So, if bonds are breaking out to fresh multi-month highs, we should buy bonds, right?
Here’s a quick look at the bond market buy signals triggered earlier in the month:
All three are still in play.
The five, 10-, and 30-year Treasury futures continue to churn above our risk levels. As long as that’s the case, we want to remain long toward our upside objectives...
While everyone focuses on the S&P 500 finding resistance at its 200-day moving average, bonds are posting their most substantial rally since the early 2020 peak.
Treasuries have represented downside risk for almost two years. We get it. Nobody's wanted bonds!
The long-term Treasury bond ETF $TLT has gained almost 20% since late October. In the process, it registered its largest four-week rate of change in a decade (aside from the covid related volatility).
This is what a momentum thrust looks like:
Notice the previous rallies in mid-2021 and earlier this summer (highlighted in yellow).
Both advances failed to produce sustained strength. It not only shows in price but also in the lackluster momentum readings that followed (highlighted yellow in the lower pane).
Bonds are bouncing off key levels of potential support.
For some, it’s a former low. And for others, it’s a downside extension level. Regardless, we can all rejoice that bonds have stopped falling.
That doesn’t mean we’re rushing out to buy Treasuries. Instead, it signals a constructive start to a potential bottoming process for the bond market and relief from downside volatility.
Let’s check out the charts!
First up is the long-duration Zero Coupon ETF $ZROZ:
ZROZ has rebounded above its former 2014 lows, posting a potential failed breakdown. Risks are to the upside above 82 with potential resistance at the shelf of former lows around 100.
It’s a similar story for the Treasury Bond ETF $TLT:
T-bonds reclaimed their former 2014 lows on Wednesday. As long as TLT holds above 101.50, our tactical...
Don’t take your eyes off the US dollar and interest rates!
I know it’s been a long year, but we’re finally witnessing early signs of potential trend reversals. The breakdown in the dollar last week confirmed the mounting evidence suggesting the USD has reached its peak.
Now, will interest rates follow?
Check out the dual pane chart of the US dollar index $DXY and the 30-year yield $TYX:
They look almost identical. The recent breakdown in the dollar marks the lone flaw between the two, raising the question…
Will the strong relationship between rates and the dollar hold?
I won’t pretend to know where rates are headed. But if the dollar and rates remain on similar paths, my money is on declining yields at the longer end of the curve.
A falling 30-year yield also makes sense based on a...
The stocks and commodities that tend to accompany rising yields haven’t kept pace since early spring. Rates across the curve have accelerated higher, leaving these risk assets in the dust.
But the seasons have changed – and the dust has settled.
Cyclical value sectors have found their footing in recent months. Now, they’re playing catch-up.
One of the strongest market themes in recent weeks has been the reemergence of value over growth.
Check out the overlay chart of the 10-year US Treasury yield $TNX and small-cap value $IWN versus small-cap growth $IWO:
The 63-day correlation study in the lower pane highlights the strong relationship between these two charts.
At a glance, they appear quite similar. But their positive correlation began to erode in late March, reaching negative territory by...
Everyone knows fixed income is having one of its worst years on record. And, from the looks of it, we’ll all be dragging our Christmas trees to the curb before US Treasuries stage a miraculous comeback.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe these safe haven assets will dig in and catch higher – eventually. There’s just no sign of it happening any time soon.
Instead of focusing on the disappointing performance of bonds, let’s turn our attention to its relative trends against other major asset classes – stocks and commodities.
Here’s the commodities versus bonds ratio using the CRB Commodity Index and the 30-year Treasury bond futures:
The commodity/bond ratio completed a bearish to bullish trend reversal last year after violating a decade-long downtrend.
This major intermarket shift caught many off-guard, as 12 years of underperformance led the industry to...
That doesn’t mean it’s time to go all in. Tactically, it’s difficult to get behind this week’s near-term strength.
Right now, we’re looking at just a few days of bullish price action. And where do we define our risk?
We have to know where we’re right and where we're wrong before we get involved in any investment.
Thankfully, high-yield bonds answer this all-important question.
Check out the daily chart of the High-Yield Bond ETF $HYG:
Unlike most bonds, HYG has formed a small reversal formation.
We like the looks of this 4-week inverted head-and-shoulders on the HYG chart. Momentum is improving. And the bulls are reclaiming a key level of former support turned resistance marked by its...
If you can pry your eyes from the UK gilt and Credit Suisse articles, you’ll find it’s not all doom and gloom across the bond market – especially high-yield debt in the US.
A quick warning before we continue: You probably won’t see a similar message on the financial news. It’s just too optimistic for the current environment. It wouldn't get enough clicks.
But facts are facts. And right now, high-yield bonds are hooking higher, while stocks are also rising.
Check out the dual-pane chart of the Fallen Angel High-Yield Bond ETF $ANGL and the S&P 500 $SPX:
ANGL tends to bottom with the S&P 500 at significant turning points. That’s because high-yield bonds are risk assets more akin to small-caps than investment-grade debt or Treasury bonds.
A sustained breakdown in ANGL implies growing risk aversion among investors. But that’s not what we’re witnessing...