Curve Your Enthusiasm

In this episode of Curve Your Enthusiasm, Ian is joined by Brendan Donaher, Executive Director STIRT trading. The show begins by discussing the recent U.S. jobs report, and the implications to the perception of economic data going forward and how that should affect the bond market. Brenden discusses how FOMC pricing has evolved, and his favorite trades. The duo begin to discuss what Fed pricing means for BoC pricing, rightly noting how cheap CAD front-end valuations are. Brenden provides his view on what pension hedging means for Canadian cross-currency basis swaps, while also highlighting key themes in global funding markets. The show ends with a discussion on the BoC’s balance sheet, and which trades Ian and Brenden think offer the most attractive opportunities at present.

In the first episode of 2025, Ian is joined by Aaron Carter from the financing desk to discuss recent adjustments in the short-end. The show begins with the duo discussing the importance of the Bank of Canada’s move to change the way monetary policy is implemented, namely moving back into a corridor system. Aaron gives his ‘big picture’ view on why this is a real game-changer for CORRA, and his expectations around the evolution of the spread to the target rate. Ian takes time discussing the various administered rates in the Canadian short-end and how to think about the subset of arbitrage opportunities. Aaron finishes the episode by describing the incoming tri-party repo system and how that will interact with monetary policy going forward.