US TSYS: Yields Pull Back Again With Consumer Growth Story In Question

Treasuries outperformed global counterparts Friday, fully completing a reversal from a midweek selloff.

• A large miss in January retail sales (-0.9% M/M vs 0.7% prior, -0.2% consensus) represented the biggest sequential drop in 22 months, with a similarly weak "control group" figure leading to a 0.5pp downgrade to the Atlanta Fed's GDP nowcast (to 2.3% GDP growth in Q1, i.e. no acceleration from Q4).
• That was enough to see the 10Y Treasury yield drop 7bp in the subsequent half hour, continuing the downtrend seen beginning in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday's hot CPI release. 10Y yields dropped over 21bp from the Wednesday high to Thursday's low, ultimately ending a tumultuous week 1.5bp lower.
• Yields ticked a little higher in afternoon trade Friday but the curve leaned bull steeper on the day, with the belly outperforming: 2-Yr yield is down 4.6bps at 4.261%, 5-Yr is down 5.7bps at 4.3328%, 10-Yr is down 5.1bps at 4.4782%, and 30-Yr is down 3.9bps at 4.6982%.
• In futures: Mar 10-Yr futures (TY) up 9/32  at 109-08 (L: 108-26 / H: 109-15.5).
• Other data (industrial production mixed, import prices soft) had little lasting impact.
• The coming week’s data schedule is relatively light, due in part to Monday’s Presidents Day holiday (SIFMA recommends bond cash close, equities closed), with initial jobless claims, February prelim PMIs, and regional Fed manufacturing surveys among the highlights. Supply includes 20Y Bond and 30Y TIPS auctions.
• We also get plenty of Fed communications including the January meeting minutes, and speaking appearances by both doves (Gov Waller) and hawks (St Louis Pres Musalem).