Why Bonds Tanked Despite Super Low NFP

Why Bonds Tanked Despite Super Low NFP

Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) came in at 12k versus a median forecast of 113k, and a previous reading of 254k.  If those were the only facts you knew, on almost any other jobs report day in the history of jobs report days, you'd be well advised to bet heavily on a bond rally.  The fact that bonds tanked can only be explained by an unknown combination of two things--maybe 3.  We're all already family with bonds generally weakening ahead of the election.  That could be an ongoing factor behind today's weakness. But there's also some nuance in the jobs report if we agree that the payroll count was artificially distorted by temporary events.  Lastly, ISM prices rose to the highest levels of the year. This could have some traders thinking "what if inflation has another bounce like it did in early 2024?" This might seem like a longshot, but bonds were still in positive territory by the time ISM came out.