This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a fashionable fandango through Bloomberg Opinionâs opinions. Sign up here. Everyone suspects the Fed is blu [Bloomberg](
Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a fashionable fandango through Bloomberg Opinionâs opinions. [Sign up here](. Todayâs Agenda - Everyone suspects [the Fed is bluffing](. Or at least they did until Fridayâs blockbuster jobs report.
- Everyone expects interest rates to peak sooner rather than later at the ECB. [And at the BOE](.
- Everyone is benefiting from Brexit. [Apart from Britain](.
- Everyone is [hitting the gym](. Everyone.
The Bond Market May Start to Believe Jay Powell Fridayâs jobs report was âan absolute blowout upside surprise for a labor market that has been dogged by headline-grabbing tech layoffs,â according to Prestige Economics President Jason Schenker. The US economy added 517,000 jobs last month, far exceeding the 188,000 gain anticipated by economists, while the unemployment rate dropped to a 53-year low of 3.4%. âItâs as difficult an economy to read as I can remember,â former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers told Bloomberg Television. Asked at Wednesdayâs press conference whether he was worried about the decline in bond yields creating easier financial conditions that could hamper efforts to curb inflation, Fed Chair Jay Powell chose not to push back hard. âOur focus is not on short-term moves, but on sustained changesâ to financial conditions, he said. The bond market interpreted that as a license to continue rallying in the expectation that the US central bank is almost done raising interest rates. But after Fridayâs data, traders are starting to have second thoughts. The 10-year Treasury yield ended last week at 3.5%; it dipped as low as 3.33% Thursday, but looks set to end the week little changed. Clive Crook sees [a disturbing possibility](. âNot only do the Fed and the markets disagree about the economic forecast, but the markets suspect that the Fed is using interest-rate guidance dishonestly,â he writes. âMany analysts are assuming exactly this â that the Fed isnât just mistaken, itâs bluffing.â That could be a dangerous game. By talking tough, policymakers may be hoping that the market will do its work for them by tightening financial conditions, is the argument. âThe problem isnât just that interest-rate guidance isnât working. Itâs that the Fedâs credibility is being called into question,â Clive says. âIf it can be deliberately misleading about its interest-rate intentions, where else might it shade the truth?â The Bond Market Doesnât Believe Christine Lagarde or Andrew Bailey, Either Thursday saw half-point increases in official interest rates from both the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. [Echoing the market reaction]( to the Fed earlier in the week, âeuro and sterling money markets have chosen to look straight through the hawkish rhetoric of their respective domestic central banks in anticipating an early end to the current hiking cycle,â notes Marcus Ashworth. ECB President Christine Lagarde said in the post-decision press conference that a further 50 basis-point hike in rates would be delivered at next monthâs meeting â only to contradict that guidance by stressing that âintendâ is not an âabsolute, irrevocable commitmentâ to act. âShe made a number of hawkish declarations, but markets espied a lack of commitment, and took that as an opportunity to bet that the hiking cycle was almost over,â writes John Authers. Marcus argues that the BOE âis at a similar crossroadsâ with regards to monetary policy. While Governor Andrew Bailey stressed that inflation risks are âskewed significantly to the upside,â it finessed its message by saying there will have to be evidence of price pressures not abating for it to take further action. âMoreover, it dropped the word âforcefulâ â code for half-point moves â from its description of how policy is likely to have to react,â he notes. âThe Fed is leading the way toward a pause; the ECB and the BOE wonât be too far behind.â Bonus Market (Ir)rational Exuberance Reading: When markets are this hot, [should you jump in?]( â Mohamed El-Erian Britainâs Brexit Bonus Is Still AWOL Itâs three years since Britain formally left the European Union. On Thursday, the BOE delivered one of the most dismal economic forecasts it has ever produced, saying the economy is already in recession and will struggle to recover even once the downturn is over; Friday, Chief Economist Huw Pill said the nation had yet to see any benefits from the exit, only negatives. â[While London rues Brexit, Paris says âmerci,â](â argues Lionel Laurent. The City is leaking more jobs; 2021 data from the European Banking Authority shows a jump in the number of top-paid finance pros in the EU. Itâs not just in banking that London is losing out â Millennium Management and Citadel LP are among hedge funds expanding in Paris. Lionel dubs recent developments as signaling a shift âfrom Singapore-on-Thames to City-on-The-Seine.â Itâs not all good news for the EU, though. The bloc remains fragmented, with 27 competing markets and regulators rather than a single financial pool, while both Europe and the UK have lost market share of capital-markets activity relative to the US and Asia. âThe continent is living up to what resembles bear-like behavior â long stretches of hibernation interspersed with crisis management,â Lionel argues. âWith social unrest brewing and protectionism on the rise, the danger is that Brexitâs legacy becomes the âlose-loseâ the EUâs negotiator Michel Barnier expected it to be.â Telltale Charts After being devastated during the pandemic, [gyms have bounced back strongly](. âAlthough soaring costs and a slide into recession now pose a threat, there are grounds for optimism,â argues Andrea Felsted. âFitness clubs may feel less of a burn from this contraction â if it comes â than previous downturns.â Further Reading [Google will join the AI internet search wars](, pitting LaMDA against ChatGPT. â Parmy Olson Amazonâs dreaded âDay Twoâ is [too close for comfort](. â Leticia Miranda [Detente still makes the most sense]( for the US and China. â Bloombergâs editorial board Move over, Tesla. Old auto is also [locking in lithium supplies](. â Elements by Liam Denning [Joe Bidenâs policy successes]( were made possible by Barack Obama. â David A. Hopkins [Deglobalization is the new globalization](. â Tyler Cowen ICYMI Adaniâs $108 billion crisis is [shaking investorsâ faith in Indiaâs stock market](. Cyber attack sends the world of derivatives trading [back to the 1980s](. [A Hong Kong luxury apartment](in the upscale Mount Nicholson development sold at a $17 million loss. Cathie Wood takes a victory lap, calling her ARKK fund [âthe new Nasdaq.â]( Ford plans to [return to Formula 1](auto racing after a decade-long absence. Kickers Ugg boots are [back in fashion](. Allegedly. Britainâs ugliest dog, Peggy the Pugese, [wins a makeover](. (h/t Andrea Felsted) Peggy, pre-makeover                        Peggy, post-makeover A wave of [sushi terrorism]( is gripping Japanâs restaurants. (h/t Elaine He) A 30-year-old Portuguese canine has been named [the worldâs oldest ever dog]( by Guinness World Records. Notes:  Please send sushi â unadulterated, please â and complaints to Mark Gilbert at magilbert@bloomberg.net. [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before itâs here, itâs on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals canât find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter.
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