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The Yield Curve Inversion Warns Investors

Writer's picture: Matt SchreiberMatt Schreiber

By Don Schreiber, Jr. – WBI Founder and CEO

The yield curve is warning of tight monetary conditions that have led to recession conditions in the last seven economic slowdowns. The 3’s and 5’s inverted for the first time in this 10-year recovery cycle. What is not widely understood by investors is that the Fed’s balance sheet reduction program is putting downward pressure on long bond prices, which would tend to mask a broader yield curve inversion.

We would suspect the selling pressure forced into the treasury market by the Fed’s balance sheet reduction is pushing up yields on 10’s through 30’s. If the Fed was not shrinking their balance sheet, yields on longer duration treasuries might be lower leading to inversion on the longer end of the curve. The additional quantitative tightening from balance sheet reduction is not only distorting the yield curve but is probably the proximate cause of the fast-paced move to surprisingly weak economic conditions in the U.S.

The recent comments from Chair Powell and the Fed indicate they have been caught off guard by how fast economic data has been deteriorating. People fail to realize that balance sheet reduction and Fed tightening has never occurred in tandem before. The historically weak economic recovery from the Financial Crisis and the lack of strong growth further compounds the U.S. economic system’s ability to absorb the impact of rate hikes.

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis as of 11/29/18

During this hike cycle, the Fed has raised the federal funds rate eight times from 0.25% to 2.25% — an 800% increase. It’s likely they will hike again in December to 2.50%, driving the total increase to 900%. The magnitude of these hikes is unprecedented and could be another reason the economy is faltering quickly. As a counterpoint, the Fed raised rates from 2004-2007 by 425%, enough to not only slow the economy but lead to the Financial Crisis.

Yield inversion has been a good predictor of economic and market trouble ahead, and we believe yields would be providing a much more powerful inversion signal if the Fed’s balance sheet reduction was not weighing on bond prices. Sometimes it’s hard to see the forest when you are surrounded by trees, but recent market turbulence, weaker economic data, and today’s yield curve inversion indicate investors should be very careful with their capital in the months ahead.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. The views presented are those of Don Schreiber, Jr. and should not be construed as investment advice. Don Schreiber, or clients of WBI may own stock/sectors discussed in this article. All economic and performance information is historical and not indicative of future results. This is not an offer to buy or sell any security.No security or strategy, including those referred to directly or indirectly in this document, is suitable for all accounts or profitable all of the time and there is always the possibility of loss. Moreover, you should not assume that any discussion or information provided here serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from WBI or from any other investment professional. To the extent that you have any questions regarding the applicability of any specific issue discussed to your individual situation, please consult with WBI or the professional advisor of your choosing. This information is compiled from sources believed to be reliable, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Information pertaining to WBI’s advisory operations, services, and fees is set forth in WBI’s disclosure statement in Part 2A of Form ADV, a copy of which is available upon request.

You are not permitted to publish, transmit, or otherwise reproduce this information, in whole or in part, in any format to any third party without the express written consent of WBI Investments, Inc.

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Unless otherwise indicated all performance is sourced from Bloomberg.

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Past performance is not indicative of future results. This is not an offer to buy or sell any security. No security or strategy, including those referred to directly or indirectly, is suitable for all accounts or profitable all the time. This information is compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed.

You should not assume that any discussion or information provided here serves as a substitute for personalized investment advice from WBI or any other investment professional. If you have questions regarding the applicability of specific issues discussed to your individual situation, please consult with WBI or your chosen professional advisor.

Additional information about WBI’s advisory operations, services, conflicts of interest and fees are in the Form ADV, which is available upon request or on the SEC’s website at http://www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.

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