When it moves, everything moves. If the dollar rises sharply back to the middle of the range, it kills the inflation narrative for now.
The real guts of the inflation debate is more likely next year's story.
It is normal to see inflation fears immediately after recessions but they tend to ease sharply (or entirely reverse, as do bond yields).
And The Fed always cuts again (for 2 years) after the recession as stimulus and re-bound effects wear off...
Same happened with QE after last recession
The government tends to push through one or two more stimulus (in this case I think they will be massive) and the Fed balance sheet will continue to expand, and bond yields should drop once more...
My view remains that H2 is weaker than expected and inflation fears subside for now, and growth looks patchy. That results in more stimulus (not tightening) in Q4.
What does it mean for markets? Well, the dollar keeps rising for a bit. Commodities correct. Tech and Exponential Age stocks rip higher.
Weaker data will eventually lead to Gold and Crypto moving sharply higher, especially once the dollar stabilises a bit.
We need to see the dollar break this inverse head and shoulders first...
But I think the dollar is range bound and heads to the 96 to 98 level before settling...
Let's see how it plays out... but keep your eye on the dollar. It is still the king, and remember 100% of all forecasters on Bloomberg at the beginning of the year suggested it was going to weaken a lot. They are usually wrong when consensus is so high.
But massive infrastructure stimulus that will keep coming will drive up commodities over time as long as the dollar is not ripping. But I think the first wave is possibly done and will correct for a while now.
Let's talk about the Crypto Waiting Room... many key part of the crypto ecosystem are in the waiting room ready to launch. Let's look at a few (you will have yours too...)
Total3 - Ex- BTC and ETH...ready to launch from the waiting room. 1/ ...
OTHERS (Outside of Top 10... purest form of Alts season where all shit rises). Still in the waiting room but longer to launch...
Crypto is still feeling the tightening in liquidity from the stronger dollar and higher rates in Q4 2024. That is almost done and financial conditions are easing fast and M2 is headed back to new highs. This is just a regular correction... 1/
We had the exact same correction in 2017 caused by the same reaction to Trump policies (higher dollar and higher rates which then reversed). 2/
Over time, we just keep climbing the log regression channel. Whether we stay at the man (red) or climb above it by another standard deviation or two remains to be seen as the cycle develops.
We are very close to being in the Last Chance to Add Zone in crypto. The next step should be the memes breaking out and after that there is nothing to do but wait to take lifestyle chips off the table.
These are the three most important charts in Global Macro, along with Crypto - from this months Global Macro Investor publication:
1. Demographics are destiny. GDP slows over time as size of labour force shrinks.
2. Government Debt to GDP ratio is just a function of the working population. It offsets the weak growth and pays for the compunding interests on the debts. This is THE most important chart in macro.
3. That debt is serviced via debasement via liquidity increases over time.