Returns on Cash Remain Compelling
The Boston Globe asks in a brief titled, "Cash on the barrelhead," "Is there a sliver of a silver lining to this five-week stock market slide? Yes -- if you're sitting on extra cash and would like a safe place to stash it at a decent interest rate. Thanks to a cautious Federal Reserve and lingering economic uncertainty, returns on cash-like holdings remain compelling. Though rates on savings accounts, money market funds, and short-term Treasuries have dipped from their 2023 highs, they're still hanging in around 4 to 4.5 percent -- a far cry from the paltry yields of the pre-inflation era." Discussing "Why it matters," they tell us, "After last year's full-point of rate cuts, the Fed has pumped the brakes. Chair Jerome Powell signaled last week that officials will wait to see how inflation and President Trump's economic policies play out before making another move. `That means short-term yields aren't dropping much anytime soon, leaving savers with a rare window to earn something for parking cash.... Money market mutual funds are slightly lower [than a handful of high-yield bank accounts], with an `average 7-day yield of 4.13 percent among the 100 largest, according to Pete Crane of Crane Data. While these funds aren't insured, losses are extremely rare. The current leader: Morgan Stanley Investment Management's $3.7 billion fund at 4.41 percent. Treasuries remain the gold standard for safety: 1-year bills are yielding about 4.1 percent, and 2-year notes are close behind at 4 percent." They add, "Yields on savings accounts and money funds can (and do) change. My Marcus account has fallen from 4.5 percent to 3.75 percent since last spring. CDs, on the other hand, lock in the rate -- at the cost of liquidity. Marcus now offers 4.5 percent only if you're willing to commit for 14 months.... Cash isn't a growth engine -- it's a buffer. Long term, stocks win, said Raj Sharma at Merrill Lynch Private Wealth Management in Boston. But lately, investors are spooked by the potential inflationary bite of Trump's new tariffs and government cutbacks."
