Matthew Tuttle
CEO & CIO of Tuttle Capital Management, Publisher of Daily H.E.A.T.
US Treasury and aggregate bonds are risky because rates are more likely to go up than down, whatever their current level. In that scenario, bond math works against holders. Oaktree's Howard Marks argues these are among the lowest rates of the last 50 years, but the direction matters more than the level. x.comÂ
Bonds are uninvestable, as the depth of current real drawdowns across fixed income shows. Per Meb Faber, real drawdowns stand at 19% for TIPS, 20% for T-bills, 25% for the aggregate bond index, 27% for investment-grade corporates, 32% for intermediate Treasuries and 55% for long Treasuries. x.comÂ
Inflation has broken long-dated US Treasuries' safe-haven role. Long-term Treasuries have returned -4.1% annually in the 2020s to date, versus +4.9% in the 1930s. Long bonds look unlikely to do well for at least the rest of this decade. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
US Treasuries face rising yields because the US is running out of willing buyers for its debt. With about $40 trillion of debt and large deficits, foreign governments no longer want to finance America after errant trade policy and poor diplomacy, and capital has better places to go than government bonds. Bondholders have lost a ton in the past year. Higher rates will either curb fiscal bad behavior or create a crisis, since a 5% Treasury cannot last long without a debt spiral. x.com x.comÂ
Long-dated US Treasuries look like a good hedge against rising rates, which at some point could crash the stock market. Duration on the 20-year Treasury has come way down, so another 100 basis points higher in yields would mean about an 11% price decline, or roughly a -5% total return. That is small compared with the decline equities could suffer. x.comÂ
US Treasuries remain unattractive despite retail bond-fund buying: Fidelity's Jurrien Timmer reports end investors accumulating bond funds, while retail buyers risk becoming exit liquidity before the debt cycle capitulates. Rising debt and debt-supply-led inflation are expected to push long-end yields higher even after the midterms. Junk-credit stress adds to the risk of a wider debt-market selloff, leaving bonds a risky equity-crash hedge. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
Long-dated US Treasuries face pressure because the market will buy US debt only at 5%-plus yields, with no short-term fix in sight. The 10-year yield keeps climbing parabolically as Washington issues enormous debt to fund deficits, investors demand more compensation for inflation and duration risk, the Fed is now raising rates, and Treasuries must compete harder for global capital. The government seems reluctant to act, while rising oil prices add to inflation pressure. x.comÂ
Long-dated Treasuries are attractive at about a 5.2% yield, which looks like what it takes to draw domestic buyers to replace foreign demand. @acemoney21 argues the supply-demand imbalance is real as China and the EU leave Treasury auctions, so Americans must be incentivized with 5% risk-free yields, and that curve steepening is part of the administration's plan. Locking in about 5% on part of a portfolio for the next 20 years is appealing. x.com x.comÂ
The US aggregate bond index is historically unattractive on spreads, so with 10-year yields near 5.30%, simply buying Treasuries beats taking the index's significant credit and negative-convexity risks. @MikeZaccardi notes the index yields 5.6%, a 3.1% real yield near century highs. x.comÂ
Treasuries are losing their risk-free appeal as inflation runs hot and US government credibility erodes. If the 10-year projects inflation to surge, bonds that barely beat it make little sense, and Fed hikes won't slow a hot economy or fix an energy supply shock with oil at $100. Higher borrowing costs make the growing debt harder to finance, leading to money printing and more inflation. Big tech is more creditworthy than ever; even for fixed income, Alphabet's corporate debt is preferable. … Show more
Treasury yields are putting in a top, and bonds look to be at a major bottom. Deflation is coming, and investors are extrapolating rate momentum, adding two plus two and getting six; that move will likely reverse soon. The fear in questions about how high rates can go is typical of major bottoms. Equity markets are not close to signaling a reversal either. x.com x.comÂ
Long-dated US Treasuries are the real scam, not bitcoin, Tesla, SpaceX or the Magnificent Seven. Investors who dismiss those still buy government bonds, even though the government keeps printing endless money and can only pay them back by printing more. x.comÂ
