Let the long end lead the Fed, says Voya fixed income CIO
Matt Toms, Voya Investment Management chief investment officer of fixed income, discusses the moves in Treasurys and what heΒ ...
Chief Executive Officer of Voya Investment Management, Voya Financial
Search every verified Matthew Toms interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote β each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In September 2019, Matthew Toms, Chief Investment Officer of Fixed Income at Voya Investment Management, commented on Treasury yield movements and Federal Reserve policy. He described the steepening of the yield curve as reflecting a "pragmatic and patient" approach by the Fed, allowing the economy to grow. Toms stated that the move higher in yields was led by the long end of the curve, not the two-year, and noted the absence of confirming signals from inflation breakevens or currency markets that would indicate an acceleration of inflation. He characterized the situation as "Goldilocks" but expressed concern that the European Central Bank might eventually need to align with the Fed, which could affect markets. Toms also addressed political pressure on the Fed, saying he would urge President Trump to stop criticizing Fed Chair Jerome Powell, adding that Powell had "done a nice job" and his approach "trumps the political pressure." He attributed the rise in yields partly to the narrowing of trade tensions, describing it as a "narrower band of uncertainty" that markets favor, despite potential difficulties for the U.S.-China trading relationship.
“This is about the Fed being slow enough to let the economy grow, kind of a go with the flow if you will. Things are in motion to gently push rate hikes and continue this rally in risk markets, and nothing we see today really will stand in the way of that.”
“I would urge the president to stop bashing Powell. I think Powell's done a nice job and his approach certainly trumps the political pressure, no pun intended.”
“You're not seeing the two-year move higher, you're seeing the ten-year move higher. The inflation breakeven assumption has not moved higher meaningfully, and you're at a 2.16% yield. Also, not seeing confirming signs in currency markets or other markets that should be afraid of an acceleration of inflation here.”
“Let the long end lead the Fedβthat's the way out of this.”
Matt Toms, Voya Investment Management chief investment officer of fixed income, discusses the moves in Treasurys and what heΒ ...
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