Both Wall Street and the White House are keen to see interest rate cuts this year, at the very least before the November election, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Recent weak consumer spending might force the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (the Fed) hand, leading to rate cuts sooner rather than later. However, as Philip explains, while earlier rate cuts could be good news for the markets, they could bring about higher inflation. And is the Fed willing to risk that?

Contrarian indicators can often play a crucial role in forecasting market trends, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. Last year, during peak economic pessimism, markets anticipated up to six interest rate cuts for this year, and those forecasts bolstered the markets. Now that we’re in a period of greater economic optimism, will that have a negative impact on the markets?

This summer, the price of crude oil could reach its highest level in almost two years, says IG Wealth Management’s Chief Investment Strategist, Philip Petursson. While this could be good for Canadian equities (which typically benefit from rising oil prices), it could have a negative effect on the markets in general. Philip explains how expensive oil drives up inflation, which could delay central bank interest rate cuts, which in turn could cause a drop in bond and equity markets.