BlackRock’s Chief Investment Officer for Global Fixed Income, Rick Rieder, says the Fed will not rush to cut interest rates after the latest jobs report, despite market pricing suggesting otherwise.
Speaking in a recent interview, Rieder acknowledged the strength in equity markets, describing the current landscape as “the best trading environment he’s seen in a long time.” However, he warned that investors should remain tactical and consider downside protection strategies as sentiment fuels gains.
“We’re seeing a lot of foam,” Rieder said. “You can ride that out a little bit, keep your beta high but buy some downside protection. This is an emotion-driven market.”
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Still, Rieder expressed skepticism about market expectations for more than four rate cuts by the end of the year. With some economic indicators softening and the short end of the yield curve pointing to easier policy, Rieder believes the Fed will remain more cautious.
“I think this Fed will wait,” he said, adding: “You look at employment and inflation, core CPI is running around 3%, it’s not screaming for a rate cut. Especially after today’s data.”
While Rieder sees the potential for a rate cut window to open later in the year, perhaps at or after the June meeting, he rejected the idea that current data justifies immediate action. “It would be presumptuous to say they’re going to cut based on today’s data,” he said.
*This is not investment advice.