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The U.S. Federal Reserve's (Fed) policy setting committee boosted its benchmark rate (fed funds rate) by 75 basis points (bps) or 0.75% on Wednesday, September 21^st. That was the third consecutive increase of such magnitude, and it brought the target range for the federal funds rate to 3.0...

Today we provide a market recap for investors who are patiently assessing the financial markets and trying to decide when and what to buy. This information will help direct you to pockets of opportunities and provide context for future market moves. Staying liquid is an important tenet of...

A few weeks ago, we looked at the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war (and other factors) on interest rates and market volatility. As the war continues, sanctions have been imposed and governments now have to decide how to move forward. Since then, actions have been taken by various...

Bond prices (like equities) have declined appreciably in 2022 so far in response to sharp increases in interest rates as central banks, particularly the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank (Fed), deploy “artillery” to wage war against inflation which has been exacerbated by the ongoing Russia...

With the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) chairman, Jerome Powell, signaling a faster pace of tapering or reduction of monthly bond purchases (liquidity support) ahead of Wednesday’s FOMC meeting, in response to hotter than expected inflation, market watchers and investors anxiously awaited...

At the time of writing this article the winner of the U.S. election was still undecided, but it appeared Joe Biden would emerge victorious given his lead over Donald Trump and more favourable prospect of reaching the milestone of 270 electoral votes. At the same time, congress is set to...

U.S. equity and bond markets have staged a remarkable comeback since their demise in March when lockdown measures were imposed to address the spread of the coronavirus.  The recovery in financial markets has also spread globally on optimism over the reopening of economies as well as...

• Common perception: Supply is too high, and demand is too low.
• Reality: Mechanics related to the contracts that govern the purchase of oil exacerbated the impact of the price decline.

While the common perception is true, the reality is more nuanced. Today we look at that...

This week’s article answers some of the questions we have been asked about the CoronaVirus and its impact on your investment portfolio.

How have markets reacted to the virus?

Stocks initially declined dramatically on the spread of the coronavirus. Riskier bonds declined in price...

Asset prices declined: This past week, we observed a broad-based decline in asset prices - both bonds and stocks experienced sell-offs. Any observed asset price increases were likely the result of positive firm specific events or news. What is to blame for the decline in prices? When is a...