Making Sense

“Experience is what you got when you didn’t get what you wanted.”  Federal Reserve announced a 50 bps cut to the Fed Fund Rate to 4.75% - 5.00%. Markets are pricing in a 50% probability of a 50 bps rate cut in the November Policy and 98% probability of 75 bps of rate cut by Dec 2024. Market Pricing is clearly more dovish than the Fed's base case as laid out in the SEP. US2s10s bear steepened and closed the week at 14.40 bps highs. We close the US2s10s position here and re-evaluate.  The FOMC Committee judges the balance of risk to be roughly in balance and would be prepared to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate if risks emerge that could impede the attainment of goals. The Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) saw a 40 bps upward revision to U/R and 30 bps downward revision to PCE Estimates which clearly shows Fed's increasing concern around Unemployment. In the Press conference, Chair Powell focused on the recalibration of policy as Fed gains greater confiden...

“There’s a big difference between probability and outcome. Probable things fail to happen—and improbable things happen—all the time.” That’s one of the most important things you can know about investment risk.” ~ Howard Marks With Fed Chair's Front and Center focus on evolving outlook of the US employment situation , this week carried extra significance and the Employment data catalyzed the move in Yields. Yields on US2s fell 35 bps (High - Low Range) and on US10s 28 bps (High - Low Range) over the week . On US2s Yields, we closed right at 3.65% and on US10s at 3.71% which is in close proximity to the braking point we mentioned earlier in the backdrop of the larger H&S Formation. We did not get the upticks towards the 4.10% handle we were hoping for. Another Trade I had thought about and did not write was the break below the 3.90% - 4.10% consolidation range but that's because consolidation break outs many times chop you out so better to trade at the top of the consolidatio...

As identified in the last blog post, USD Index made a low of 100.51 on Tuesday and retraced to close the week at 101.732 . I will be closely looking at how the price action evolves around the 102.50 levels to re-initiate shorts. In my post earlier, we identified the first braking zone to the downward momentum on USTs as the 3.64% - 3.81% zone where US2s found resistance. During the week,  Yields on US2s dipped to 3.848% before closing the week at 3.92% inside of the 3.90% - 4.10% range seen for better part of the month. The steepening trend persisted this week as the US2s10s closed the week at -0.014%. On US10s, yields moved higher to close the week at 3.907%.  I'm looking at 2 spots to re-initiate trades on US2s ~ 4.10% and 4.20% handle.  The break in US2s10s outside of the triangle targets 15.50 bps.  US economic data shows a softening trend but it does not outright suggests a sharp deceleration to warrant further pricing of rate cuts. The thought is predicated o...

I have two basic rules about winning in trading as well as in life:  1. If you don't bet, you can't win. 2. If you lose all your chips, you can't bet.   ~ Larry Hite Over the last 3 weeks, after the Aug 5 lows, yields on US2s have consolidated in the 3.90% - 4.10% price range and US10s have progressively made lower lows to close the week at 3.92% and 3.80% respectively. US2s10s bull steepened to close the week at -11.90 bps. USD index closed the week at 100.68, 5% off highs of 106.13 June highs and within close proximity to the established range of 100.50 - 106.50 since last year.  There is a 76% probability of a 25 bps rate cut in the Sep Policy. The market is broadly equally divided between a 25 bps and a 50 bps in the November Policy and holds a 87% probability of FFR in the 4.25% - 4.50% range by end of 2024. By next year September Policy, the market assigns a 90% probability of FFR at 3.25% - 3.50%, i.e. 200 bps of cuts in next 1 year.  The Atlanta Fed GDP Now ...

 In this Second Part, we look at the economic data prints: A Benign CPI reading - mom inflation at 0.15% mom and Core print at 0.17% mom. Core goods disinflation continued with mom at -0.32% with 3m annualized rate at -1.93%. Core Services Inflation rose at 0.31% mom which is at pace higher than the average 0.18% mom in the prior 2 months. Super Core Services also rose at a mild 0.14% mom. The respite in Shelter inflation seen in June appears short lived with prices rising at 0.38% mom in July. There has also been a talk around re-acceleration in inflation as mild prints in the second half of 2023 weigh on the readings going forward. Fed members have also highlighted that the  Inflation progress last year benefited from supply-side improvements like eased supply chains, increased labor force participation, and lower energy prices.  However, these factors may not continue to reduce inflation, as supply chains have normalized, labor force participation has stabilized, and i...

As Howard Marks says The most important thing is "Awareness of the pendulum'. The mood swings of the market resemble the movement of a pendulum. Although the mid point of the arc best describes the location of the pendulum "on average", it actually spends very little of its time there. In fact, it is the movement towards an extreme itself that supplies the energy for the swing back.  Investment markets follow a pendulum like swing - b/w euphoria and depression, between celebrating positive developments and obsessing over negative ones and thus between over priced and underpriced.  While we may not know what the futures holds but me must have a fair sense of where we are headed. I hope this blog has helped you navigate the course of the markets by identifying these pendulum type swings and through the analysis, has helped you get a sense of how the data is evolving. The Economic calendar was heavy with Top Tier Data.  BoJ raised the overnight call rate by 15 bps to 2...