Archive for January, 2015

Eclectic Topics Via Merrill Lynch Research

Monday, January 5th, 2015

Via Merrill Lynch: Rapidly declining oil tends to pull down risky asset valuations and long term interest rates. As our commodities strategists have argued this high oil price volatility is likely to persist, with further downside to oil. Once oil stabilizes and Greece plays out credit may well rally meaningfully - but then ...

January Effect

Monday, January 5th, 2015

This is an interesting article on how the course of trading in the early days of the year correlates with the final results for that year. Via the FT: January 5, 2015 7:05 pm Why first trading day of new year matters James Mackintosh As goes January, so goes the year. The old saying worked ...

Ugly TIPS

Monday, January 5th, 2015

The collapse in oil prices took its toll on the TIPS market today. One trader noted that 10 year breaks opened at 170 and immediately headed south closing at 164. The 5 year break closed at 115.9 and 30 year breaks closed 188. Dealers report some end user buying of breakevens ...

Busy Day in Treasury Market

Monday, January 5th, 2015

David Ader of CRT Capital reports that volumes in the Treasury market today were 180 percent of the prior 10 day moving average. Those days suffered as we were in holiday mode but nevertheless the rally in bonds and the crater in equities and buyers and sellers writing tickets for ...

Treasury Update (2)

Monday, January 5th, 2015

The yield curve has marginally reversed and is a tad steeper than where it was back around 1015AM. The 5s 30s spread is a basis point steeper at 104.3 and 5s 10s 9s 0.5 steeper at 48 basis points. One veteran market maker reports buying from momentum players and rate lock ...

Fed’s Williams on Pace of Rate Hikes

Monday, January 5th, 2015

Via Marketwatch: Fed's Williams sees gradual pace of tightening By Greg Robb Published: Jan 5, 2015 11:13 a.m. ET BOSTON (MarketWatch) - The pace of upcoming rate hikes should be "pretty gradual" over the next few years, said John Williams, the president of the San Francisco Fed, on Monday. In a sit down with ...

Overnight Preview

Monday, January 5th, 2015

This is very early in the day for this but Robert Sinche at Amherst Pierpont Securities has released his preview of the data points which will influence trading in the overnight session. Via Robert Sinche at Amherst Pierpont Securities: AUSTRALIA: Trade Balance data for November will provide more information on the impact ...

Swap Spreads

Monday, January 5th, 2015

Swap spreads are mixed today. Two year spreads are wider by 3/4 basis point. In the belly of the curve 5 year spreads are flat. In the longer end the 10 year spread and the 30 year spread are each tighter by 1/4 basis point. The popular trade is to position ...

Treasury Miscellany

Monday, January 5th, 2015

Treasury market is flying. Dealers report buying across the curve with the concentration in the long end. The Long Bond trades at 2.60 and the the lowest yield recorded since man learned to walk erect was 2.53 in December 2008 in the post Lehman Brother bankruptcy carnage. Several factors motivate the ...

MBS

Monday, January 5th, 2015

Mortgages are 1+ to 2+ tighter to Treasuries this morning. Hedge funds and end users have each jumped in on the buy side of the ledger. Origination has been light and the Fed buying keeps pressure on shorts.