Market participants are pressing the pause button on Wall Street’s recent stock rally as they sift through a buffet of remarks from Fed speakers. Federal Reserve speakers yesterday emphasized that the current fed funds rate is restrictive and is likely to continue to support disinflation, but more evidence is needed that price pressures are easing in a sustainable manner before the central bank lowers rates.

Fed policy has a heightened data dependency, leading to increased volatility in the bond market. Even though rate cuts remain the odds-on favorite for later this year, investors should heed the tenor of recent Fed-speak, which reinforced the notion of rates being higher for longer.

A cooler-than-expected Consumer Price Index (CPI) report sparked a broad-based rally as the upbeat news raised investors’ hopes for a rate cut.

On the good news front, CPI was indeed modestly market friendly. Stocks took the lower yields as a good sign

Markets are rallying with this morning’s weaker-than-expected economic data dampening concerns of a prolonged journey across the monetary policy bridge.

Stocks notched a solid gain last week as rate-cut expectations paced the rally as the Q1 earnings season wound down.

The innovation economy continues to stymy the Fed’s attempt to slow inflation

While lower costs of capital helped stocks last year and continue to do so, recent earnings calls point to the potential for lighter yields to signal trouble. As equities trade near record highs amidst rates that have drifted lower, the consideration of a worn-out consumer is pivotal.

The bottom line is that “higher for longer” remains a dominant theme for the U.S. bond market.

Stocks notched a solid gain last week, rallying behind upbeat earnings, a dovish Fed, and mixed economic data.