Surprisingly Big Sell Off Relative to The Inspiration

Surprisingly Big Sell Off Relative to The Inspiration

Bonds ended up selling off somewhat sharply today with the bulk of the blame apparently reserved for the UK/US trade deal. In fact, the pace of the selling wasn't something we would have predicted when the details emerged this morning. This raises questions about what other motivations could be in play.  Certainly, the "precedent thesis" is relevant (i.e. what does today's deal imply about how other trade deals may look?). The simplest way to approach it would be to conclude that tariffs will go up enough to increase inflation, but not so much as to hinder growth--both bad for bonds and for the Fed's rate cut prospects.

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Surprisingly Big Sell Off Relative to The Inspiration

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.5 99.14 +0.03 10YR 4.366% -0.011% 5/9/2025 5:05AM EST
MBS are now down 14 ticks (.44) and 10yr yields are up 10.3bps. Lenders are seeing at least a quarter point of weakness vs rate sheet print times.  As such, negative reprices are becoming likely if you haven't seen them already.  Some lenders will be back for a 2nd reprice.    READ MORE
Today's Mortgage Rates
30YR Fixed 6.91% +0.05% 15YR Fixed 6.22% +0.03% 5/8/2025
Mortgage rates moved back up to the higher levels seen earlier this week after the official announcement of a trade deal between the U.S. and the U.K. Most lenders actually began the day fairly close to yesterday's latest levels, but were ultimately forced to raise rates in response to weakness in the bond market.   The rationale for this market reaction can be debated. Some market watchers conclude that a trade deal is simply "good for stocks and bad for bonds...   READ MORE
Economic Calendar
Time Event Period Actual Forecast Prior
Friday, May 09
6:15AM Fed Williams Speech
6:45AM Fed Barr Speech
8:30AM Fed Kugler Speech
10:00AM Fed Goolsbee Speech
11:30AM Fed Williams Speech
11:30AM Fed Waller Speech
7:45PM Fed Hammack Speech
7:45PM Fed Musalem Speech
7:45PM Fed Cook Speech
Monday, May 12
12:00AM Roll Date - UMBS 30YR
10:25AM Fed Kugler Speech
10:30AM NY Fed Treasury Purchases 4 to 6 yrs (%) $75 million
12:00PM WASDE Report (%)
2:00PM Apr Federal budget, $ (bl) Apr $-161B
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Whether you refer to it as "strong," or "not as bad as feared," this week's economic reports were better than the market was prepared for. The result is moderately higher rates. Interest rates are driven by movement in the bond market, and the bond market is always interested in economic data. Occasionally, the economic data can be boring enough or other events can be important enough to cause ... READ MORE