This week's Markets Weekly, recorded on August 1st, covered four key topics: the recent rebound in the AI trade, an impending escalation in the Iran conflict, joint U.S.-Japan intervention in the yen market, and surprising news regarding Federal Reserve meeting frequency.
**The AI Trade: A "Dead Cat Bounce"**
The speaker views the recent rekindling of the AI trade, exemplified by the Kohlspie index and memory companies seeing double-digit gains, as a "dead cat bounce." This follows a dramatic implosion where the Kohlspie index fell 40% in a month. The argument is that the initial surge was driven by momentum and leverage, particularly from retail speculators who have since been largely wiped out. The liquidation of Leo's Situational Awareness hedge fund (reportedly 400% leveraged into AI/semiconductors) is cited as a significant example, likely just "the tip of the iceberg." Many who bought high are now cautious or eager to exit at the first opportunity. The speaker concludes that the "magic is over," and this rally is characteristic of bear market behavior designed to draw in new buyers before further declines.
**Imminent Iran Escalation and Market Impact**
Following a meeting between Bibi and Trump, the U.S. president announced plans to "strike Iran hard," potentially with Israeli involvement, targeting economic as well as military sites. This marks a shift where Iran has proactively targeted U.S. bases. The speaker is highly critical of the stated U.S. constraints for this conflict—avoiding U.S. casualties and preventing financial market downturns—arguing that such limitations guarantee failure against an adversary willing to endure pain. He predicts a "catastrophe" and U.S. capitulation.
A potential strategy for Iran, suggested by the speaker, is to inflict maximum economic damage on the U.S. (e.g., by disrupting oil markets) to influence U.S. elections and ultimately force a de-funding of the war, reminiscent of the Vietnam War's end. While crude oil is around $90, gasoline futures are significantly elevated due to global refinery constraints (e.g., attacks on Russian and Gulf refineries). This limitation on refined products exacerbates inflation and economic damage, pushing global yields higher (10-year and 30-year treasuries are surging), and increasing mortgage rates, thus weighing heavily on the U.S. economy and limiting the duration of any escalation.
**Yen Market Intervention: Japan and the U.S.**
The Japanese yen has been on a continuous depreciating trend (USDJPY higher) for months, primarily due to Japan's monetary policy. Despite inflation comfortably above 2%, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has kept interest rates low (around 1%), leading to higher Japanese bond yields and a weaker currency. The speaker attributes the BOJ's inaction partly to political interference from Prime Minister Takeichi.
While Japan's Ministry of Finance and BOJ have intervened periodically, these efforts only "buy time" and fail to address the core problem of interest rate differentials. This past week saw a significant intervention, notably with the U.S. also participating, reportedly selling Euros and buying yen. The U.S. Treasury's Exchange Stabilization Fund, though small ($30 billion), was utilized. The speaker dismisses the idea that the U.S. intervened to prevent Japan from selling Treasuries, explaining that Japanese foreign reserves are primarily in short-term, liquid assets, not long-term Treasuries, posing no threat to the Treasury market. He concludes that the intervention is unlikely to work long-term and observes that the yen's historical correlation with "risk-off" sentiment has largely decoupled in recent years.
**Fed News: Fewer Meetings Ahead?**
A report from The New York Times suggests Fed Chair Kevin (Powell) is considering reducing the number of Federal Reserve meetings, possibly as few as the legally mandated four per year, down from the current eight. This aligns with his broader goal of less Fed communication, including potentially eliminating the "dot plot" and shortening press conferences.
The speaker sharply criticizes Powell's underlying rationale: "let the market decide interest rates rather than the Fed." He argues this is "magical thinking" and "ridiculous," stemming from an ideological, textbook-based understanding of markets rather than their practical functioning. In a monetary system where the Fed controls the overnight rate, market participants price treasury yields based *entirely* on their expectations of future Fed policy, not on what they believe rates *should* be.
Reducing meeting frequency would mean fewer opportunities to adjust interest rates, likely leading to larger, less incremental changes (e.g., 50-75 basis point hikes instead of 25bp). This would increase front-end interest rate volatility. While emergency meetings could fill the gap, they are typically reserved for crises, not routine policy adjustments. Ultimately, the speaker believes this move would lead to greater market volatility, less certainty, and potentially a higher risk premium across the entire yield curve.