The real cause of last week’s market losses: investor anxiety about monetary policy changes.
As I write in my latest weekly commentary piece, in a world where risky assets have been driven higher mostly by ultra-low interest rates rather than by strong earnings, investors are increasingly focusing their attention on when the easy money will end.
While investors typically watch the Federal Reserve and other large central banks, their focus has recently turned into an obsession. Hypersensitive investors now parse central bank testimony for the slightest change in language or tone.
The fixation on loose monetary policy is one of the main reasons investors have become enamored with US and Japanese markets. The Fed and BOJ are implementing the world’s most aggressive monetary policy.
So what do I do with my money in response? Here are three investing implications of this fixation on the Fed:
1.) While stocks can still move higher this year, expect more market volatility. As we get into the summer months and closer to some moderate change in Fed policy, volatility is likely to increase as investors used to easy money adapt to tightening monetary policy.