1.0Verbank Advisors & Agriculturehttps://verbank.luverbankfarmshttps://verbank.lu/author/verbankfarms/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content"><a href="https://verbank.lu/us-brazil-financial-news-2-20/">US + Brazil Financial News (2/20)</a></blockquote> <script type='text/javascript'> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(c,d){"use strict";var e=!1,n=!1;if(d.querySelector)if(c.addEventListener)e=!0;if(c.wp=c.wp||{},!c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage)if(c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if(t)if(t.secret||t.message||t.value)if(!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var r,a,i,s=d.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),n=d.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=0;o<n.length;o++)n[o].style.display="none";for(o=0;o<s.length;o++)if(r=s[o],e.source===r.contentWindow){if(r.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message){if(1e3<(i=parseInt(t.value,10)))i=1e3;else if(~~i<200)i=200;r.height=i}if("link"===t.message)if(a=d.createElement("a"),i=d.createElement("a"),a.href=r.getAttribute("src"),i.href=t.value,i.host===a.host)if(d.activeElement===r)c.top.location.href=t.value}}},e)c.addEventListener("message",c.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),d.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",t,!1),c.addEventListener("load",t,!1);function t(){if(!n){n=!0;for(var e,t,r=-1!==navigator.appVersion.indexOf("MSIE 10"),a=!!navigator.userAgent.match(/Trident.*rv:11\./),i=d.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),s=0;s<i.length;s++){if(!(e=i[s]).getAttribute("data-secret"))t=Math.random().toString(36).substr(2,10),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t);if(r||a)(t=e.cloneNode(!0)).removeAttribute("security"),e.parentNode.replaceChild(t,e)}}}}(window,document); //--><!]]> </script><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://verbank.lu/us-brazil-financial-news-2-20/embed/" width="600" height="338" title="“US + Brazil Financial News (2/20)” — Verbank Advisors & Agriculture" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe>UNITED STATES   Risk appetite in the US remains high, above the 1STD measure of the past 10yrs. This despite recent volatility in equity markets and signs that the Fed will move rates higher—in our view, well beyond what the market currently expects. The main event this week is the release on Wednesday of the minutes of the Jan/31 FOMC meeting. The committee left the funds rate target unchanged but added the word “further” to describe expected rate increases. The minutes should add some description. While it is too soon for the FOMC to characterize the economy in over-heating territory, this assessment must have crossed the minds of committee members and Fed staff. The post-meeting statement upgraded its descriptions of economic activity, noting “solid” gains in employment, consumption, and investment. Changes to the assessment of inflation data were more hawkish, and the CPI data last week confirmed this assessment. Meanwhile, it is now apparent that fiscal policy is even more expansionary than earlier forecasted. Whereas, in the past, as the economy strengthened, and the debt burden increased, Congress responded by raising taxes and cutting spending, this time around, the opposite occurred. Most forecasts now see the deficit rising above 5.5% of […]