Little movement is expected in the Treasury market to start off the week, as investors wait for notes from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting this Tuesday and Wednesday. The 10-year Treasury stood at 2.12 percent early Monday morning.
Given volatility in the markets and a slowing economy, many expect Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to confirm a continued commitment to quantitative easing. Read more now .
Volatility continues to be the main theme in the Treasury space. In the past week, the yield on the 10-year Treasury has moved
from 2.17 percent, down to 2 percent late Friday, and back up to 2.17 percent early Monday morning. Read more in our Weekly Market Summary.
Treasury yields started this week near where they had ended the last, with the 10-year hovering around the 2.17-percent level. It
seems that bond investors are waiting for another event or announcement to give them clarity on the direction of short-terms rates. Read more now in our Weekly Market Summary.
Read our Navigator newsletter.
The Affordable Care Act, having been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court, is picking up speed and momentum like a huge boulder rolling down a mountain. The ACA will land on your doorstep Jan. 1, 2014, accompanied by thousands of pages of regulations from a variety of federal agencies, including Health and Human Services, IRS, Department of Labor, Center for Medicare Services, and even Homeland Security.
Although we are still waiting for pricing and plan designs to be revealed, this edition of our Navigator newsletter will help you start thinking about your options.
For almost 150 years, Allen Insurance and Financial has been helping our clients with insurance and financial issues, and we’re committed to helping you navigate the complexities of this massive new law.
In this newsletter, Dan Wyman and Sherree Craig discuss how the ACA will impact individuals, small groups, and larger organizations. Dan is Allen’s group benefits department manager, as well as a broker, consultant and attorney focusing on group benefits. Sherree is Allen’s large group health insurance guru and account manager.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury remained above 2 percent early Monday morning, after being as low as 1.91 percent last Wednesday, before the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes were released and Chairman Bernanke spoke before Congress. Read more now in our Weekly Market Summary.
Lindsey Eaton
Lindsey Eaton of Hope has joined Allen Insurance and Financial as a scanning associate in the company’s Camden office.
A Camden native and graduate of Camden Hills Regional High School, Lindsey is new to the insurance industry and is studying for her Maine property & casualty license as part of the Allen Insurance and Financial in-house education program.
As a scanning associate, Lindsey plays a key role in Allen’s paperless office system. She also supports members of the administrative staff and reception in the Camden office.
“I enjoy the variety of tasks my job requires,” she said. “And I enjoy being part of the front desk team. I am people-person — I love interaction with others.”
Outside of work, Lindsey enjoys spending time with her young daughter, family and friends.
After testing the 1.95-percent level before retreating to 1.86 percent last Friday, the yield on the 10-year Treasury was back up to 1.95 percent on Monday morning. This is a key number for the 10-year; should rates break on the upside, we could see yields of 2 percent or even 2.10 percent. More downside pressure is expected as we head into early summer, however.
Treasury yields were higher last week, with the 10-year ending the week at 1.89 percent, up from the prior week’s 1.72-percent finish. On Monday morning, the yield remained at 1.89 percent.
Strong price momentum pushed equity markets higher last week, and the S&P 500 gained 1.29 percent. Higher-beta indices and
the more cyclical sectors led the markets higher as the risk-on trade came back into vogue.
After a week during which the yield on the 10-year Treasury was pushed to 1.62 percent—its lowest level since December 2012—better-than-expected unemployment numbers helped the 10-year move back up to 1.72 percent late Friday and earlyMonday morning.
The strong unemployment report on Friday was a big surprise for the markets. Although the unemployment rate did drop modestly, what really grabbed investors’ attention was the addition of 75,000 more jobs than analysts had expected both in this month’s report and in last month’s revision.
