Treasuries Extend Notable Move To The Downside

(RTTNews) - After moving sharply lower over the two previous sessions, treasuries saw further downside during the trading day on Thursday.

Bond prices regained ground after coming under pressure early in the session but remained firmly negative. As a result, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, rose by 2.9 basis points to 1.071 percent.

The ten-year yield closed higher for the third consecutive session, reaching its highest closing level since mid-March.

The continued weakness among treasuries came as U.S. lawmakers certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory after the process was delayed by several hours as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building.

After the Capitol building was finally secured, several Republican lawmakers abandoned plans to object to the certification of results from a number of states, although GOP opposition still led to a drawn out process.

Trump said in a statement following the vote that there would be an "orderly transition" of power to Biden but continued his fraudulent claims of widespread voter fraud that helped spark the riot at the Capitol.

The certification of Biden's victory along with Democratic victories in Georgia's Senate runoff elections will give Democrats control of the House, Senate and the White House.

Traders seem optimistic a Democratic-controlled government will lead to additional stimulus, but with the narrow margin in the Senate preventing major tax hikes or other policies that negatively affect big business.

A report from the Labor Department unexpectedly showing a modest decrease in first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended January 2nd also reduced the appeal of safe havens like bonds.

The report said initial jobless claims edged down to 787,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's upwardly revised level of 790,000.

Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 800,000 from the 787,000 originally reported for the previous week.

The Institute for Supply Management also released a report showing service sector activity in the U.S. unexpectedly grew at a faster pace in the month of December.

The ISM said its services PMI rose to 57.2 in December from 55.9 in November, with a reading above 50 indicating growth in the service sector. Economists had expected the index to edge down to 54.6.

"The composite index indicated growth for the seventh consecutive month after a two-month contraction in April and May," said Anthony Nieves, Chair of the ISM Services Business Survey Committee.

Nieves said respondents' comments about business conditions and the economy were mixed but noted most are "cautiously optimistic about business conditions with the recent approval and impending distribution of vaccines."

Trading on Friday is likely to be driven by reaction to the Labor Department's closely watched monthly employment report for December.

Economists expect employment to rise by 71,000 jobs in December after climbing by 245,000 jobs in November. The unemployment rate is expected to inch up to 6.8 percent from 6.7 percent.