Tag Archives: inflation
Commodities Deliver Double-Digit Returns in the Face of Stubborn Inflation
Commodity markets remain on top of the asset class leader board with inflation drawing the ire of the Fed and other asset classes. The upside surprise in U.S. inflation spotlights the potential benefits of commodities as a diversification tool. The S&P GSCI, the leading indicator of broad commodity performance, has produced double-digit returns in 2024,…
- Categories Commodities
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Energy Pumps up the S&P GSCI and Markets Go Cuckoo for Cocoa
“I think it’s from all those dog-gone cocoa beans. Hey, by the way, did you guys know that chocolate contains a property that triggers the release of endorphins? Gives one the feeling of being in love.” -Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Inflation presented a direct hit to consumers at the pump, with…
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Food Inflation Bites into Income as Commodities March Higher
Inflation continues to impact consumers and policymakers in negative ways. Hedging through broad commodities has proven to buffer portfolio returns, with the S&P GSCI up 5.38% this year. Going into the year, expectations of Fed rate cuts and continued declines in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) pushed inflation concerns aside. Since then, markets have experienced…
- Categories Commodities
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Measuring Fixed Income Opportunities in Asia with Indices
How are indices helping investors track the continued development of Asian Bond markets? S&P DJI’s Randolf Tantzscher and SSGA’s Kheng Siang Ng discuss how indexing is helping market participants track the evolving fixed income opportunity set across currencies in Asia.
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D-FENCE! Investigating Commodity Performance under a Defensive Fed
I love this time of year. August vacations are over, the kids are back in school and football season kicks off in the U.S. The Fed took its August “vacation” at the Jackson Hole Symposium, where Jerome Powell’s remarks singularly focused on price stability. Inflation has come down but “remains too high” and the Fed…
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A Quick Look at Key USD Indices and Fixed Income ETF Flows This Year
2022 marked a full year of rate hikes, unprecedented since the Global Financial Crisis, which propelled short-term yields upward and in turn ultimately caused the 10-2 spread1 to fall below zero in the second half of 2022, where it has since stayed. Recent market expectations suggest that the end of rate rises is perhaps in…
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The S&P GSCI Cooled in April as Inflation Cooled
The S&P GSCI fell 0.8% in April as the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), fell slightly on a year-over-year basis to 4.6%. Continued elevated readings of inflation, albeit cooling, led to market expectations that the Fed would hike rates again in May to bring inflation back to its 2% target. Commodities…
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The “Devil’s Metal” Vanishes, Precious Metals Shine and Energy Dims: Commodities Quarterly Wrap
“Jamie ran on down to the LME, but the devil caught him there, He took Mr. Dimon’s Nickel bags and vanished in the air, Set out running but I’ll take my time, A friend of the devil is a friend of mine” -adaptation of Grateful Dead’s “Friend of the Devil” Just one year after the…
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Commodities Could Not Escape the Sea of Red Seen Across Asset Classes in February
The S&P GSCI, the world’s leading commodities benchmark, could not escape the volatile markets experienced in February, as the index fell 3.83% for the month. Despite recent declines, inflation remained high, which kept the U.S. Fed steadfast in its rate-hiking campaign, and expectations for a possible easing by year-end 2023 were squashed in the latest…
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Commodities Flat in January After Second-Best Yearly Performance in Two Decades
The 24 individual commodities comprising the S&P GSCI finished the first month of 2023 with divergent performance. This echoed the uncertain path forward regarding inflation expectations. Half outperformed, with industrial metals leading the way, while the other half declined, with natural gas tanking, as European countries filled their tanks to their brims. Gold had one…
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