The Powell Pout

Last week created some handsome dividends for the haters!! If you have been beating the drum about instability from short volatility positions, or dangers associated with crowded passive investment strategies, or risks of an outsized inflation shock, it really doesn’t...

Training Day II: Starring Jay Powell

There are some great movies based on catastrophic first days on the job: Men in Black, The Devil Wears Prada, and Inception, just to name a few. But for me the best has to be Training Day, where Ethan Hawke plays Jake Hoyt, a rookie policeman who pretty much has the...

Mapping Out the Strike Parameters for the Powell Put

Last Friday’s price action was both aggressive and unusual. Spoos rinsed 65 points while cash 10s and blues sold off 6bps in the wake of strong employment and wage data. Generally, large-scale risk asset sell-offs have been accompanied by sharp DROPS in rates during...

Dovishness Without Deviousness

The picture surrounding Federal Reserve Board nominations took a somewhat unexpected turn over the last couple weeks as John Williams was floated as a potential candidate for vice chair. Now, to be sure, John has had a very distinguished career inside the Federal...

Is it Real or is it Inflation?

It has been a robust start to the year for those with bullish tendencies: spoos +5%, CT10 +20 bps, and blues +30 bps. The market has clearly been rerating the potential strength of the US economy higher post-tax reform. And I would also argue that the deregulation...

A Promise, a Recommendation, and a Warning

This past weekend we had our annual Jefferies senior leadership offsite. And as always, it was great to catch up with so many of our business leaders from around the globe. For me the most exciting part of this event is taking the temperature of the attendees. And to...