Bonds: Treasuries
(New York)
With all the volatility of the last month, and midterms, less focus has been on one of the most ominous of economic signs—the yield curve. Well, Goldman Sachs has just weighed in, warning investors that a yield curve inversion is looming. Goldman went further than to say that 2-years might be flat or overtake 10-years, the bank said that spreads between 2- and 30-year bonds would fall to zero. To put that call into perspective, it would be a narrowing of 50 basis points versus now. Goldman highlighted the move in its top themes to watch for 2019.
FINSUM: We have to give Goldman Sachs a little credit here as they have been consistently hawkish about rates for at least a year and are sticking to it. We tend to agree with this view.
(New York)
One of the safe bets during bouts of volatility since the Financial Crisis has been to pile into Treasury bonds anytime things got tough. Every time stocks dipped, the bonds tended to rally strongly and became a safe haven. However, since the recent downturn in equities, this correlation has ceased. Even amidst stock and oil’s plunges recently, Treasuries have basically remained flat, giving no comfort to investors.
FINSUM: The big difference this time around is that the volatility is coming during a period of rising rates, which means Treasury bonds are not as safe a bet as in the past several years.
(New York)
Here is something no one was calling for before the election—the yield curve has has flattened considerably since the midterm results. The spread between two- and ten-year Treasuries got as low as 25 basis points. The market thinks the US deficit may be tighter than in an all-Republican scenario, which has sparked a rally in ten-years.
FINSUM: A flattening yield curve on its own does not necessarily indicate recession, but if it does invert, look out, as that is one of the most reliable indicators of a looming slowdown.
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(New York)
One of the big worries in the Treasury market is that foreign demand is waning for Treasury bonds at the same time as supply is surging. This is leading many to stress that US government bond prices could be in for a big fall. However, Bloomberg says that won’t happen. The logic just isn’t there, and neither is the data to back it. Inflation and rates are rising, and so is the Dollar, making the bonds more attractive to hold. Further, US yields and credit-worthiness are looking increasingly positive given the bond market turmoil in Europe.
FINSUM: Because the Dollar is still the dominant world currency, there is a lot of built-in demand for Treasuries. And given the state of US yields versus the rest of the developed world, we don’t think foreign demand is going to shrink.
(New York)
There is a significant minority of investors who have a very particular worry about the Treasury market right now. That worry is that foreign demand for Treasuries is slumping, which could cause a big sell-off or sustained period of losses. The potential issue has two parts—the first is that a huge amount of Treasury issuance is set to take place, the second is that foreign holdings of Treasuries are at their lowest in 15 years. The combination of seemingly low demand with high supply is making some think the bonds could be in for a rout alongside forthcoming auctions. JP Morgan strategists estimate that yields on Treasuries will rise 7-8 basis points for every $200 bn of Treasuries sold. Foreigners hold $6.3 tn of Treasuries.
FINSUM: This could be a problem, but given that central bank reserves have not been growing, it makes sense that foreign Treasury holdings haven’t either. Foreign governments still need Dollar liquidity, so there is a built in demand for Treasuries which we think won’t simply evaporate.
(New York)
Short-term bonds are looking like an ever better buy right now. Two-year Treasury yields are at 2.87%, up from 1.55% a year ago, and well over the 1.9% average yield of the S&P 500. That means the spread between the two- and ten-year notes is only about 28 basis points. Considering the latter has significantly more rate risk, two-year bonds like a good bet right now.
FINSUM: There are many ultra short-term bond funds out there to choose from. Actually, given the breadth of ETFs in the space, there has never been a better or cheaper time to play defense in this kind of rate environment.