This week’s Alpha Trader podcast features hosts Aaron Task and Stephen Alpher talking with Jim Bianco, president of Bianco Research.
It doesn’t take too long of a memory to remember the days when then-Fed Chair Janet Yellen was none too pleased about President Trump sticking his nose into monetary policy. Now that Yellen has moved to the Executive Branch (as Treasury Secretary), why does she think it’s okay to continue to opine on Jay Powell’s business, asks Bianco.
Of her latest comments about higher interest rates being a good thing for the economy, Bianco isn’t so sure. It depends why they’re rising, says Bianco. If it’s due to wholesome growth, that’s not so bad for the economy or stocks. But if due to bondholders demanding higher rates to compensate for higher inflation, the stock market might not react so nicely.
Politics aside, current Street thinking says the Fed is going to use the Jackson Hole confab in late August to lay the groundwork for the taper to begin, with rate hikes to maybe start in the second half of 2022. Bianco questions that consensus. He’s keeping his eye on the 10-year Treasury yield. If an inflation scare forces long rates higher, it could force the Fed’s hand a lot sooner than that.
Of his recent great interest in the promise of cryptocurrencies, Bianco takes us back to the days of Web 1.0 - peer-to-peer, decentralized. That was quickly supplanted by Web 2.0 - the rise of the great centralized platforms like Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, and Google. Web 3.0, says Bianco, will be a return to decentralization thanks to the power of blockchain technology.
It’s a fascinating discussion, with plenty more, including why Web 3.0 may not be kind to the above-mentioned (and other) mega-cap tech names, and why central bank digital currencies could be a major threat to the legacy commercial banking system.
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