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Is Risk-On Too Risky? | Macro Mondays: August 31, 2026

Real Vision: Finance & Investing

30m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

In this episode of Macro Mondays on Real Vision, host Michael Rosenwald and guest Andreas Steno analyze Kevin Walsh's Jackson Hole speech, recent geopolitical tensions affecting the Strait of Hormuz, and upcoming economic data releases including US manufacturing and payrolls. Steno argues that despite hawkish rhetoric from the Federal Reserve, the extreme divergence between PCE and CPI inflation mirrors historical trends where core inflation eventually falls off a cliff. The discussion also examines potential policy clashes between the Federal Reserve and Treasury, currency impacts on the euro and dollar, and how the ongoing data center construction boom heavily influences broader manufacturing and employment metrics. It is worth listening to for the specific quantitative models and historical comparisons applied to current macroeconomic indicators.

  • Anticipate that the PCE index will continue serving as the primary directional guide for Federal Reserve inflation tracking. 2:57
  • Recognize that oil price spikes following geopolitical escalations often present favorable entry points for taking short positions. 17:53
  • Understand that structurally lower US migration rates mean monthly non-farm payroll prints below zero are no longer unusual. 25:06
  • Monitor the upcoming Treasury buyback operations on September 9th as a key driver for potential short-dollar trades. 27:22

Chapters

  1. 0:00
    Intro and Host Greeting

    Michael Rosenwald opens Macro Mondays, introduces co-host Andreas Steno, and sets the episode’s agenda.

  2. 0:57
    Jackson Hole Speech and Fed Sentiment Model

    Andreas explains how his language‑processing model interprets Walsh’s speech, revealing no significant shift in hawkishness.

  3. 2:01
    PCE vs CPI Inflation Divergence

    The conversation turns to the widening gap between PCE and CPI, exploring why PCE remains hotter and its impact on policy expectations.

  4. 5:39
    Potential Rate‑Hike Timing and Market Impact

    They debate whether a September rate hike is likely, the risk of a “cry‑wolf” scenario, and the possible steepening of the yield curve.

  5. 7:02
    Scott Besant’s Bond‑Buyback Strategy

    The hosts examine Besant’s plan to double or triple long‑bond buybacks and its potential to counter Walsh’s policy moves.

Highlights

  • 2:16

    Language model analysis of Fed speechinsight

    Running a language processing model on Kevin Walsh's Jackson Hole speech reveals that his rhetoric was not actually more hawkish than previous statements from Fed lieutenants.

  • 4:08

    PCE and CPI inflation divergencedata

    The current core spread where PCE exceeds CPI is the second hottest observed since 1960, with the only prior extreme observation occurring in 1983 when inflation fell off a cliff.

  • 17:02

    Military strategy in the Strait of Hormuzstory

    Recent US attacks on Lark Island targeted rocket launchers designed to drop sea mines, keeping military actions strictly contained within the arena of securing the Strait of Hormuz.

  • 17:53

    Shorting energy after escalationsstrategy

    Rather than chasing oil prices higher during geopolitical escalations, historical sine wave patterns suggest that energy prices peak around announcements and offer good short entry points.

  • 23:35

    South Korean exports and ISM forecastdata

    Strong AI-driven South Korean chip exports and construction booms lead the quantitative model to forecast an ISM manufacturing print of 58, significantly beating consensus.

  • 24:48

    Redefining breakeven job creationinsight

    With reduced monthly inflow of migrants, the breakeven job creation rate sits around 30,000 jobs, making negative twenty-thousand job reports a normal quarterly occurrence.

  • 27:07

    Transatlantic inflation spread and eurostrategy

    Persistent product inflation in the European energy space supports the European Central Bank out-hawking the Fed, sustaining a stronger euro versus the dollar.

Quotes

  • “He talked about new measures coming. It wasn't clear to me whether the inflation mandate was strictly tied to the PCE index after that press conference.”
    Unnamed speaker · 3:10
  • “I think it was Morgan Stanley, one of the big investment banks, that wrote as a takeaway from the speech that if Walsh does not hike interest rates in September, he's at risk of a sort of a cry wolf event now, right?”
    Unnamed speaker · 5:42
  • “If you get a rate hike in September, it's not done and dusted if you look at the market pricing, but it is, you know, approaching at the base case for many.”
    Unnamed speaker · 9:10
  • “I think we can argue that 2027 will be a more inflationary environment.”
    Unnamed speaker · 12:09
  • “I think it is a good idea to, you know, take the opposite side of that bet when markets start to price in the escalatory path, which was kind of the case as well with the D-Day stuff.”
    Unnamed speaker · 19:20
  • Real Vision 14:07–14:16
  • Prepare for 2030 15:14–15:28
  • realvision.com 28:46–29:06

About this episode

Andreas Steno and Mikkel Rosenvold are back to unpack Kevin Warsh’s surprisingly hawkish message at Jackson Hole and what it could mean for markets. They also turn to the latest escalation in the Middle East following U. S. attacks on Larka Island. Is the war restarting, and could renewed geopolitical risk disrupt the market setup just as investors were beginning to embrace the bull case? 🔥 Get 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦 to Real Vision https://rvtv.io/3YOZZUe Timestamps: 00:00 - Macro Mondays with Andreas Steno & Mikkel Rosenvold 00:23 - Kevin Warsh Turns Hawkish: Should Investors Pull Back on Risk? 02:01 - What Warsh’s Jackson Hole Speech Really Changed 03:31 - PCE vs CPI: Which Inflation Signal Should the Fed Trust? 06:22 - Warsh vs Bessent: The Battle Over Rates and Bond Yields 08:58 - September Rate Hike: Is the Market Overreading the Fed? 13:04 - Why One Rate Hike Probably Won’t Kill the Business Cycle 15:17 - US Strikes Larak Island: Is the Iran War Restarting? 16:46 - Strait of Hormuz, Crack Spreads, and the Next Inflation Trade 21:12 - South Korea Exports vs ISM: The AI Boom Is Still Running Hot 24:01 - Jobs Report Preview: Why Weak Payrolls May Not Stop the Fed 25:54 - ECB vs Fed: Why the Short-Dollar Trade Still Works #macromondays #macro #mikkelrosenvold #andreassteno #stenoresearch #markets #investing #stocks #stockmarket #fed #bonds #treasuries #usdollar #dxy #liquidity #ai #openai #anthropic #interestrates #trading #realvision #scottbessent #kevinwarsh #federalreserve Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

0:00
30:37

4,983 words · 4 speakers

Topics

  • oil
  • PCE index
  • Hormuz
  • US
  • Strait of Hormuz
  • ECB
  • CPI index
  • Jackson Hole
  • Russia
  • Middle East

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