The market moves either on expectations or on economic data 30 July 2025 Expectations vs. Economic Data: Why Markets Remain Range-Bound 1. The Market’s Tug-of-War Equity volumes have dried up because two opposing forces are cancelling each other out: negative expectations on policy and inflation versus moderately positive economic … [Read more...] about The market is not flat for long, what could drive it?
market economics
Tariff Tensions and Fiscal Uncertainty Cloud US-EU Relations and trade deal
Uncertainty Cloud US-EU Relations over trade deals As of July 29, 2025, monetary policy watchers and market participants face a hazy horizon. Tariff uncertainty, a fragile US-EU trade framework, and unresolved issues around taxation of big tech add to the noise ahead of the next Personal Income and Spending report. Upcoming Report: Personal Income and Spending The … [Read more...] about Tariff Tensions and Fiscal Uncertainty Cloud US-EU Relations and trade deal
US Market Capital-Flow Analysis of money funds, ETFs and mutuals – sinking tide or rotation
Capital-Flow Pulse Check: Money Funds, ETFs & Mutual Funds (Data to 23 July 2025) 23 July 2025 — Official ICI flow data reveal how U.S. capital is rotating among cash, passive vehicles, and legacy mutual funds. Quick Take Money-market funds keep swelling, bond ETFs surge, while mutual funds bleed assets for a forty-third straight month. The pattern signals cautious … [Read more...] about US Market Capital-Flow Analysis of money funds, ETFs and mutuals – sinking tide or rotation
fear and loathing in the us markets
Fear, Loathing, and Tariff Rodeos—How Institutional Investors Are Navigating 2025’s U.S. Market Cross-Currents “Buy the upside, rent the downside.” That mantra captures the uneasy mix of bullish positioning and tail-risk hedging that dominates today’s tape. 1 Where Today’s “Fear & Loathing” Shows Up 1.1 The Fear Tail-Risk Hedges Stay Busy. Index-put skew and … [Read more...] about fear and loathing in the us markets
The True Wealth of the U.S. System — Why Globalized Production Still Counts
America’s “true” wealth is not just the capital accumulated at home; it is the purchasing power and flexibility the country gains from an unmatched global production network. Import-price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) underscore how that network supports: 1 — Companies Broader operating margins thanks to low-input costs Price discipline that … [Read more...] about The True Wealth of the U.S. System — Why Globalized Production Still Counts
Employment‑Driven Consumption: What’s Really Propping Up the Data?
Overall consumption is being sustained by real income growth at the aggregate level, thanks chiefly to continued gains in total employment. On a per‑capita basis, however, households remain cautious: spending per worker is subdued; it’s simply the larger number of workers that keeps the retail figures afloat. None of this is new, which is why recent retail‑sector data came in … [Read more...] about Employment‑Driven Consumption: What’s Really Propping Up the Data?
Key take-aways from cpi macro tape
1 — CPI: Services & “Food-at-Home” Dominate Headline CPI: 2.7 % Y/Y in June (up from 2.4 % in May). Shelter cooled, but: Medical-care services rose 0.6 % M/M; now 3.4 % Y/Y. Food-at-home gained 0.3 % M/M; 2.4 % Y/Y. Implication: Services inflation has re-emerged, making a near-term Fed cut unlikely. 2 — Long Bonds Under … [Read more...] about Key take-aways from cpi macro tape
June CPI (Release 15 July 2025): Why the Market May Shrug
Even if June headline CPI comes in near 0 % m/m (≈ 2.3 % y/y), policy-rate relief is unlikely while short-term bills trade on the Fed’s floor and fiscal worries linger. 1. Components that drive ~50 % of the index Energy (~7 % weight) Regular gasoline: roughly flat month-on-month. Diesel No. 2: retail price up about 3 % m/m. … [Read more...] about June CPI (Release 15 July 2025): Why the Market May Shrug
Thin-Tape, Quiet-Vol Sessions What the Macro Picture Is Really Saying
What is really behind the slow down in volume and market participation? 1. Hushed Price Action, Few Catalysts Both the overnight Globex trade and the post-lunch U.S. cash session continue to show exceptionally light volume and realised vol. Neither the latest GDP print (−0.5 % q/q, chained) nor May’s personal-income / spending figures managed to jolt the market, … [Read more...] about Thin-Tape, Quiet-Vol Sessions What the Macro Picture Is Really Saying
Why are these economic releases more relevant Jobs report and personal income than inflation news?
Why Jobs and Income Data Matter More Than Inflation in 2025 As of 2025, why are these economic releases—Jobs Report and Personal Income—more relevant than inflation news? 1. Why we watch these two reports as traders and market participants Report When it’s released Why it matters … [Read more...] about Why are these economic releases more relevant Jobs report and personal income than inflation news?