As the gap between returns on government bonds versus corporate bonds mounts, investors are growing more cautious.

Those losses have stayed elevated ever since the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates.

What’s good for consumers looking for loans could be bad news for the economy.

Buying a bond is usually like going for ice cream (to a regular ice cream place): You pick your flavor, you pay, you enjoy a nice, predictable payoff. Lately though, that’s not the deal.

Higher yields compensate for the higher risk of investing for 10 or 30 years, when it’s hard to predict how that future economy might look.

Many gained on the prospect of lower taxes and the relief from uncertainty. But bonds declined on forecasts of bigger deficits.

The 10-year note is around the highest level since July. Traders expect mild but persistent inflation to restrain Federal Reserve rate cuts.

Try not to hold onto them past their maturation date.

Area taxpayers will foot the bill for the debt.

That could be good news for U.S. exporters, though.