Shows / Basis Points
Basis Points
Macro commentary and expert-led discussions highlight what’s happening now in fixed income investing, so you can prepare for what’s next. Investing involves risks including loss of principal. This material represents the opinions of the participants at a specific time and is not intended to forecast future events or guarantee future results and should not be relied upon as investment advice. Kevin Flanagan is a registered rep of Foreside Fund Services, LLC.
Episodes
- Basis Points
Just How Tight Are Financial Conditions Anyway?
One takeaway from the November FOMC meeting is that tighter financial conditions are now a key monetary policy input. This week on the Basis Points podcast…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: In a Holding Pattern
At today’s FOMC meeting, the Fed voted to keep interest rates unchanged. As a result, the trading range remains at 5.25%–5.50%, a more than 20-year high…
- Basis Points
Income Sans the Volatility...A Year Later
We believe investors are being faced with a new rate regime as we get ready to enter 2024. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan surveys the…
- Basis Points
Have Inverted Yield Curves Lost Their Way?
The U.S. economy has been resilient despite the inverted yield curves, but is it too early to celebrate? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan…
- Basis Points
Do You Want to See Something Really Scary?
Halloween season is now upon us and if you look at recent price action within the U.S. Treasury (UST) market, it looks as if the ‘spooks’ have already started…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: Is That All You Got?
The Fed left the interest rates unchanged at today’s FOMC meeting, keeping the trading range at 5.25% –5.50%. Could the markets still see another rate hike in…
- Basis Points
U.S. Economy: Receding Recession Expectations
One of the more surprising outcomes so far this year is that markets have yet to see a recession. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan…
- Basis Points
U.S. Labor Market Activity: Slowing, Not Weakening
While the Fed has emphasized that future policy decisions would be based on the “totality” of upcoming economic data, make no mistake, employment reports go to…
- Basis Points
Five Alive
While Powell didn’t offer up any groundbreaking headlines in his Jackson Hole speech last week, the overarching message from the chair still resounds loud and…
- Basis Points
Does What Goes Up Have to Come Down?
For those looking for a summer respite for the bond market in August…think again. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan gets into the root…
- Basis Points
Budget Deficits Come Into Focus
How does the U.S. budget deficit affect the Treasury market and the economy? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan covers the recent…
- Basis Points
Still Want to be Late to the Duration Party
Throughout the course of the current Fed rate hike cycle and attendant increase in the U.S. Treasury (UST) 10-year yield, investors periodically ask: is it…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: The Final Countdown
The Federal Reserve voted to raise rates by another quarter point at today’s FOMC meeting. This pushes the fed funds target range to the highest level since…
- Basis Points
Bonds: A 1H 2023 Report Card
Is 2022 the year not to be named? After what was arguably the worst year on record, we believed this year could be a positive one for bond investors. This week…
- Basis Points
Skipping the Pause
Following the June FOMC meeting where Fed hit pause, speculation began to intensify about what the policymakers next move could be. This week on the Basis…
- Basis Points
U.S. High Yield: What's Priced In?
As the Federal Reserve's "hawkish pause" dominates headlines, investors are left wondering when the long-anticipated recession will be coming. During this…
- Basis Points
A Nice Dose of: Don't Fight the Fed
Throughout this Fed rate hike cycle, there always seemed to be some sort of disconnect between what the policymakers were saying and what the money and bond…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: End of the Line?
For the first time since the Fed began raising rates in March of last year, the voting members did not implement a rate increase at the recent June FOMC…
- Basis Points
Debt Ceiling: Waiting for a Done Deal
With the debt saga still ongoing, sometimes looking at current headlines juxtaposed with historical events can provide some useful context. This week on the…
- Basis Points
The New Fed Debate: Skip vs. Pause or Pause vs. Cut?
The money and bond markets find themselves in an interesting spot on the calendar, nestled right in between the May and June FOMC meetings. This week on the…
- Basis Points
Some Perspective on Banking Woes: Two Months Later
It’s been roughly two months now operating in a post-Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) World and the markets are still feeling its impact. This week on the Basis…
- Basis Points
'Floating' Up to the Ceiling...Revisited
How concerned should investors be about the pending debt ceiling debate? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan reviews past debt ceiling sagas…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: The Waiting Is the Hardest Part
In what was a widely expected outcome, the Fed raised interest rates by another quarter point today, elevating the Fed Funds trading range to its highest level…
- Basis Points
A Tale of Two Yield Curves
Do you remember when inverted Treasury Yield Curves were all the rage? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan reflects on the year that was and…
- Basis Points
Just Hold On a Minute
After a slew of second-tier data points last week, the market was feeling uneasy about the economy's health, but the March jobs report could provide some…
- Basis Points
A Month at Six Flags for Treasuries
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses a new dynamic in the U.S. Treasury market ignited by the recent banking crisis. Listen now to…
- Basis Points
The Fed's Lending a Hand
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses the Fed’s actions following the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. During the episode, Kevin covers…
Basis PointsFed Watch: Threading the Needle
For the second meeting in a row, the Fed implemented a 25 basis point rate hike, bringing the new fed funds trading range to 4.75% - 5%. The question on…
- Basis Points
What A World, What A World
Last week was eventful for the bond markets. During this week’s episode of the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan reviews the latest developments against the…
- Basis Points
Shelter From the Storm?
While inflation appears to have peaked last summer, unfortunately for the Fed, and by extension the bond market, the future road may not be as much of a…
- Basis Points
Are the Winds of Change Turning into Gale Warnings?
For the first six weeks of 2023, volatility in the money and bond markets took center stage, with a full year’s rally occurring in only about one month’s…
- Basis Points
Inverted Yield Curves Reach New Heights
What happens when the Fed raises rates by 450 basis points in under a year? The answer: inverted yield curves. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin…
- Basis Points
The Highest Yielding Treasury Security-Revisited
After the January FOMC meeting, the U.S. Treasury (UST) market has now arrived at another milestone. UST floating rate notes are now the highest-yielding…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: Speed Limit 25
At today’s FOMC meeting, the Federal Reserve downshifted its pace of rate hikes, this time lowering the “speed limit” to 25 basis points (bps), down from…
- Basis Points
Has Default Become the Latest Buzz Word?
So far in 2023, the topic of a possible default has been a 'hot-button' topic. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses high yield…
- Basis Points
An "Un-Conditional" Guarantee?
While the dual mantras of “don’t fight the Fed” and “don’t fight the tape” continue to battle it out, this week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan…
- Basis Points
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
As we begin 2023, most economic and macro outlooks seem to all be on the same page. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses how these…
- Basis Points
Treasuries Ain’t Buying What the Fed’s Selling
While the outcome of the December FOMC meeting did not offer any big surprises, the U.S. Treasury market’s response has left some feeling a little perplexed…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: Downshifting to Fifty
The Fed delivered another outsized rate hike at today’s FOMC meeting, but this time it was ‘only’ by 50 basis points. As a result, the Fed Funds trading range…
- Basis Points
Fixed Income: A Return to Normalcy
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan is joined by Chris Acito, CEO of Gapstow Capital Partners. Listen as they recap what went on in fixed…
- Basis Points
Income Sans the Volatility
In 2023, we expect to see a continuing theme of Fed-induced volatility. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan covers how investors can take…
- Basis Points
Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain
With the money and bond markets preoccupied with inflation, the chance of a recession and Fed rate hikes, the state of the U.S. government’s finances has not…
- Basis Points
Is Five Becoming the New Four?
November has gotten off to an inauspicious start for the money and bond markets. Against this backdrop, during this week’s episode of the Basis Points podcast…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: 'Pivot' Lite?
The Fed delivered another outsized rate increase at today’s FOMC meeting, raising interest rates again by 75 basis points to a new range of 3.75%–4%. This week…
- Basis Points
U.S. Treasury Yields: The Next Generation with Morgan Stanley
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan is joined by Morgan Stanley’s Global Head of Macro Strategy, Matthew Hornbach. During the episode, they…
- Basis Points
No Powell Pivot
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses the Fed's inflation fighting strategy and the chatter about a “pivot” shifts gears as the…
- Basis Points
Volatility Seems To Be Everywhere
Given the evolving regulatory environment, this week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan explores the related risks and trends against a volatile…
- Basis Points
When Is a Recession Actually a Recession?
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan takes listeners down memory lane to define the framework of a recession and how it compares with where…
- Basis Points
Navigating the Uncharted Waters Between Growth and Inflation
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan is joined by WisdomTree thought leaders Jeff Weniger, Nitesh Shah and Aneeka Gupta to cover a compelling…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: Full Steam Ahead
At today’s FOMC meeting, the Fed raised the Fed Funds target by 75 basis points. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses the driving…
- Basis Points
Will It Be A 'Four' Gone Conclusion?
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan recaps the Fed’s latest messaging on inflation and rising rates, their impact on the money and bond…
- Basis Points
Aiming for High Income, with a Quality Screen
We’ll say it again, there is income back in fixed income! This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan reviews developments in the high yield market…
- Basis Points
Will Powell Play “Fed Texas Hold’Em”?
Will the Fed hold‘em, fold‘em or stay? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan weighs in on the latest debate in the money and bond markets, and…
- Basis Points
Back in the Summer of '69
This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan provides perspective on the latest labor market data as policy officials continue pushing back against…
- Basis Points
Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls
What a week for the money and bond markets. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan continues his discussion on the sticky topic of inflation and…
- Basis Points
Fed Watch: Back-to-Back in the History Books
At this week’s FOMC meeting, the Fed made history with another 75-point rate hike. This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses how the…
- Basis Points
Is it Just a Matter of How Shallow or Deep?
What type of rate hike are we going to see at next week's July FOMC meeting? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan weighs in on the buzz around…
- Basis Points
Income Back in Fixed Income?
Is income coming back into Fixed Income? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses how the dynamic duo of inflation and fed policy are…
- Basis Points
Looking for Recession Clues In All the Wrong Places
Are the markets looking for recession clues in the right or the wrong places? This week on the Basis Points podcast, Kevin Flanagan discusses the leading…
- Basis Points
Is a 4% 10-Year Treasury Yield Possible?
The first half of 2022 is now in the books, and the Treasury 10-year yield continues to make headlines in the bond market. This week on the Basis Points…