Solid signals the debt ceiling is going to be a problem, and might be a catalyst (not they catalyst) behind today's risk market selloff.
Yes, it eventually gets resolved but the fear it will be messy and chaotic this time around.
A thread to explain.
1/6
First, their is 1.3 trillion in Fed reverse repo (RRP). The Fed is offering 5 basis points in this RRP facility
Their is no reason for a T-Bill to have a yield above the 5 bps RRP rate.
2/6
Here is the bill curve out the next 9 mos and the Oct 18 date that the govt runs out of money.
The only bill yield yields above 5 bps is from Oct 19 to Oct 28.
By trading above the RRP rate after Oct 18 signals the debt ceiling is going to be a problem in this time period.
3/6
The betting markets have a contract with an Oct 15 date. It is essentially 50/50 it will be raised before this date.
This signals no early deal. So, even if a deal gets done in time to avoid a mess, it is going down to the wire.
4/6
Now for the political part to ask why this is happening.
The Ds are the majority of the House, Senate and Presidency. They do not need R votes.
But hiking the debt ceiling is deeply unpopular and they want cover from the Rs. They are not getting it.
5/6
Biden is deeply unpopular and it just gets worse everyday. See the orange line, new highs in "disapprove" regularly.
Does Biden lack the stature IN HIS OWN PARTY to cut a deal between his progressives and moderates? He would if he was at 55% appr.
6/6
Bonus
All the Wall Street strategists are in universal agreement this is a bunch of nothing and will get resolved without drama.
This last time they we this sure about something was Feb 2020 with they all concluded CV19 was temporary and not important.
You have been warned!
Can/should the Fed buy T-Bills and stop a mess with the debt ceiling?
Buying bills or any kind of "support" for the Treasury market is taking a side in an intensely political fight.
1/2
Powell is fond of saying that congress does the will of the American People. The Fed job is to respond, not take sides.
And for the Fed to get involved would be especially political given they all but signaled they are going to start tapering at the Nov 3rd FOMC meeting.
2/2
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Ten seafarers have now been killed in 13 attacks on merchant vessels since the Iran conflict erupted on February 28 — more than the 7 U.S. servicemen killed in the war.
The focal point is shifting: can the Strait of Hormuz be reopened? Is the Administration pivoting to that mission?
Every day without a visible path to reopening, the market will price in more risk.
A 10% increase in energy prices that persists for a year would push global inflation up by 40 basis points and slow economic growth by 0.1-0.2%, International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.
So, what price measures "persists for a year?"
🧵
2/5
As the table below shows, crude oil futures prices for delivery into 2027 are trading in extreme backwardation.
3/5
Below is the calendar spread between the first contract (now April) and the 6th contract (now September).
As the bottom panel shows, this spread is -25%, a record since the mid-1990s when the contract specifications were last changed.
Thoughts on market reaction to the Venezuela news.
tl:dr
The spigot in Venezuela waiting to be opened to flood the world with crude oil and lower its price has been broken for a while.
It will take several years to fix it.
2/5
Venezuela is a founding member of OPEC their official statistics show its production (blue) is down 71% from its 1998 peak.
Its sustainable capacity (max output in within 90 days and held for a year) is 1M barrels/day (orange).
Venezuela is at its maximum now.
3/5
Why the big production decline?
Socialist Hugo Chávez was elected in December 1998. He turned out to be a brutal dictator. Only to be replaced by an even more brutal dictator, Nicolás Maduro, when Chávez died in March 2013.