Bronze

At least initially, rate increases can be procyclical. Moreover, in this particular cycle, fiscal and regulatory policy are acting procyclically too. That means you need a lot of rate hikes to get a big anti-cyclical effect.

The yield curve has steepened to where 10-year yields exceed 2-year yields by 52 basis points. While this may seem like a case of market whiplash, it's not. It's what should be expected in a late cycle rate hike regime.

Normally, we think of trade as a story of spendthrift nations 'living beyond their means' and saver nations being productive. In this view, savers are virtuous and spenders are sinful. And the easiest way to see who the saints and sinners…

Last week, Lael Brainard gave an important speech on financial stability. In effect, she said the Fed is likely to require increased capital buffers in the future. The key to if and when is in how large mitigating factors are in keeping…

The credit bubble has claimed its first major finance company: Bear Stearns. The venerable firm, which traded as high as $160 in 2007 and was trading above $60 just last week, was bought for a mere $2 per share by rival JP Morgan Chase and…