We move past an important week for markets, one where a one-two punch from Jay Powell’s FOMC presser and a very strong nonfarm payrolls report have essentially closed the door on a March rate cut. With US economic exceptionalism coming back into the narrative, we see this play out in the bond market with the US 2-year Treasury pushing back to the top of the range...
CBOT: Three-MO SOFR Futures ( CME:SR31! ) Breaking News: The US Treasury bonds are risk-free No Longer ! Last Friday, top credit ratings agency Moody's lowered its credit outlook on the U.S. to "negative" from "stable", citing large fiscal deficits and a decline in debt affordability. It has so far maintained the AAA credit rating for U.S. sovereign...
CME: SOFR ( CME:SR31! ) On June 30th, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler posted a 3-minute short video on Twitter. In this educational piece titled RIP LIBOR, he explains what the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is, and why its passing away is actually a good thing for consumers. As CFTC Chairman in 2009-2014 and SEC Chairman since 2021, Mr. Gensler oversaw the...
SOFR (Secured Overnight Financing Rate) is a benchmark interest rate that is based on the cost of borrowing cash overnight, collateralized by US Treasury securities. It is considered to be a replacement for the LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) benchmark, which is being phased out by the end of 2021. SOFR futures are derivative contracts that allow market...