New era of high rates: why it worries the market and how it affects Argentina

New era of high rates: why it worries the market and how it affects Argentina

Even in Japanwhere official rates remain below 0%, lBond yields have returned to 2013 levels.

Since public borrowing costs influence everything from mortgage rates for homeowners to loan rates for businesses, There are many reasons to worry.

Why are global debt rates rising?

Markets are increasingly convinced that interest rates will remain high. With inflation high, excluding food and energy prices, and the U.S. economy resilient, central banks have shrugged off bets that they will cut rates.

Traders now see that the Federal Reserve will cut rates only to 4.7%, from the current 5.25%-5.50%, compared to the 4.3% they anticipated at the end of August.

This Worries over fiscal outlook compound after Fitch downgrades US credit rating in August, which mentioned the high levels of deficit. Italy, a heavily indebted country, raised its deficit target last week.

Higher deficits mean more bond salesat the same time that central banks unload their vast investments in debt, so the Longer term yields are rising as investors demand higher returns.

According to analysts, many investors were also betting that Bond yields would fall, making them more sensitive to moves in the opposite direction.

How far could the wave of sales go?

US economic data continues to show resilience, and Monday’s upbeat manufacturing survey sent Treasury yields higher again.

It’s no surprise, and analysts aren’t ruling out a rise in 10-year Treasury yields. up to 5%, from the current 4.7%. When the yield on a bond rises, its price falls.

But the European economy has deteriorated, so sales should be more limited, as bonds tend to perform better when an economy weakens, and most major central banks have signaled they have ended rate hikes.

The German 10-year yield of 2.9% could soon reach 3%, another milestone considering yields were below 0% in early 2022.

Bonus drop: why is it important and should you worry?

U.S. 10-year Treasury yields have risen to their 230-year average for the first time since 2007, according to Deutsche Bank data, highlighting the challenge of adjusting to higher rates.

Bond yields determine the financing costs of governments, Therefore, the longer they remain high, the more they will affect the interests that countries pay.

This is bad news, since the financing needs of governments are still many. In Europe, slowing economies will limit the extent to which governments can withdraw fiscal aid.

But the rise in yields is welcome for central bankers as it does part of their job by raising market borrowing costs.

Financial conditions in the United States are the most restrictive in almost a year, according to a closely watched Goldman Sachs index.

What does this mean for global markets?

The repercussions are broad. First, rising yields pave the way for a third consecutive year of losses for global public debt, which harms investors who for a long time were betting on a change in trend.

Refering to equities, rising bond yields are starting to take money out of buoyant markets. The S&P 500 is down about 7.5% from its July highs.

Attention could once again focus on banks, large holders of public debt that are accumulating latent losses, a risk that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in March put on the radar.

“(The bond sale) will have a strong impact on banks that hold long-term Treasury bonds,” said Mahmood Pradhan, head of macro at Amundi Investment Institute. “The longer it persists, the more sectors will be affected.”

Rising yields in the United States also mean an increasingly strong dollar, putting pressure on other currencies, especially the Japanese yen.

Should emerging markets worry?

Yeah. Rising global yields has increased pressure on emerging markets, especially about the higher risk economies, such as Argentina.

According to JPMorgan, the extra yield that “junk” rated governments pay on their hard currency debt over U.S. Treasury bonds has risen to more than 800 basis points, 70 more than the August 1 low.

According to Andrea Kiguel, head of FX and emerging markets macro strategy for the Americas at Barclays, “The intensification of the uptrend for longer, coupled with the rise in oil prices, has also been the main driver of the overall strength of the US dollar.”

“The speed of the movement has led to weakness in the region’s currencies, a violent sell-off in local rates and a widening of emerging market credit spreads”.

Source: Ambito

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