FLGV News and Press, Franklin Liberty U.S. Treasury Bond From 07/12/22

As of today, the percentage of inverted points on the yield curve reached the YTD highs seen in mid-June of 17.9%. Following the first inversion in at least one year when a recession did follow, it has taken an average of 271 trading days to officially enter a recession. The short...

We see a new era of volatile inflation and growth sweeping aside a period of moderation. We downgrade equities and upgrade credit in this new regime. U.S. jobs data last Friday reinforced the supply shock causing persistent inflation. Yields resumed their rise as markets priced higher...

The employment report released last Friday was better than expected, but the response by bulls and bears alike was exactly as expected. The employment report was indeed better than expected, the gain of 372k jobs well in excess of expectations of 240k. The bulls were quick to poin...

While bond yields have steadied in recent weeks, economic and financial conditions are still not supportive of bonds resuming their role as a hedge. Until inflation really slows, bonds remain as much a source of risk as a hedge. My view is yields either need to be moderately highe...

Since the Fed first implemented its “zero interest rate policy” in the wake of the financial crisis, investors have been left with a bond market landscape that presented many challenges from an income perspective. With the dynamic duo of inflation and a Fed tightening po...

If inflation and rate increases do not rise above current market expectations, however, there is a case for longer-duration instruments. Asset allocation models are well documented across the investment universe, and portfolio diversification is a widely accepted principle. Histor...

As the Treasury curve flattened and yields rose, spreads on investment-grade corporates and taxable municipals continued to show signs of weakness. Wider spreads and longer durations hurt our performance during the quarter, but locking in higher book yields should be beneficial to our...

We left a stimulated expansion and rising US stock market for a contracting “bear market” and likely economic recession. The stock market performed its traditional function by discounting the future and falling before an economic contraction began. Over the last two week...

Once the COVID distortions are over the economy will return to its previous state of roughly 2% growth and 2% inflation. Real sales of durable goods surged throughout COVID but accelerated rapidly with stimulus payments; sales peaked right as Biden’s American Rescue Act was imp...

Anchored by the deflationary experiences of the last decade, the Fed waited until headline CPI inflation had hit 7.9% before it finally started tightening monetary policy. This delayed response has permitted inflation expectations to rise and wage growth pressures to increase. Monetar...