Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Why traders will be hanging on the Federal Reserve's every word Wednesday

Jan 30, 2024
The committee that sets interest rates is meeting this week, and the big question is whether — and when — they'll start cutting.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Some investors view the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions and public statements as a "weather report" on where the economy is headed.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Japan loosens its grip on long-term interest rates

Oct 31, 2023
The Bank of Japan’s "yield curve control policy" could be on its way out as central banks around the world raise rates to beat inflation.
Until recently, the Bank of Japan was trying to keep interest rates on bonds low to stimulate the economy. Above, the Bank of Japan building.
Richard A. Brooks/AFP via Getty Images

Fed chair Powell's latest speech hints at caution regarding interest rates

Oct 20, 2023
Jerome Powell spoke Oct. 19 and said the Federal Open Market Committee would be "proceeding carefully."
“Given the uncertainties and risks, and given how far we’ve come, the committee is proceeding carefully," Powell said.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Will high yields on the 10-year T-note jeopardize the "soft landing"?

Oct 4, 2023
The yield hit a 16-year record Tuesday. Could that mean trouble for the Federal Reserve's effort to cool inflation and prevent a recession?
It has long been said that if you want to know where the economy is headed, look at the bond market. Could the bond market be wrong this time?
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

How the debt ceiling fight puts the indispensable U.S. Treasurys market at risk

May 26, 2023
The $24 trillion Treasury bond market plays an important role in the global financial system. Is there any viable alternative?
"U.S. Treasurys are the safest asset anywhere, even in the case of default," says Yesha Yadav from Vanderbilt. This is why essentially the entire global financial system buys U.S. government debt whenever there's a panic.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

How the Fed's rate hikes spelled trouble for banks like SVB

Mar 21, 2023
Why bonds lose value when the Fed hikes interest rates and what that has to do with banks.
Silicon Valley Bank was among the financial institutions for which rising interest rates on bonds spelled trouble.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The bond market yield curve is inverted — which some economists think foreshadows a downturn

Mar 2, 2023
The yield for a two-year note is roughly a whole percentage point higher than the yield on the 10-year Treasury right now. And that often precedes a recession.
A 10-year bond theoretically locks up your money for 10 years in exchange for some yield or other. But its worth depends on the what the future looks like with inflation, interest rates and the economy.
VallarieE/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

January's strong jobs report lifted bond yields. Why's that?

Feb 3, 2023
Bond investors look at the jobs report for clues about wage growth and inflation.
The job gains were focused on nonhousing services, analysts say, which the Federal Reserve sees as a driver of inflation.
Getty Images

The Federal Reserve is unwinding its bond-buying program. Will that help deflate the inflation balloon?

Aug 24, 2022
The Fed uses its buying power in the bond market to raise or lower interest rates by manipulating how much money is available in the economy.
The Fed blew up the "balloon" of the economy during the pandemic by, in part, ratcheting up its bond buying and flooding financial markets with money.
Getty Images

Treasury bond yields are rising. Here's what that tells us.

Sep 28, 2021
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note surged to its highest level in three months this morning.
Inflation could be one of the reasons bond buyers are demanding higher yields.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images