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Monday, 31 August 2026 · No. 151

Warsh speech lifts September hike odds to 55-60 percent

Lead story · economy — U.S. stock futures slip as chances of rate hike rise after Warsh’s Jackson Hole comments (MarketWatch)

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The Lead

Warsh’s Jackson Hole remarks lifted September rate-hike odds to 55-60 percent and narrowed the 2s10s spread to 39 basis points. Higher-for-longer policy tightens Bitcoin’s cost of capital exactly when exchange balances grind lower and MVRV sits at 1.47. The ignored contradiction sits in resilient equity futures and contained liquidations that still price in soft landing assumptions despite the hawkish Fed pivot and fresh Iran energy shocks. No clean answer exists on whether persistent inflation or geopolitical oil spikes will force the next decisive move in yields.

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How this call played outTOO EARLY

The past briefing anticipated higher-for-longer pressure and distribution risk; however, BTC rose 1.5 percent over the following day while Fear & Greed moved from 62 to 69, indicating the market absorbed the hawkish signal without immediate downside. Key developments that altered the picture were Binance exchange reserves hitting 2026 highs and ETF inflows cooling, yet these did not produce the expected sell-off within the one-day window. The narrative correctly flagged tighter policy odds but overstated immediate price impact, making the outlook directionally premature rather than wrong.

Lesson: Exchange-reserve spikes and MVRV levels can correctly signal distribution pressure, but they often require multiple sessions to translate into measurable price weakness.

The Fear & Greed index over 90 days: 69, greed.
The Fear & Greed index over 90 days: 69, greed.
Sentiment is at the edge of its own three-month range — the readings that historically precede a turn, not a continuation.

Rate expectations now price the real test for risk assets.

Monday · The price of money

The 10-year real yield is 2.34%.

Holding cash beats holding nothing again: money has a positive real return, which is the environment every long-duration asset has to argue against. Bitcoin has spent 24% of its life in the opposite regime.

10Y REAL YIELD
2.34%
DAYS NEGATIVE
1,397
SHARE OF HISTORY
23.7%
SINCE
2010-07-18

Data as of 2026-08-27 · Real Yields → · Free with an account

Instruments for this story

Go deeper

  • The Rate Machine

    Vienna School · Background to Real Yields

    Setting rates is herding, not dialling

  • Time Preference

    Vienna School · Background to Real Yields

    Capital, interest, and the structure of production

The Wire

Sources (23)

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