Archive for August, 2008

Closing Comments 08/25/08 (LONG)

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Prices of Treasury coupon securities surged today as the credit crunch hovers and associated economic weakness hangs over the market like a funeral pall draped over a casket. It is sad and depressing and good news is hard to find.The day opened with the news that there would not be ...

Corporate Bond Market

Monday, August 25th, 2008

The cash market for corporate bonds is virtually closed. There is nothing in the way of new issues and cash market trading is not even sporadic. One seasoned salesman said that conditions feel as bad as they have anytime in the last six months. Thinking that he might be a ...

Remittance Day

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Today is Remittance Day for mortgage collateral holders. It is especially noted in the woeful land of ABX as participants evaluate the quality or lack thereof which supports the various ABX tranches.Dealers and investors will spend the day running the data through models but one participant with whom I spoke ...

Agency Spreads

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Agency  spreads are 2 basis points to 4 basis points wider across the yield curve. Two traders with whom I spoke attribute the weakness to generalized aversion to risk rather than heavy selling by clients.

MBS and Swaps

Monday, August 25th, 2008

MBS are approximately unchanged versus swaps.There has ben two way flow. Servicers have been better buyers and originators as is their custom have been better sellers. Swap spreads are under pressure with 2 year spreads wider by 1 1/2 basis points, 5year spreads wider by 3 basis points and 10 year ...

Update

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Benchmark Treasury paper is rallying rather dramatically in the early going. No one With whom I speak has a good reason.  There were Lehman is going bust rumors but that would seem patently bogus. The CDS which i quoted an hour ago at 335/345 are now 10 basis points wider at ...

IG 10 Open

Monday, August 25th, 2008

IG 10 is opening 141/142. I do not have a late clsoe but at about 1100AM on Friday it had tightened 8 basis points to 139. At the same time CDS on Lehman were quoted 322/332 and had traded as tight as 300. They are currently 335/345.  FNMA and Freddie CDs are ...

Opening Comments August 25 2008

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Prices of Treasury coupon securities are modestly higher in overseas trading, partially reversing some of the losses suffered on Friday. Credit fears still dominate and they dominate in the press and were ever present at the deliberations at Jackson Hole over the weekend.Bloomberg carried a story (which I linked to ...

Headline Charts

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

HeadlineCharts is a blog which is kind enough to link to acrossthecurve.com. I checked out the site and I found it very interesting and would recommend that you pay it a visit.

Timing

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

The markets seem to be on an inexorable mission to push FNMA and Freddie Mac to the brink and to test the mettle of the Treasury and Hank Paulson. The markets will be very thin this week as many participants will be off until after the Labor Day holiday and ...