With the inflation numbers rising these days, one would think that the consumer expectation of future inflation remains high. A recent article published by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York just pointed out the opposite: consumers expect inflation to decrease in the future and the risk of deflation …

Monetary policy is the process by which a government, central bank, or monetary authority manages the money supply to achieve specific objectives. In most countries, these objectives are stabilization of prices and maintenance of low inflation. Monetary policy is also used to manage economic growth, employment, and exchange rates. Monetary …

The zero-cost collar strategy is an options trading strategy that involves the simultaneous purchase of a put option and the sale of a call option. The options are usually of the same maturity, and the transaction results in a zero or small credit to the trader’s account. This strategy is …

Companies may hold various instruments. For each, they estimate the amount they can expect to receive. In most cases, it is the same as the amount calculated under the contract terms. However, it may also differ in some cases, causing a credit loss. Companies must estimate this loss to reach …

Correlation is a statistical measure of the relationship between two variables. In trading, correlation is used to identify relationships between different securities. For example, a trader might want to know if two stocks move in the same direction. If they do, they are said to be positively correlated. If they …

An Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) is a fund that tracks an index, sector, or basket of assets just like a traditional mutual fund, but trades like a stock on an exchange. ETFs experience price changes throughout the day as they are bought and sold. The ETF market has experienced massive …

Alternative data is becoming increasingly popular in the financial world. While some traditional data sources such as earnings and economic indicators are still relied upon heavily, alternative data is providing new insights that can help investors make better-informed decisions. There are a variety of sources for alternative data, including social …

In a previous post, we discussed the lead-lag relationship between the volatility index, VIX, and SPX futures. In this post, we are going to look at the relationship between the VIX index and VIX futures. The volatility index, VIX, is a measure of the stock market’s expectation of volatility over …

Interest rates are a determinant factor in the pricing mechanism of public markets.  When interest rates go up, the cost of borrowing increases, and this affects economic activity and company profits. Equity markets are sensitive to changes in interest rates because they affect corporate profitability and the cost of capital. …

The recent market correction has shown, once again, that the financial markets are strongly interconnected. The sell-off in stocks has led to a sharp increase in the credit spreads. The rally in oil price has helped commodity currencies such as the Canadian dollar and Australian dollar appreciate against the US …