As expected, there was little surprise in the ECB monetary policy decision, which kept all three key ECB rates unchanged, and which announced that rates will "remain at their present levels for an extended period of time, and well past the horizon of the net asset purchases."
DB’s Jim Reid has released his “2018 Credit Outlook”. In our first pass on this 60-pager earlier, we noted that Reid characterised 2017 as the most “boring year ever”, since it will go down as one of, if not the least, volatile year for the majority of asset classes.
While the ECB kept all of its three key rates unchanged as expected, and also kept the pace of QE at €60 billion until the end of the year, confirming the numerous trial balloons overthe past month, the ECB announced that it would cut the rate of QE in half, to €30 billion "from January 2018 until the end of September 2018" adding that this would extend "beyond, if necessary" and “until inflation path has sustainably adjusted.”
Back in mid-July, BofA's chief investment strategist Michael Hartnett predicted that the "most dangerous moment for market will come in 3 or 4 months." Well, we are now "between 3 and 4" months since the forecast fate and the most dangerous moment we have experienced since then, ironically, is today's modest selloff on the 30 year anniversary of Black Monday. So looking back at his forecast, has Hartnett thrown in the towel on calls for a correction, and joined all the other BTFDers?
Submitted by Bill Blain of Mint Partners
Blain's Morning Porridge - Fed Acts, ECB Smoking - but what?
The Fed acts. Normalisation. Hints of a rate rise in December, confirmation of further “data-dependent” hikes to come next year, and ending the reinvestment of QE income. Exactly as expected – although some say three hikes in 2018 is a bit hostage to the global economy. The effect: Dollar up. Bonds down. Record Stocks. Yellen threw the bond market a crumb when she reminded us low inflation will require a “response.”