Volatility-Hungry Bond Traders Fret That Fed Will Add to Malaise

  • Central bankers seen lowering rate hike projections this week
  • Stability is a ‘vol killer’ to one Morgan Stanley investor
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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The $15.8 trillion Treasuries market has become exceptionally placid, and volatility-hungry bond traders fear the Federal Reserve’s about to make it even quieter.

Days before Fed policy makers meet, Bank of America Corp.’s MOVE Index continued a recent collapse, falling within a hair of the record low set in 2017. It slumps when traders expect smaller swings in Treasury yields. Things have been so tranquil that in February, yields on 10-year notes moved in an 11.6-basis-point range, one of the narrowest monthly bandsBloomberg Terminal ever recorded.