Street Signals

At the end of 2023, attractive yields and valuations on emerging market assets and currencies made for many consensus long calls from sell-side strategists. Many of those views played out for much of the first half of 2024. And even some of the political and electoral obstacles to performance proved to be short lived, such is the institutional credibility that has strengthened in many developing e...

Trends in US inflation have been, are and will be one of the critical drivers of markets. After a bumpy first quarter, fears of an inflationary spiral are cooling once more and, with the US labor market also showing signs of softness, the Federal Reserve sounds increasingly ready to ease policy as a consequence. But election year politics and stubbornly volatile consumer inflation expectations com...

Higher yields change the game for asset allocators around the world, with pensions in particular now able to better match liabilities to assets. In the UK specifically, 20 years of previously persistent trends in asset allocations now require a reassessment. And this week’s general election carries with it a potential expansion of the investor’s opportunity set. To unpack what can be a very opaque...

This evening's Presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump kick starts a campaign season that, so far, has been a formality and failed to spark much attention in either the electorate or the market. Polling margins between the candidates are razor thin and many of the usual rules of thumb to forecast elections don't seem to apply anymore. To help us unpack the narrative and offer insigh...

After 14 years of Conservative government, the upcoming UK General Election on 4 July will bring seismic change. From both the left and the right, the Conservatives now face a threat. The Labour Party look likely to win a large majority and form a government, but are constrained in their ambitions by fiscal realities. What does it mean for the UK economy and markets? Helen Thomas, Founder and CEO...

With elections in 63 countries, representing 40% of global population and GDP, the democratic process will see few years like 2024. The US election looms largest, with implications for a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait and ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, all of which feed back into the involved economies and global financial markets. This week, from the sidelines of our Resear...

This week, we kick off a series of podcasts recorded at or on the sidelines of our 2024 Research Retreats, taking place across North America, Europe and Asia over the next four weeks. And we do so live, without a net, for the very first time, and in front of an audience to boot. Three members of the Macro Strategy Team at State Street Global Markets present their top picks for how to play markets...

China and India contribute more than a third to global population, but still only account for a quarter of global output. So, as their economies mature and their markets open more to outside investment, their respective growth and inflation stories increasingly matter for global investors. Flow dynamics are of particular interest, given the equity markets in both economies have been underinvested...

Markets are back to all-time highs and volatility is normalizing, with the rate outlook for the remainder of the year coming into clearer focus. Is it too much of a good thing? Who better to ask than bond market guru, the creator of the MOVE index of implied interest rate volatility and managing partner at Simplify Asset Management, Harley Bassman. This week's conversation explores the Fed's easin...

Dynamics in today's currency markets are informed by historic events and trends that shaped the structure and of the global economy. Building on a lifetime of experience in formulating currency policy at the US Department of the Treasury and as US representative to the IMF, Mark Sobel, US Chairman at the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF), joins the podcast to discuss many...

Outside of the Magnificent 7 tech stocks, profit warnings and unsettling forward guidance through Q1 earnings season have sparked a re-assessment of demand resilience. Commentary from consumer-oriented firms about waning pricing power and tighter margins looks troubling. Marija Veitmane, our head of equity strategy, returns with her take on a bifurcated earnings environment, where tech still trump...

April brought a reality check to markets after a stellar Q1, sparking demand for safety across assets and currencies. The higher for longer rate environment, together with signs of slowing growth and sticky inflation, gives rise to thoughts of future weakness in risk assets. Naturally, investors begin to question where best to take shelter. Are traditional safe havens as effective as they have bee...

Lee Ferridge returns to the podcast to give his latest take on FX, interest rate and risk markets. Ever the road warrior, we focus first on the consensus and conviction calls from the dozens of client meetings Lee has done in recent weeks, before tackling the questions we are all contemplating in macro markets could the Fed's next move actually be a hike? Can the risk rally resume if that's the ca...

The US labor market and consumer continue to defy expectations of slowing, yet we are encouraged to believe that monetary policy is in restrictive territory. Why is that? On this week's podcast, we are thrilled to speak to Claudia Sahm, Chief Economist of New Century Advisers, founder of Sahm Consulting and developer of the renowned 'Sahm Rule', a widely observed and often misunderstood recession...

Similar to Japan in the 1990s, China faces twin headwinds of excessive debt deleveraging and demographic deterioration, with the addition of a multi-year pandemic and its aftermath making these already considerable burdens even more challenging. Can the world's once-reliable engine for growth avoid a similar fate of disinflation and relative decline? The hurdles are high but the comparison is not...

It was a great first quarter for risky assets and carry trades, perhaps surprisingly, given recent economic data and events have actually offered a few surprises. Yet rotation within equity markets and the stability of relative rate expectations kept volatility at bay. After a rockier first few days, will Q2 offer a change in sentiment? This week, we welcome Bill Walsh, head of our FX trading desk...

A turn higher in inflation carries with it the potential to disrupt the current easing plans of central banks and create volatility, in similar fashion to the market upsets that recurred throughout 2022. The evidence in the official data is mixed, and this week, we have a genuine expert to help us answer the question of whether inflation, having cooled somewhat, is in danger of rising once more. A...

Low and stable currency market volatility is feeding interest in yield-seeking strategies to a degree not seen in years. How long can the good times last and carry remain king? This week, we put the current period of low FX volatility into historic market context and note any early warning signs of a change in fortunes for strategies that sell volatility and earn yield. Fred Goodwin makes a cameo...

Last October, we did an episode asking whether it was a good time to buy bonds answering, 'Yes, it probably was', with the release date marking the 16 year high in US Treasury yields. Talk about good timing. But after a 10% gain into year end, the last two months have been more challenging for global fixed income. Resilient data in the US and elsewhere have deferred expectations for easing in the...

With decades of experience as an FX trader, portfolio manager and writer, Brent Donnelly, president of Spectra Markets , is an ideal guest for a period when currency markets are quiet, range-bound and looking for inspiration. We walk through his career path, particularly how he has adapted to changing market regimes and worked to counteract behavioral biases over the years. And, with central bank...

The 2024 US election cycle has begun in earnest, with next week's Super Tuesday primaries likely to solidify Joe Biden and Donald Trump as their respective parties' nominees for President. Elliot Hentov from State Street Global Advisors rejoins the podcast, cutting through the hype cycle to offer a more informed read of polling, the likely balance of power and possibility in the outcomes across ex...

Preston Mui, a senior economist at Employ America, joins us this week, to dive into the improving trend in US productivity growth. Drawing on a recent paper highlighting parallels to the 1990s productivity boom, Mui emphasizes that whether we witness another boom in productivity hinges not on fate, but on policy decisions. He underscores the importance of tight labor markets, robust investment, an...

In a long career as an economist and trader, Mark Dow has seen almost everything. With one eye always on the narratives and behavioral elements that drive price, his commentary is an ideal complement to our own research. In a far-reaching conversation, we discuss his process, how it has evolved over the years, his always-insightful analysis of monetary policy frameworks past and present and the be...

The technology sector has no shortage of positives backing it and the applications of artificial intelligence across tech and other sectors present us with mind-boggling possibilities. But questions of valuation and concentration risk arise given how positive the consensus has become. It takes two strategists to help us sort it out, with Anthi Tsouvali from State Street Global Markets and Rebecca...

And the end of 2023, Michael Metcalfe, our global head of macro strategy, published a piece highlighting where our research offered a differential to market consensus throughout the year. This week, he is back on the podcast to talk about where those potential surprises may or may not be resolving and what investors can expect as a consequence, with narratives and trends forming as we move deeper...