10-YEAR YIELDS SOAR OVER 4%... While today's surprisingly strong jobs report was good for stocks, it was very bad for bonds. Bond prices fell more than two full points. The 10-year T-note, which rises when prices fall, surged all the way to 4.14%. That certainly seems to confirm the idea that long-term rates are finally starting to move higher. There's good and bad news in that. It's good for economically-sensitive stocks that do well in a stronger economy. It's bad for rate-sensitive stocks that are hurt by rising rates. In time, rising rates can be a bad thing. Over the short-run, however, rising rates are viewed as confirmation that the economy is getting stronger and the job picture is finally improving. This week's sector rotations showed a more optimistic market. The top sectors were technology, materials, and industrials. The weakest were financials, energy, utilities, and consumer staples. That rotation is reversing the more cautious mood of the market during the first quarter when consumer staples and energy were the leaders and technology was the laggard.
