I Wanna Be Sedated

Much has been made about the lack of volatility, relatively speaking, across almost all parts of the capital markets. The dampening down of what would be considered normal volatility has again been laid at the feet of the command and control Central Bankers.We are not surprised however as the prevailing attitude is that low rates cure all ills, when in reality, low rates create more ills.  We all should be quite attuned to the sedative effects of low interest rates on investors perceptions of real risk, if the recent crisis has taught us nothing else. Thus, when we see potentially serious geo-political flareups such as Iraq or China/Korea, any hint of serious concern is smothered quickly by the “whatever it takes” mentality inherent in  all Central Bankers. However, as Bertolt Brecht said ” Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are”.