Tea & Crumpets: A Formidable Podcast
Tea and Crumpets is Formidable Asset Management’s biweekly podcast that features Formidable’s Managing Partner and CEO, Will Brown, and Chief Investment Officer, Adam Eagleston, CFA, talking directly about current events in relation to their expertise and business in a conversational manner.
We look at the historically woeful start to 2022 for both stocks and bonds and explain why these coinciding declines are causing stress in the financial system, as well for investors. We also analyze the efficacy of the Fed’s toolkit to fight inflation and how rate increases typically flow through the economy....
Are recent comments by the Fed inspiring or perspiring? We discuss the sub-optimal setup for the European Central Bank, what is helping (and hurting) the case for a reversion to sub-2% inflation domestically, and what it means for markets over the near- and medium-term. Also, public service announcements on preventative health care and meme stocks.
We look at the situation facing the Fed as the market anxiously awaits comments from Jackson Hole. With student debt forgiveness and the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act renewing fiscal stimulus, can the Fed engineer a soft landing? We also analyze the divergence between the favorable technical setup versus stretched valuations. Finally, we recap the most recent round of meme stock mania which, thankfully, we watched from the sidelines.
In a market that makes about as much sense as August having an extra day, we examine the reasons for the strong equity returns in July and the incongruent views the market currently has on rates versus earnings expectations. We also discuss the squeeze consumers are feeling as savings rates decline and credit card debt expands.
After a brief hiatus, Will and Adam return to talk about the market’s welcome recent rebound. Is it a head fake or will the bad news is good news narrative continue? Higher inflation and restrictive Fed policy have the potential to head butt investors, but the technical set-up remains favorable.
Are equity markets still in the danger zone? Join Will, Adam, and Kenny Loggins (well, two of the three) as they discuss the brief bear market, what is fueling the recent rebound, and whether we are in for more turbulence. Can the Fed engineer a soft landing, or will it crash and burn? Be our wingman as we explore these topics and more.
Investors are certainly frowning upon the Fed’s recent comments. We explore large caps trading like small caps, how inflation is affecting consumer behavior and how companies are responding. We also delve into prior periods of market distress to look for signs as to how far along the current drawdown may be.
The market’s recent selloff is in focus. Can the Fed be seen as slightly accommodative while still getting a handle on inflation, or is that just as impossible as our title? What are the effects of the war in Ukraine and Chinese lockdowns on inflation, and how big are they as building blocks of the current wall of worry? We also discuss the parts of our investment strategy that become more important in this environment.
Will the Fed do little, or is under too much political pressure to just talk about raising rates to fight inflation? Is China’s “zero Covid” policy really an inflation fighting tool? What explains the divergence between institutional and retail investor behavior, and are they considering the tough lessons the market taught us in the 1970s and late 1990s? We address these questions and more.
Should the Fed take it easy, or is the heat on? We explore the Fed’s recent meeting and the market’s reaction, not to mention the mounting inflation pressures consumers are feeling. We also discuss the implications of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine as well as China’s burgeoning Covid lockdowns.
