As July approaches, let’s read the market tea leaves for 2H2022 and beyond. Over the past few weeks, markets have priced a broader growth scare as commodity equities sold off sharply and Treasuries priced a lower and earlier peak in Fed Funds rate. However, bonds markets were blind to the inflation surge, so why should […]
NFTs
First Signs of Slowing Real Estate
We saw the first signs of slowing real estate activity this week. April new home sales dropped 16.6% MoM and home builder surveys show an uptick in cancellations. This slowdown is needed to cool the economy and ease inflation. Rents (aka shelter) is over 40% of the core-CPI index, and we need easing house prices […]
US Housing Market Should Cool
US housing market should cool, due to spiking mortgage rates, but a 2008 type collapse is unlikely. The mortgage market has remained resolutely fixed rate during the current bull market, which underpins our sanguine outlook. Yes, there are signs of excess, but there’s no risk of monthly payment ballooning considering that variable rate funding is […]
Weaponizing Financial Assets
Weaponizing financial assets by sanctioning the Central Bank is an extraordinarily powerful tool against Russian aggression. However, we should be mindful of potential longer-term second-order effects. Nation states are likely to rethink their reserve strategies so that they have control of reserve assets. Digital assets provide direct ownership (your asset is no one else’s liability) […]
KPMG’s Bitcoin and Ethereum Purchase
KPMG’s bitcoin and ether purchase is the lead story, because The Dispatch holds itself out as a crypto-leaning weekly! The high January inflation reading and rising risk of a Fed policy errors are of equal importance. KPMG Canada did not announce the size of its purchase, but an accounting/advisory firm supporting crypto is still a […]