Boom or Bust Interest Rate Edition

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Chatter on Twitter was heavy yesterday about potential rate increases for 2018. I mash-upped the CoreLogic chart to the left with yesterday's spike in the 2 and 10 year yields (via ZeroHedge 2yr chart and 10yr chart).

The CoreLogic Home Price Index Forecast suggests U.S. home prices will rise less than 5 percent this year, but if some 2018 mortgage rate forecasts pan out the mortgage payments homebuyers face could increase closer to 15 percent.
Andrew LePage, CoreLogic, February 15, 2018

15% mortgage payment increase? That's gonna cut into renovation plans and dreams of a new truck in the driveway.

But as I noted in my previous post; in December 2017 the Canada 10yr less 2yr metric, which is a measure of a recession threat, narrowed to only 32bps away from negative inversion where the 2 year yield would be greater than the 10 year.

But the new U.S. Fed chairman Jerome Powell pitched their congress yesterday with:

"recent data has strengthened his confidence on inflation." and
​"yield curve has been a problem in past when Fed got behind and had to raise rates quickly; that's not the case now"

​The Fed's is planning on three rate hikes in 2018, but after the announcement yesterday futures traders reacted and began pricing in a 1/3 possibility of a fourth rate hike! Zoom zoom.

Meanwhile the Bank of Canada ​is not so sure about it's course this year:​

Bank Of Canada To Take Cautious Path With Two More Hikes In 2018: Reuters Poll
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The central bank has raised interest rates three times since last July, amid a robust job market and solid economic growth, but policymakers have said repeatedly they will be cautious in considering further hikes. Leah Schnurr, Reuters February 27, 2018

Today, February 28, 2018 the Canadian 10yr yield is ticking down as traders bet on higher prices not higher yields:

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