[TOKYO] Japanese 30-year government bond yields climbed to a fresh all-time peak on Friday (Aug 22), tracking a rise in US Treasury yields as investors braced for a speech by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell at the US central bank’s Jackson Hole symposium.
The 30-year JGB yield added 3 basis points (bps) to an unprecedented 3.21 per cent.
The 20-year yield advanced 2.5 bps to reach 2.665 per cent, a level last seen in November 1999, while the 10-year JGB yield added 1 basis point (bp) to 1.615 per cent, the highest level since October 2008.
US 10-year Treasury yields climbed close to 4 bps to 4.332 per cent on Thursday, as traders pared back bets on a September interest rate cut by the Fed.
Analysts said market players took cues from purchasing managers’ surveys that suggested US business activity and hiring have picked up pace appreciably this month, rather than a separate report showing the biggest jump in about three months for new jobless claims.
Market bets on a quarter-point Fed cut next month last stood at 75 per cent, down from 80 per cent a day earlier, according to LSEG data.
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Powell speaks later on Friday, the second day of the three-day Jackson Hole gathering. Fed speakers on day one overall struck moderately hawkish stances, with Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack saying she sees no case for imminent policy easing, and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee flagging services inflation as giving him pause on lowering rates.
Japan’s so-called super-long yields have been under additional pressure to rise since the nation’s ruling coalition lost its upper house majority last month, giving more sway to opposition parties touting consumption tax cuts.
The prime minister has so far refused to step down, resulting in a kind of political limbo that could delay a supplementary budget.
“These risks do not appear to be fully priced in,” said Mizuho Securities economist Yasuke Matsuo.
“We think upward pressure on interest rates – particularly in the super-long sector – will need to be closely watched for the time being.”
The five-year JGB yield ticked up 0.5 bp to 1.155 per cent, while the two-year yield added 1 bp to 0.865 per cent, both the highest levels since late March. REUTERS
