News

A: Analysts say that buying back more government bonds could mute the march higher in longer-term yields. At Dutch bank ING, Padhraic Garvey says "the Treasury could double the long tenor buyback sizes again, and again if needed". At Japanese bank MUFG, analysts say "the US Treasury could play a key role here by of course addressing the ever-expending fiscal deficit...We all know that’s not going to happen."

By Niket Nishant and Rae Wee Aug 20 (Reuters) - A bond market reprieve appeared to be fading on Thursday as U.S. government bonds sold off and kept stocks under pressure, with investors questioning

Gold (GC=F) December futures opened at $4,391.40 per troy ounce on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, down 0.7% from Tuesday's closing price.

Treasury yields are down sharply after the Treasury Department said it would at least double the size of its buyback operations for longer-term notes and bonds. Treasury's buyback operations are meant to improve liquidity in the bond market by reducing the amount of older securities. Treasury's website states that the agency "does not currently intend to use buyback operations to mitigate episodes of acute market stress."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 116 points, or 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.3%. A majority of Dow stocks actually closed higher, but shares of firms linked to the artificial intelligence trade weighed down the index.

Treasury yields rise while the U.S.-Iran standoff remains unresolved and crude prices edge higher. In coming days, investors will be awaiting Fed minutes Wednesday and Chairman Warsh's first Jackson Hole speech later this month.

Treasury yields are on pace for a weekly decline following signs of cooling inflation that bolster odds of a Fed hold, not hike, next month. Oil prices edge higher as the supply chain remains choked in the Middle East and the White House threatens Iran with more economic isolation.

Stocks were rallying out of the gate on Wednesday after Wall Street shrugged off the latest inflation report. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 101 points, or 0.2%. The S&P 500 was up 0.5%. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.

The stock market was on the road to nowhere on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 were flat. The Nasdaq Composite was down slightly. The S&P hit a fresh closing high on Friday and ran out of gas.

Treasury yields lose some of their overnight momentum but remain elevated as rising oil prices rekindle inflation fears. The U.S.-Iran standoff shows no signs of abating and Brent crude approaches $90 a barrel.

Higher energy prices are reigniting inflation concerns, pushing global government bond yields upward. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield rose to 4.729% this morning, according to Tradeweb, within striking of its year-to-date closing peak of 4.

Treasury yields rise ahead of U.S. inflation data due later this week and following July's unexpected negative payroll numbers. Iran makes tough demands to reopen Hormuz, pushing oil futures up 1.5%. Economists surveyed by WSJ expect July's 12-month CPI inflation to cool slightly to 3.

Friday’s weaker-than-expected jobs report has flipped the market-based odds of whether the Federal Reserve raises interest rate in September. Interest-rate futures now show a 56% chance that the Fed stays on hold at its next meeting and a 44% chance of a rate hike, according to CME Group data.

With the July jobs report looming, the Dow’s winning streak finally ran into a wall. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 464 points, or 0.9%. The S&P 500 dropped 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite dipped 0.

Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Neel Kashkari said he believes it is time to “start slowly moving” interest rates higher to help bring down inflation to the Fed’s 2% target. During an interview on CNBC, the central bank official said he isn’t calling for a dramatic increase in rates, adding: “I don’t see evidence monetary policy is marginally restrictive right now, and I think we have more work to do to get inflation back down.

Treasury yields held earlier overnight declines after the Treasury Department signaled–again–that it has no plans to increase the sizes of note-and-bond auctions for “at least the next several quarters.” The Treasury’s guidance, made as part of its quarterly refunding announcement, was the same that it has made for the past 11 quarters dating back to the start of 2024.

Bond yields remain elevated as the investors digest the Fed's policy moves.

For the U.S., a weak yen is a potential problem because Japan is the world’s biggest single holder of U.S. Treasurys. With bond yields already high, the last thing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wants is more upward pressure from Japan selling down its U.

Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday. Bond investors tightened the screws anyway.

The market got a fresh batch of economic data, with new personal consumption expenditures and gross domestic product data released ahead of the opening bell. Inflation data came in cooler than expected. Core PCE, which excludes food and energy costs and is closely watched by the Federal Reserve, rose 0.1% from the month prior, below consensus estimates of 0.2% and the 0.3% increase seen in May. Headline PCE was roughly in line with expectations.

Bond yields stayed elevated on Thursday as Wall Street digested the Fed's decision to leave rates unchanged and Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh's comments.

Bond yields stayed elevated on Thursday as Wall Street digested the Fed's decision to leave rates unchanged and Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh's comments.

Yields on 30-year U.S. Treasurys rose further to hit 5.24%, a 19-year high, before paring gains slightly, in a sign of investors' worries about rising inflation and the Fed’s willingness to combat it. The Fed's statement yesterday delivered “a hawkish hold,” wrote economists at Barclays. “But this was unwound by a dovish presser in which Kevin Warsh emphasized tightening in financial conditions that now seems inconsistent with his reluctance to react to data.”

The yield on the 30-year U.S. Treasury bond spiked over 5%, touching levels not seen since the global financial crisis of 2007 after the Federal Reserve’s decision to keep rates steady.

The bond market got a bit of relief after the Fed left short-term rates steady again. Yields on two-year Treasuries fell by as much as four basis points after Wednesday's Fed decision to 4.252%, compared with the previous close. Yields had been higher most of the day leading up to the interest-rate announcement.

The Federal Reserve opted to keep short-term interest rates steady again on Wednesday. At the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to keep its target for the federal-funds rate at 3.5% to 3.75% for the fifth straight meeting. Ahead of the announcement, the interest-rate futures market had the odds at 71% that officials would keep rates unchanged.

Renewed hostilities in the Middle East are pushing up Treasury yields as oil prices rally. The Iranian surprise attacks add uncertainty to U.S. monetary policy. Futures markets price in 64% odds of a hold by the Fed today, but bets on a hike rise to 36% from 31% yesterday, according to CME data.

The latest escalation in the Middle East conflict has been tough on fixed-income investors. Global government bonds have tumbled this week, sending yields sharply higher, as surging oil prices revived inflation fears.

Treasuries are getting hit hard thanks to data showing economic resilience and higher oil prices. Meanwhile, jobless claims unexpectedly plunged. Higher oil prices push up yields as investors demand more coupon for a potentially higher inflation print in the future.

Bond yields continued to climb on Thursday as oil prices rose amid an escalating conflict in the Middle East.