From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

US Treasury futures are breaking out.

The 30-, 10-, and 5-year contracts are trading above our risk levels. And the bond ETFs we covered a couple of weeks ago are also flashing buy signals.

The bond market is sending a well-advertised message to all investors…

It’s time to buy bonds.

Let's review one of the most liquid treasury ETFs, $TLT.

Zooming out on the weekly chart of the Treasury bond ETF TLT… 

We have a potential failed breakdown below the former 2014 lows, followed by a tight, multi-month consolidation.

A clear break above 110 and the former 2018 lows turns our view higher toward 135. 

On the other hand, a resolution below 100 carries downside risks back to the 2011 lows at approximately 88.

Based on the...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

Bonds are taking a breather as stocks recover.

Bond market volatility is cooling off as the banking collapses and the March Fed meeting fade from the front page. 

And it appears the volatility has left big unresolved bases in US Treasuries in its wake…

Let’s dive in!

Check out the US 30-year T-Bond futures carving out a multi-month reversal pattern:

If and when it breaks above 132’18, I’m long with an upside objective of 143’00. Simple!

It’s the most attractive setup due to the bullish momentum regime and clean breakout level – two attributes short-duration bonds lack.

Why? 

Volatility increases further down the curve as the bond market anticipates the Fed’s next move. 

Check out the 10-year T-Note futures:

...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

The Federal Reserve handed down a 25-basis-point rate increase on Wednesday.

And Fed Chair Jerome Powell implied an impending pause in the hiking cycle.

You know what this means...

It’s time to buy the four "Bs" – Bonds, Bitcoin, Big-Tech, and Bullion.

JC and Strazza talked about it on Pardon the Price Action earlier this week.

Today, I’ll highlight bonds with a couple key levels to trade against as we add these assets to our portfolios.

First up is the 7-10 Year US Treasury ETF $IEF:

It’s not there yet. But if and when IEF reclaims the critical shelf of former lows at approximately 100, we’re long!

The next potential resistance level hangs overhead at last year’s August pivot high of 105.75. This is a logical level to take profits or “feed the ducks.” 

But these trades are more about adding bonds back into the mix after last...

From the Desk of Steve Strazza @Sstrazza

Markets have been on the ropes since late last week when a Silicon Valley Bank press release sparked a run on regional banks. 

As Wall Street scrambles to reprice the financial sector -- for what, up until last week, were unforeseen risks -- selling pressure and panic is spreading to Europe and other parts of the world.

Regulators are taking action. And the Fed is taking notice as expectations for future rate hikes plummet.

While Bitcoin and tech stocks have performed exceptionally well through the volatility, cyclical stocks and commodities have been hit hard, with energy and the CRB Index breaking to new lows this week.

What are we to make of all this? Should we be concerned?

Is the regional banking crisis a contained event, or is it about to send reverberations through the broader market and economy? 

Whenever we have questions like these, the first place we want to look is the bond market. 

Any signs of stress tend to show up there first.

Let’s analyze the recent price action and see how...

From the Desk of Ian Culley @IanCulley

US bank stocks big and small took a beating Thursday, with the Bank ETF $KBE posting its largest single-day decline since 2020.

The steep sell-off came on the heels of Silicon Valley Bank’s $SIVB Wednesday announcement of a $1.8B loss, mainly due to accepting unrealized losses in US Treasuries.

Based on SIVB’s acute exposure to the tech industry, you can argue larger banks with more diversified portfolios and clients don’t carry the same risk. And they don’t.

Regardless, the next chart reveals a storm brewing beneath the surface...

Check out bank stocks (KBE inverted) overlaid with the US Treasury 2s10s spread:

I inverted KBE to highlight the strong relationship between banks and the yield curve. The two lines look almost identical over longer timeframes.

The main takeaway: Banks do not fare well when the shorter end of the curve outpaces the longer end.

Why? They hold heaps of government debt across the curve – especially shorter durations. 

From the Desk of Ian Culley 

Markets churn sideways, plagued with indecision. But one thing is certain…

The global rising rate environment remains intact.

Developed European benchmark interest rates are posting fresh highs. Those potential failed breakouts back in early January have quickly turned into nothing more than false or premature moves.

And while US yields continue to climb, their recent rise pales compared to their European counterparts.

What does that imply for domestic rates in the coming weeks and months?

For the past year and a half, we have turned to developed European yields for insight into the direction of domestic interest rates. 

The analysis proved insightful as the rising rate environment has been global in scope. Europe has given a nice heads-up regarding the direction of yields stateside. And the market continues to support this approach. 

Check out the German 10-year yield:

...

From the Desk of Ian Culley 

Rates continue to rise along with concerns of an impending recession.

The narrative is quickly shifting back to tighter monetary policy following last week’s higher-than-anticipated CPI and strong economic data. I don’t pay too much attention to this gossip. But I do keep a pulse on the latest discourse surrounding markets.

With these newfound recessionary fears circulating, I want to share a chart I like to avoid… The 2s10s treasury spread.

I can’t remember the last time I wrote about the yield curve. It’s been so inverted (deepest inversion since the early 80s) for so long that I honestly don’t know what to think.

Nevertheless, the overlay chart of the Staples sector $XLP relative to the S&P 500 $SPY with the 2s10s spread conveys an important piece of information:

Despite an inverted yield curve, the relative downtrend in staples remains intact. 

Why does this matter?

Defensive leadership (a...

From the Desk of Ian Culley 

I prefer to focus on price when analyzing markets. 

It’s what pays us at the end of the day. And it bakes in all the news and lagging economic data I tend to ignore.

A few weeks ago, I urged investors to track trends, not inflation.

Honestly, I was only half serious. I pay attention to the Fed and CPI data – mainly to stay aware of the increased volatility accompanying important release dates. 

But price is king. And when I look at my charts, the narrative of easing inflation appears suspect...

Check out the overlay chart of the Metals and Mining ETF $XME and the TIPs vs. US Treasuries ratio $TIP / $IEF:

These two charts move tick for tick at first glance. And a closer look at the lower pane reveals an overwhelmingly positive correlation over the trailing 126 trading days. This is why we focus on XME.

The tight correlation...

From the Desk of Ian Culley 

Markets don’t always trend higher or lower. In fact, traders often deal with churn – which sometimes is nothing more than a range-bound mess.

"Sideways" is a trend that's all too easy to forget after last year’s historic volatility. Even bonds became risk assets in 2022!

I found it odd when bonds failed to react to last week’s rate hike along with other long-duration assets.

But the lack of bond market volatility might be exactly what risk assets, especially stocks, need right now.

Check out the chart of the US 10-year yield:

The US benchmark rate continues to hold above 3.40%. This has been our line in the sand for months, coinciding with the June pivot highs from last year.

The market has proven the significance of the level. More importantly, the near-term trend is turning sideways. Notice the 14-day average directional movement...

From the Desk of Ian Culley

The FOMC handed down the expected 25 basis point rate hike yesterday. Yet markets didn’t react until Fed Chair Jerome Powell spoke 30 minutes later.

That's right, he dropped the D-word – “disinflation.”

To be clear, I don’t care what he said. Instead of hanging on the Fed Chair's words, I prefer to focus on the markets. I find it more enjoyable.

But, boy, did markets respond!

The most striking aspect of yesterday’s reaction was highlighted by the relative strength of growth stocks.

Check out the overlay chart of the US T-Bond ETF $TLT and the ARK Innovation ETF $ARKK:  These charts tend to move tick-for-tick, as long-duration assets benefit from the same market environment.

It doesn’t matter that one ETF holds the largest tech names across the market while the other a basket of long-term US Treasury bonds. 

Whatever Powell said in addition to “disinflationary,” investors heard...

From the Desk of Ian Culley

Choppy conditions prevail.

Sure, risk appetite is returning as long-duration assets catch a bid.

The ARK Innovation ETF $ARKK, Tesla $TSLA, and even the Emerging Markets Bond ETF $EMB show impressive near-term strength.

Nevertheless, the overall market is still a range-bound mess…

The S&P 500 churns below overhead supply. A decisive downside resolution in the US Dollar Index $DXY has yet to occur. And commodities – at least at the index level – refuse to violate key support levels.

I doubt the markets will clean themselves up in the coming weeks. But if you want insight into the near-term direction of the major asset classes, keep an eye on this one chart…

Here it is – a triple-pane look at the yields on the five-, 10-, and 30-year US Treasury bonds:

It’s all about the...

From the Desk of Ian Culley

It’s impossible to ignore – investors are reaching for risk.

Biotech stocks are catching higher. Copper futures are working on their tenth up-day in a row. Even the Emerging Market HY Bond ETF $EMHY is breaking to 7-month highs as it completes a multi-month base. 

And don’t forget about Silver! Gold’s crazy cousin has proven by far the best-performing asset since the US dollar peaked last fall. Strength among these market areas indicates a healthy risk appetite.

I can’t overlook these signs of a constructive bottoming process, especially considering the next chart…

Check out the Emerging Market Bond ETF $EMB relative to the US Treasuries ETF $IEF:

There’s plenty to unpack here…

First, the EMB/IEF ratio is challenging fresh 7-month highs after posting a higher high and a higher low last fall. A bearish to bullish trend reversal is underway for this important risk-on ratio.

You can add this to the growing list of...