Thursday, September 12, 2024
Stay Ahead: Long-Term Bonds and Futures Poised to Thrive as Interest Rates Decline
By Century Financial in 'Investment Insights'
U.S. Treasury Bond Ultra: Product Details
The U.S. Treasury Bond Ultra is a futures contract that tracks the price movement of the most recently issued 25-year and 30-year U.S. Treasury bonds. Investors can use it to hedge their risk against rising interest rates or to speculate on the direction of bond prices. Futures contracts for the U.S. Treasury Bond Ultra are available on both the Century Trade and TradeUltra platforms.
Contract Specification | |
---|---|
Underlying | U.S. 30-Year 6% Bond |
Contract Size | $100,000 |
Source: Bloomberg
Date: 2nd September 2024
Fed: The Path Ahead
At the July FOMC meeting, the Federal Reserve maintained its interest rates at 5.25% to 5.5%, aligning with expectations. Moreover, at the recent Jackson Hole symposium, Fed Chair Jerome Powell hinted at a shift in monetary policy, marking a pivotal moment in the central bank's inflation fight. The market is now eyeing a deflationary trend, with the job market moderating. Inflation has notably decreased, falling from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 2.9% year-over-year in July 2024. Although still above the Fed's 2% target, uneven disinflation is evident in recent economic data. Additionally, Q2 2024 GDP growth accelerated to 3.0%, while core PCE inflation dropped to 2.6% year-over-year. Consumer spending continues to outperform forecasts, signaling robust economic health with growth above trend. A 25-basis-point rate cut is widely anticipated for September, though the Fed remains cautious, with the upcoming jobs report which can possibly call for a larger 50-basis-point reduction, supporting the outlook for U.S. Treasury Bond Ultra.
Euro Buxl: Product Details
The Euro Buxl futures are a natural complement to the EU bonds market , offering traders and investors a direct means to manage their long-term interest rate risk and portfolio duration. Euro Buxl futures ("Buxl”) consist of cash Euro bonds with at least 24 to 35 years of remaining term to maturity. This product is available on the Century Trader platform under the description “Euro Buxl - Cash” and the Ticker “EUROBUXL.”
Contract Specification | |
---|---|
Underlying | U.S. 30-Year 4% Bond |
Contract Size | EUR 100,000 |
Source: Bloomberg
Date: 2nd September 2024
Euro Buxl: Product Details
In its most recent meeting on July 18th, 2024, the European Central Bank opted to maintain interest rates at 4.25%, aligning with market expectations. Looking ahead, the latest Eurozone CPI report revealed an inflation rate of 2.2%, meeting the forecasted figure of 2.2% and down from the previous month’s 2.6%.
A key area of concern for ECB policymakers remains to be services inflation, which despite being the most persistent pressure, saw a slight deceleration in the month of July. Economists suggest that this moderating decline in services inflation may be sufficient for a rate cut in September, which is currently viewed as the base case scenario by many economists. As of now, market participants are pricing in a 99% likelihood of a rate cut in the upcoming September meeting.
Overall, economists anticipate that inflation will continue to moderate, paving the way for potential interest rate reductions. This outlook supports a positive sentiment for Buxl prices, as easing inflation and lower interest rates typically bolster bond markets.
Euro Buxl
Regression Analysis
The model below forecasts the Euro Buxl’s price movement when the 30-year German government yield changes.
As of 3rd September 2024, the regression equation over two years is as follows:
Y = -29.522 X + 209.724
The standard deviation of error is 1.250, and the study assumes a 90% confidence interval.
Scenario Analysis
Change in Yield | Estimated German 30-Year Government Bond Yield | Estimated Euro-Buxl Price | Estimated % Change in Euro-Buxl's Price | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current Levels | 2.51% | € 134.44 | Base Case | ||||||
Yield Decreases by 50 bps | 2.01% | € 153.60 | 14.26% | ||||||
Yield Decreases by 100 bps | 1.51% | € 168.37 | 25.23% | ||||||
Yield Increases by 50 bps | 3.01% | € 124.08 | -7.70% | ||||||
Yield Increases by 100 bps | 3.51% | € 109.32 | -18.68% |
Source: Bloomberg
Date: 3rd September 2024
The table above demonstrates the inverse relationship between the Euro Buxl’s price and the 30-year German government bond yield. If the yield declines by 50 bps to 2.01%, the bond price is projected to rise to €153.60. Conversely, if the yield increases by 50 bps to 3.01%, the bond price is expected to fall to €124.08.
U.S. Treasury Bond Ultra
Regression Analysis
Regression analysis is a useful tool for assessing the strength of relationships between different variables and modelling how these relationships will evolve in the future. The model below forecasts the movement in the T-Bond Ultra’s price when the 30-year U.S. government yield changes.
As of 3rd September 2024, the regression equation over two years is as follows:
Y = -20.067 X + 214.017
The standard deviation of error is 1.326, and the study assumes a 90% confidence interval.
Scenario Analysis
Change in Yield | Estimated U.S. 30-Year Government Bond Yield | Estimated T-Bond Ultra Price | Estimated % Change in T-Bond Ultra | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Current Levels | 4.13% | $132.25 | Base Case | ||||||
Yield Decreases by 75 bps | 3.38% | $149.53 | 13.07% | ||||||
Yield Decreases by 150 bps | 2.63% | $164.58 | 24.45% | ||||||
Yield Increases by 75 bps | 4.88% | $119.43 | -9.69% | ||||||
Yield Increases by 150 bps | 5.63% | $104.38 | -21.07% |
Source: Bloomberg
Date: 3rd September 2024
Risks and Assumptions related to Back-tested trading strategies
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