eli5: Why are both S&P 500 stock and bond indexes down YTD instead of being the inverse?

Question

Aren’t stocks and bonds supposed to move in inverse to each other?

In: 7

Answer 1

This year has a great deal of uncertainty, particularly the last 2-3 weeks. In times of uncertainty, stocks and bonds are often both down as the market seeks more secure positions, like cash of government bonds.