Spanish Bonds
Via the BBC: Spain’s borrowing costs at fresh high after Moody’s cut
Spain’s borrowing costs have risen to another euro-era record, with lenders demanding a higher interest rate.
The yield on benchmark 10-year bonds hit 7% in early trade, a level which many analysts believe is unsustainable in the long term. It later fell back slightly.
It came as Moody’s cut Spain’s credit rating to one notch above “junk”.
Italy also saw borrowing costs rise, selling bonds repayable in three years with a yield of 5.3%, up from 3.9%.
Meanwhile, a ten year US treasury note was at 1.62% as of 2:50pm EDT and Greek bonds at 28.54% as of noon.
Also on the domestic front, Key Measures show slowing inflation in May
Actually, what they showed was deflation. Which isn’t necessarily a good thing
@Doug Mataconis:
For the month, yes. I think CR chose “slowing inflation” because they think the “index for all items less food and energy” (up 0.2 percent in May) will be more indicative of the future.
I actually prefer year-over-year numbers to the monthlies or thee “ex food/fuel” numbers.
When Ben Bernanke was on Capitol Hill to testify in front of the Joint Economic Committee the other week, GOP senators were still banging the stop the activism, you’re doing too much, “INFLATION!”, drum:
It went on like that.
If the previous financial crisises were any indication, the one thing we have learned is that the bond holders never, ever lose.
Do people really think there’s a significant chance that this time would be different, to justify the higher rates?
@Gustopher: Well, the Greek bond holders who were not official bond holders took a serious loss, and if the Euro blows up, the reintroduction of the peso, lira, drachma etc will lead to significant (and needed) inflation, which also leads to real losses on the bonds.
there is a chance that some bond holders could actually take a loss.
@Doug Mataconis:
Exactly right.
Deflation should worry Americans far more than inflation, however there are many people out there who believe that our current deficit situation will at some point set off a hyper-inflation.
Right now, for all the bleating about fuel and energy prices the rate of inflation is very low, and recession and deflation are becoming real concerns.
@al-Ameda:
Using the important year-over-year numbers we’re further from deflation than we’ve been since 2009.
The 2009 to 2010 trend was pretty much down hill, in 2011 that reversed sharply.