JGB yields fall as US Treasury yields decline; BOJ jitters continue
By Brigid Riley
TOKYO, July 26 (Reuters) -Japanese government bond (JGB) yields fell on Friday, as a decline in U.S. Treasury yields and strong demand at an auction for two-year JGBs supported buying, although caution regarding the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) monetary policy meeting next week reined in the size of moves.
The benchmark 10-year JGB yield JP10YTN=JBTC fell 1 basis point (bp) to 1.055%.
Longer-dated U.S. Treasury yields were mostly lower on Thursday after a Wednesday tumble in equities helped fuel a safe-haven bid for bonds. US/
Meanwhile, an auction for two-year JGBs on Friday garnered a bid-to-cover ratio of 4.19, its highest since June 2023.
The bid-to-cover is a common measure of demand at auctions, with a larger number signalling higher demand.
The two-year JGB yield JP2YTN=JBTC ticked down to rest flat at 0.39% after the results, having risen to its highest since May 31 at 0.405% in early trade.
But investors were also careful of the possibility that the BOJ may raise interest rates for a second time this year at the conclusion of its July 30-31 meeting, particularly amid a string of comments from politicians and media reports.
"Statements by key officials and speculative news reports have fuelled fears the BOJ will also hike interest rates" next week, Yasunari Ueno, chief market economist at Mizuho Securities, wrote in a note.
"These concerns have lifted the yen and weighed on stocks and bonds."
Sources told Reuters that the bank is likely to debate whether to hike rates next week and unveil a plan to roughly halve bond purchases in coming years.
Core inflation in Japan's capital accelerated for a third straight month in July but an index gauging demand-driven price growth slowed, data showed on Friday.
The five-year yield JP5YTN=JBTC edged down 0.5 bp to 0.625%.
The 20-year JGB yield JP20YTN=JBTC slid 1.5 bps to 1.82%, while the 30-year JGB yield JP30YTN=JBTC also fell 1.5 bps to 2.145%.
Reporting by Brigid Riley; Editing by Mrigank Dhaniwala
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
