Bonds Are Back in The Office

Bonds Are Back in The Office

By 10am ET, today's trading volume has already surpassed that seen on December 23rd and 26th (both full trading days)--proof positive that the market is shifting out of holiday mode. Over the past 3 weeks, bonds did a perfect job of holding inside the forgettable sideways range marked by 4.10-4.20 in 10yr yields. A breakout on either side of that range becomes a stronger possibility this week thanks not only to increased participation, but most importantly due to Friday's jobs report. There are other relevant reports between now and then with Wednesday morning's JOLTS/ISM combo being the most notable. Today's ISM Manufacturing was slightly weaker but hasn't had a big impact so far. Lastly, for those curious, both stocks and bonds have completely shrugged off the weekend's news on Venezuela. 

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Modest Incidental Weakness

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.0 99.85 +0.17 10YR 4.160% -0.031% 1/5/2026 5:00PM EST
By 10am ET, today's trading volume has already surpassed that seen on December 23rd and 26th (both full trading days)--proof positive that the market is shifting out of holiday mode. Over the past 3 weeks, bonds did a perfect job of holding inside the forgettable sideways range marked by 4.10-4.20 in 10yr yields. A breakout on either side of that range becomes a stronger possibility this week thanks not only to increased participation, but most importantly due to Friday's job...   READ MORE
Today's Mortgage Rates
30YR Fixed 6.19% -0.01% 15YR Fixed 5.74% -0.01% 1/5/2026
Heading into the week, we knew there was a high bar for any legitimate mortgage rate fireworks. In addition to a dearth of scheduled events with the power to cause volatility, the last two weeks of the year don't tend to see big changes in the bond market.  There are exceptions, but 2025 wasn't one of them. In fact, bond yields and mortgage rates have been locked in a narrow, sideways range since September as the market waits for the most important economic reports t...   READ MORE
Economic Calendar
Time Event Period Actual Forecast Prior
Monday, Jan 05
10:00AM Dec ISM Manufacturing Employment Dec 44.9 44.0
10:00AM Dec ISM Mfg Prices Paid Dec 58.5 59.0 58.5
10:00AM Dec ISM Manufacturing PMI Dec 47.9 48.3 48.2
2:00PM Dec Total Vehicle Sales (ml) Dec 16M 15.7M 15.6M
Tuesday, Jan 06
9:20AM NY Fed Bill Purchases 1 to 4 months (%) $8.165 million
9:45AM Dec S&P Global Services PMI Dec 52.5 52.9 54.1
9:45AM Dec S&P Global Composite PMI Dec 52.7 53.0 54.2
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The two most important economic reports of the month were released this week. Both showed promising results for rates, and although rates improved, the reaction was smaller than expected . First up was November's jobs report, which came out on Tuesday morning. It showed the highest unemployment rate since 2021 at 4.6%--well above the 4.4% forecast. Under normal circumstances, this woul... READ MORE