So much for the taper tantrum

Rather than throwing a tantrum at the prospect of a cut in US monetary stimulus, as confirmed by US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, investors seem to have taken it al in their stride.

Jerome Powell
US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s speech on reducing liquidity offered something for everyone
(Image credit: © ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

The dreaded “taper tantrum” has turned out to be a “taper whimper”, says Will Denyer of Gavekal Research. US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole conference confirmed plans to cut monetary stimulus later this year. You would expect liquidity-addicted investors to be upset by that prospect, but they took the speech “in their stride”.

Taper yes, rate hikes no

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Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.