Following Friday's epic collapse, snap-back, and circuit-breaker halt in JGB Futures, it appears that investors cannot get enough of Japanese bonds today. From the JPY144.02 close, JGB Futures traded up at the open, oscillated and then gapped higher (on heavy volume) to JPY145.25 before the TSE halted trading once again (on a volatility-based circuit-breaker limit) due to 'rapid price fluctuations. The quadrillion JPY cash JGB market appears very illiquid as we scan the benchmark issues with the 30Y yield higher by 4bps, the 20Y lower by 14bps, and the 10Y lower by 3bps as it appears the futures are the weapon of choice. Since the halt ended, JGB Futures have slipped back notably. It seems pretty evident when and where the BoJ monetization took place but desk chatter was that it was poorly run.
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but in contrast to Friday's epic fail this brief surge in price appears nothing...
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This should give some more context for just how broken these markets are. A 5bps drop in a 50bps 10Y yield (the BoJ monetization?) followed by a 7bps rip higher!! Interesting that JPY was sold hard during the break in Cash bond trading...
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So absent the BoJ's efforts today, the JGB market would have been significantly uglier.
Charts: Bloomberg