Whether markets are full of chop or trending higher, bonds offer a versatile haven for our portfolios.
Take a look at inflation-protected securities, commonly known as TIPS.
In inflationary environments, these outperform the government bond market.
We think it’s happening now and our intermarket analysis is telling us to buy TIPS.
If you take a look at the chart of the TIP ETF against the 10-year bond ETF, you’ll see consolidation above long-term support. One thing we know about these kinds of consolidations is that they tend to follow through in the direction of the primary trend.
Despite the gloomy headlines the market received this summer, major stock market sectors are showing resilience across the board, with new signs of life emerging.
A shift seems to be on the horizon.
At the moment, we are long bonds. We like bonds, and the charts tell us we are right to like bonds here, but what does the future hold?
If inflation starts ticking up again, the market usually pivots toward the reflation trade—favoring sectors like energy, small caps, and financials as rates rise. (I am not saying that this is happening. I am saying that we need to keep an eye on this.)
Energy has not participated in the bull run this year. When we compare XLE to some of the best stocks this cycle, like XLK, the performance gap is wild.
The chart below shows XLK up roughly 40% over the trailing 12 months while XLE is negative.
Meanwhile, the rally in bonds appears to be slowing down.
Since this summer, safe haven assets have been catching a bid and outperforming across the board.
Investors are paying attention to growth indicators like ISM and PMI data. Other investors are looking at CPI and paying extra-close attention to the Fed…
Here's the US Core Inflation Rate along with the 7-10 Year Treasury Bond ETF $IEF. Since inflation peaked and rolled over in 2022, bonds have been building a massive base:
The current market environment is creating a unique opportunity for bonds.
With the charts signaling strong potential for gains into year-end, now is the moment to take action and add some bond exposure to your portfolio.
With some big reversals underway, the timing couldn’t be better to capitalize on these new trends.
Not only are we seeing a growing list of base breakouts for treasuries, corporate bonds, and bond ETFs, but the intermarket landscape is turning increasingly favorable for fixed income in general.
Let’s jump in and discuss why we’re buying bonds here and how we want to express this thesis.
The fed is giving us a clear indication these days that we’ve seen the peak in interest rates for now. The odds of a rate cut at the September meeting in a few weeks are at 67.5%.
The increasing stress on credit markets culminated in the High-Yield $HYG versus US Treasuries $IEI ratio blowing out to its lowest 14-day RSI reading since September 2008:
US Treasuries are sticking a bullish reversal – an admirable feat following an unforgettable selloff.
If you aren’t buying bonds yet, it’s time to reconsider.
Here's the US T-Bond ETF $TLT trading above a rising 200-day moving average as it violates a multi-year downtrend line:
These are the early signs of a trend reversal.
Now, bond bulls want to witness the 14-week RSI post fresh multi-year highs. (We may see such a print following today’s action.)
Heading into the close, the 30-year T-bond is registering its largest one-week rate of change since spring 2020. And on a more tactical time frame, the 14-day RSI is reaching overbought conditions.
Yields on sovereign debt are chopping sideways across the globe.
The US, France, Germany, Spain, and UK benchmark rates are well below their respective 2023 peaks.
But in Japan, the JGB 10-year yield is hitting its highest level in over a decade.
Check out the Japan benchmark rate cruising above 100 basis points:
Earlier in the week, the Japan 10-year yield reached 1.10 for the first time since July 2011.
While the Bank of Canada, the Swiss National Bank, and the European Central Bank began cutting rates this year, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) may hike later this month.
You can blame it on a plummeting yen or the BoJ’s Yield Curve Control policies.
We have another bearish divergence calling strike three on the stock market rally…
High-yield bonds $HYG versus US Treasuries $IEI.
Check out the HYG/IEI ratio (dark blue line) overlaid with the S&P 500 ETF $SPY:
We use the HY bond-to-US Treasury ratio to track credit spreads. When the dark blue line falls, credit spreads widen – a sign of dwindling liquidity and stress for the bond market (the world’s largest market).
Stocks tend to struggle as credit spreads widen.
On the flip side, when these spreads contract (or the HYG/IEI ratio catches higher) stocks rally as capital flows into risk assets. That’s why these two lines trend together.
Notice the HYG/IEI ratio and SPY bottomed last October before rallying into the spring, following a similar path to new highs.
The Nasdaq is ripping to new all-time highs. NVIDIA’s market cap is surpassing the three-trillion-dollar mark. And US T-bonds are registering another buy signal.
But the market’s still a mess.
Just look at yesterday’s intraday reversal—a bullish reaction to inflation data in the morning, followed by a bearish reaction to the FOMC meeting in the afternoon. Investors are still trying to make sense of the mid-week hoopla.
Friday’s close (the most important data point of the week) will reveal critical information regarding market conviction heading into the weekend.
Meanwhile, you can track high-yield bonds for risk-on confirmation.
Check out the HY Bond ETF $HYG overlaid with the high beta-versus-low volatility ratio (using the $SPHB and $SPLV ETFs):
G7 central banks are cutting rates – first Canada and now the European Union.
Will the Federal Reserve follow suit in the coming months?
Investors seem to think so…
US 30-year T-bond futures have posted positive returns six days in a row – their longest winning streak since April last year.
T-bonds also broke above a key polarity zone, triggering our buy signals from last month:
I’ve made clear my disdain for buying treasuries, so the long bond trade will likely be a winner. After all, the best trades are often the hardest to take.