The Lucky, Lucky Fed

Soldiers want their generals to be lucky.  As capable and knowledgeable as generals may be, they still need luck to win.  And citizens want their central banks to be lucky, because central bankers often fail even if they are capable and knowledgeable.

The Federal Reserve has been very, very lucky.  Unrest in Ukraine, territorial disputes in East Asia, the usual morass in the Middle East, and now nationalist parties winning European elections, have all combined to push U.S. Treasury yields down even as the Fed steadily withdraws its quantitative easing.  Financial markets mavens who confidently predicted that this would be the year of rising interest rates and falling stock prices have had to substitute excuses and explanations for predictions. 

Some still persist in forecasting rising rates and falling stocks.  Perhaps they will be proven correct.  But if you're betting your money on these predictions, remember that you're, at least in part, betting on the Fed's luck running out.  A bet on bad luck is still a bet on luck.  If you wouldn't play the lottery or patronize a casino, why bet on (or against) the central bank's luck?  The smart thing to do is stay diversified, and be patient.  (See http://blogger.uncleleosden.com/2014/05/why-you-should-invest-like-smart-money.html.)  The tortoise tends to be a better investor than the hare.