Who knew the greatest economy in the history of the world, led by heroes, couldn't even stand a 2% Fed Funds rate? pic.twitter.com/OeJIUDZiMp
— Rudolf E. Havenstein, Panicked in Fetal Position (@RudyHavenstein) December 6, 2018
This is truly sad… markets are momentarily excited because things are so bad economically that #Fed has to pause at zero real rates… #RUFKM 🤦🏻♂️#PPThttps://t.co/5czGZa4fbG
Treasury market moves are sending a menacing signal about the economic outlook.
U.S. government bonds are on the edge of a yield-curve inversion, where shorter-dated bonds yield more than longer-dated ones—and recent moves carry a particularly bearish tone.
An inverted curve—short-dated bonds offering greater nominal returns than their longer-dated peers—is often interpreted as a signal of a looming recession. But there are different ways to interpret a flattening curve, depending on how it comes about.