Logically Weaker After Solid Jobs Report

Logically Weaker After Solid Jobs Report

Today's jobs report is/was the only big-ticket calendar event and the most obvious source of bond market inspiration. That's doubly true considering the even earlier-than-normal early close (12pm ET) for Good Friday. Payrolls were hot at 178k vs -133k previously.  The big swing is the first hint that payrolls should be taken with a grain of salt. Large swings were expected, to some extent, due to large strikes and the end of those strikes. Weird weather played a role to a lesser extent. Strikes aside, the market has shifted its jobs report focus more toward the unemployment rate over the past year or two due to rapid changes in the number of new payrolls required to sustain a flat unemployment rate. On that note, unemployment was decent, but not stellar (0.01% drop offset by a similar 0.01% drop in labor force participation). 10yr yields are 3-4bps higher as a result, which feels about right.

Market Movement Recap
09:02 AM

Weaker after jobs report. MBS down 10 ticks (.31) and 10yr up 4.2bps at 4.349

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Bonds Recover on Oil Price Hopes

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.0 98.66 -0.25 10YR 4.342% +0.034% 4/3/2026 11:34AM EST
Today's jobs report is/was the only big-ticket calendar event and the most obvious source of bond market inspiration. That's doubly true considering the even earlier-than-normal early close (12pm ET) for Good Friday. Payrolls were hot at 178k vs -133k previously.  The big swing is the first hint that payrolls should be taken with a grain of salt. Large swings were expected, to some extent, due to large strikes and the end of those strikes. Weird weather played a role to ...   READ MORE
Today's Mortgage Rates
30YR Fixed 6.45% +0.04% 15YR Fixed 6.02% +0.01% 4/3/2026
On any given Thursday, there's a decent enough chance that the average mortgage rate headline will be unintentionally misleading. At issue is media reliance on the longstanding weekly mortgage rate surveys. If news stories are going to cite this data, that's fine, but it's critical to understand the methodology. Whether it's MBA (reported yesterday) or Freddie Mac (reported today), the weekly surveys have an inherent reporting lag--that is, they are published at least a day...   READ MORE
Economic Calendar
Time Event Period Actual Forecast Prior
Friday, Apr 03
8:30AM Mar Participation Rate Mar 61.9% 62%
8:30AM Mar Unemployment rate mm (%) Mar 4.3% 4.4% 4.4%
8:30AM Mar Non Farm Payrolls (k) Mar 178K 60K -92K
8:30AM Mar Average earnings mm (%) Mar 0.2% 0.3% 0.4%
9:45AM Mar S&P Global Services PMI Mar 49.8 51.1 51.7
9:45AM Mar S&P Global Composite PMI Mar 50.3 51.4 51.9
12:00PM Good Friday
Monday, Apr 06
10:00AM Mar ISM Biz Activity Mar 59.9
10:00AM Mar ISM Services Prices Mar 63.0
10:00AM Mar ISM Services New Orders Mar 58.6
10:00AM Mar ISM N-Mfg PMI Mar 55 56.1
10:00AM Mar ISM Services Employment Mar 51.8
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The Iran war continues to dominate financial markets and mortgage rates are no exception. That's no great surprise considering rates are driven by movement in the bond market. Still, the direction of the movement may be a surprise to some. All else equal, things that cause economic pain and uncertainty tend to be good for rates because they drive investors out of riskier assets like stocks and ... READ MORE