Fed Chair Janet Yellen will give a statement tomorrow (June 14) in which she is expected to raise interest rates. Unfortunately, a Fed chair statement can render even the most perceptive of financial analysts utterly confused.
Especially when the "hawks" in the chair's posse say one thing, and the "doves" say something completely different. (And if you don't know what these terms mean, check out the sidebar to your right.)
But regardless of a Fed chair's "dovish" or "hawkish" economic outlook, all of these "birds of prey" have one thing in common...
They love yapping to the public.
Amid speeches, public appearances, interviews, academic panels - you name it - Fed chairs squawk more than CNBC does every morning.
Money Morning Chief Investment Strategist Keith Fitz-Gerald said it best: "The Fed never met a printing press it didn't love."
Those were Keith's exact words in August 2016, when he admonished Yellen and her FOMC posse for confusing the heck out of the general American public.
They do it on purpose, Keith explained, to keep everyday investors perpetually confused and unaware that the Fed actually lost its focus on average Americans a long time ago.
"Now it's the big banks and crony capitalists in Washington who have become the protected few," Keith explained.
If you've not taken the time to explore some of the nonsense spewed by the last three Fed chairs, then have a look.
And if you find yourself utterly baffled after reading each quote... well, that means we're on the same page.
But don't fret, because we also have a solution to help you protect your money amid interest rate hikes... and the accompanying verbiage.
In fact, headlines about Fed chair-inspired confusion are common after the "doves" and "hawks" squawk:
So, now that you're aware of just how baffling "Federal Reserve chair speak" can be, let's get you prepared ahead of Yellen's FOMC speech tomorrow. We've got just the advice...
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are an easy solution for portfolio protection and profits if the Fed raises rates.
"ETFs basically let you trade an entire sector instead of having to pick and choose specific stocks to trade within a sector. ETFs are also a great way for you to hedge against rising interest rates," Money Morning Options Trading Specialist Tom Gentile said on May 26.
For stocks, Gentile recommends monitoring the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE Arca: DIA). For bonds, he recommends monitoring the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (NYSE Arca: TLT).
Here's more on how to prep for tomorrow's big reveal...
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