Senior Portfolio Strategist Fixed Income Strategies Portfolio Advisory Group–U.S.
Thomas Garretson is a senior portfolio strategist, Fixed Income Strategies, Portfolio Advisory Group–U.S. He has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry and joined RBC Wealth Management in 2013.
Thomas currently chairs the firm’s U.S. Fixed Income Subcommittee and serves on the Global Portfolio Advisory Committee and the U.S. Investment Committee. He collaborates with other members in setting firm-wide asset allocation recommendations. In addition, he is frequently quoted in leading sources of business information, including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and Reuters.
He earned a Master of Business Administration in finance from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Thomas also has a Bachelor of Science in finance from the University of Denver.
He obtained the Chartered Financial Analyst designation from the CFA Institute and has passed the FINRA General Securities Representative Series 7 and 24 exam.
Inflation remains calm in 2025, but tariff-related price hike concerns have kept the Fed sidelined. We look at the Fed’s commentary, the impact of market forces and political pressure on yields, and the probability of rate cuts before year’s end.
Market volatility is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon. But while fixed income markets have weathered outside factors reasonably well this year, the next source of volatility could come from within – the global bond market itself.
The worst of the tariff volatility seems like it’s blown over. Markets are now focussed on the remaining tariffs that are in place and their impact on domestic economic trends and Fed policy.
Questions regarding the Federal Reserve’s price stability and maximum employment mandates abound. We look at what investors should know at a time when there is a lack of clarity regarding the central bank’s next moves.
Global central banks this month have offered something for everyone from further interest rates hikes in Japan to rate cuts in Canada and Europe, while the Federal Reserve remained motionless.
The Fed has cut policy rates by 75 basis points since September only to see longer-term Treasury yields and mortgage rates increase by the same degree. We take a closer look at this divergence and its implications.
The Fed has finally aggressively lowered interest rates. While a steeper yield curve reflects the market’s optimism that rate cuts will shore up the economic outlook, further steepness could be a sign the Fed will cut rates deeply, likely due to a recession.