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Oil, bonds divergence highlights United States financial fears: McGeever

U.S. Treasury yields often move in tandem with the cost of oil, however this relationship has broken down in current weeks, suggesting that the nearterm inflation outlook has taken a rear seats to longterm deficit fears in the bond market.

Falling oil rates-- especially negative year-on-year rate moves-- are normally disinflationary. And year-on-year crude oil prices have been unfavorable because mid-July, nearing -30% in September. This would generally be a bullish signal for Treasuries, as lower inflation increases the probability that rates will fall throughout the yield curve.

Yet yields and oil have diverged sharply. Because the Federal Reserve's jumbo 50 basis point rate cut on Sept. 18, the 10-year Treasury yield has actually spiked by almost 70 basis points-- a. traditionally large shift-- even as the price of oil has actually fallen.

Monday's price movements were particularly notable. Crude. dropped 6%, while the 10-year yield leapt 5 bps to strike 4.30% for. the first time in almost 4 months.

Oil's recent decrease was mostly driven by geopolitics,. specifically indications of de-escalation in the conflict between Iran. and Israel. Despite the motorist, a fall in oil of that. scale would normally be accompanied by lower bond yields.

The 10-year yield has declined on 7 of the 9 days in. which the oil cost has fallen by 4% or more over the previous year. The 2 occasions where it hasn't were both this month.

Significantly, the recent rise in yields accompanied a week. of heavy financial obligation issuance from the Treasury: some $178 billion of. 2-, 5- and seven-year bonds were on the block, not to. discuss a wave of costs sales and inflation-linked bonds too.

Financial problems nay be causing this market indigestion.

TRUMP TRADE

Can financiers expect the relationship between Treasuries and. inflationary pressures to reassert itself any time soon?

Bob Elliott, a former executive at Bridgewater and founder. and CEO of property manager Unlimited, notes that other bond. markets all over the world are also selling off, indicating a. broader concern.

My sense is the divergence remains instead of compresses. It. highlights that sovereign debt is increasingly out of favor for. not simply U.S. but international financiers, Elliott says.

Andreas Steno Larsen, CIO at Steno Global Macro Fund,. reckons the link will probably reestablish itself soon, but. notes that the present divergence is one aspect of the broader. Trump trade.

That is, investors are placing for incredibly lax financial. policy, with the expectation that previous president Donald Trump. will win the White House and perhaps be supported by both a. Republican house and senate. Because scenario, Trump would be. able to press through tax cuts and other potentially. budget-busting policies.

LOSING CONTROL?

The prospect of increasing bond yields amidst a Fed relieving cycle. could trigger headaches for lots of, consisting of Trump himself, a. former real estate operator and veteran singing supporter of. lower loaning costs.

This might also be rustling a few feathers on the Federal Open. Market Committee, especially among the doves, as home mortgage. rates are rising again due to the upward pressure of. longer-dated yields.

Could Fed Chair Jerome Powell address this problem next week? It wouldn't come as a total shock provided the enormous move in. yields because September.

According to Jim Bianco of Bianco Research, the 10-year. yield's increase of nearly 70 bps is the biggest rise following the. preliminary cut in a Fed relieving cycle considering that 1989. This super-sized. relocation suggests the Fed may have lost control of the longer end of. the curve, and Powell may be eager to restore the reins.

However, in the meantime, politics remain in the motorist's seat. With the. presidential election less than one week away, bond investors. appear to be voting with their feet, afraid that expanding. fiscal deficits will rise longer-term inflation and the danger. premium on federal financial obligation.

Possibly this will alter after the election. Perhaps President. Kamala Harris or President Trump will unexpectedly vow to. restore fiscal discipline, but that's a long shot. In the. meantime, Treasuries are likely to stay under pressure,. no matter the oil rate.

(source: Reuters)