Stephen Miran, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, following a television interview outside the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.Less than a week after taking his seat, Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran on Monday outlined the reasons why he thinks the central bank's benchmark interest rate is far too high and should be lowered aggressively.Changes in tax and immigration policy along with easing rental costs, deregulation and incoming revenue for tariffs are creatin ...

Core Insights - The Federal Reserve's recent interest rate cut is seen as a response to economic uncertainties, balancing job market weaknesses against inflation risks [2][6] - Bond fund managers at firms like BlackRock and PGIM are focusing on middle-maturity Treasuries, which are less affected by economic volatility and have provided solid returns [3][7] Group 1: Federal Reserve Actions - The Fed's quarter-point rate cut is characterized as a "risk management cut," with future decisions to be made on a meeting-by-meeting basis [6] - The Fed's forecasts suggest two more rate reductions are likely this year, despite recent comments causing bond yields to rise [6] Group 2: Economic Conditions - A significant slowdown in hiring has been noted, influenced by external factors such as trade tensions, while other economic elements remain resilient [5] - The potential for renewed inflation due to tariff hikes poses a challenge to the Fed's target of 2% inflation [5] Group 3: Investment Strategies - The strategy of investing in the "belly" of the yield curve, particularly 5- to 7-year Treasuries, has proven successful, with returns of approximately 7% compared to the broader market's 5.4% [7]

CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust (CICT) (SGX: C38U) is Singapore’s largest real estate investment trust (REIT) with a portfolio of prime retail and office assets in the commercial sector. Despite rising financing costs, CICT has continued to show resilience. With the Fed expected to cut rates in September 2025, could CICT be poised for a stronger run?Why CICT has held up wellCICT’s distribution per unit (DPU), a measure of the income investors make per unit invested, rose by 3.5% in the first half of ...

Economic Context - The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter of a point in September, with indications of two more cuts in October and December [1][2] - Mixed signals in the economy complicate the decision-making process, with inflation remaining higher than desired while the job market shows signs of faltering [2] Company Analysis Visa - Visa is the largest credit card company globally, serving as a key indicator of consumer spending habits [5] - The company benefits from increased economic activity as lower interest rates stimulate spending, leading to higher processed transaction volumes [6] - In the fiscal third quarter of 2025, Visa reported a 14% year-over-year revenue increase and an 8% rise in payments volume, with net income also up by 8% [7] - Visa is considered a solid long-term investment, supported by its low-cost business model and backing from notable investors like Warren Buffett [7] SoFi Technologies - SoFi, a neobank, is positioned to benefit from lower interest rates due to its significant lending segment and rapid growth compared to traditional banks [8][9] - The company offers a range of financial services, including loans and cryptocurrency trading, and is expanding into international money transfers via Blockchain [10][11] - SoFi has already seen accelerated revenue growth and improved credit metrics as interest rates decline, which is expected to positively impact all its business segments [12][13] Carnival Corporation - Carnival is experiencing high demand for cruises, with record operating income and plans for new ships and destinations [14] - The company carries over $27 billion in debt but has been refinancing at better rates, saving millions in interest payments [15] - Despite concerns about its debt, Carnival's strong market position and healthy demand suggest potential for stock price appreciation as profitability improves [15][16]

Group 1: Interest Rate Impact on Stocks - The recent interest rate cut is expected to be bullish for the market, enabling more business spending [1][2] - The focus is on tech stocks, particularly those serving businesses, as consumer spending appears constrained [2] Group 2: Company Analysis - Broadcom - Broadcom specializes in semiconductor and software solutions, particularly in the AI market with custom ASICs and networking chips [4] - The company has increased its research and development spending to $8 billion in the first nine months of fiscal 2025, up from $7.1 billion in the previous year [6] - Broadcom's stock has seen a 10-fold increase over the last decade, supporting an 88 P/E ratio and a forward P/E ratio of 51, indicating potential for further investment as business spending increases [7] Group 3: Company Analysis - DigitalOcean - DigitalOcean focuses on cloud and AI services for small and medium-sized businesses, differentiating itself with transparent pricing [8][9] - Revenue growth has slowed, with $429 million in the first half of 2025, reflecting a 14% increase year-over-year, below the expected 20% CAGR for the cloud industry [10] - Lower interest rates could provide relief to DigitalOcean's customers, potentially catalyzing growth and breaking the stock out of its current range [11] Group 4: Company Analysis - Block - Block's Cash App competes with PayPal's Venmo, and lower interest rates may boost consumer spending in this area [12] - The Square fintech ecosystem, which includes various payment applications, is expected to benefit significantly from lower interest rates as businesses seek more affordable capital [13] - Block's gross profit rose 12% year-over-year in the first half of the year, with Square contributing 40% of that profit, suggesting potential for higher growth [14]

Group 1 - The Federal Reserve has implemented a 25 basis point cut to interest rates, which is expected to enhance investor sentiment towards income funds [1] - A lower interest rate environment is likely to benefit credit funds, making them more attractive to investors [1] - The article emphasizes the importance of a diversified investment strategy that includes classic dividend growth stocks, Business Development Companies, REITs, and Closed End Funds to boost investment income while achieving total returns comparable to traditional index funds [1]

Core Insights - The first interest rate cut of 2025 is anticipated to influence income funds positively, particularly those with a portfolio of debt investments [1] Group 1: Investment Strategies - A hybrid investment strategy combining classic dividend growth stocks, Business Development Companies, REITs, and Closed End Funds is suggested to enhance investment income while achieving total returns comparable to traditional index funds like the S&P [1]

Group 1 - Newly confirmed Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran advocates for a 50 basis point interest rate cut, citing disinflationary forces at play [1] - Miran attributes lower inflation to reduced immigration, which he believes has led to a decrease in shelter inflation and rents [1] - He argues that there is no evidence of inflation resulting from tariffs, stating that import-intensive core goods are not inflating more than overall core goods [4] Group 2 - Miran has a positive economic outlook for the remainder of the year, suggesting that the first half was weaker due to uncertainty [7] - He notes that the uncertainty surrounding potential tax hikes and trade policy changes has dissipated, leading to expectations of improved economic performance in the second half of the year [9] - Miran will take unpaid leave from his White House position while serving on the Federal Reserve Board [5]

We already seen a 25 bps cut.But it doesn't end here.Polymarket is predicting an 80% chance of another 25 bps by October and another 25 bps by December.A total of 75 bps by the end of the year.Position accordingly. https://t.co/KeRe4Q7JTK ...

Bring in show music, please. Hi, I'm CNBC producer Katie Kramer. Today on Squawk Pod, what a week. The US Central Bank made its first interest rate cut all year. We have FOMC voting member and head of the Minneapolis Fed, Neil Kashkari, on the health of the US economy. We're not okay with 3% inflation. I'm confident that we are going to get inflation back down to 2%. But these tariffs have pushed inflation back up. President Trump and China's President Xi set to speak today about a possible deal to keep Tik ...