Archive for March, 2009

Swaps and MBS

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Swaps spreads are wider across the curve. The 2 year spread is wider by 2 1/2 basis points at 57 1/4. Five year spreads are wider by 3 1/2 basis points at 54 3/4. Ten year spreads are wider by 2 1/4 basis points at 20 1/4 . Thirty year spreads ...

Bond Market: March 31 2009

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Prices of Treasury coupon securities posted modest gains today in a month end session dominated by month end buyers. Bonds improved even as equity markets punished those who chose to sell weakness yesterday. There were index buyers early and then some duration based selling late in the day. The yield on ...

Agency Spreads

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Agency spreads are unchanged to about 2 basis points wider in the 2year through 5 year sectors and unchanged to a basis point tighter in the 10 year sector. Customer activity was light and the month end brought out some index buyers. I reported earlier on the Federal Reserve buyback activity. One participant ...

Corporate Bonds

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Corporate bonds were wider earlier but have rallied and are a basis point or two  tighter on the day. The ebullient stock market and some end of month buying turned the tide. There was some light new issuance activity today and the deals came with robust coupons. Ingersoll Rand is BBB+ and ...

Agency Buyback

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

The Federal Reserve announced the result of its agency buyback and it bought $3.2 billion of agency debt in 2015 through 2017 as well as paper in the 20 year sector.The preponderance of the purchases were in the 2015 through 2017 sector as only $ 39 million was from the ...

Spreads

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

It is shaping up as another trading session overwhelmed by ennui. Agency spreads are unchanged across the board. Those spreads narrowed yesterday in response to the buyback announcement. The Open Market Desk will intervene shortly to buy agencies and one can be reasonably sure that the market will react to the ...

MBS

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Mortgages are opening 1 to 1 1/2 ticks tighter to swaps. One dealer reports that the Federal Reserve was an active buyer late yesterday and that dealer believes the early strength this morning is reflective of dealers covering those sales of late yesterday. Originators have been selling and money managers have been ...

IG 12 Open and Some CDS

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

- 5yr Snr Bank CDS: BAC 380/390 (-25), CITI 618/628 (-12), JPM 195/205 (-10), WFC 295/305 (-5) - 5yr Snr Broker CDS: GS 280/290 (-10), MS 383/393 (-12) - CDS Index: IG12 191/192.5 (-1), HVOL12 460/470 (-2)

Flow

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

The level of activity in the overnight session was subdued though one dealer reports robust internal flows. Japanese investors bought 3 year and 10 year sector paper. Dealers bought the 2 year. Asian clients bought the belly. Banks bought the 7 year and a fund manager sold off the run bonds. Separately, today is month ...

Some Opening Comments March 31 2009

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

Prices of Treasury coupon securities are posting very modest losses across the entire maturity spectrum. Each benchmark issue has seen its yield rise by a meager one basis point. The yield on the 2 year note is 0.85 percent and the yield on the 3 year note is 1.20 percent. The ...