Alternative investments are garnering renewed attention among advisors and investors that want more than equities and fixed income. As such, one of the oldest iterations of "alts†may be worth examini... ...

Non-consensus bets for the rest of 2025:Private creditDeFi options protocolsFixed incomeNFTsL2sMemesWhat else am I missing? ...

Market & Economic Assessment - The Fed is in a difficult position, balancing inflation pressures with calls for rate cuts, while the economy grows between 2% and 3% [2][3] - Current market conditions, including high equity prices, low volatility, and tight credit spreads, are atypical for a rate-cutting cycle [3][4] - Speculative behavior is prevalent, with tight credit spreads making fixed income investments interest rate sensitive [5] - Fiscal policy is challenging, with $37 trillion in debt and a $2 trillion deficit, while the Fed maintains a $7 trillion balance sheet [7] - Inflationary pressures persist, particularly in construction costs and wages, making a return to zero rates unlikely [8] - The long end of the yield curve signals concerns about the US fiscal situation, as the 30-year Treasury yield is higher than when Fed funds were 51/8% [10][11] Investment Strategy & Risk - The administration's policies favor risk assets, but this may not be favorable for fixed income [6][24][27] - Investors should be cautious about taking on excessive risk in fixed income portfolios, particularly through high yield credit at tight spreads [6][15] - Private credit funds raise concerns, especially the push to include illiquid assets in liquid investment vehicles, echoing concerns from 2007 [15][16][18] - Meme stock activity indicates that investors are unafraid, with one penny stock accounting for 15% of stock exchange volume [20][21] - While the overall risk environment is favorable, it is susceptible to shocks, requiring careful monitoring and liquidity [26][27][25]

Treasury Market & Fiscal Policy - The market has largely priced in the impact of the "one big beautiful bill" (tax bill) [2][3] - Tariff revenues are projected to offset a significant portion of the tax bill's cost, with CBO projecting $28 trillion in tariff revenues versus the tax bill's $32 trillion cost [3] - The yield curve has steepened, indicating the market is pricing in an unsustainable deficit trajectory [4] - The market is pricing in some base level of tariffs, potentially 10% on the world and 30% on China or transshipment [7] Economic Outlook & Fed Policy - The underlying economy is slowing but remains above recession levels, leading to expectations of a soft landing [4][5] - Inflation has come in weaker in recent months, leading the market to price in Fed rate cuts, approximately 100 to 120 basis points [5][6] - The market anticipates "good news rate cuts" from the Fed due to the slowing economy and potential for one-time price shocks from tariffs [6] - A risk scenario involves sectoral tariffs causing mini humps or bumps in inflation, which the Fed is closely monitoring [9][10] Fixed Income Investment Strategy - In a soft landing scenario with growth around 1% to 15% and inflation slightly higher, a 4% to 45% tenure seems fair [12] - High-quality fixed income offers attractive yields around 6% to 65%, while high-quality high yield provides around 7% [12] - Fixed income looks attractive due to the potential for diversification and the likelihood of the Fed cutting rates further if the economy slows down [13]