The
#Fedhike is no longer the trade. The second hike is.
After the release of the August US inflation data, markets raised the probability of a 25-basis-point hike next week from roughly 70% to nearly 90%.
Core CPI slowed slightly year over year, but the monthly data showed that price pressures are no longer limited to oil and gasoline. Airfares, hotels, communication services, and both new and used car prices are rising.
The conflicts in Iran and Ukraine continue to disrupt energy supplies, pushing oil above $100 a barrel. Tariffs are raising import costs, while massive data center construction is competing for power, equipment, and labor.
But the Fed can’t produce more oil, electricity, or data center capacity.
That leaves us with a dangerous chain reaction:
Higher energy prices → higher inflation → Fed hikes → weaker consumption and investment.
This is why a Fed hike doesn’t necessarily mean every asset falls at once.
If
#Warsh frames next week’s 25-basis-point hike as an insurance move—and gives no clear signal of further tightening—stocks could even stage a relief rally.
If the Fed believes one hike is enough:
• Treasury yields could fall
• The dollar could spike, then reverse
• Growth stocks could rebound
• Gold could recover after a brief pullback
But if the Fed signals another hike this year:
• The 10-year Treasury yield could break above 5%
• AI stocks and other richly valued growth stocks could face more valuation compression
• Real estate, consumer discretionary stocks, and highly leveraged companies could remain under pressure
• Markets could start seriously pricing in stagflation
What It Means for
#Stocks
Higher rates hit stocks in two ways.
First, they raise the discount rate, reducing the present value of future earnings. Companies whose valuations depend heavily on growth years into the future are the most sensitive.
Second, higher rates increase financing costs, weaken consumption, and reduce business investment—eventually hitting actual earnings.
That leaves richly valued AI stocks, unprofitable software companies, highly leveraged data center operators, and small caps particularly exposed.
Large platforms such as Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta are relatively better positioned, thanks to their stable cash flows and large cash reserves.
What It Means for
#Gold
Gold is being pulled in two directions.
On one side, rising real yields and a stronger dollar increase the opportunity cost of holding a non-yielding asset. That is the source of gold’s near-term pressure.
On the other, the same hike could deepen concerns about stagflation, recession, fiscal stress, and financial instability. Add two wars and oil above $100, and safe-haven demand isn’t going to simply disappear.
The more likely path for gold is:
A brief decline around the rate hike, followed by a recovery if markets begin pricing in slower growth or a policy mistake.
One hike is mostly priced in. Two hikes are not. If the Fed is forced to use higher interest rates to fight supply-driven inflation, the biggest risk isn’t just higher prices. It’s higher inflation and weaker growth arriving at the same time.