downside

Despite the second-largest bank failure in US history, the Federal Reserve continued its interest rate hike strategy last week. This caused markets to react by pricing in continued monetary tightening, pushing back their expectations of rate decreases to 2024. Some have perceived this move as necessary to combat inflation, even if it comes at the cost of breaking the banking sector. Unfortunately, this sober outlook suggests that the rest of the year may be marked by more sideways action in the markets rather than a steady recovery. Meanwhile, in the