With the market pricing in near certainty of a June rate hike despite the Fed’s tacit warning that it would like to see evidence the recent economic slowdown is over, a recurring question among trading desks is why aren’t long-dated bonds selling off more, or rather why is the 10 and 30Y seemingly bid the closer we get to the next Fed hike with everyone – from hedge funds, to central banks to primary dealers – buying in surprising amounts.
Overnight, an answer came from Wes Goodman, a Bloomberg columnist, who explains that the more the Fed hikes, the more bullish it is for bonds, i.e., the entire market is once again betting on “policy error” by the Fed.
Here is latest Macro View note titled “The Fed Is Going to Hike. That’s Bullish for Bonds“
The Fed’s likely rate hike next month will probably send Treasury yields lower, and investors from hedge funds to banks are loading up on U. S. government debt ahead of the move.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Treasuries have rallied following the last three rate increases. Instead of sending yields higher, the hikes are driving speculation that rising short-term borrowing costs will curb the economic expansion and make it tougher for the Fed to sustain its 2% inflation target.
This post was published at Zero Hedge on May 30, 2017.
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