Salman Ahmed, Global Head of Macro, Fidelity International, explores recent volatility in the bond markets and explains why there is an increased risk of a taper tantrum in markets.
Central banks and governments have responded to the economic havoc caused by Covid-19 with unprecedented levels of both fiscal and monetary stimulus. However, as effective vaccines get rolled out and economies reopen, continued expansion of fiscal policy (especially in the US where we expect another $4 trillion of stimulus or around 17 per cent of GDP) would confirm our long-held view of fiscal dominance, alongside the likelihood of higher inflation and the increased risk of a taper tantrum in markets.
The nature of the quantitative easing (QE) deployed post the March/April 2020 lockdown is very different from what we saw post the Great Financial Crisis. The primary role of central bank balance sheet expansion this time has been to facilitate fiscal spending, rather than support financial conditions. As part of our analysis, we have mapped out this highly abnormal environment and what its consequences might be.
Composition of nominal yields matters for risk assets
While developed market nominal yields have been rising since August 2020, our analysis shows that the composition of rise in nominal yields matters. According to our tantrum risk assessment, an environment in which real rates are rising and inflation breakevens are falling constitutes a tantrum regime, based on our analysis of similar episodes in 2013 and 2018 when yields spiked.
Indeed, it is the change in the composition of the drivers of the increase in nominal rates in recent weeks which is now reverberating across the markets. After a period of relative stability, real rates have indeed quickly caught up with breakevens, and snapped higher. We see real yields as a key barometer for risky assets. As the picture below shows, environments in which real rate increases surpass changes in inflation breakevens have been tough for risky assets historically. There is also a clear relationship with the behaviour of growth vs value style factors.
Chart 1: Our Tantrum Risk Barometer is flashing red
What next?
We think that, unlike in 2013 and 2018, this tantrum is not driven by perceived Fed hawkishness. Instead it is due to the risks emanating from the impending fiscal dominance that will drive a notch-up in cyclical inflation. Yet, even in a fiscal policy-led reflationary environment, with over $280bn outstanding that needs refinancing, the cost of capital matters, and eventually leads to tighter financial conditions that central banks just can’t ignore. Lower real yields are the only way for the system to clear, and markets are now testing central banks’ resolve.
The Fed has been incredibly gentle with policy in this cycle. But how it will use its FAIT (flexible average inflation targeting) framework remains unclear. In the near term, we think verbal interventions from the Fed will continue but, ultimately, we will need credible evidence that the central bank is indeed targeting negative real rates as a policy.
The most potent Fed tool available here is duration extension (i.e. buying bigger chunks of longer-dated bonds). Interestingly, the European Central Bank has more flexibility as it can always expand the PEPP program to lean against the rise in yields as result of the spill-overs coming from a US-centric tantrum shock.
We are monitoring the liquidity picture in US Treasury markets carefully and our trading teams are already noticing signs of stress, which implies that the system is starting to struggle to adjust to the rapid (real-rate driven) rise in nominal rates. The behaviour of US dollar is also relevant, as any snap-back rally may put further pressure on risky assets as financial conditions tighten further.
In the short term, volatility is likely to persist, and yields may rise further still. However, while further rises in real rates and tightening of financial conditions may be needed before any real action is taken by central banks, we are closer to a turning a turning point than a week ago. Central banks will soon be forced into action (the Royal Bank of Australia and Bank of Korea have already intervened), potentially pushing real yields down to depressed levels. This should see risky assets and inflation-linked bonds fare particularly well, and bring stability in government bond markets, although timing will be challenging to call.
