Tag: Rate Hikes

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Fed Faces Three Uncomfortable Truths

IMF deputy head Gita Gopinath

IMF deputy head, Gita Gopinath, recently highlighted three uncomfortable truths for monetary policy:

  1. Inflation is taking too long to get back to target.
    Financial conditions may not be tight enough and sustained high inflation could make the task of bringing inflation down more difficult.
  2. Central banks’ price and financial stability objectives conflict.
    Central banks can provide liquidity to struggling banks but are not equipped to deal with problems of insolvency which may be caused by a sharp rise in interest rates.
  3. We face more upside inflation risks.
    The past two decades of low inflation are over and the global economy faces inflationary pressures from:
    • On-shoring of critical supply chains;
    • Rising geopolitical tensions (with Russia, China and Iran);
    • Transition away from coal, oil and gas to low-CO2 energy sources (renewables & nuclear); and
    • Spiraling demand for critical materials needed to meet the above challenges.

Balancing monetary policy is going to be difficult, especially where prices are under pressure from a number of challenges. We expect central banks to tolerate higher inflation for longer in order to preserve financial stability.

Fed only expects to hit 2.0% inflation target in 2025

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell recently highlighted the above conflict between policies to tame inflation and maintain financial stability. During a recent ECB panel discussion, Powell indicated that he only expects the Fed to hit their 2.0% inflation target for core inflation in 2025.

The Fed Chair says job creation and real wage gains are driving real incomes and increased spending. That raises demand which in turn drives the labor market. (WSJ)

Unemployment increased slightly to 3.7% in May but remains near record lows. The tight labor market continues to fuel strong growth in hourly earnings.

Unemployment, Average Hourly Earnings Growth

Tighter monetary policy would drive up unemployment — as demand slackens and layoffs increase — and dampen inflationary pressures. But at the risk of financial instability.

Conclusion

Further monetary tightening is necessary in order to increase the slack in labor markets, weaken demand, and curb inflation in the short-term. But the required policy steps — rate hikes and QT — are likely to crash the economy.

Rather than create financial stability through vigorous monetary tightening, the Fed is likely to tolerate higher levels of inflation — above their 2.0% target — for a longer period.

A less-hawkish stance from the Fed would be bullish for Gold.

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Inflation is coming

Inflation tops investor concerns according to Fed report

Concerns over higher inflation and tighter monetary policy have become the top concern for market participants, pushing aside the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve said on Monday in its latest report on financial stability. ….Roughly 70% of market participants surveyed by the Fed flagged inflation and tighter Fed policy as their top concern over the next 12 to 18 months, ahead of vaccine-resistant COVID-19 variants and a potential Chinese regulatory crackdown. (Investing.com)

The market is no longer buying the Fed’s talk of “transitory” inflation.

Fed’s Bullard expects two rate hikes in 2022

St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard on Monday said he expects the Fed to raise interest rates twice in 2022 after it wraps up its bond-buying taper mid-year, though he said if needed the Fed could speed up that timeline to end the taper in the first quarter. “If inflation is more persistent than we are saying right now, then I think we may have to take a little sooner action in order to keep inflation under control,” Bullard said in an interview on Fox Business Network……Bullard has been among the Fed’s biggest advocates for an earlier end to the Fed’s policy easing, given his worries that inflation may not moderate as quickly or as much as many of his colleagues think it will. (Reuters)

The Fed are reluctant to hike interest rates, to rein in inflationary pressures, as it would kill the recovery.

Producer Price Index

Producer prices (PPI) climbed more than 22% in the 12 months to October 2021, close to the high from 1974 (23.4%). Consumer prices have diverged from PPI in recent years but such a sharp rise in PPI still poses a threat to the economy.

Producer Price Index (PPI) & Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Iron and steel prices, up more than 100% year-on-year (YoY), will inevitably lead to price increases for automobiles and consumer durables. Other notable YoY increases in key inputs are construction materials (+30.6%), industrial chemicals (+47.3%), aluminium (+40.7%), and copper (+34.5%).

Producer Price Index: Commodities

Underlying many of the above price rises is a sharp increase in fuel, related products and power: up 55.7% over the past 12 months.

Producer Price Index: Fuel & Energy

Conclusion

Inflation is coming, while the Fed are reluctant to hike interest rates. Buy Gold, precious metals, commodities, real estate, and stocks with pricing power —  a strong competitive position which enables them to pass on price increases to their customers — if you can find them at reasonable prices. Avoid financial assets like bonds and bank term deposits.

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