European Stocks Rally, U.S. Tax Cuts & Germany’s Confidence Drop: PALvatar Market Recap - February 26, 2025

U.S. equity indexes jumped at the open, faded into lunchtime, and rallied into the last couple of hours of regular trading Tuesday in a session that reflected the general volatility defining financial markets right now. Thomas Thornton, founder of Hedge Fund Telemetry, saw underlying weakness early today. “Everything was up but breaking volume-weighted average price levels, which was a good read on underlying selling,” Thornton tweeted this morning. “And it’s now evident to everyone.” At the same time, Thornton is “really getting excited with this opportunity-rich market.” It’s “not yet” time for long ideas, “but soon” it will be, notes Thornton, as investors continue to weigh the Federal Reserve’s effort to control inflation and sustain growth at the same time. Thornton, founder of Hedge Fund Telemetry, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about the major factors driving markets and what he’s looking for before he starts going long again. And Real Vision Crypto Editor Ash Bennington joins at the top of the show to talk about Bitcoin’s recent price action and whether we need to fear a “crypto contagion” causing a wider market crash. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/38gJ9WM Watch the full video with Dwight Anderson and Raoul Pal here: https://rvtv.io/3LYBPOe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

11 Maj 202240min

The Dow Jones Industrial average was down 1.3%, the S&P 500 2.4%, and the Nasdaq Composite 3.4%, late in Monday’s trading, as last week’s sell-off continues. Ongoing supply chain problems, new pandemic-related lockdowns in China, and Russia’s war on Ukraine only make the Federal Reserve’s choices more complex as it tries to restrain inflation without tanking the economy. The yield curve steepened sharply, with the difference between the five-year note and the 30-year bond widening to a six-week high. “The bond market is doing the Federal Reserve’s job for them,” notes Jared Dillian. “The Fed is too slow in raising the federal funds rate, so the bond market is taking over.” Dillian, editor of The Daily Dirtnap, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about what the bond market knows, what the equity market is figuring out, and what investors can do to protect themselves amid surging volatility. And we hear from Pierre Andurand, CIO of Andurand Capital, about how structural issues plaguing commodities markets could trigger a global financial crisis. Watch the full interview with Pierre Andurand and Raoul Pal here: https://rvtv.io/3MYL3dx Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3N0C0IX Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

10 Maj 202237min

Here's a full-length episode from Real Vision's new original series, The Next Big Trade - be sure to subscribe. Ross Gerber is the Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management. Ross and his team oversee $2.2 billion of investments focused on technology, clean energy and transportation, and more. Ross joins Harry Melandri to break down why he believes Tesla has so much room for growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

8 Maj 202239min

Here's a full-length episode from Real Vision's new original series, My Life in 4 Trades - be sure to subscribe. Legendary Trader, Peter Brandt, joins Maggie Lake to discuss his unprecedented financial journey. Peter sheds light on the early mistakes he made on the floor, what it was like to run his own company, and everything he learned along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Maj 202250min

The April nonfarm payroll figure topped consensus forecasts, and the unemployment rate held at 3.6%. A slight retreat in the labor force participation rate surprised, but, overall, more evidence of a tight labor market should brace a Federal Reserve as it effects an aggressive tightening cycle. That’s despite the fact that, when it comes to growth, we’re looking at “three straight quarters of almost nothing besides inventory along with a growing catalog of economic data more like Q1 GDP than anything.” So observes Jeffrey Snider, Head of Global Research at Alhambra Investments. Meanwhile, the threat of global recession amid war in Eastern Europe and rising geopolitical tensions augurs a new world order. We hear from Peter Zeihan and Dee Smith. Is the Fed hiking rates into a downturn? How is the market responding to the central bank’s rapid tone shift? And what will investors do should the situation devolve into a real collateral crisis? Snider joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for today’s Daily Briefing to talk about whether the Fed is up to the challenges it faces. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3ylWN5I. Watch the full interview with Peter Zeihan and Dee Smith here: https://rvtv.io/3kJBIKy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

7 Maj 202239min

U.S. equity indexes rallied hard during Jerome Powell’s post-Federal Open Market Committee meeting press conference yesterday, posting the biggest rally in two years because the Federal Reserve Chair said the central bank was not “actively considering” a 75-basis-point rate hike. Today, 95% of the S&P 500 is trading lower, The Dow Jones Industrial Average is off more than 700 points, and the Nasdaq Composite is down more than 5%. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note surged as high as 3.106% before settling at 3.09%, its highest level since 2018, as investors seem to be more and more accepting of the fact that the Fed will continue to aggressively fight inflation, at the risk of equity valuations and economic growth. Tony Greer, founder of TG Macro, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake to talk about today’s price action and central bank policy as well as natural gas and other critical commodities. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3vJLkLB Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Maj 202237min

The Federal Open Market Committee agreed to raise the federal funds target rate by 50 basis points and to begin shrinking the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet in June by $47.5 billion, with the runoff pace to reach a maximum of $95 billion per month after three months. The FOMC noted in its statement that “ongoing” increases to the fed funds target rate will be appropriate. The central bank’s quest now is to find some “neutral” rate of interest without tipping the economy into recession. “The last time the Fed made a 50-basis-point move was March 2000,” notes Darius Dale. “The dot-com bubble burst shortly thereafter, with the S&P 500 losing 50% and the Nasdaq Composite shedding 80% from 2000 peak to 2002 trough.” Equity indexes were mixed shortly after the FOMC announcement and shortly ahead of Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference. Dale, founder and CEO of 42 Macro, joins Real Vision’s Maggie Lake for today’s Real Vision Daily Briefing to talk about the Fed, the economy, and how the “smart money” is reacting to quarterly earnings reports. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3y9meHD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

5 Maj 202241min

Not since March 2000 has the Federal Open Market Committee announced a 50-basis-point increase to the federal funds target rate. Now, the FOMC is a day away from doing just that. And traders are pricing in near-even-money odds of a 75-basis-point hike in June. The FOMC is also expected to introduce its plan to reduce the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet on Wednesday, a process with its own implications for interest rates. U.S. equity indexes held solid gains late Tuesday. Factory orders for March rose a better-than-expected 2.2%, job openings reached an all-time high of 11.5 million, and U.S. natural gas prices hit a 13-year high on growing concern supply will fall short of demand this summer. The data suggest the Fed has room to do what it needs to do to fight inflation. But, as Warren Pies notes, “Oil is driving this market…” And there are structural factors at play that could make the central bank’s job impossible. Pies, founder of 3Fourteen Research, joins Real Vision’s Weston Nakamura to talk about today’s price action, tomorrow’s decision by the FOMC, and the prospect of stagflation afflicting the economy. Want to submit questions? Drop them right here on the Exchange: https://rvtv.io/3kEtIKN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4 Maj 202235min