US yields lower after data, ahead of auction
By Chuck Mikolajczak
NEW YORK, July 24 (Reuters) -The benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was lower for a second straight session on Wednesday, as investors digested a flurry of economic data to gauge the health of the economy ahead of an auction later in the day.
The Commerce Department said the U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed in June as exports rebounded, but trade likely remained a drag on economic growth in the second quarter. The data comes ahead of the second quarter gross domestic product reading on Thursday.
Yields briefly pared declines after S&P Global said its flash U.S. Composite PMI Output Index, which tracks the manufacturing and services sectors, edged up to 55.0 in July, signaling expansion, and its highest since April 2022. However, there were signs companies were having difficulty maintaining higher prices.
Investors will eye the June personal consumption expenditures (PCE) data on Friday for further data on the inflation outlook and the path of interest rates from the Federal Reserve.
Markets have grown more confident the Fed will cut interest rates this year as recent inflation data such as the consumer price index (CPI) have indicated prices are cooling again.
"Things are going to oscillate around but we need more data to figure out what trend we're actually going to be going in," said JoAnne Bianco, BondBloxx partner and client portfolio manager in Chicago.
"You had headline and core CPI come in lower than expected, those are inputs into PCE and core PCE so I'm anticipating more of the same."
The yield on the benchmark U.S. 10-year Treasury note US10YT=RR fell 1.6 basis points to 4.223%.
However,the yield on the 30-year bond US30YT=RR rose 1 basis point to 4.48%.
The Fed is scheduled to hold its next policy meeting at the end of July and markets see only a slight chance for a cut of at least 25 basis points (bps) for that meeting, but are completely pricing in a cut from the central bank at its September meeting, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.
A closely watched part of the U.S. Treasury yield curve measuring the gap between yields on two- and 10-year Treasury notes US2US10=RR, seen as an indicator of economic expectations, was at a negative 16.6 basis points after steepening to a negative 15.7, its least inverted since November 2023.
The two-year US2YT=RR U.S. Treasury yield, which typically moves in step with interest rate expectations, declined 5.8 basis points, on pace for its biggest daily drop in two weeks, to 4.387%.
More supply will come to the market this week as the Treasury auctions $70 billion in five-year notes US5YT=RR on Wednesday and $44 billion in seven-year notes US7YT=RR on Thursday.
The breakeven rate on five-year U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) US5YTIP=RR was last at 2.172% after closing at 2.179% on July 23.
The 10-year TIPS breakeven rate US10YTIP=RR was last at 2.268%, indicating the market sees inflation averaging about 2.3% a year for the next decade.
Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Toby Chopra
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