The rollercoaster ride that the bond market strapped itself to in 2011 may continue in 2012. The question is will it be a ride of thrills or full-blown nausea?
The yield on the 10-year note is below 2%, and there does not seem to be any momentum in the market to push rates higher in the near term. In fact, we’re seeing the opposite. Some technical factors point to the 10-year yield dropping to 1.70% during the first quarter of 2012. The US economy is growing at a very anemic rate, and unemployment remains at an uncomfortably high level. These two points will likely entice the Federal Reserve to begin a third round of quantitative easing (QE3) in which they will buy treasuries and mortgage-backed securities to keep rates low.
Continued…


