The war with Iran was expected to last four or five weeks, but Tehran's reaction—a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil passes—has triggered a surge in energy markets. U.S. President Donald Trump insists the attacks will soon cease, but he is asking allies for help in securing this strategic Middle Eastern passage, while analysts speculate about how long the oil blockade will last.
The dollar stabilised to a certain extent today after retreating in the prior session, but could remain relatively volatile as markets react to geopolitical developments in the Middle East. Treasury yields were firmer following a pullback on Monday as well.
The dominant force in play remains the Middle East conflict, which has kept oil prices elevated and inflation expectations firm. Reports that Washington is assembling a coalition to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz could offer some relief for the oil market and could weigh on the dollar.
Persistent tensions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East sustain the demand for safe-haven assets. However, the surge in oil prices raised concerns about inflationary pressures, pushing up inflation expectations and lifting Treasury yields, which could continue to weigh on gold.
It's the folks who are entering the job market for the first time that are bearing the brunt of that, and to me, that's in a very standard, classic textbook way, exactly the type of unemployment that the Central Bank is equipped to help accommodate with looser monetary policy.
Gold pays no interest or dividends, making its appeal highly sensitive to what investors can earn elsewhere. When real yields fall, gold becomes comparatively more attractive. The 10-year Treasury yield has dropped from 4.29% in early February to 4.06% as of early March, coinciding directly with gold pushing to new highs.
in order to land the nomination to succeed Jerome Powell the directive from the Oval Office was explicit: The candidate would have to be more dovish than Powell. Warsh, a former Fed Governor, fits the bill: He's bullish on the U.S. economy, thanks in large part to the promise of AI, and is advocating for relative economic tightening on the Fed's balance sheet to offset lower rates.
MLPs compete directly with bonds for yield-seeking capital, making the Federal Reserve's rate trajectory the most important external variable for AMZA. The Fed has cut rates 75 basis points over the past year to a current target of 3.75%, and the 10-year Treasury has pulled back to 4.08% after peaking at 4.29% in early February. That decline has widened the spread between MLP distributions and risk-free alternatives, contributing to the rally across holdings.
Currency movements drive emerging market returns more than most investors realize. When the dollar weakens, emerging market assets denominated in local currencies become more valuable in dollar terms, and capital flows toward higher-yielding developing economies. The opposite happens when the dollar strengthens. SPEM's performance over the next year will largely hinge on whether the dollar continues its recent consolidation or resumes a strengthening trend.
USDJPY is currently trading around the 155.5 level. While this remains a relatively high price, the pair has already undergone a correction from its previous peak near 159.5. At one point, USDJPY slid back toward the 152 area before rebounding to its current level. The sharp and rapid movements seen in USDJPY recently indicate that the market is no longer reflecting only the economic divergence between the United States and Japan,
The S&P 500's performance in 2025 marked yet another blockbuster year after performing well in both 2023 and 2024. Many analysts thought that double-digit gains for a third straight year would be too unlikely, but the market ended up proving them wrong. 2026 is off to a great start for the S&P as well, though a correction is certainly overdue at this stage. But can the market prove bears wrong yet again?
The biggest driver for PCY over the next 12 months is U.S. interest rate trajectory. When the Fed cuts rates, two things benefit emerging market sovereign debt. First, U.S. Treasury yields fall, making PCY's 6.1% yield more attractive to income-focused investors. Second, rate cuts typically weaken the dollar, reducing the debt servicing burden for emerging market governments that borrow in dollars.
Sectors that showed notable job gains in December include food services and drinking places (+27,000 jobs), health care (+34,000 jobs) and social assistance (+17,000 jobs). On the other end of the spectrum, the retail trade sector lost 25,000 jobs in December. Residential building construction lost 4,200 jobs in December, although employment for residential specialty trade contractors rose by 1,100 jobs. The real estate sector also posted a small increase, adding 2,300 jobs in December.
