Strains Grow As Investors Shun Long-Term Debt
A global selloff in long-term government bond markets is extending this morning amid a wholesale reappraisal of sovereign debt and inflation risks. Thirty-year securities are coming under the heaviest pressure, with US Treasury yields hovering near 5 percent, Japanese ultra-long bonds holding near record highs*, and British gilts offering their highest rates since 1998. Shorter-dated yields remain comparatively stable, but curves are steepening across the advanced economies as investors demand higher premiums for holding long-term debt. We think technical factors are at work, to some extent. After a later-summer lull, bond markets have been flooded with new issuance in recent...