Monday Macros
Risk On ...Melt Up Continues... Bonds Lower...Oil Higher.. Non Farm Key to Taper
Stocks are starting off strong for the last month of the quarter.. The melt up continues as the hedge funds, quants, and CTA's are all in the process of adding risk... Treasuries, while lower this morning on Bullard comments, are still in the range... But the poundings of higher rates continues. GS initiated a short on the long bond at 2.27%, looking for 2.55... If that happens the range of the 10 year of a 1.77 top earlier this year would be broken... The key to this week is the Friday employment number... Quarles pretty much said last week that the May number will be key to whether the Fed starts their tapering discussions at the June meeting... This makes this employment number one of the most important ones this year...
Equities... Inflation is on the back burner, but moderate inflation is good for equities, and we still think there is more money to come into the market... Last week we saw 18 billion of US equity inflows, and an increase in HF leverage... Other quants are geared up for the melt up , which we think we are currently in the midst of. Nomura quant group sees CTA's also adding to equities between now and June 23... We see the need for leveraged funds to get longer for the quarter end returns... With cash a clear negative given the rising inflation and real rates, that cash is being deployed to risk... We see it in equities and in high yield... Investors want greater than a 3-4% return to beat their expectation of inflation.
Inflation... There were stories over the weekend about the commodity cycle having peaked... Clearly all the active commodities on the GLCO page are off from their highs, but today we find the Bloomberg Commodity Index surged this morning to the highest level in 3 weeks... WTI Oil rose to the highest since October 2018... Opec is hinting that they are not going to increase production... And it does not look like Shale is in any mood to expand, they have been burnt too many times... And as for Iran, we heard a hedge fund podcast last week that said that Iranian production has been going to the Chinese, so if the restrictions come off, do not expect a huge jump in supply... Either way commodities are rebounding this morning.... As for inflation, , we will repeat what we said about wage inflation... It is real and is pervasive as the massive shortage of workers continues
Tapering...it is coming... More and more Fed governors talk about opening discussions at "upcoming meetings".. June is on the table if the non farm numbers are strong... The irony of tapering is that it actually is a good thing for the curve... That signals that the Fed is serious about inflation... And tapering still means the Fed is buying bonds, just less... Hopefully they will leave the mortgage market alone given the inflation going on in the housing markets...
Rates.... Still in the range... We saw a Bank America piece where they see loan demand increasing in the second half of the year, which will soften their demand to buy treasuries...we already mentioned the high profile short GS has initiated in the 30 year space. Yellen made the comment last week that as long as real rates are negative she is not worried about issuing massive amounts of treasuries. We hope she is wrong given that these treasuries will have to be paid back by the next generation and the deficit is too out of control... And it is only working given the monetization of the debt by the Fed... It can't go on forever... But for today the 10 year range of 1.58-1.70 should hold...but as long as 5 years can not get through .78 and sustain it, we still see 2% 10 years by the Jackson Hole conference August 26. Strongest PCI in 29 years and Chicago PMI highest since 1973 should mean something to rates.