With US yield curve disinversion, is recession on the horizon?
Major stock indexes down: Nasdaq tumbles >2%
All 11 S&P sectors red; tech down most
STOXX 600 slides ~1.1%
Dollar up; gold, oil down; bitcoin down >3%
U.S. 10-yr Treasury yield dips to 3.72%
Welcome to the home for real-time coverage of markets brought to you by Reuters reporters. You can share your thoughts with us at markets.research@thomsonreuters.com
WITH US YIELD CURVE DISINVERSION, IS RECESSION ON THE HORIZON?
There's an ongoing debate as to whether the disinversion of the U.S. Treasury yield curve is flagging recession for the world's largest economy.
The yield curve had been inverted for more than two years before briefly reversing course on Aug. 5 for the first time since July 2022. It has disinverted on and off this week.
An inverted yield curve, specifically the U.S. 2/10 sector, typicaly foreshadows recessions, predicting eight of the last 10 slowdowns. The curve is currently at 2.7 basis points (bps), steepening after a lower-than-expected U.S. non-farm payrolls report for August.
For David Rosenberg, president and founder of Rosenberg Research in Montreal, the curve disinversion is "just another nail in the coffin on the recession call — delayed never did mean derailed."
He writes in a research note that 2/10 inversions can have a long lag, noting that after a more than two-year inversion that is then followed by a disinversion, the recession generally begins within three months after that shift.
Rosenberg also points to the spread between U.S. two-year yield and the fed funds rate, an indication of whether the Fed is behind the curve in terms of monetary policy. That spread is currently at -163 bps, the most inverted since 2008.
"It's a a clear message from the bond market to the Fed that it has bungled things again...in the same way it fell behind the inflation curve back in 2022," Rosenberg says.
Historically, the two-year Treasury yield and effective fed funds rate tend to be similar because the market and the Fed both play a role in determining these rates. When the fed funds rate is a lot higher than the two-year yield, as is the case right now, the bond market is saying that the Fed has waited too long to cut rates. The Treasury market is already flagging a downtrend in the economy, even as the fed funds rate remains elevated.
Rosenberg also points to recession signs everywhere. He cites Dollar Tree's DLTR.O disappointing results this week. The company, which caters to the low-end consumers, said its data showed households with more than $125,000 in annual income are 'buying for need' from 'buying for want,' with the sales mix shifting substantially from discretionary items towards necessities."
"The fact that the economic strain has moved across income lines is a very important recent development and suggests that the dive in the personal savings rate to below 3%...is a general sign that households are stretched."
(Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss)
*****
FRIDAY'S EARLIER LIVE MARKETS POSTS:
NASDAQ DOWN 2%, LEADS SELLOFF IN US STOCKS - CLICK HERE
JOBS REPORT DRILL-DOWN: SOFT, YES, BUT 50-BASIS-POINTS SOFT? - CLICK HERE
ETHEREUM, ANY TAKERS? - CLICK HERE
S&P 500 E-MINIS NEAR FLAT, PARE LOSSES AFTER US PAYROLLS - CLICK HERE
"BINARY" OUTCOME LIKELY FOR JOBS REPORT - CLICK HERE
THE BARNIER EFFECT - CLICK HERE
STOXX 600 FALLS BEFORE PAYROLLS TEST - CLICK HERE
EUROPEAN FUTURES SLIP BEFORE HOTLY ANTICIPATED JOBS REPORT - CLICK HERE
ALL ABOUT THEM PAYROLLS - CLICK HERE
midday snapshot https://tmsnrt.rs/4egynwj
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
