Government Shutdown
There is no relevant economic data being released today. We are seeing the markets react mostly to news that the Senate may now have the needed votes to pass legislation that will reopen the government. There are still some things that need to happen, but the biggest hurdle looks to have been cleared. This is being taken as bad news for bonds because the shutdown was thought to be having a negative impact on the broader economy. In other words, the shutdown ending will be a boost to the U.S. economy and bonds are less appealing to investors when the economy is stronger. Their attention tends to turn to stocks, which is partly why stocks are showing gains this morning.