Higher for Longer: Fed, Hormuz & the AI Rate Regime

The era of ultra-low yields isn't coming back. Three converging forces — a patient Fed, a Middle East supply shock, and a capital-hungry AI buildout — are cementing a structurally higher interest-rate regime. Sophisticated allocators need to act accordingly.The Fed holds firm at 5.25–5.50%, with markets pricing just one to two 25bp cuts over the next 12 months. Sticky services inflation and AI-driven capex demand are keeping core PCE stubbornly above target, making duration risk at the long end increasingly difficult to justify.Disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz are amplifying the problem — pushing energy prices and term premiums higher. BlackRock remains underweight long-term U.S. Treasuries and JGBs, favouring shorter-duration instruments and U.S. agency MBS for incremental spread.The structural case is clear: AI infrastructure is driving unprecedented capital demand, permanently repricing real rates. Long bonds no longer reliably ballast multi-asset portfolios. Follow Hedgebra on LinkedIn, subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and visit hedgebra.com for deeper analysis.