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Policy and Regulatory Commentary
The Fight to Replace RBG
After a career of service as a distinguished jurist and, later in life, a cultural icon, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday, September 18, in the early hours of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
Fixed Income Insights
Interest rates: Lower for longer...or forever?
This piece is approved to use with clients.
On September 16, 2020, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) left interest rates near zero and signaled that it expects to hold them there through at least 2023, adding outcome based guidance. The statement follows the new long-term policy framework announced by Chair Jay Powell in August at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s annual Jackson Hole conference. The Fed notes that rates will remain near zero “until labor market conditions have reached levels consistent with the Committee’s assessments of maximum employment and inflation has risen to 2 percent and is on track to moderately exceed 2 percent for some time.” We didn’t get a precise definition of what a moderate overshoot would look like, allowing the Fed to retain some flexibility.
Policy and Regulatory Commentary
The Payroll Holiday That Isn’t
Amidst a stalemate between the two parties on Capitol Hill regarding additional COVID-related legislation, President Donald Trump on August 8 issued an executive memorandum policy that said U.S. workers would not have to pay their Social Security payroll taxes from September 1, 2020 until December 31, 2020.
Fixed Income Insights
Fixed Income Market Update - September 2020
This piece is approved to use with clients.
In our view, in a landscape of improved risk sentiment and strong demand for yield, U.S. corporates appear attractive even noting the recompression of spreads since the first quarter. While corporates have retraced a significant portion of their year to date widening, other sectors and asset classes have gone further, leaving corporates relatively well positioned.
Policy and Regulatory Commentary
At This Point, Do Deficits Matter?
Last week, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) – the nonpartisan federal agency within Congress that provides budget and economic information to lawmakers and is tasked with providing an analysis of the impact of every bill Congress enacts on the national budget – released a report that projects the U.S. annual budget deficit will exceed $3.3 trillion by the end of fiscal year 2020. That’s the end of this month.
Policy and Regulatory Commentary
A New Monetary Policy
Last Thursday, while almost 24 million Americans were gearing up to watch President Donald Trump’s Republican National Convention speech and the literal fireworks that followed, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave an historic speech of his own that sent rockets around the monetary policy world.
Policy and Regulatory Commentary
An Update on the Federal Government’s Business Relief Programs
While it may seem hard to believe that March was just five months ago – not five years ago – that’s when Washington created two loan programs that were supposed to help struggling businesses keep doors open and employees on the payroll.