Basis Points

An interesting development occurred last week: Fed 'pushback'. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses what this means and what investors should be considering regarding how to play this pivot in monetary policy.   Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent. 

The money and bond markets appear to be ‘doubling down’ on their optimistic expectations for Fed rate cuts this year, leaving investors to continue to be faced with elevated volatility. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan reviews the latest U.S. Treasury yields and discusses how investors can play defense against this backdrop. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

This year was a roller coaster for fixed income. What's in store for investors in 2024? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan provides a 2023 recap and outlines some key themes for the new year. Basis Point: 1/100th of a percent.

While the Fed didn't cut rates at the December policy meeting, we believe they will be coming in 2024. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan highlights two WisdomTree funds that can help bond investors navigate the investment landscape that may be lying ahead. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

At today’s FOMC meeting, the Fed did what was widely expected and kept interest rates unchanged. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan provides his insights on the disconnect between the Fed and market expectations, as well as the impact on fixed income investors. Basis Points: 1/100th of a percent.

What action will the Fed take next and where is the market headed? In this special episode of the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan is joined by Matt Hornbach Global Head of Macro Strategy at Morgan Stanley. During the episode, the speakers offer their insights and perspectives on Morgan Stanley’s 2024 Outlook for the bond market titled Land of Confusion. They also discuss the market’s expectat...

One of the more noteworthy developments in the financial markets of late has been the plunge in U.S. Treasury (UST) yields. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan reviews the implications and provides some monetary policy outlook for 2024. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent. Federal funds rate: The rate that banks that are members of the Federal Reserve system charge on overnight loa...

We believe investors are being faced with a new rate regime as we get ready to enter 2024. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan surveys the state of the U.S. Treasury (UST) market and outlines how investors can prepare. Basis Point: 1/100th of a percent.

As we approach the end of 2023, investors may want to take stock of their fixed income portfolio and consider how to position for the new year. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses tax-loss harvesting and how to implement a barbell strategy with a few of our fixed income ETFs. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent. Duration: A measure of a bond’s sensitivity to changes in in...

One takeaway from the November FOMC meeting is that tighter financial conditions are now a key monetary policy input. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan analyzes the Chicago Fed National Financial Conditions Index to gauge the current state of the markets. Basis Point: 1/100th of a percent.

At today’s FOMC meeting, the Fed voted to keep interest rates unchanged. As a result, the trading range remains at 5.25%–5.50%, a more than 20-year high watermark. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan analyzes the impact of the rise in Treasury yields, the ongoing quantitative tightening and the new rate regime on fixed income investors.  Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

We believe investors are being faced with a new rate regime as we get ready to enter 2024. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan surveys the state of the U.S. Treasury (UST) market and outlines how investors can prepare. Basis Point: 1/100th of a percent.

The U.S. economy has been resilient despite the inverted yield curves, but is it too early to celebrate? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses how the recent surge in UST 10-yr yield has changed the shape of the curves and what it means for the future of the economy. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

Halloween season is now upon us and if you look at recent price action within the U.S. Treasury (UST) market, it looks as if the ‘spooks’ have already started. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses why this is happening and how investors can position their bond portfolios as the U.S. Treasury market 10-year yield hits a 16-year high. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent. Bar...

The Fed left the interest rates unchanged at today’s FOMC meeting, keeping the trading range at 5.25% –5.50%. Could the markets still see another rate hike in 2023? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses the possibility of another rate hike as we move into Q4 and head toward 2024. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

One of the more surprising outcomes so far this year is that markets have yet to see a recession. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan examines two indicators of economic growth, GDI and GDP, and discusses what to anticipate in Q3 and the rest of 2023.  Basis Point: 1/100th of 1 percent. 

While the Fed has emphasized that future policy decisions would be based on the “totality” of upcoming economic data, make no mistake, employment reports go to the front of the line. As the September FOMC meeting approaches, Kevin Flanagan analyzes the latest jobs numbers on this week’s episode of the Basis Points podcast. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

While Powell didn’t offer up any groundbreaking headlines in his Jackson Hole speech last week, the overarching message from the chair still resounds loud and clear: rates will be “higher for longer.” This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan aims to answer the question, how high and how long? Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

For those looking for a summer respite for the bond market in August…think again. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan gets into the root causes of the recent increase in the 10-Year yield and whether it is reasonable to expect a reversal any time soon. Basis point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

How does the U.S. budget deficit affect the Treasury market and the economy? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan covers the recent developments on the deficit, the U.S. government’s long-term rating downgrade, and the funding challenges. Basis Point: 1/100th of a percent.

Throughout the course of the current Fed rate hike cycle and attendant increase in the U.S. Treasury (UST) 10-year yield, investors periodically ask: is it time to go long duration? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan explains why it’s better to be late rather than early to the duration party against this backdrop. Basis Point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

The Federal Reserve voted to raise rates by another quarter point at today’s FOMC meeting. This pushes the fed funds target range to the highest level since early 2001. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses the outcome of today’s meeting and what to expect for the remainder of the year from the Fed. Basis Point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

Is 2022 the year not to be named? After what was arguably the worst year on record, we believed this year could be a positive one for bond investors. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan takes a look back and ahead at key economic indicators to provide a first half report card for the fixed income markets and what investors might expect in the second half of the year. Basis Point:...

Following the June FOMC meeting where Fed hit pause, speculation began to intensify about what the policymakers next move could be. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan delves into the recent Fed developments and if the Fed is really going to pause rate hikes for the summer. Basis Point: 1/100th of 1 percent.

As the Federal Reserve's "hawkish pause" dominates headlines, investors are left wondering when the long-anticipated recession will be coming. During this week’s episode of the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan is joined by Head of Credit Strategy, Sri Sankaran of Morgan Stanley to discuss the current dynamics in the high yield bond, credit default and leverage loan markets. Basis...