Bob Elliott Profile picture
Oct 29 18 tweets 5 min read Read on X
The selloff in US bonds has sparked a global dump of developed world sovereign debt.

Since US yields started rising after the Fed meeting in Sept, global bond yields are higher, while the dollar and gold are surging, reflecting an increasingly global debt contagion.

Thread.
While many in the US are laser focused on the US yield rise in recent weeks, what is notable is how it looks to be flowing through to global bond markets in a way that is pretty disconnected from their own underlying domestic conditions.

US yields up nearly 70bps since mid-Sept Image
UK yields have risen in line. Image
German yields are up despite very weak economic reports. Image
Aussie yields sharply higher. Image
Canadian yields are rising despite very weak economic conditions and outsized cuts from the BoC with indications of further cuts ahead. Image
Even Japan which has scrapped intentions of a more aggressive hiking cycle has seen yields move higher. Image
While nearly all bond markets have sold off during this period, what makes the contagion particularly stark is that these bond markets have sold off while the currencies have also sold off.

The yen being the most notable of course, moving 13pts since Sept 16th. Image
But so too the euro is down vs. the dollar. Image
Sterling is starting to fall in recent days after a short-lived pop. Image
Same pattern with AUD, now pushing back toward cycle lows. Image
And CAD pushing new lows vs. the dollar as well. Image
Taken together this is a pretty acute move both out of these countries bonds, but also out of their currencies, suggesting a pretty full scale withdrawal of capital from global sovereign debt markets and currencies, particularly if thought about in gold terms. Image
Everywhere investors are dumping long-term gov bonds.

It seems the global central bank shift to easier monetary policy punctuated by the Fed meeting in Sept has sparked a serious questioning of the current value of developed world sovereign bonds at the current level of yields.
For many developed economies facing slower economic conditions and fading inflation pressures, these moves are all the more notable because they run counter to the trends in underlying domestic conditions and intended monetary policy.
While this repricing of sovereign debt has a direct impact on bond holders, the rising cost of capital is likely to become a drag on global equity markets from both the undesirable economic tightening and rising discount rates. Already we are seeing some leveling off in markets: Image
Sovereign debt yields serve as the backbone of global financial asset pricing along with real economy borrowing transactions.

A further flight out of sovereign debt risks creating a broader drag on other financial assets and these economies.
The combination of a commitment to 'over easy' money from central banks and continued expansionary fiscal policies across governments are driving this trend to continue.

It creates an increasing risk of a challenging repricing of higher risk-premiums and discount rates ahead.

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More from @BobEUnlimited

Oct 30
When everything is already going up (other than bonds), adding further monetary and fiscal easing to the mix will only serve to further inflate the financial asset bubble.

Thread.
Typically policy easing only happens when there is a deterioration in economic conditions. But today that's not the case - real growth remains 2-3%, unemployment remains low, and asset prices are already pushing highs.

Easing into strength is classic "over easy" policy.
When the economy is already humming along there really is no other place for increases in this liquidity to flow to than financial assets (other than bonds), regardless of current valuations. That's exactly what we are seeing.

Stocks pressing new highs: Image
Read 11 tweets
Oct 28
Harris proposals to *twist* the budget by increasing transfers to lower income cohorts and tax higher income earners will lead to higher growth *and* higher inflation.

But it is unlikely to come to fruition since it requires agreement from a likely divided congress.

Thread.
The proposed policy list from the Harris administration is increasingly becoming a laundry list hoped for tax credits, cuts and subsidies:

With the intention to offset nearly all of that fiscal expansion with a sharp increase in taxes on corporations and high income earners.

crfb.org/papers/fiscal-…Image
Read 23 tweets
Oct 25
As I described just after the Fed pivoted policy, their choice to purse "Over Easy" policy is unusual, but the macro linkages are clear, favoring:
* Stocks and gold over bonds
* The dollar over other currencies.
* Rising bond term-premium

That's what's happened. Thread.
Stocks are up. Image
Gold is up in dollar terms. Image
Read 12 tweets
Oct 24
If your manager or PM is making bets claiming edge in calling the US election, you should fire them.

Thread.
The most challenging dynamics in risk management are impactful, bi-modal outcomes with significant uncertainty since it is hard to truly hedge the outcome. Across nearly all measures, this is one of those instances.

The presidential outcome is a coin toss up: Image
Five thirty eight has the same: Image
Read 19 tweets
Oct 23
The BoC's likely 50bps cut today is a reminder of the type of conditions that call for an aggressive easing.

Canada is weak: UE rate rising rapidly, inflation at or below target, and anemic GDP growth (particularly on a per-capita basis). Big diff from the US.

Thread.
Canadian conditions are pretty weak, with GDP growth running at a mere 1% on an annualized basis over the last couple years, which is notably soft given the elevated labor force growth from rapid immigration. Image
With more recent data suggesting economic conditions remaining weak in recent months. Image
Read 9 tweets
Oct 22
Prospective Trump admin policy would be far more impactful to the macro economy than those proposed by Harris.

While both plan substantial policy shifts ahead, Trump can implement much of his agenda without congress and has a higher probability of a sweep.

Thread.
In recent weeks probability of a Trump election has increasingly been priced into financial markets, making it increasingly important to understand the implications of the admin prospective policies.

Here @Citrini7's well-constructed index which captures the move: Image
Further there is increasing possibility of a R sweep across chambers in the US based on the polling, which is improbable for the Ds given the Senate. Image
Read 15 tweets

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