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Why are long-term bond yields so high? Even Jerome Powell wants to know

Nov 10, 2023
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said that we “don’t really know” why long-term bond yields have been going up.
Hasn't Powell been listening to "Marketplace?"
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

Corporate debt is getting more expensive. That's not necessarily a problem.

Oct 27, 2023
Both government and corporate bond yields have been climbing. For many companies, though, higher revenue more than covers the cost.
A lot of companies sold bonds to investors a few years ago, when interest rates were low.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Why are bond yields so high right now?

Oct 23, 2023
The yield on the 10-year Treasury briefly hit 5%, the highest level since 2007. A resilient economy and expanding debt are pushing rates up.
For a while, bond markets expected a weaker economy and possible rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2024.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Climbing 10-year Treasury yield signals costlier future for buying, borrowing

Aug 18, 2023
If the Federal Reserve needs to keep interest rates higher to continue battling inflation, 10-year yields will have to compete.
The Treasury Department is issuing a lot of bonds to pay for recent government spending. Above, a statue of Alexander Hamilton outside the agency's offices.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Corporate bond yields have been rising, too

Mar 23, 2021
Bond investors are demanding higher corporate bond yields. That's a good sign about where the economy's headed this year.
Bond investors expect inflation to pick up this year, though Fed Chair Powell doesn't expect it to have a lasting impact on overall inflation.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. bond auction will test if yields are high enough to attract buyers

Mar 9, 2021
The government needs to plow out of a lot of debt from previous COVID-19 rescue packages and the potential $1.9 trillion in additional aid.
On Wednesday, the government will auction 10-year Treasury notes. But demand for government bonds has not been so hot lately.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Will borrowing get more expensive for consumers as the economy recovers?

Mar 5, 2021
Interest rates on 30-year mortgages have started climbing.
This week, Freddie Mac said the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage climbed above 3% for the first time since July.
phototechno via Getty Images

What the bond market can tell us about the pace of economic recovery

Feb 23, 2021
Rising bond yields are an optimistic sign, even though the Fed says a real recovery isn't right around the corner.
When bond yields go up quickly, it can spook the stock market. But stocks aren't the whole story.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Bond yields are lower than during the financial crisis

Mar 9, 2020
But that may not be signaling that the economic damage from the coronavirus will be as bad as the Great Recession.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images