Archive for November, 2008

Libor Chart

Friday, November 14th, 2008

Libor US$ Fixing 11/14 11/13 Change OVERNIGHT .41250 .40000 .01250 1 WEEK .91250 .87500 .03750 2 WEEKS 1.11125 1.06250 .04875 1 MONTH 1.47750 1.42250 .05500 2 MONTH 2.11625 2.04125 .07500 3 MONTH 2.23625 2.14875 .08750 4 MONTH 2.39250 2.30750 .08500 5 MONTH 2.54250 2.44000 .10250 6 MONTH 2.71375 2.59500 .11875 9 MONTH 2.80500 2.67000 .13500 12 MONTH 2.90500 2.75125 .15375

Some Opening Comments November 14 2008

Friday, November 14th, 2008

Prices of Treasury coupon securities have rebounded from the calamitous levels attained following the release of the results of the disastrous 30 year bond auction. In overnight trading, the yield on the 2 year note has slipped 2 basis points to 1.22 percent. The yield on the 3year note edged ...

Closing Comments November 13 208

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Prices of Treasury coupon securities reversed course today (dramatically) as the Treasury held a 30 year bond auction and nobody showed up for the party. Action in the stock market tamped down the animal spirits as equities which had broken sharply to new lows then rebounded robustly.The yield on the ...

Agency Bonds

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Agency spreads are wider by about 10 basis points across the yield curve. Spreads began to widen yesterday with the abandonment of the TARP program by the Treasury Secretary and the leakage wider continued today. One trader noted that GE now has an FDIC guarantee and that company's debt is ...

Corporate Bonds

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Corporate bonds have a firm tone and spreads, according to one veteran salesman, trade well. Stocks have been all over the ball park but bonds of good credits have seen buyers emerge. The same salesman notes that he has observed robust interest in solid single A paper as well as ...

Thirty Year Bond Auction: Not a Good Result for Hank Paulson

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

The Treasury auctioned $10 billion Long Bonds and the result was a genuine debacle for the taxpayers. The issue (in the jargon of trading rooms) tailed 10 basis points. A tail is the number of basis points from where the issue was trading in the market moments prior to the ...

Long Bond Auction

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

In a few minutes the Treasury will complete the quarterly refunding process with the auction of $ 10billion Long Bonds. The auction should go quite well as the dealer community has taken the taxpayer to the woodshed today and spanked him. The 5 year note has seen its dollar price ...

Swaps and MBS

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Swap spreads are marching wider this morning. Two year spreads are 11 ¼ basis points wider at 115 ¾. Five year spreads are 7 ½ basis points wider at 106 ½. Ten year spreads are wider by 5 ½ basis points at 33 ¾ and 30 year spreads are 2 ...

MBS

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

Mortgages had opened much wider this morning on the higher Libor reset and the attendant concern about the cost of carry. Some buyers emerged at the wider levels and MBS are about unchanged currently.

Initial Claims

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

The initial claims data surprised this morning and punched a hole in the 500K ceiling. Initial claims jumped to 516K from a revised 484K the prior week. The four week moving average climbed as did the continuing claims series. The release from the Department of Labor cites no mitigating factors. The ...