SHY

Is the December Cut Already Priced In?A Playbook for Trading the Next Fed Move.

The market has effectively accepted a December rate cut as a done deal. Fed funds futures, the shape of the curve, and rate-sensitive sectors all point to a high probability of a 25 bp move. The real mispricing isn’t in whether the Fed cuts, but in how far and how fast the easing cycle runs from here. A single “risk-management” cut is mostly in the price; a smooth, dovish glidepath through 2026 is not guaranteed. The right approach is to treat this as a hedging environment: harvest a bit of upside if the Fed leans dovish, but be paid if they disappoint and re-assert a higher-for-longer stance.

When Safe Assets Outperform Risk: The 2025 Portfolio Playbook

For the first time since Y2K, the math has flipped. The 10-year Treasury (~4.23%) now outyields the S&P 500's forward earnings yield (4.15%), creating a negative equity risk premium, a phenomenon we've seen exactly twice in modern history, both preceding significant market resets. But here's the kicker: inflation-protected bonds (TIPS) are paying 1.94% real while equity dividends deliver -1.1% after inflation. Translation: The "risk-free" rate isn't just competitive, it's winning.

From AAA to Aa1: How to Pivot Your Portfolio as U.S. Debt Hits $36 Trillion

Moody’s just downgraded America’s AAA credit rating to Aa1, citing a ballooning $36 trillion national debt and interest costs nearing $1 trillion annually. With U.S. Treasury yields spiking past 5%, it's time for strategic shifts—think hedging bonds, pivoting to defensive ETFs, and carefully adding gold (GLD) or crypto as hedges.