Mostly Sideways. Volatility Elsewhere

Mostly Sideways. Volatility Elsewhere The legend of the bond market's extreme apathy is increasingly making the rounds in financial circles. Bond issuance, inflation, and economic strength are not seen surging enough to put huge upward pressure on longer-term rates. And without a big downturn in 2 of those 3 variables, there's no major impetus for a big drop in rates. So we wait (and wait and wait) while bonds gyrate in micro-ranges.  Add today to the list. It might have been more volatile if we had the econ data that was postponed due to the shutdown, but JOLTS wouldn't be enough to singlehandedly change the narrative. Stocks and commodities were volatile in contrast, but with limited correlation to bonds. The government funding bill passed the house and a reopening is assumed for Wednesday, but Friday's jobs report will nonetheless not be coming out on Friday. Econ Data / Events ISM Manufacturing Employment (Jan) 48.1 vs -- f'cast, 44.9 prev ISM Manufacturing PMI (Jan) 52.6 vs 48.5 f'cast, 47.9 prev ISM Mfg Prices Paid (Jan) 59.0 vs 60.5 f'cast, 58.5 prev Market Movement Recap 09:46 AM Sideways to slightly weaker overnight in Treasuries with 10yr now up 1bp at 4.285.  MBS outperforming, up 1 tick (.03) on the day. 12:34 PM Not much movement. MBS down 1 tick (.03) and 10yr up 1.5 bps at 4.29 03:14 PM off weakest levels. MBS unchanged and 10yr down 0.4bps at 4.271
Share the Post:

Related Posts

Mortgage Rates End Week at Lows

Bonds dictate mortgage rates and bonds experienced a bit of volatility this morning in response to the Supreme Court ruling on tariffs. The initial impact was negative for rates with Treasury yields moving higher and the prices for mortgage-backed secu…

Read More

New Home Sales Remain Near Recent Highs

If there’s one housing market metric that paints a brighter picture than the rest, it’s New Home Sales data from the Census Bureau. At 745,000, it eased slightly from an upwardly-revised annual rate of 758,000 , but was higher then the pre-revision re…

Read More