is around its highest in six weeks, but just two weeks ago, it was at its lowest since early 2018 and the bears are firmly in control right now.With the prospect of swifter economic recovery, comes a rise in Treasury yields that for many is reminiscent of 2013's "Taper Tantrum" – the sharp spike higher in yields that ensued after the Fed indicated it would start to wind down its asset-purchasing program that started with the great financial crisis of 2008/2009.
The Fed's roster of officials are in pre-meeting blackout until the first monetary policy meeting of the year takes place on Wednesday, followed by a press conference hosted by chair Jerome Powell. But a host of central bankers, including Fed board members Lael Brainard and Richard Clarida, have signaled the Fed isn't in any rush to wind down its current program, under which it buys $120 billion a month in Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities.
"Market anticipation of Fed tapering picked up sharply in early 2021, but we think a reduced pace of asset purchases could still be a year away, depending on the evolution of US growth and inflation. This likely means no taper announcement before 2H at the earliest," Bank of America rate strategists Ben Randol and Ralph Axel Bofa said in a note last week.Big Tech is all the rage.