According to Alfonso Peccatiello, a $1 trillion worth liquidity wave is about to be unleashed on the US economy!
He is not talking about Powell or the Fed. He is talking about Treasury Secretary Yellen unleashing a large sum of stimulus further boosting the US economy right before elections! How? By almost emptying a $1 trillion+ Treasury General Account!
US Treasury Real Yield Curve Returns to Positive Territory!
The US Treasury real yield curve (2s10s) has shifted back into positive territory for the first time since 2022. This comes on the heels of a pronounced steepening trend that has unfolded since the beginning of the year. While this development is certainly noteworthy, it's essential to note that the current real yield curve level still trails its historical average, hovering around 0.6%. The recent uptick in interest rates, combined with the steepening of the real yield curve, raises questions about the potential implications for risky assets. Indeed, we're already witnessing some early signals in the High Yield market. The CDX HY index, which monitors single CDS of US HY companies, has shown notable widening from 310bps to 370bps over the past few weeks, indicating heightened risk perceptions among investors. With this in mind, how might further increases in interest rates, combined with a steeper real yield curve, impact risky assets moving forward? Source: Bloomberg
The 10-year US Treasury yield (blue) is marching back towards its high last October.
Recall that - at the time - US Treasury announced that it would issue less longer-term paper, which is what stopped that rise. That card has now been played and yields are rising again... Source: Robin Brooks
The 10y annualized return of US Treasuries has dropped to a 65-year low of 0.6%.
The 2020s era of war, protectionism, fiscal excess, scarce energy/housing/labor killed the 4 decades-long bond bull market. Source: BofA; HolgerZ
Yesterday was very painful for diversified 60-40 (equities / bonds) portfolios
Source: Bloomberg
A Pivotal Moment Between the ECB and the Fed?
This week unfolds as a critical juncture for the interest rate disparity between the US and Europe. As the spread between the 5-year US Treasury and EUR swap yields hits its highest level since the pandemic, the upcoming release of US CPI data and the ECB meeting carry the potential to reshape this landscape once again. All eyes are on ECB President Lagarde as she navigates the challenge of maintaining ECB independence from the Fed, especially amidst differing inflation dynamics across the Atlantic. The implications for currency exchange rates, interest rates, and monetary policy are captivating areas to watch closely in the coming days.
Gold is going up together with real yields (inverted axis in the chart).
Who would have thought?!! Source: Jan Nieuwenhuijs
Bond yields up and gold up?
This looks like a classic 1970s action, with the inverse relationship between gold and 10-year Treasury yields starting to decouple. Gold is at all-time highs in the face of bond market weakness. This, coupled with the rise in commodity prices (especially oil / gasoline), could mean troubles for the Fed and the banks. Source: Bloomberg, Lawrence McDonald
