Bonds say 60 percent chance of recession

There's an old saying on The Street that when bonds and stocks disagree, the bonds are probably right. What is the bond market telling us now?

From Bloomberg:

The bond market indicator that has predicted every U.S. recession since 1970 shows that the economy has about a 60 percent chance of contracting within 12 months.

The so-called Treasury yield curve, adjusted for distortions caused by the Federal Reserve’s record low zero to 0.25 percent target interest rate for overnight loans between banks, shows that two-year notes yield 20 basis points, or 0.20 percentage point, less than five-year notes, according to Bank of America Corp. research. The unadjusted gap of 79 basis points at the end of last week indicates the chance of recession at about 15 percent.

Short-term rates have been higher than longer-term yields, or inverted, before each of the seven recessions since 1970. A contraction would make it harder for U.S. President Barack Obama to reduce unemployment, which has held at or above 9 percent every month except two since May 2009, including a reading of 9.1 percent in September. It may also help bolster Treasuries and keep yields near all-time lows.

This is an important concept for stock players to understand, head over for the whole piece.

Source:

Bonds Show 60% Odds of Recession With Bernanke Behind Curve (Bloomberg)