Basis Points

Inflation expectations have been noticeably on the rise thus far in 2021. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan is joined by Scott Welch, WisdomTree’s Chief Investment Officer, Model Portfolios, to discuss one potential approach for preparing for inflation: commodities.

Interest rates around the globe are either outright negative, or in the case of the U.S., they remain at historically low levels. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses how investors can search for yield in the current market environment.

Not all market participants are convinced yet that inflation might make a comeback, but don’t tell that to the bond market. On this week's podcast, Kevin Flanagan explains why fixed income investors should consider preparing their portfolios for a by-product of inflation: higher interest rates.

Given the unfortunate second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to focus solely on what the negative impact could potentially mean for the U.S. economy. However, on this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses one sector of the U.S. economy that has been able to outperform expectations: manufacturing.

With monetary policy seemingly on autopilot, fixed income investors have instead placed their focus on fiscal policy. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses how the Fed has now taken a backseat in bond-land from an official policy perspective.

Following last week’s movements of the U.S. 10-Year Treasury yield, the ‘Reflation Trade’ theme has taken center stage in bond-land. Against this backdrop, Kevin Flanagan provides potential solutions for investors to consider for their fixed income portfolios.

Is there potential for the UST 10-Year yield to move higher? On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses this possibility along with the possible return of the reflation trade.

We believe there will be three key themes for fixed income investors to focus on in the new year. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses these themes and potential solutions for them in the fixed income universe.

With the final FOMC meeting for this year now in the books, Kevin Flanagan shifts attention to what 2021 could bring from the Fed.

The final jobs report of 2020 was released last week. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan explains that while the actual data was not outright “bad,” he believes the November employment report falls into the category that some negative signs are beginning to emerge.

With the second wave of COVID-19 dominating headlines again, it’s natural to wonder what the economic impact may be this time around as compared to Q2. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan takes a step back to see where the economy stands as we enter the final month of 2020.

While we believe there is potential for the 10-year Treasury yields to move higher, it will still remain low from a historical perspective. Against this backdrop, Kevin Flanagan provides bond investors with a solution to seek for income without incurring too much risk.

On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan, WisdomTree’s Head of Fixed Income Strategy, gets back to market fundamentals and discusses the latest economic data from the October jobs report.

With Election Day over, there’s another force in Washington, DC, to be ever mindful of in bond land: the Federal Reserve. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses monetary policy, the one common denominator regardless of the election outcome.

The pandemic and related economic shutdowns required unprecedented fiscal action, but even before 2020, expanding U.S. budget deficits had become the norm. With fiscal year 2020 now officially in the books, Kevin Flanagan discusses how things fared.

One potential outcome following the upcoming election is a “blue wave,” which could lead to slowed economic growth. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan explains how fixed income investors can prepare for such an outcome.

One potential outcome of the 2020 Election is a Democrat sweep, or the “blue wave,” whereby the presidency and both houses of Congress would be controlled by the Democratic Party. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan provides a solution for investors seeking to prepare their fixed income portfolio for the possibility of the “blue wave.”

Last Friday was the final jobs report before the 2020 election. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan provides fixed income investors with a quick rundown of the key takeaways from the report.

While March seems like a long time ago, the repercussions of perhaps the worst two-week period in the U.S. high-yield (HY) arena is now showing through some five to six months later. Despite this, Kevin Flanagan makes the case there is relative value in the U.S. HY market, as long as you screen for quality.

After the end of 2019, the U.S. economy went straight into negative territory, as the pandemic-related shutdowns produced unprecedented contractions in activity. Most market participants have been of the mindset that the economy would not return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2021. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses whether the economy can recover sooner than expected.

The Federal Reserve released its new policy framework late last month in connection with Chair Powell’s Jackson Hole speech, so, unsurprisingly, the September FOMC meeting did not generate any fresh headlines. But there is one key question following today’s Fed meeting that Kevin Flanagan seeks to answer: how will the Fed actually implement this new approach?

The headlines surrounding the August Employment Situation report seemed to focus on the moderating pace of new hiring activity. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan explains why he believes the more notable story was the sizeable drop in the unemployment rate and the impact on the fixed income market.

At last week’s Jackson Hole conference, Chairman Powell announced a noteworthy shift in how monetary policy is now going to be delivered. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan explains the Fed’s decision to let the economy run “hot, hot, hot” to achieve its average inflation goal over time.

Chairman Powell is scheduled to take center stage at the annual Jackson Hole conference. The focus will be on what, if any, adjustments can be expected with respect to inflation targets and the Fed’s balance sheet. Kevin Flanagan discusses the possible outcomes on this week’s podcast.

As we continue to be bombarded with headlines and news stories on a 24-7 basis, sometimes it is difficult to know what to focus on in terms of economic numbers. On this week’s podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses which reports investors should look to as economic indicators in the current investment landscape.