The US Office of Financial Research has posted its Markets Monitor for Q1 2016.
Global risk assets, such as stocks and corporate bonds, sold off sharply in the first six weeks of 2016. They have partly recovered, but many of the underlying concerns remain. The outlook for global growth is still weak. Excess supply persists in oil markets, and oil price swings are spilling into U.S. stock and corporate bond markets. Some investors fear monetary policymakers have run out of effective tools to stimulate growth. Some also fear negative interest rates will do more harm than good.
In this edition of the markets monitor, we discuss market concerns about negative interest rates, the sell-off in bank stocks, and the high levels of U.S. stock valuations. We start with a review of key developments.
Global risk assets, such as stocks and corporate bonds, sold off sharply in the first six weeks of 2016. They have partly recovered, but many of the underlying concerns remain. The outlook for global growth is still weak. Excess supply persists in oil markets, and oil price swings are spilling into U.S. stock and corporate bond markets. Some investors fear monetary policymakers have run out of effective tools to stimulate growth. Some also fear negative interest rates will do more harm than good.
In this edition of the markets monitor, we discuss market concerns about negative interest rates, the sell-off in bank stocks, and the high levels of U.S. stock valuations. We start with a review of key developments.