Accidental Clairvoyance (Not Really...)

Accidental Clairvoyance (Not Really...)

Yesterday's end-of-day recap bore the title "Half-Hearted Correction Continues." It turns out that should have been the title for this morning's commentary as it's a better description of this morning's trading (yesterday, we actually had a few fundamentals to justify the weakness). In today's case, bonds are weaker "just because." Jobless Claims data (206k vs 225k f'cast) didn't help though--especially considering a higher claims reading helped kick off the big rally 2 weeks ago. Bonds seem more interested in trading technicals at the moment based on the very linear selling so far this week.  Now that yields have tagged 4.10, it will be interesting to see the next move and it would be a surprise to see a lack of commitment until we get Friday AM econ data.

Market Movement Recap
08:41 AM

Weaker overnight and little reaction to econ data. MBS down 3 ticks (.09) and 10yr up 2.5bps at 4.102

Latest Video Analysis

Half-Hearted Correction Continues

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.0 100.19 -0.06 10YR 4.098% +0.021% 2/19/2026 9:04AM EST
Yesterday's end-of-day recap bore the title "Half-Hearted Correction Continues." It turns out that should have been the title for this morning's commentary as it's a better description of this morning's trading (yesterday, we actually had a few fundamentals to justify the weakness). In today's case, bonds are weaker "just because." Jobless Claims data (206k vs 225k f'cast) didn't help though--especially considering a higher claims reading helped kick off the big rally 2 weeks...   READ MORE
Today's Mortgage Rates
30YR Fixed 6.05% +0.01% 15YR Fixed 5.62% +0.01% 2/18/2026
Mortgage rates at the average lender moved up by 0.01% today--the smallest increment measured by the MND daily rate index. This means that most borrowers won't see a meaningful different in today's rates vs yesterday's. That's welcome news considering yesterday's rates were tied for the second best day in more than 3 years. In the bigger picture, the absence of improvement over the past 2 days may suggest that recent bull run in rates is pausing for reflection, or at least...   READ MORE
Economic Calendar
Time Event Period Actual Forecast Prior
Thursday, Feb 19
8:20AM Fed Bostic Speech
8:30AM Dec Trade Gap (bl) Dec $-70.3B $-55.5B $-56.8B
8:30AM Feb Philly Fed Prices Paid Feb 38.90 46.90
8:30AM Feb/07 Continued Claims (k) Feb/07 1869K 1860K 1862K
8:30AM Feb/14 Jobless Claims (k) Feb/14 206K 225K 227K
8:30AM Feb Philly Fed Business Index Feb 16.3 8.5 12.6
8:30AM Fed Bowman Speech
9:00AM Fed Kashkari Speech
10:00AM Dec CB Leading Index MoM (%) Dec -0.2% 0% -0.3%
10:00AM Jan Pending Home Sales (%) Jan -0.8% 1.3% -9.3%
12:00PM Feb/13 Crude Oil Inventory (ml) Feb/13 2.1M 8.53M
1:00PM 30-Yr Bond Auction (bl) 9
Friday, Feb 20
8:30AM Q4 GDP Final Sales (%) Q4 4.5%
8:30AM Q4 Core PCE Prices QoQ Q4 2.6% 2.9%
8:30AM Q4 PCE Prices (Q/Q) Q4 2.8%
8:30AM Dec PCE prices (m/m) (%) Dec 0.3% 0.2%
8:30AM Dec PCE (y/y) (%) Dec 2.8% 2.8%
8:30AM Q4 GDP (%) Q4 3% 4.4%
8:30AM Dec Core PCE (y/y) (%) Dec 2.9% 2.8%
8:30AM Dec Core PCE (m/m) (%) Dec 0.3% 0.2%
9:45AM Feb S&P Global Composite PMI Feb 53
9:45AM Feb S&P Global Services PMI Feb 53 52.7
9:45AM Feb S&P Global Manuf. PMI Feb 52.6 52.4
9:45AM Fed Bostic Speech
10:00AM Dec New Home Sales (%) (%) Dec
10:00AM Feb Consumer Sentiment (ip) Feb 57.3 56.4
10:00AM Feb Sentiment: 1y Inflation (%) Feb 3.5% 4%
10:00AM Feb U Mich conditions Feb 57.7 55.4
10:00AM Feb Sentiment: 5y Inflation (%) Feb 3.4% 3.3%
10:00AM Dec New Home Sales (ml) Dec 0.73M
Read My Latest Newsletter
The bond market drives changes in interest rates. Among bond traders, it's no secret that the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) jobs report is the most consequential monthly economic data. But this time around, the reaction defied expectations. Specifically, if you were to tell market participants the results ahead of time (i.e. 130k jobs created versus a forecast of 70k, and a 4.3% unemploymen... READ MORE