Macro Briefing: 12 April 2023

* IMF warns of slowing growth and elevated recession risk
* France’s Macron’s comments on Taiwan bring sharp criticism in West
* Treasury Secretary says she’s “not anticipating a downturn” for US economy
* Fed officials divided over whether to hike rates again
* Fed rate hikes will end next month, predicts former Pimco chief economist
* EPA proposes rules that promote sales of electric vehicles
* Can AI beat the market? Don’t hold your breath
* US small business sentiment eased in March, holding below long-run average
* Tech stocks (XLK) are sharply outperforming broad market (SPY) this year:

A relative calm prevails in the banking industry after last month’s collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, an event that initially sparked fears that a wider contagion would run through the financial sector. Using an ETF of regional bank stocks (KRE) as a proxy shows that these stocks continue trade in a tight range after falling sharply in March.