The Labor Market Stopped Hiring And Has Not Started Firing
Payrolls rose 29,000 in September, claims sit near 197,000 and wage growth hit its lowest since 2021. The recession signals are missing and the expansion signals are fading.
Payrolls rose 29,000 in September, claims sit near 197,000 and wage growth hit its lowest since 2021. The recession signals are missing and the expansion signals are fading.
The Bank of Japan has raised rates twice this year and the yen still trades near 158 per dollar. With the 10-year Treasury above 5%, the funding currency has nowhere to go.
Gasoline is up 39% in a year and crude has round-tripped from $56 to $115 to $96, yet the Fed is raising rates against it. A central bank can tighten demand. It cannot produce a barrel.
A valuation probe, three dividend cuts, and now a $523 million portfolio sale at 95% of marks. The stress test is live.
A covered payout, a freshly cut distribution, and the widest discount in the BDC space. Which side is mispriced?
36% leverage on long duration credit. The distribution is 31% return of capital. Know what you are underwriting.
Frontier sovereigns quietly posted one of the best income years anywhere while the share price went nowhere.
Japan's history, the yen carry trade, and the difference between an attractive asset and a resilient investment position.
Tech crosses +3 sigma, gold breaks to a two-month low, credit confirms at +1.64 sigma, and utilities log a tenth straight negative week.
Three raises, a special, a 9.8% discount, and a bank preferred book yielding 8.4%. The quiet quality play.
The data center buildout runs on natural gas. These are the toll roads, in a concentrated CEF at a 10% discount.
Permitting reform is the deregulation story that moves on 24-month timelines and gets priced in on 24-hour cycles.