Global Markets Podcasts

In the latest podcast, U.S. Rates Strategist John Herrmann reviews the most recent monthly employment report, both in terms of the remarkably strong and broad-based growth in nonfarm payrolls, alongside an extremely rapid descent in the number of U3 unemployed individuals.  

In today’s episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist Takahiro Sekido discusses Japan’s economy and Japanese corporate investing and export assumption exchange rates based on the Tankan survey, as well as the BoJ’s JGB buying plans and the MoF’s stance toward fund supply and demand and TDB issuances in April. He also shares his outlooks for Dollar/Yen, Yen rates, and Yen basis.

In this episode, U.S. Rates Strategist John Herrmann peers into the machinations of the March employment report and his models find numerous indications of a rapid acceleration in employment growth, not just for the month of March, but also for the months of April through October 2021. The household survey—as a mirror image to employment dynamics—may exhibit a very rapid and significant decline in the U3 unemployment rate over the coming ten-months, towards a 2021 year-end rate of 3.91% John discusses the implications of the data for a 2s-30s Treasury yield curve steepener and a more nuanced 5s-30s Treasury yield curve flattener investment stances.

In today’s episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist Takahiro Sekido discusses the key changes to monetary policy based on the BoJ’s assessment of monetary easing, as well as potential triggers for Yen rate cross-currency basis. He also shares his outlooks for Dollar/Yen, Yen rate, and Yen basis.

Chair Powell has pledged that monetary policy is no longer to be conducted upon a forward looking basis – a reaction function that explicitly acknowledges the long and variable lead times between policy changes and economic activity. Rather, Chair Powell doubled down upon his claim that the Fed’s policy reaction function will be based upon realized outcomes to economic improvement over the current cycle. In this episode, MUFG U.S. Rates Strategist John Herrmann argues to continue to take the opposite side of Chair Powell’s remarkably complacent view.  

In today’s episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist Takahiro Sekido offers his outlook for the BoJ’s March board meeting and reviews JPY flow of funds and cross-border securities investing. He also shares his outlooks for Dollar/Yen, Yen basis, and Yen rate.

In today’s podcast, MUFG Head of Agency Mortgage Strategy and Prepayment Modeling, Glenn Schultz, touches on the ideas of the “fence sitter” and how this impacts mortgage prepayment rates, why we are seeing buyouts in low delinquency pools, and the increase in 120+ past due stratifications.

In today’s episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist, Takahiro Sekido, breaks down recent price action in Tokyo and discusses Japanese and overseas investor cross-border flows. He also shares his outlooks for Dollar/Yen, Yen rates, and Yen basis ahead of the BoJ’s monetary policy review.

With such a favorable economic backdrop and with risk of an FOMC taper announcement in 2H-2021, John’s models continue to predict a further steepening of the 2s-10s and 2s-30 Treasury yield curve over the medium-term.

In February, JPY rates rose, and USDJPY rose as U.S. rates moved higher. Even the day after the benchmark U.S. Treasury yield touched 1.6% late in February, the BoJ did not indicate it would implement operations to stall a JPY yield rise, allowing upward pressure on U.S. rates to spread to JPY rates. Then, before the BoJ needed to act, Japanese investors stepped in to stem the sell-off.

In today’s episode, MUFG Chief Japan Strategist, Takahiro Sekido, breaks down recent price action in the Tokyo market as well as discusses BoJ JGB buying operations, the MoF JGB auctions, and previews the upcoming BoJ monetary policy review. He also shares his outlook for Dollar/Yen, Yen basis, and Yen rate.