Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3JF6mRh We are in a moment of “volatile Sundays” in the financial services industry. This is when market actors, policymakers, movers, and shakers have big news to announce on a Sunday in an effort to “beat markets opening”, or as Ben Bernanke once joked that his memoir would be called, “before Asia opens.” I lived through it in spades in 2008 – Fannie and Freddie’s conservatorship, Lehman’s bankruptcy, Wachovia into the arms of Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley’s deal with Mitsubishi, and the government’s extended backstop of Citi – all on different Sunday afternoo ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3TGllyM That the market gave up -500 points in fifteen minutes at the end of the day yesterday but then rebounded +500 points this morning is, to me, validation of my theory regarding yesterday: that it was a closing speculative trade. Fundamentally, the facts on the table (where they are known) are not really subject to much debate. So an interesting thing happened on the way home from processing the Fed’s announcement yesterday … Math. The Fed is now projecting a +0.4% real GDP growth rate this year, yet a +3.2% growth rate is currently showing in the Atlant ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3TAGcni All that matters today is what the Fed did and said. And what they did was raise rates a quarter point. And what they said was that “financial conditions have tightened” (well, there you go). And he said that these tighter financial conditions and tougher lending criteria from banks will “factor into their policy decisions” (phew). As for a First Republic deal – the bank whose depositors basically now have a backstop from the FDIC but has now seen enough deposit withdrawals to warrant a deal with a bigger back to shore up its capital strength – the iss ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3JvZllP I imagine it is quite likely that the bond market has seen its highs in bond yields for quite some time to come (across the whole yield curve). The 10-year sits at 3.5%, down from 4.21%, and I will be surprised if it gets back up to that level. Likewise, the short end sits at 4.5%, down from over 5%, and I don’t see it getting back there, either. If I am wrong, I am wrong, but I don’t think I am here. China has bought $88 billion in oil, natural gas, and coal from Russia since the war began last year, up over $30 billion from the year prior and causing ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3LBs0Z8 For the second week in a row, I get to do hours upon hours of reading and writing over the weekend, only to have Sunday interventions make obsolete much of that reading and writing. Keep reading to understand more … There is no question that the major story in markets right now is sort of the only story, and that is the day-to-day perceptions of the banking system at home and abroad. Last week the market was down a hundred points Monday but had been up +350 in the middle of the day. Then Tuesday was up +350 before Wednesday was down -280 (but had been ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/42ftwpL In this week’s Dividend Cafe, I again decided not to limit myself to one topic but to take the recent avalanche of questions we have received and go through them all, one by one, creating quite a “multi-topic” Dividend Cafe for you. I think you will find the questions intriguing, and I hope you will find the answers satisfying. From questions about student loans to the Fed to depositor insurance to how to select a wealth advisor, we have it all this week (and then some). Links mentioned in this episode: TheDCToday.com DividendCafe.com TheBahnsenGroup.c ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3JHE8Wf Brian Szytel here with you today reviewing continued market volatility with today’s 700-point swing, albeit today to the upside, surrounding ongoing stress in the financial sector, along with a significant list of new economic data points. I have a full agenda in today’s video podcast link below with updates on employment, manufacturing, interest rates, and a deep dive into what is unfolding in the banking sector and what it may mean for you. Links mentioned in this episode: TheDCToday.com DividendCafe.com TheBahnsenGroup.com ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3leNG2y This is Trevor Cummings, and I am sitting in for David Bahnsen to bring you DC Today. There is a common idiom in the English language, “Wait until the dust settles.” This adage encourages one to be patient until they have more clarity. Investors crave clarity, and when things become too foggy or dusty, investor anxieties skyrocket. These anxieties surface as market volatility, which you are currently enduring. At this stage, everyone is still sifting through the rubble of SVB to separate substance from hysteria. I want to encourage you to read David Ba ..read more

Today's Post - https://bahnsen.co/3Td4dAJ ASK DAVID “What do all these things happening with Silicon Valley Bank and the FDIC mean for small and regional banks? Are those banks going to have to pay even more in deposit rates to lure and retain banking customers?” ~ Dave That is certainly a concern, yes – that even with FDIC protection and solvency issues addressed, the smaller banks may be forced to really punish their own margins with punitive levels of interest paid on deposits. I personally believe the next few days are critical to getting a feel for what the aftermath will mean for regiona ..read more

Today's Blogpost - https://bahnsen.co/3mQzT2N There is really only one story in financial markets right now, and that is the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank and various ramifications from that. We sent a special Dividend Cafe on all of that and more this morning!!! If all you do is read one thing, read that. Links mentioned in this episode: TheDCToday.com DividendCafe.com TheBahnsenGroup.com ..read more