Macroeconomics

What we are currently experiencing is a disconnect between monetary policy, the economy and the markets, a disconnect that in our view will struggle to survive much longer.

This week the team at TwentyFour have been busy compiling our 2022 fixed income outlook, which will be published next week. There is no doubt we are confronted with a challenging set of circumstances, which will provide investors – not just in fixed income – with headwinds in the year ahead, and in particular we think during the first half.

In fixed income today there are three market forces becoming ever more prominent.

Before the pandemic struck in February 2020, there were 159 million employed Americans; by the end of April that year, 26 million jobs disappeared. Since then, politicians and central bankers have focused on recovering all jobs lost to the pandemic fallout and returning to pre-COVID levels.

So that’s the banks, rates, swaps and currency traders that all apparently got the wrong end of the stick. Explaining how you might arrive at a future monetary policy decision is a challenging and fine balancing act, but as Governor of the Bank of England that is of course one your jobs.

Speculation on the timing of the Bank of England’s first post-pandemic rate hike has been rife. But whether the BoE hikes rates later this week, next month or even waits until after year-end, it is worth thinking about what it will mean for the general public, a step away from the financial markets.

Following a turbulent week for rates markets, Eoin Walsh outlines what investors can expect as the Bank of England and other central banks meet this week.

With all eyes on November 3 and the Fed’s next move, Paul Kim looks at supply chain disruption in the US and how its cost pressures have shifted the narrative on ‘transitory’ inflation.

TwentyFour Partner and Portfolio Manager, Douglas Charleston, explains how ABS markets have performed in Q3 2021 and provides his outlook for the rest of the year.

TwentyFour Portfolio Manager, Diana Chiu, discusses how Investment Grade markets have performed in Q3 2021 and provides her outlook for the rest of the year.

A member of the Multi-Sector Bond team discusses market conditions in Q3 2021 and provides her outlook for the rest of the year.

Let’s not forget that the BoE dropped rates from 0.75% right down to 0.1% at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic back in March 2020, having only managed to put through two hikes in 2017 and 2018. It has changed course sharply before.