Orchid Island Capital reports Q1 EPS 38c, consensus (9c)

Commenting on the first quarter results, Robert E. Cauley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “The current economic and interest rate cycle that began with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 followed by the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) raising its policy rate by 525 basis points in a little over a year in 2022 and 2023 was supposed to end in early 2024 as the Fed pivoted and started to remove its tight monetary policy. The economy and inflation are simply too strong for this to occur, at least not yet. While market participants still expect some easing of monetary policy over the course of 2024, as reflected in the pricing of forward overnight rates, the starting point continues to get pushed out further and further into the future and the magnitude of eases continues to decrease. Incoming economic data so far in 2024 is consistent with firming inflation and a solid economy, and the labor market shows no signs of weakness. Stimulative fiscal policy out of Washington is working against restrictive monetary policy from the Fed. While inflation has decreased significantly from the peak seen in 2023, it still remains far above the Fed’s target level of 2.0%.”