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US Treasuries up before 5-year note auction
(Updates prices)
By Wayne Cole
NEW YORK, Nov 9 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasuries clung to slim gains on Tuesday as the market prepared to digest $15 billion in new debt just a day before the Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise official interest rates.
The benchmark 10-year note <US10YT=RR> crept 3/32 higher in price, as yields eased down to 4.21 percent from 4.22 percent late Monday but still a long way from the 4.00 percent lows seen just last week. A further slip in Nymex oil prices <CLZ4> was taken as a relief for the economy and a burden for bonds.
The first leg of Treasury's quarterly refunding, a $22 billion three-year sale, drew strong demand particularly from indirect bidders such as foreign central banks. Traders were hoping Tuesday's five-year sale would meet a similarly warm reception, ensuring they would not be left holding the paper.
"We suspect central banks were big buyers and will remain so," said one trader at a U.S. primary dealer.
"There's a bundle of notes maturing next week and a big coupon payout and people figure the (central) banks will get much of that cash. If they don't want the dollar to weaken, and they don't, they'll have to roll that money over into new debt," he explained.
Some $48 billion in Treasury notes mature on Nov. 15 and the same day Treasury makes $20 billion in coupon payments. Much of the money should find its way to foreign central banks, who own over a quarter of all marketable Treasury debt.
Tuesday morning, the current five-year note <US5YT=RR> had eked out a 1/32 gain, leaving yields at 3.51 percent from 3.52 percent on Monday. The 30-year bond <US30YT=RR> was flat at 4.94 percent.
At the short end, the two-year note <US2YT=RR> was stuck at 2.81 percent. That remains more than 20 basis points above last week's lows, reflecting heightened expectations the Fed would also raise rates in December. Bond bulls had hoped the Fed would pause after a rate hike this week, but jobs strength changed all that.
The swift rise in short-term yields has seen the spread between them and 10-year yields narrow to 141 basis points, its lowest level since the emergency rate cuts of September 2001.
While foreign central banks might still be keen on Treasuries, fund managers looked to be of a different mind.
J.P. Morgan's regular survey of clients found a big shift toward short positions last week, not entirely surprising given the strength of Friday's payrolls numbers.
The share of short positions in the market climbed to 50 percent from 42 percent, while those who were long shrank to just 6.0 percent from 8.0 percent the week before.
However, such shifts often prove to be reverse indicators since with so many investors already betting on lower prices and higher yields, fewer investors are left to actively sell.
Still, the chart outlook had turned decidedly chilly following the pullback from October's 3.93 percent trough.
"The recent rise in yields broke a 5-month trend of lower yields as defined by the January 2004 trendline, which portends continued higher yields," warned John Kosar, an analyst at Bianco Research. "A closing yield above 4.26 percent would target a move to at least 4.55."
Treasuries received some collateral support from bunds, which bounced when the ZEW index of German investor sentiment slumped to its lowest reading in almost two years.
The U.S. data scheduled for Tuesday was mixed.
The UBS/ICSC survey of store sales which reported a sizable 1.3 percent bounce last week after three weeks of decline. The report said an expected shift to colder weather should help drive demand for seasonal goods.
However, the IBD/TIPP poll of consumer confidence showed a drop to 55.1 in early November from October's 57.5, reflecting in part gloom among Democratic voters after the election.
Wholesale inventories also rose a softer-than-expected 0.5 percent, disappointing those who had looked for a build up in stocks and an upward revision to third quarter GDP growth.