2 days ago
Soaring Treasury Yields Drive Record ETF Options Trading
Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.
Recently, yields on 10-year and 30-year US government bonds reached their highest levels in about two decades.
This has made investors more worried about further price changes.
Many traders are therefore buying options linked to bond ETFs.
An option is a contract that can help protect an investment or make money if prices move in a certain direction.
The TLT Treasury ETF has seen especially heavy options trading.
Some traders are buying puts because they expect bond prices to fall further as yields rise.
Other investors are using options as insurance against large market moves.
Trading has also increased in ETFs holding corporate bonds.
Options volume on BlackRock’s TLT Treasury ETF has surged, with its 20-day average reaching the highest level ever for the fund.
Open interest in TLT options has more than doubled over the past year and is nearing a record 13.55 million contracts.
Rising Treasury yields and increased market swings have lifted the cost of options, including bearish puts on TLT.
Trading has also increased in BlackRock’s investment-grade corporate bond ETF LQD and high-yield bond ETF HYG.
Institutional and retail investors are using ETF options to hedge or bet on further bond-market declines and higher yields.
- Who
- Institutional investors, retail traders, and fund managers, including clients of Moomoo, are trading the options.
- What
- Options trading tied to fixed-income ETFs, especially BlackRock’s TLT Treasury ETF, has surged as investors hedge against or wager on further bond-market moves.
- Where
- In exchange-traded options markets linked to US Treasury and corporate bond ETFs.
- When
- Trading increased sharply over the past week; TLT open interest has more than doubled over the past year.
- Why
- Treasury yields have risen to roughly two-decade highs, while greater volatility has increased demand for protection and directional bets.
Higher-Yield Positioning
Risk Protection
How traders are using options
Higher-Yield Positioning
Some traders are buying bearish puts or other positions that could benefit if Treasury bond prices fall further and yields continue rising.
Risk Protection
Other investors are purchasing options primarily to protect portfolios from larger bond-price and interest-rate swings, without necessarily making a directional bet.
Why ETFs are being used
Higher-Yield Positioning
ETF options provide a relatively direct way to express a view on rising yields through a stock-market-listed product.
Risk Protection
ETF options allow investors, including equity-focused managers, to hedge interest-rate exposure in a format that may be easier to access than the underlying bond market.
Key facts
- Main ETF
- iShares 20 Year Treasury Bond ETF, ticker TLT
- TLT options volume
- The 20-day average reached the highest level ever for the ETF.
- Open interest
- More than doubled over the past year and is approaching 13.55 million contracts.
- Market backdrop
- Yields on 10-year and 30-year Treasuries reached their highest levels in two decades.
- Option pricing
- Implied volatility and premiums for bearish TLT puts reached their highest levels since late March.
- Other ETFs
- Activity also increased in the iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF and the iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF.
Quotes
Alex Kosoglyadov
Head of flow equity derivative sales at Nomura Holdings
“We’re definitely seeing investors that are traditionally more focused in the equity world extend their focus into what’s going on in the rates market.”
livemint.com
“We’re currently seeing some of the highest trading volumes in Treasuries, investment-grade and high-yield ETFs.”
livemint.com
Sources
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