates and asset prices. In this two-part series, we examine some recent developments and their implications for the current environment. In part two, we look at the current state of fiscal…

Shifting Dynamics of a Maturing Expansion

Shifting Dynamics of a Maturing Expansion

12 min readCo-authored by: Spyros Qendro, CFA Abstract The past few years have been predictable for investors, with an expanding economy accompanied by steadily rising interest rates and asset prices. In this two-part series, we look at some recent developments and their implications for the current environment. In part one, we look at recent equity market volatility,…

Quantitative Easing, Round Two

Quantitative Easing, Round Two

2 min readIntroduction With just two days remaining until the Federal Reserve Board’s key policy meeting, it is almost impossible to avoid the term “quantitative easing round two (QE2)” in the financial press. Ever since the keynote speech by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke last August , rumors have been rampant that the Fed will implement a daring…