market confidence

Paribus. The Fragility of Finance.

Despite a lot of turbulence in the markets this week the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) did exactly what was predicted. Jerome Powell carefully adjusted his language and reframed the narrative around his 25 basis point rate hike to try and calm the markets he had helped to damage. His forward guidance was only to expect further rate increases if inflation spirals out of control. He avoided taking any responsibility for the recent bank failures, claiming instead that the sector was stable and robust. In reality, the global financial system

Paribus. A Glimmer of Hope.

Following on from last week’s drama, this week sees more uncertainty in the banking, tech, and crypto sectors. While the US has been pushing a hardline policy of monetary tightening it now looks like the global financial system and tech sectors are on the brink of breaking which has caught Jerome Powell off guard. A hawkish Fed has been pushing interest rates higher, recently claiming they still had headroom to push harder and for longer than before due to the buoyant labor market. Fast forward a few days and two