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Monetary squeeze tightens another two notches
Monetary squeeze tightens another two notches

Investors were expecting quarter-point interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserve and European Central Bank (ECB) in early May. They got them, along with the collapse of another American regional bank, a warning from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen that the US may not be able to pay its bills in June if the debt ceiling standoff persists and more violent protests against pension reform in France.

2022: A tale of active versus passive
2022: A tale of active versus passive

The final week of 2022 saw EPFR-tracked Bond Funds post consecutive weekly outflows for the first time since mid-October, capping a year when the overall group smashed its previous outflow record as central banks scrambled to contain inflation running at multi-decade highs.
Behind the headline number, however, was a marked shift from active to passive management.

Tiptoeing into the Christmas holidays
Tiptoeing into the Christmas holidays

Flows to EPFR-tracked fund groups during the first week of December tilted towards the positive – at least for the US. Investors steered money into US Equity Funds for the 11th straight week, US Bond and Global Equity Funds rebounded from their first outflows in over seven and 17 months, respectively, and US Money Market Funds took in fresh money for the seventh time in the past eight weeks.

Caution reigns in early October
Caution reigns in early October

The first week of October saw US lawmakers sparring over the country’s debt ceiling, authorities in China scrambling to limit the wider damage property giant Evergrande’s debt crisis may cause, and central bankers from Canada to Poland wrestling with the tradeoff between economic growth and rising prices.