INDUSTRY NEWS

The Pandemonium Special Edition - T10 to 3.35%?

Written by Admin | Aug 5, 2024 12:53:05 PM

You lucky dogs, you get to hear from us twice today.  The panic trade continues, driving front end yields down 20bps and the T10 down 12bps to 3.67%.  Futures put odds of a cut at 60% within a week!  Wells came out last night and updated its forecast to call for 1.25% of cuts by year end.  If a picture is worth a thousand words, here's 5,000 words worth.

There isn't a lot of technical resistance between current T10 levels and 3.35%.  That doesn't mean the T10 will plunge to that level, but it does make it hard for a trader to step in front of this panic trade.

 

Source: Bloomberg Finance, LP

 

The T2 is down 21bps this morning.

 

Source: Bloomberg Finance, LP

This helps cap prices.  Pricing is all over the map right now, but here's an example:

$25mm 2yr 4.00%
Today: $175k
1 Week ago: $280k

It would be more if not for the offset from surging vol.

 

Source: Bloomberg Finance, LP

 

Financial Conditions are tightening rapidly.  Like the unemployment rate, a snapshot here would suggest everything is under control.  But it's the pace of change that has markets on edge.

 

Source: Bloomberg Finance, LP

 

The yield curve is nearly uninverted - less than 1bps.

 

Source: Bloomberg Finance, LP

 

As much as I would love to believe in this trade, it feels overdone.  Unfortunately, we have a very quiet data week which means markets could continue swinging wildly.  We get some ISM Services data at 10am, which normally wouldn't be a market mover but is suddenly very important.  A strong number helps put a floor in this rate drop.  But if it comes in unexpectedly weak, look out below.