US Treasuries slip, data not weak enough for bulls
Tue Sep 14, 2004 09:32 AM ET
By Wayne Cole
NEW YORK, Sept 14 (Reuters) - Treasuries prices turned lower on Tuesday in a classic buy the rumor sell the fact reaction as a reading on U.S. consumption proved not as weak as some had been betting.
Retail sales fell 0.3 percent in August when analysts had looked for a 0.1 percent dip. However, for analysts the more important measure is sales ex-autos and they rose 0.2 percent just as expected. Sales ex-autos were also revised up slightly in July.
While consumption was far from strong, the figures did nothing to temper market expectations that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates at its meeting next week.
"There were some who felt that a surprisingly weak number might cause the Fed to rethink whether it was going to raise rates, but I don't think that's going to happen," said David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities.
The benchmark 10-year note (US10YT=RR: Quote, Profile, Research) dipped 6/32 in price, lifting its yield to 4.16 percent from 4.14 percent on Monday. Bond bulls were also having trouble breaking below 4.13 percent, a barrier which has frustrated several rallies in recent days.
Yields on two-year notes (US2YT=RR: Quote, Profile, Research) rose to 2.49 percent from 2.47 percent on Monday. The five-year note (US5YT=RR: Quote, Profile, Research) eased 3/32, taking yields to 3.68 percent from 3.36 percent.
The 30-year bond (US30YT=RR: Quote, Profile, Research) lost 12/32, nudging yields to 4.96 percent from 4.93 percent.
Bonds had found support at the margin from rising oil futures (0#CL:: Quote, Profile, Research) as Hurricane Ivan zeroed in on oil production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico. Fed officials recently have blamed high energy prices, in part, for a slowdown in U.S. economic growth.
Fresh geopolitical worries also offered some safe-haven attraction for Treasuries after an escalation of violence in Iraq over the last few days. At least 47 people were killed in a huge explosion in Baghdad on Tuesday.
Still, Merrill Lynch's latest survey of customers showed a further rise in bearish sentiment as those holding short positions expanded to 43 percent last week from 41 percent the week before.
Long positions comprised just 11 percent of those surveyed, perhaps reflecting the widely held belief among fund managers that current yields are too low given the Fed's stated intention to raise official interest rates.
Fund managers also have been holding defensive positions all year and yet yields are now below where they were when the Fed first started hiking rates in June -- making it expensive to be bearish.
Other data out on Tuesday held worrying implications for U.S. assets, at least in the long run. The U.S. current account deficit widened 13 percent to a record $166 billion in the second quarter, or $664 billion annualized.
The latter figure equates to near 6.0 percent of gross national product, a level that has caused currency crises in other countries in the past.
"The U.S. needs to borrow more than $1.567 billion per day in order to finance this shortfall. These massive deficits will keep downward pressure on the dollar," said Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight Economics.
Were the dollar to fall sharply, that could scare foreign investors away from all U.S. assets including bonds.