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August 17, 2015 at 06:26 AM
(Bloomberg) — The bond market is saying China’s decision to devalue the yuan won’t stop the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates.
Futures contracts indicate traders see a 50 percent chance the U.S. central bank will increase official borrowing costs at policy makers’ Sept. 16-17 meeting, up from 40 percent odds on Aug. 11, when China unexpectedly devalued its currency. At the same time, economists at the world’s biggest bond shops are paring bets on how quickly Treasury yields will rise amid global growth concerns as a bond-market inflation gauge fell to the lowest in more than six years.
“The post-liftoff pace is increasingly moving into focus, but September still matters a lot, particularly with markets still not fully prepared for it,” said Michael Leister, a senior rates strategist at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. “Our economists still expect a September lift-off, with markets about 50-50, hence there is room for Treasury yields to rise and the curve to flatten.”
Treasury two-year note yields, which are closely tied to expectations regarding a Fed rate increase, rose one basis point, or 0.01 percentage point, to 0.72 percent as of 1:06 p.m. New York time, according to Bloomberg Bond Trader data. Treasury 30-year yields, which are more influenced by the longer-term outlook for growth and inflation, fell three basis points to 2.83 percent.
‘Stronger’ Data
The one-year break-even rate, a bond-market inflation gauge, fell to the lowest on a closing basis since May 2009.
Benchmark Treasury 10-year yields were little changed after a report showed factory production rose more than forecast in July as automobile assembly jumped to the highest since 1978.
