Max Osbon's Posts

The Fed As expected, the Fed raised rates yesterday by .75% to bring the Fed Funds rate to its highest since 2007. As of now, futures markets expect another .75% hike in November to bring the rate to 4% and a peak of 4.75% by March 2023. Commodity prices continue to fall, which will help bring down inflation numbers. Many…

Notes on Inflation Next week brings the Sept 21st Fed rate hike, which is expected to be 75bps. Former Secretary of the Treasury Larry Summers has been outspoken about the reasons for a 100bps hike, namely that we need to be more aggressive because inflation changes are reacting too slowly, if at all. Either way, this next hike brings the…

The Dollar The US dollar has soared in value recently to a multi-decade peak. The Euro is at parity for the first time in twenty years and the British Pound is getting closer to parity, something that happened only once for a very brief period in the 80’s. There are big shifts happening in all markets, and the currency market…

Don’t Fight The Fed It’s an important time to practice investment patience. September brings another CPI release (Sept 13) followed by a Fed rate decision (Sept 21). The Fed has said many times they will continue to tighten until the inflation rate comes down. For now, we can get an early peek at the inflation numbers that will arrive at…

Inflation Update The next Fed rate hike on September 21 depends on inflation metrics. One place to get an early peek at inflation is in commodity markets movements: Gasoline is down -35% from its peak in June, but still up y/y. Oil is down -20% from the high in June but still up 40% over the past year. Lumber, one…

Inflation Last week we wrote about five key economic dates to keep a close eye on. The first, yesterday’s CPI inflation print, did not disappoint. Year over year, CPI inflation ticked down from 9.1% to 8.5%, and the monthly inflation was flat. About a month ago, we wrote about commodity market prices like oil, copper, wheat and corn falling roughly…

Apple’s Convergence Device – Health One of the amazing things about software is that it gives engineers near infinite creation and creativity abilities. In particular, the iPhone is an excellent playground for testing new products and features because we carry it everywhere we go, it’s always on, and it’s full of useful sensors that can be used to record the…

Bear or Bull There are many people out there who make a lot of money telling people the world is going to end. Unfortunately, we’re wired to heed these warnings, and there’s not much we can do to change that. The results tell a different story. In the face of even the worst circumstances, bull market growth outpaces bear market…

Fusion While we deal with the fallout from Covid, political divides, the Ukraine invasion, supply chain issues, inflation and monetary policy changes, innovation and progress still manage to find a way to push forward. Bad news elicits strong emotional reactions, which drives more advertising revenue, and progress rarely gets the attention it deserves. The following is a positive story on…