(1/3) Per BBerg: A $2 trillion market for securities linked to US inflation data could be the first area of Treasuries that would crack if the US Bureau of Labor Statistics is politicized, according to bond investors.
Since President Donald Trump fired BLS chief Erika McEntarfer on Friday following a jobs report that showed unemployment rising on his watch, investors have fretted that the unprecedented move could erode trust in government data.
@astonc@mstdn.party
(2/3) Even before Trump’s outburst, questions were being raised about how long America’s “gold standard” system for economic data could withstand his effort to centralize power by collapsing firewalls meant to protect independent agencies.
The result of that happening to the BLS could be catastrophic when it comes to asset prices.
(3/3) Indeed, the very fact of McEntarfer’s dismissal, and the scrutiny that awaits her replacement and the agency’s subsequent actions, may have already done irreparable damage.
That link is perhaps most acute in Treasury inflation-protected securities, where the face value of a bond is adjusted based on the consumer price index, which is calculated by the BLS. Interest payments are based on that floating principal.
