This past week demonstrated the largest amount of macro divergence over the past several years, with one major central bank hiking rates while another cut, at the same time the Fed straddles a dovish and hawkish message. This week, Ian is joined by Ali Jaffery in CIBC Economics, and the duo begin the episode by discussing these events. Ali makes the case that the macro story across developed markets is still linear, and monetary policy is moving to an easing cycle. But how deep that easing...

Ian is joined by Andrew Grantham this week, and the show begins by discussing why the Canadian economy appears to be growing much faster in Q4 compared to BoC expectations. The impact of previous supply-side restrictions, like the tragic wildfires in 2023 and the port strikes, are starting to filter through the data. This means Canada is seeing low-hanging fruit on the supply side of the economy, which should not have a big impact on inflation. The duo also discuss recent labour market trends...

Ian is joined by Jeremy Saunders and the duo begin the show discussing recent central bank decisions. With four major central banks abandoning their tightening bias, the data has undermined the market reaction by showing a stronger underlying economy. Jeremy talks about the problem with short-end pricing in Canada versus the United States, while Ian shows why US and Canadian inflation is more comparable than meets the eye. Jeremy provides his view on the latest Treasury refunding announcement...

Ian is joined this week by Josh Kay, and the show begins with a lookback at the Bank of Canada rate decision this week. Ian walks through the material differences between the statement and the updated forecasts, painting a more dovish outright picture. After talking through the most likely paths for the BoC, the duo discuss which asset class is likely to provide better total returns in 2024, rates versus credit. Josh discusses why credit is turning into a defensive asset class and why it is...

Ian is joined by Craig Bell this week, and the duo begin the episode discussing the recent cheapening of the cash market relative to swaps. Craig discusses the specific factors in the cash market impacting relative valuations, while Ian provides an update on the fair-value estimates from his swap spread modeling work. The elephant in the room is the Canadian long-end, and the richness of 10s30s and cross market. Ian and Craig spend time discussing how we got here and, what needs to happen for...

Ian is joined this week by Mike Larson, and the duo kick off the episode by discussing the elephant in the room – the level of interest rates. Ian discusses the mechanics behind the ungluing of global long-end interest rates, while Mike gives his view on swap spreads. The pair talk about why the level of swap spreads should continue to decline, especially given how much 10yr Canadian rates have underperformed the United States recently. Ian gives his view on the absurdity of trading the...

Ian is joined this week by Avery Shenfeld, Chief Economist at CIBC. The duo begin the episode discussing the most recent North American jobs reports, with Avery highlighting why the Fed hasn’t yet done enough to cool the hot jobs market. Ian outlines the reasons not to get too wrapped-up in Canada’s recent wage gains, while Avery provides his view on the recent increase in the Unemployment Rate. The pair spend some time discussing the outlook for monetary policy, concluding that September is...

Ian is joined by Jeremy Saunders this week, and the duo begin the episode discussing the recent bond market selloff. They reach an interesting conclusion early in the episode, highlighting that the ‘way’ in which the market is repricing has not been seen in all of 2023. Ian believes the market is pricing-in more inflation and lower growth in longer-dated yields, which Jeremy suggests is a function of where we are in the cycle. Jeremy discusses his view on the upcoming Bank of Canada meeting,...

Ian is joined by Andrew Grantham, and the duo begin the episode discussing the FOMC rate decision. Andrew lays out the logic behind his forecast for a July and September hike, while Ian walks through the implications for the Bank of Canada. Ian introduces his new bond forecasts and talks about why current market pricing for the Bank and the Fed looks so strange compared to prior cycles. Andrew talks about his economic outlook for 2024 and highlights the upcoming weighting changes for CPI next...

The big news in Canada is the unexpected heat in the latest batch of CPI numbers. The reacceleration of Canadian prices may see the Bank of Canada respond with an interest rate hike later this summer. In this episode of Curve Your Enthusiasm, Ian is joined by Jonathan Guilford, and the duo begin the episode by taking stock of what happened over the past week. John opines on the ‘why’ and the ‘how’, while Ian discusses the risks surrounding ongoing repricing to continue. Ian discusses how a...

The most recent Debt Management Strategy (DMS) raised the possibility that the Canada Mortgage Bond (CMB) program may be terminated, and folded into the GoC market. This is an extremely important development to the Canadian fixed income market, and to speak on the potential implications, Ian is joined this week by Gianluca Gargano, Managing Director and Head of Government Credit at CIBC Capital Markets. The show begins with Gianluca framing the conversation outlined in the DMS, and discussing...

The extreme volatility this week warrants some serious discussion, and Ian is joined by Craig Bell for this episode. The duo begin discussing the rapid series of events that culminated in one of the most volatile days for interest rates since the 1980s. Craig provides his view on what this all means for monetary policy, while Ian introduces two potential shoes left to drop that suggest the coast is not entirely clear yet. The co-hosts spend some time discussing how Canadian interest rate...

Ian and Jeremy begin the episode by discussing the FOMC meeting from last week. Jeremy spends some time dissecting the disinflationary narrative used by Chairman Powell, while Ian discusses the extremely strong data which came out after the meeting. The duo do a victory lap as many of the trading themes discussed in the prior episode ended up working quite well, and the co-hosts discuss the driving forces of markets in an otherwise quiet week ahead. Ian discusses why the front-end of Canada...

The first CYE episode of 2023 sees Ian joined by Jeremy Saunders, and the conversation starts with a discussion on global macro shifts. Stronger global growth outside the United States is an unexpected development, and the duo discuss what it means for global bond yields. Jeremy asks why the BoC spent so much optionality so early into the year, while Ian talks about the market implications of a conditional pause. The duo agree that spreads look toppy, though they disagree on whether or not...

Ian is joined this week by Brenden Donaher, and the duo begin the episode by discussing Bank of Canada pricing for the upcoming meeting. Ian walks through various scenarios around the meeting, and Brenden provides his view on what that means for 2023 pricing. Brenden introduces the idea that the USD still remains the most important factor driving Canadian short-end pricing, despite some idiosyncratic developments which will occur next year. Ian spends some time walking through his outlook for...

Ian and Andrew discuss their expectations for the Bank of Canada interest rate decision next week. The duo walk through the reasons why the Bank will need to hike by another 75.0bps next week, and look at the most likely path of short-rates over the rest of the year. Ian talks about his favorite trades going into the release, noting that the forward expectations for BoC policy are too flat. Andrew spends some time detailing his expectation of forecast changes in the MPR, while the pair spend...

Ian is joined by Jeremy Saunders this week, and the duo begin the episode discussing the Bank of Canada rate decision this past week. Jeremy discusses his view on terminal rates becoming more ‘bounded’, while Ian introduces the concept of a higher lower bound. Both have profound implications for the shape of the yield curve compared to prior cycles. The hosts take some time to walk through what trades worked well for them recently, and discuss the outlook for 5yr swap spreads. The pair finish...

Ian and Andrew discuss the latest Canadian GDP numbers, noting how the deceleration in growth is coming from all the ‘wrong’ places when it comes to slowing inflation. Ian talks about how slowing growth impacts the yield curve, noting the differences between slowing from an above potential to a below potential rate. Andrew shares his view on the Bank of Canada rate decision next week, and provides the reasons why he thinks this is the final hike of the current cycle. The duo discuss what...

Ian is joined this week by Josh Kay, and the duo kick-off the episode discussing the Bank of Canada. With a 75 bps hike all but set in stone, the question is what should their next move be and should this matter given what is currently priced? Ian discusses his view on the ‘noncession/recession’ which will be challenging to trade, while Josh provides his view on what the move in rates means for credit markets. Josh discusses why credit outflows create opportunity for structural credit...

Ian is joined this week by Jeremy Saunders, and the duo start the episode by looking at the shape of the Canada and U.S. yield curves relative to what is priced for monetary policy in each region. Ian discusses why he views the recent bond market rally to be technical, while Jeremy provides his take on why it has been more fundamentally based. Over the balance of the episode the team discuss the outlook for swap spreads, the inflection point for a Fed pivot, and why CDOR cessation should a...

Ian is joined this week by Paul Jenkin, and the duo kick-off the episode discussing their take of the FOMC meeting. The largest hike from the Fed since the mid-90s didn’t come entirely as expected, with a hawkish set of forecasts pitted against a dovish press conference. Paul discusses the reasons he expects policy rates to set higher than current market pricing, and what that means for bank portfolio behavior. The pair spend some time discussing asset-swap valuations, and what lower housing...

Ian and Andrew start the episode by discussing Friday’s data deluge, particularly the red-hot inflation reading in the United States. Andrew talks about the implications for Canada based on the drivers of U.S. CPI strength, noting that both the near-term peak and the end-of-year resting spot have now increased. The duo spend a lot of time talking about the options for the Bank of Canada, and introduce CIBC’s new forecasts for the target rate, which is higher as a result of the data. Ian talks...

The scorching hot CPI report has created yet another shock for the market, and the probability of an even more ‘forceful’ response from the Bank of Canada seems warranted. In this episode, Ian and Andrew do a deep dive on the latest report and talk about the many methodology adjustments StatsCan is making to the basket. The co-hosts take some time to go over the new forecasts presented in the MPR from last week, and unveil CIBC’s new policy forecast. Ian discusses why back-end rates...

In the 50th episode of Curve Your Enthusiasm, Ian and Andrew begin the show discussing the strength in the recent Canadian GDP numbers. Ian talks about data sensitivity and the bond market, while Andrew highlights why he thinks the path to terminal matters. The co-hosts both outline why they think the Fed is more likely to take short-run terminal above long-run neutral, and Andrew discusses the work he is doing on Canadian NAIRU. The proximity to the federal budget sparks a conversation with...