Rising Inflation in China

Mar 10, 2017 | China

PPI in China has swung from deflation to relatively high inflation over the last 6 months. Wholesale prices are rising fast, import prices are also rising due to the lagged effects from a weaker yuan are moving sharply higher. (CPI, especially core CPI, had been...

Higher Inflation Expectations to Favour Equities over Bonds

Nov 28, 2016 | US Economy

(from our Tactical of November 8th 2016) Bond yields have been rising in most countries, and yield curves have steepened across the developed world.  As the top chart shows, the rise in nominal yields has come from a rise in inflation breakevens, while real yields...

Real Yields Wildly Mispriced Given Stagflation Light

Oct 7, 2016 | US Economy

The US now has the worst combination of outcomes, poor growth and rising inflation.  Bond yields are now the most negative they have been in almost forty years.  Only in the 1970s during stagflationary episodes were real yields this negative.    We don’t see a high...

Higher Inflation Target –> Even More Mispriced USTs

Sep 9, 2016 | US Economy

A discussion of late has been whether the Fed should raise its inflation target.  We think this would be a bad idea.  Currently, with a 2% target, the Taylor rule implies the Fed Funds rate should be closer to 2%. With a 3% inflation target, the Taylor rule would...

Inflation Alive and Well in the US

Mar 2, 2016 | US Economy

We have focused on the theme of the misplaced fear of deflation at Variant Perception frequently over the past 18 months.  At several points, markets and commentators seem to have become preoccupied with a belief that growth-destroying deflation was imminent. Using...