What Happened To Markets the Last 15 Times the Fed Tightened
Comment of the Day

January 24 2013

Commentary by David Fuller

What Happened To Markets the Last 15 Times the Fed Tightened

My thanks to a subscriber for this report by Matthew Boesler, which I believe appeared on Business Insider. Here is the opening
Ever since the release of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent policy meeting - which surprised markets by striking a hawkish tone - one question has gripped investors perhaps more than any other: when will the Fed start tightening monetary policy, and what will happen when it does?

Deutsche Bank Chief U.S. Equity Strategist David Bianco says, "Don't fear interest rate normalization." That's the title of one of his recent research notes, which takes a deep dive into what happened to markets each of the 15 times the Fed has embarked on policy tightening since 1965.

Bianco writes, "DB economists and rate strategists forecast an unchanged Fed Funds rate until 2014. However, they forecast a 3.0% 10yr Treasury yield at 2013 end. When QE ends it will likely be akin to early-cycle Fed tightening and the uptick in long-term yields will represent a cyclical rise in rates, both of which are bullish."

David Fuller's view Statistically, this is correct but QE is not a normal policy. Therefore I will take my cue from the markets as US monetary policy changes.

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