About this episode

The episode discusses Scott Bessent's strategies to manage US Treasury yields and the challenges he faces in the current economic climate.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is trying to force down US Treasury yields with surprise bond buybacks — and it isn't working. In this video we break down Bessent's activist debt management strategy, why doubling the Treasury's long-dated buybacks is a bet on falling interest rates funded by short-term bills, and why his old boss Stanley Druckenmiller publicly tore the plan apart in a Wall Street Journal op-ed ("Let the Bond Market Speak"). We look at the collision with new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh after Jackson Hole, the 50% tariffs on Canada and the Mark Carney feud, "Operation Economic Outcast" and the secondary-sanctions problem with China and Iranian oil, the GENIUS Act and crypto's role in sanctions evasion, and Stephen Miran's case for the defense. The through-line: you can't trade around arithmetic. When a government goes to war with market prices, the bond market has an infinite balance sheet — and prices tend to win. Patrick's Books: Statistics For The Trading Floor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amzn.to/3eerLA0⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Derivatives For The Trading Floor…

People in this episode

Host: Patrick Boyle

Guest: Scott Bessent

Topics covered

• US Treasury yields
• bond buybacks
• debt management strategy
• interest rates
• market prices
• economic sanctions
• crypto

Keywords

• Treasury yields
• bond buybacks
• interest rates
• economic sanctions
• crypto
• debt management
• market prices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: US Treasury, Federal Reserve, Wall Street Journal, China, Iranian oil

Books & works: Statistics For The Trading Floor, Derivatives For The Trading Floor, Corporate Finance

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