Understanding SOFR Swap Spreads

Have been self-studying rates and must admit I am stumped by the existence of SOFR swap spreads. I am stuck between two conflicting ways of thinking about them; the first supports their existence, while the second suggests they should not exist. I've detailed my thoughts below. Would greatly appreciate someone's help clarifying this. 


Thought #1: Spreads exist because of a tenor mismatch. The n-year SOFR swap rate roughly expresses the expected (annualized) compounded overnight repo rate for n years. The n-year treasury, on the other hand, is an n-year loan which carries inflation/duration risk not present in an overnight loan. So the n-year treasury rate should trade higher. 


Thought #2: Suppose an investor wants leveraged long exposure to the rates market and is deciding between: (1) receiving on a SOFR swap and (2) buying treasuries with leverage. Since the floating leg of the swap reflects the overnight financing rate of the treasury, this investor should prefer the leveraged treasury position because of the higher yield (floating legs of both trades are the same so just pick the higher rate). What's the catch here? Something to do with having to refinance the treasury position every day? Are swaps just more convenient for some reason? 


There is also the arbitrage angle (paying on the swap, long the treasury, pocket as much as 70 bps for the 30y but have to hold until maturity). 


Apologies if this question is elementary. 

 

Asperiores dolor porro ipsam eius accusamus. Explicabo saepe voluptatibus molestiae. Voluptatem unde odit ut quia nihil.

Eos id laborum expedita exercitationem quia dolore est quia. Temporibus voluptatem molestias non numquam inventore porro. Reiciendis fuga delectus enim odio vel. Cum totam nemo cum eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (145) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”