Separate comments last week from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen confirmed an ongoing change in the policy configuration facing their two systemically important central banks: The recognition of a transition in both economic conditions and prospects, along with questions about robustness and durability.
For now, Mohamed El-Erian notes, their response is to maintain a stimulative direction to their policies, and to use verbal guidance that avoids rocking the boat. Although it's consistent with investor expectations, the forward-looking policy path may not be as secure and smooth as market pricing would suggest, however.
As we noted previously, if the past 20 years of global historical data is anything to go by, that 'awakening' of economic policy uncertainty is very bad news…
And now, it appears Mohamed El-Erian agrees that markets and market participants are missing this uncertain picture…
Facing an unusually timid cyclical response and a challenged structural one, central banks have again demonstrated that they would rather err on the side of too much stimulus rather than too little, despite the risks entailed for future financial stability and the efficient allocation of resources. And that is what traders and investors have gotten to expect after observing and internalizing central banks' preferences over the last few years. Indeed, in the case of the U.S., market pricing related to the policy rate still suggests less tightening in 2017 than the three hikes indicated by the Fed at its most recent policy meeting and reiterated in subsequent statements by individual Fed officials. These more subdued interest-rate expectations also extend beyond 2017, to the medium-term path of policy rates, again notwithstanding what Fed officials have signaled about that.
But the more central banks persist with this approach amid changing economic and fiscal conditions, the greater the potential need for a sudden shift in monetary policy that, while economically warranted, could be quite jarring for markets. And it is a possibility that investors may be underestimating as judged by market metrics, including measures of implied volatility.
While the upward movement in yields further out the curve for U.S. government bonds would likely be contained by arbitrage flows from Europe and Japan, the foreign exchange market does not benefit from such a moderating influence. As such, the dollar could be being set up for some consequential volatility.
In formulating policies — especially in an unusually fluid global economy — El-Erian warns central banks must consider not just what can go well but also the mistakes they could end up making, albeit inadvertently. This entails an effort to limit possible known mistakes to those they can afford to make and undo relatively easily over time.
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