Volatility Eludes Bonds

Volatility Eludes Bonds

Bonds saw some steady selling pressure earlier in the week, but with the total damage amounting to an average of 2bps per day in 10yr yields, it was anything but volatile. The past 2 trading sessions had more noticeable ups and downs, but they played out in an even narrower range. Friday, specifically, was woefully range-bound with 10yr yields essentially in a 2bp range all day. Balmy PPI data and Fed Chair decisions and historic volatility in certain commodities didn't make any difference. Even the 3pm ET month-end trading barely registered a response despite the typical surge in volume (by far the highest minutes of volume of every month). Next week brings the big ticket econ data and thus a chance for some legit data driven volatility.

Market Movement Recap
08:39 AM

MBS down about an eighth and 10yr up 1.6bps at 4.252

12:22 PM

MBS down 2 ticks (.06).  10yr up 1.5bps at 4.251

02:34 PM

Near strongest levels with MBS down only 1 tick (.03) and 10yr close to unchanged at 4.238

04:19 PM

Volatility remains elusive into the close. MBS down 2 ticks (.06) and 10yr up up 0.7bps at 4.243

Latest Video Analysis

Bonds Little-Changed. Other Markets May Have Helped

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.0 99.96 -0.08 10YR 4.266% +0.030% 1/29/2026 9:33PM EST
PPI... The Producer Price Index. It sounds a lot like CPI because both are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and they share lots of methodology and structure. Given that CPI has been responsible for some of the biggest bond market reactions, you'd be well within your rights to expect a big sell-off after seeing something like Core PPI coming in at 0.7 vs a 0.2 forecast and 0.0 previous reading. After all, if that happened in CPI, bond yields could easily be shooting...   READ MORE
Today's Mortgage Rates
30YR Fixed 6.16% +0.00% 15YR Fixed 5.75% +0.00% 1/30/2026
While there was certainly plenty of volatility elsewhere in the financial market this week, there was almost none to be found in mortgage rates . Wed, Thu, and Fri all recorded the exact same level in MND's 30yr fixed rate index--something that only happens a few times every year. Rates are based on bonds and bonds are waiting for more serious inspiration after undergoing a bit of elevated volatility at the beginning of last week. The present week has been all about consol...   READ MORE
Economic Calendar
Time Event Period Actual Forecast Prior
Friday, Jan 30
8:30AM Dec Core PPI y/y (%) Dec 3.3% 2.9% 3%
8:30AM Dec Core PPI m/m (%) Dec 0.7% 0.2% 0%
8:30AM Dec PPI y/y Dec 3% 2.7% 3%
8:30AM Dec PPI m/m (%) Dec 0.5% 0.2% 0.2%
9:45AM Jan Chicago PMI Jan 54.0 44 43.5
1:30PM Fed Musalem Speech
5:00PM Fed Bowman Speech
Monday, Feb 02
9:20AM NY Fed Bill Purchases 4 to 12 months (%) $6.921 billion
9:45AM Jan S&P Global Manuf. PMI Jan 51.9 51.8
10:00AM Jan ISM Manufacturing Employment Jan 44.9
10:00AM Jan ISM Manufacturing PMI Jan 48.3 47.9
10:00AM Jan ISM Mfg Prices Paid Jan 60.5 58.5
12:25PM Fed Bostic Speech
2:00PM Loan Officer Survey
Read My Latest Newsletter
This week's newsletter is all about context when it comes to economic data and market movement. One point of view may provide a clear takeaway while zooming out completely changes the picture. Let's start with an easy one. The early January mortgage rate rally led to an obvious surge in refinance applications.  Taken together with the mini refi boom in September 2025, things look pretty ac... READ MORE