Key Points for Tomorrow

By Mark O’Brien, Senior Broker

Equity Indexes / Interest Rates:

Stock index futures turned lower this afternoon after a disappointing Treasury bond auction accelerated a selloff in the debt market.

The June E-mini Dow Jones futures contract dropped over 800 points, more than 2.0%, leading the E-mini S&P 500 and E-mini Nasdaq indexes lower in afternoon trading.

Financials:

U.S. 30-yr. T-bond and 10-yr. T-note futures also sold off and correspondingly debt yields spiked, with the 10-yr. rate climbing toward 4.6% and the 30-yr. rate eclipsing 5.0%

Yields extended gains in the afternoon after a $16 billion auction of 20-year Treasury bonds attracted relatively soft demand from investors, selling at a higher yield than traders had anticipated.

The selloff in stocks followed earnings reports from retailers Target, Lowe’s and TJX. Target cut its annual outlook.

Crypto:

Bitcoin futures climbed to a new all-time high for the first time since January. The current front-month May futures contract traded intraday up to 110,745 before paring its gains. Bitcoin futures total open interest surged to a record $75 billion, signaling heightened leveraged exposure as traders are eyeing a breakout above a key $108,000 resistance level. The CME Group / Chicago Mercantile Exchange leads with $17.43 billion in open interest. Within the highly leveraged environment, the potential for liquidations of short positions becomes a powerful force that could propel Bitcoin futures to new highs.