Bonds firm as volumes dwindle before holiday weekend

26 Dec, 2016

US Treasury prices were firmer in thin volumes as investors prepared for the three-day Christmas holiday weekend. "We're a little stronger, the curve is a little flatter, but volume has been anemic," said Justin Lederer, an interest rate strategist at Cantor Fitzgerald in New York.
Bonds showed little reaction to data showing that consumer sentiment held near a 13-year high this month as Americans anticipated a stronger economy would create more jobs.
New US single-family home sales rose more than expected in November, reaching their highest level in four months.
Benchmark 10-year notes gained 4/32 in price to yield 2.54 percent, down from 2.55 percent late on Thursday.
The bond market is closed on Monday for the Christmas holiday.
The Treasury Department will sell $88 billion in new coupon-bearing supply next week: $26 billion in two-year notes on Tuesday, $34 billion in five-year notes on Wednesday and $28 billion in seven-year notes on Thursday.
The sales may need a discount to attract demand as many traders will be away on vacation and some European markets will still be closed on Tuesday.
"December auctions are always a little hard to gauge, just given the time of year," Lederer said.
That said, he added, "after the big selloff after the election, we have found some buyers and have found some levels, and I'd be very surprised to see a significant backup."
Yields have soared since Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election last month as investors bet he will implement new fiscal stimulus that would boost growth and inflation.
Some investors have also been wary of buying bonds as they evaluate how many times the Federal Reserve is likely to raise interest rates.
The Fed was more hawkish than expected at its December meeting last week, indicating it may raise rates three times next year.
That helped to send 10-year note yields to a more than two-year peak and two-year note yields to their highest levels since 2009.

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