Recent Fed Interest Rate Hike Is "Out Of Sync": Citi

The recent Fed interest rate hike is “out of sync” as the profit and leverage cycle are far more advanced than they would normally be at the time of the first Fed hike, notes Citi. Matt King and Joseph M Faith said in their Dec. 18 research report titled “Fed up with low rates” that although corporate leverage is at non-recessionary highs, incremental interest should not really be a concern.

Interest rate hike – Global manufacturing looks like a recession

King and Faith argue that typically interest rate increases start when profits are growing faster than debt and when companies are still deleveraging, which coincides with around “half-past two” on their leverage clock. The analysts point out that 1994 and 2004 both fit this pattern. However,...