Hawkish Fed? No, This Was a Dovish Fed Meeting – Mish Talk

Hj Azhar RamliMarch 20, 2022

0 18 2 minutes read

Hawkish Fed?!

The following Tweets and discussion involve Joseph Wang (@FedGuy12) and Harvey Bassman (@ConvexityMaven) inventor of MOVE a bond volatility measure.

Wang was a senior Fed trader, trading the Fed’s QE program
Bassman was on the opposite end. He invented the MOVE index, a volatility measure for bonds similar to the VIX index for stocks.

Where’s QT?

Beware of a Very Aggressive Steepening of the Yield Curve by the Fed

Looking past tomorrow, what should everyone expect from the Fed?

Yesterday, I commented on expectations of two great (and I mean that sincerely) analysts in Beware of a Very Aggressive Steepening of the Yield Curve by the Fed

Q: Harvey Bassman: “Should the Fed want to engineer a steeper curve?” Bassman asked Joseph Wang.

A: Wang

I am getting a sense there will be a very aggressive steepening of the curve engineered by the Fed by very aggressive quantitative tightening”
“The way that you touch housing is not by hiking the Fed Funds Rate. People do not borrow mortgages at the overnight rate.
My guess is that if you do aggressive enough QT that it will bleed into the 10-year as well.”

Punt

Bassman replied “The Fed buying mortgages has pushed up home prices against millennials.”

What we have is a Punt by the Fed.

I am quite certain the Fed does not want to upset the stock market or housing.

You can see it in the reaction today, albeit from very oversold conditions.

Bullish, Bearish, Something Else?

I believe that was the correct call.

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Bitcoin?

Stocks Where To?

The Fed undoubtedly got the reaction it wanted by punting on QT.

Short term, hooray.

Powell did a massive amount of cheerleading too. How many times did he say the word “strong” in the Q&A following the meeting?

Anyone have a count?

Thanks to Wang and Bassman

Thanks to Joseph Wang, Harvey Bassman, and moderator Jack Farley for yesterday’s excellent discussion.

Regardless of today’s outcome, Wang and Bassman defined what “hawkish” really looks like.

In addition, Bassman had excellent comments on viewing high-growth stocks like 70-year bonds.

Hj Azhar RamliMarch 20, 2022

0 18 2 minutes read