* China GDP surged in Q1 on year-over-year basis
* Pfizer CEO: public will likely need third Covid shot within 12 months
* Japanese prime minister will be first foreign leader to visit Biden’s White House
* Biden bans US banks from buying, underwriting Russian debt sales
* Stagflation is a growing economic threat, predicts economist Nouriel Roubini
* Jobless claims in US fell to new pandemic low last week
* Two regional Fed manufacturing surveys posted stronger growth in April
* US industrial production rebounded in March, led by manufacutring growth
* US retail sales surged in March thanks to stimulus checks:

In a recent post I reviewed how asset allocation is a reliable tool for earning average to above-average returns (with average or below-average risk) for a given opportunity set. Let’s extend the concept with a real-world test of three more market slices: US fixed income, US equity sectors and US equity risk factors.

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* US will impose new, deeper sanctions on Russia
* Planned US troop pullout leaves Afghanistan with uncertain future
* 100-plus companies sign letter opposing US state voting restrictions
* Wall St banks report earnings growth and anticipate strong economic recovery
* Hedge funds post best year-to-date results in over a decade
* What happens when US economy’s stimulus high wears off?
* Fed will reduce bond purchases ‘well before’ raising rates, says Powell
* Fed Beige Book: US economic activity accelerated since February
* US 10-year Treasury yield holds steady for 2nd day, near 3-week low:

In this issue:

• Is the bond market rout over?
• Is a renaissance brewing for European equities?

continue reading at The ETF Portfolio Strategist

Headline inflation rose sharply in March. The bond market yawned.

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* Biden today will announce US military troops will leave Afghanistan by Sep. 11
* US and NATO signal strong support for Ukraine after Russian troop buildup
* China conducts military drills near Taiwan ahead U.S. officials visit in Taipei
* IRS chief: $1 trillion in taxes may go uncollected every year
* World dependency on fossil fuels expected to rise in years ahead
* US small business sentiment edged higher in March but remains middling
* Money managers focused on ‘make or break’ inflation outlook
* US headline 1-year consumer inflation accelerated sharply in March:

Every investment strategy has its own particular set of pros and cons. Do you know how your strategy’s profile stacks up? As a reference point, consider an unmanaged, market-weighted asset allocation strategy.

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* Russia warns US warships to steer clear of Crimea
* Japan plans to release contaminated water from nuclear plant into sea
* Will Treasury auctions and inflation data end recent lull in the bond market?
* US inflation data for next few months will bounce but it could be misleading
* China int’l trade activity rebounds sharply as global economy recovers
* Banks on track for profit boost as economy rebounds
* UK economy rebounded in February
* New US Covid-19 cases continue to hint at possibility of fourth wave
* US federal deficit deepens to $660 billion in wake of stimulus checks:

For a second week, American shares were the top performer for the major asset classes in last week’s risk-on rally, based on a set of proxy ETFs through Friday’s close (Apr. 9).

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* Iran blames Israel for sabotage incident at key nuclear power plant
* Iran vows to ‘take revenge’ for attack on nuclear site
* Sec. of State Blinken has ‘real concerns’ re: Russia’s actions on Ukraine border
* Frenzy of lobbying begins over Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan
* Covid variant evades some of the protection of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine
* Fed’s Powell: US economy at ‘inflection point’ as growth expected to accelerate
* Does accelerating economic growth raise inflation risk?
* Bitcoin trades near record high as largest crypto set to go public
* US financial-system stress remains low in early April: