On Yahoo! Finance, Darius joined Josh Lipton to explain why rising volatility, Fed independence concerns, and geopolitical stress are reshaping market structure. With a historic degree of crowded bullish positioning, near-term chop remains likely. However, 42 Macro maintains a constructive medium-term backdrop as the economy continues to experience a structural uptrend in productivity growth.
If you missed the discussion, here are three key takeaways that likely have huge implications for your portfolio:
1) Productivity Is Driving Disinflation
Darius emphasized that inflation should be analyzed through trend impulses, not noisy month-to-month prints. When viewed through three- and six-month annualized rates, core CPI, core goods, core services, and shelter CPI all show negative impulses. He argued that a cyclical upturn in productivity is already underway and likely evolving into a structural shift—moving the U.S. from a 2% trend productivity economy toward a 3% regime.
Key Takeaway: Disinflation is being driven by productivity gains alongside cooling wages and housing, not economic weakness.
2) There Is a Growing Geopolitical Supply-Demand Imbalance in the Treasury Bond Market
While headlines focus on President Trump’s pressure campaign against Fed Chair Powell, Darius argues this framing misses the bigger picture of why this is all happening. The core issue is a growing geopolitically driven supply–demand imbalance in the Treasury Bond Market. With foreign participation shrinking and private investors absorbing more supply, the Fed is increasingly the only institution capable of stabilizing the market, making some erosion of independence structurally inevitable over time.
Key Takeaway: The Treasury market’s scale and imbalance will ultimately force deeper Fed involvement to fill the void.
3) A Constructive Medium-To-Long-Term Outlook
Darius acknowledged that historically crowded bullish positioning makes markets vulnerable to corrections and choppier price action. However, he stressed that volatility does not negate the broader opportunity set. A productivity-led expansion supports a constructive medium-to-long-term outlook for risk assets, even if near-term drawdowns occur.
Key Takeaway: Volatility is rising, but productivity-driven growth keeps the medium-term outlook constructive.
Final Thought: Long Signal/Short Noise
Investors who fixate on noisy economic releases or political theater risk missing the forest for the trees. The defining feature of this cycle is not policy drama; it’s a structural shift in productivity and a Treasury market that has outgrown traditional buyers. Volatility will rise, but history suggests productivity-led expansions ultimately reward disciplined investors who stay systematic and avoid reacting emotionally to headline noise.
If you are not confident your portfolio is positioned correctly for the evolving macro landscape, partner with 42 Macro for data-driven insights and proven risk management overlays—KISS and Dr. Mo—to help you stay on the right side of market risk.
No catch—just real insights to help you stay ahead in the #Team42 community.
Best of luck out there,
— Team 42
