These sure are weird times in the financial markets.  Don't you think?

We get a dismal Jobs Report today of 88,000 gains in March.  This is far below the 150,000 needed on a monthly basis to keep up with the population growth.  It is super far below what is needed to replace the displaced in the Great Recession.

So, what happens to the markets?

Well, the futures markets priced 1% or so declines in the major indexes.  The markets open but gain strength during the day and the close is nothing more than an average day in the markets.

Bonds?

Well, they rocked it today!  Big spike up on big volume.

Going back to the first point, these are weird times.  Normally, during such a big move in the bond markets you'd expect to see the opposite in the equities.  Not really so today, was it?

What news will take the markets up these days?  What will take them down?  Hard to predict.

Why?

We posit that we are in such a delicate thread of government manipulation of the financial markets and currency that it is extremely difficult to "read the tea leaves" the market gives us.  And, so we get the weird inter-market activity that is par for the course these days.

Look for an email blast before Monday about the near future forecast for mortgage rates.

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BG