Entering February, Emerging Market bonds, U.S. Floating Rate Notes, U.S. High Yield, U.S. Investment Grade Corporate, and U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities are above benchmark weight. International Investment Grade dropped to benchmark weight, while U.S. Long-Term Treasurys and U.S. Mortgage-Backed Securities remained below benchmark weight.

Click the link below to read more about the strategy’s positioning.

Full strategy commentary: NDRFIAS202502051

Other posts

USDJPY and Gamma Trading (29th July 2024)

BY JON WEBB
In our piece in February (Turning Japanese, Feb 2024) we discussed how carry trades in currencies have a predisposition to trade an “escalator / liftshaft” pattern. The Japanese Yen, as the principal funding currency, is particularly vulnerable to violent reversals to what has been a remarkably steady and successful carry trade. In the last couple of weeks, as analysts started to consider the possibility of a BoJ rate hike at their meeting on 31st July, JPY crosses exhibited a bout of significant strength. USDJPY fell around 10 big figures from ~162 to 152. Is that enough to have cleared the decks? Simply put, it is not possible to clear out two years of accumulated positions in a couple of weeks. The fact that CFTC commitment of trader positioning was showing JPY shorts at their most extended since 2007 (pre GFC) before last week’s sharpish position reduction, suggests this is merely a shot across the bows, so far. Japanese retail traders (Mrs Watanabe) have slowed accumulation to a stand still but wholesale flight is far from evident. Read more →

Thoughts From The Divide: Know when to Fold‘Em

BY JON WEBB
President Trump told us that the U.S. would get "a total of 55% tariffs" with China's tariffs set at 10%, adding that "Full magnets and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to”. A Chinese spokesman was more reserved. Lutnick referred to the agreement as a "handshake for a framework" which didn’t seem entirely consistent with Trump’s assessment. Usually, in these matters the best way of telling what happened is to look at the US-listed Rare Earth miners – MP Materials fell 8% yesterday, but was up 14% today, which might suggests that the market the market remains skeptical about China resuming rare earth supplies. Read more →

Thoughts From The Divide: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold

BY JON WEBB
Now that the “giant global margin call” appears to have run its course, global equity markets were free to celebrate successfully navigating the potential banana skin that was US inflation data (both CPI and PPI). Inflation is tamed (at least till next month) with only the irritating exception of the shelter components (again!) and those pesky insurance premiums. Turns out that inflation has a long tail: higher auto prices beget higher insurance premiums, and that’s without considering the impact of recent hail storms. That said perhaps we should count our blessings. Both headline CPI and PPI beat (i.e., were lower than) the consensus by 0.1%, which led some economists to point to a core PCE deflator figure below the Fed’s 2% target: good enough for stocks to start celebrating a September rate cut. Read more →
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