Jack Janasiewicz, senior vice president, portfolio manager and portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions, discusses inflation and why there is disagreement on whether it will become an issue this year. He talks about how stimulus money and the employment situation factor in. Gary Siegel hosts. (Taped March 9 / 30 minutes).

Veneta Dimitrova, senior U.S. economist at Ned Davis Research, says the COVID pandemic showed us the government has more fiscal space than thought. She also discusses inflation, housing, the manufacturing sector, global supply chain challenges and the Fed’s balance sheet. Hosted by Gary Siegel. Taped Feb. 24. (32 minutes)

ICI reported another week of inflows at $2.23 billion. U.S. Treasuries strengthened further as COVID-19 concerns linger with shutdowns in Germany and spreads elsewhere. Equities were mixed.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said prices would rise this year as the pandemic recedes and Americans are able to go out and spend, but he played down the risk that this would spur unwanted inflation.

Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan said he is among policy makers estimating that the central bank will have to raise interest rates next year.

The economy seems to be gathering steam, though it is still far from fully recovering from the damage wrought by the pandemic, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said.

“Our guidance suggests we would be raising rates were inflation to spike past our targets,” Barkin said.

Exactly one year after record billions were pulled from municipal bond mutual funds and the market was in free fall, municipals followed U.S. Treasuries this week as the markets continued to dismiss the Fed's outlook on inflation and rates.

Bank holdings of municipal bonds increased by 9% in 2020 compared to 2019, according to a new Federal Reserve report.

Hank Smith, head of Investment Strategy at Haverford Trust, discusses the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee meeting, the coronavirus pandemic, inflation, and economic growth. He says, “at some point the Fed will have to acknowledge the economy may really take off.” Gary Siegel hosts. (Taped March 2. 26 minutes)

The creation of the Municipal Liquidity Facility helped not only eligible entities but also those left out of using the program.

Nonbanks had worried the end of the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility would hurt their ability to lend to small businesses. On Monday, the Federal Reserve announced the facility would be extended for three months.

Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard said it will take “some time” to meet the conditions laid out by the U.S. central bank for reducing the pace of its massive bond purchases, while noting recent bond market volatility.

Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin played down recent Treasury market volatility, in remarks that reinforce the message that the U.S. central bank is not yet troubled by the increase in yields.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Manulife Investment Management Global Chief Economist & Global Head of Macroeconomic Strategy Frances Donald discusses the COVID pandemic, inflation, how the markets may be misreading the Fed, why economic indicators may not be telling economists what they need to know, ESG and green spending, and the economy. Gary Siegel hosts. (35 minutes)

Global bond yield move suggests financial markets are much more optimistic about the economy than the Fed.

High-grade deals priced and secondary trading showed bonds exchanging hands at yields higher than triple-A benchmarks in some cases, but a healthy two-way flow was evident, even if there are signals that yields have not yet hit a ceiling.

The Federal Reserve is nowhere near to pulling back on its support for the pandemic-damaged U.S. economy, Chairman Jerome Powell signaled at his testimony before Congress on Tuesday.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appear wary of signs of froth in financial markets, even as they press ahead with economic stimulus measures that are elevating the euphoria.

Rising Treasury yields are a sign of optimism in the economic recovery, said a senior Federal Reserve official Friday, signaling no inclination from the central bank to take steps to halt the shift.