The Fed Is Hiking Into A Growth Slowdown | Weekly Roundup
The Fed Is Hiking Into A Growth Slowdown | Weekly Roundup
Podcast1 hr 12 min
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Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Capitalize on European economic weakness and Japan's improving fundamentals by establishing a long Japanese Yen (JPY) and short Euro (EUR) currency pair trade.

Accumulate Gold (XAU)—particularly priced against the euro (XAU/EUR)—to protect your portfolio against fiat currency debasement and persistent stagflation.

Trim exposure to high-valuation US stocks and broad index funds like SPY and QQQ, as waning fiscal stimulus and elevated 10-year Treasury yields near 5% increase the risk of a corporate earnings slowdown.

Build contrarian long positions in UK equities (FTSE) to capture attractive yields in deeply discounted tangible sectors such as energy, healthcare, and financials.

Gain long exposure to the Canadian Dollar (CAD) and resource-focused equities on the TSX to benefit from pragmatic infrastructure spending and durable global commodity demand.

Detailed Analysis

Euro (EUR)

  • Europe faces worsening terms of trade due to higher imported energy costs and cheap industrial competition from China, mirroring Japan's structural challenges from 2012.
  • The region may be forced into a multi-year currency debasement to inflate tax revenues faster than rising social spending obligations.
  • Deep political fragmentation and lack of fiscal cohesion between core nations like France and Germany present significant downside risks for European sovereign debt and the currency.
  • The European Central Bank (ECB) is viewed as overly rigid and constrained by fragmented bond markets, making policy execution slower than that of single-nation central banks.

Takeaways

  • Position for long-term structural weakness in the EUR by shorting EUR against a basket of currencies such as the Japanese Yen (JPY), US Dollar (USD), and Brazilian Real (BRL).
  • Reduce unhedged exposure to continental European equities that are vulnerable to high energy costs and slowing regional growth.

UK Equities (FTSE)

  • UK domestic pension fund allocations to domestic equities have dropped from approximately 50% to just 5%, indicating that structural domestic institutional selling is largely exhausted.
  • The UK equity market is heavily weighted toward cheap, tangible sectors including energy, healthcare, and financials.
  • Having a single central bank (the Bank of England) provides the UK with significantly more policy agility and decision-making speed during a crisis compared to the Eurozone.

Takeaways

  • Consider initiating contrarian long positions in UK equities as an undervalued, high-yielding hedge against broader European economic stagnation.

Gold (XAU)

  • Gold remains strongly supported as a primary hedge against persistent stagflation, elevated energy prices, and government deficit spending.
  • The debasement trade is particularly attractive when pricing gold in weakening fiat currencies such as the Euro (XAU/EUR), similar to the performance of gold priced in Yen since 2012.
  • Geopolitical volatility and the risk of unexpected macro shocks continue to drive demand for hard monetary assets.

Takeaways

  • Maintain or accumulate long positions in Gold, particularly as a hedge against currency debasement and stagflationary pressures.

Japanese Yen (JPY)

  • Japan has completed a 15-year currency devaluation cycle (moving from 80 to over 160 yen per dollar), which successfully restored trade competitiveness and corporate profits.
  • Japan's economic growth in tax receipts now outpaces its debt service costs, and its net debt-to-GDP has declined toward 150%, putting its public balance sheet in a more sustainable position than many Western nations.
  • Narrowing interest rate differentials make holding long Yen positions against other European currencies cost-effective.

Takeaways

  • Implement a long JPY / short EUR pair trade to capitalize on Japan's improving economic footing relative to European macro vulnerabilities.

US Equities & AI CapEx (SPY / QQQ)

  • A significant portion of recent corporate earnings strength was driven by $300B to $400B in temporary, stealth fiscal stimulus (SPR oil releases, tariff reimbursements, and capex tax incentives) that is now waning.
  • Real wage growth has turned negative over recent months, and sticky inflation driven by oil and diesel prices threatens consumer spending power.
  • The Federal Reserve's policy tightening, alongside the 10-year Treasury yield reaching roughly 5%, increases the risk of an economic growth slowdown.
  • Major frontier AI labs are showing signs of potential capital expenditure deceleration and shifting focus toward regulation and near-term profitability ahead of planned IPOs (such as Anthropic).

Takeaways

  • Exercise caution on high-valuation US equities and broad market indices (SPY, QQQ), as fading fiscal tailwinds and high real interest rates compress corporate margins and economic growth.

Canadian Dollar (CAD) & Canadian Equities (TSX)

  • Canadian economic policy is pivoting toward pragmatic, bipartisan resource extraction (pipelines, energy infrastructure, and potash) and shifting away from strict ESG constraints and real estate speculation.
  • Major domestic pension funds are increasingly aligning capital to fund Canadian infrastructure and natural resource projects.
  • Canada possesses greater fiscal room and a lower sovereign deficit relative to many G7 peers, leaving room for targeted capital investment.

Takeaways

  • Explore long exposure to Canadian resource-heavy equities (TSX) and the Canadian Dollar (CAD), which stand to benefit from sustained global commodity demand and domestic infrastructure development.
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Episode Description
What happens when the Fed hikes into fading stimulus, slowing growth, and persistent inflation? This week, we're joined by Vincent Deluard of StoneX Group to explore America’s emerging stagflation trap, AI’s economic support, and Europe’s potential Japan-style currency reset. We also discuss the contrarian case for UK equities and Canada’s investment revival. Enjoy! TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Intro 01:34 Did The Fed Turn Too Hawkish? 08:10 The Stimulus Boom Is Fading 13:11 The Return Of Stagflation 21:06 Is The Fed Making A Mistake? 25:45 Can Trump Salvage Midterms? 32:35 Why AI Leaders Want Regulation 35:46 Will Europe Follow Japan? 48:45 The European Debasement Trade 59:28 Is The UK The Best Hedge? 01:05:41 Can Canada Reinvent Its Economy? FOLLOW THE SHOW › Forward Guidance – https://x.com/ForwardGuidance › Felix – https://x.com/fejau_inc › Quinn – https://x.com/qthomp › Vincent – https://x.com/VincentDeluard › Tyler – https://x.com/Tyler_Neville › Telegram – https://t.me/+CAoZQpC-i6BjYTEx › Blockworks – https://x.com/Blockworks RESOURCES › Weekly Roundup Charts – https://drive.google.com/file/d/189_grP_F-bFABLdyh84TJA3GzOlLmIQm/view?usp=sharing EVENTS › Join us at Digital Asset Summit 2026 Asia October 7th & Digital Asset 2026 London November 10-11th https://blockworks.com/events › TOKEN2049 Singapore is back October 7–8, bringing together 25,000 attendees, 300 speakers, and 500 exhibitors for one of the biggest weeks in crypto. Get your TOKEN2049 tickets and 10% DISCOUNT here: https://checkout.token2049.com/events/asia?promo=DASPODCAST10&utm_source=fg&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=daspodcast&utm_id=DASPODCAST › Avalanche Summit NYC lands Sept. 16–17. Save 15% with code BLOCKWORKS15: avalanchesummit.com/registration DISCLAIMER Nothing said on Forward Guidance is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Any views expressed are opinions, not financial advice. Hosts and guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
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Forward Guidance

Forward Guidance

By Blockworks

The laws of macro investing are being re-written, and investors who fail to adapt to the rapidly changing monetary environment will struggle to keep pace. Felix Jauvin interviews the brightest minds in finance about which asset classes they think will thrive in the financial future that they envision. Follow Felix: https://twitter.com/fejau_inc Follow Forward Guidance: https://twitter.com/ForwardGuidance  Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ForwardGuidanceBW Follow Blockworks: https://twitter.com/Blockworks_ Forward Guidance Newsletter: https://blockworks.co/newsletter/forwardguidance Forward Guidance Telegram: https://t.me/+nSVVTQITWSdiYTIx