Today, the SPY index closed at new highs while the S&P 500 was not able to make a new high, but closed strong, up about 0.3% on the day. The Russell 2000 (RUT) rebounded from a very weak performance over the past two weeks due to profit taking.  Today, it rose 1.15%, but volume was below average.

Today, the tepid market had virtually no new data from corporate earnings or the economy, and slid lower throughout the day, especially near the closing. But the 10-year bond yield hit a two-year high at 2.9% and closed at 2.88%.

The increase in bond rates should have been expected with the Fed minutes due Wednesday. The market hates uncertainty. However, it is very certain that the longer-term rates will go higher. The Fed’s annual conference with economists begins Thursday in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, without Chairman Bernanke’s presence. Very few new “certainties” are likely to come out of the symposium. The bottom line: It is a bad time for bonds but should be a good time for stocks.