Treasury Reports Record-Low Yield on 10-Year Note

On Friday, July 8, the Treasury Department reported that the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was its lowest ever: 1.36%. This is astonishing given that this popular US government debt investment has been traded for 226 years (since 1790). Continue reading

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On Friday, July 8, the Treasury Department reported that the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was its lowest ever: 1.36%.  This is astonishing given that this popular US government debt investment has been traded for 226 years (since 1790).

Treasury notes and other government debt instruments are affected by supply and demand, inflation expectations, monetary policy, and the general state of the economy, among other factors.  This historic drop in Treasury yields has been driven by increased demand due to the global “flight to quality” after the Brexit vote, negative yields in Europe and Japan, a cautious Federal Reserve, and slow economic growth around the world.

For anyone studying for the Series 6, Series 7, Series 65, Series 66, Series 79, Series 62, or Series 82, it’s important to remember that bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. That’s why the relationship is often compared to a seesaw.  When the demand for bonds increases, bond prices go up, and yields go down. Conversely, when demand decreases, bond prices go down and yields go up. As demand has surged for Treasury notes and other US government debt, the yield on these notes has declined to record low levels.

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