Bonds mixed, dollar falls
Bond prices lose ground as Fed officials offer investors few clues about rate outlook.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Bonds were mixed Tuesday as investors digested remarks from top Fed officials that offered few hints on when the central bank might draw its rate-hiking campaign to a close. The dollar fell.
The 10-year Treasury note lost 2/32 to 97-3/32 to yield 4.87 percent, relatively unchanged from late Monday. During Monday's session, the yield on the benchmark note climbed as high as 4.905 percent, the highest since June 2002. The 30-year bond fell 9/32 to 93-17/32 to yield 4.91 percent, up from 4.90 percent in the previous session. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions. The five-year note added one tick to yield 4.82 percent. The two-year note also edged higher one tick, yielding 4.83 percent. On a day with no economic reports, investors focused on mixed remarks from two top Fed policymakers. Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker said inflation expectations were contained, but higher than where he'd like to see them. (Full story.) In separate remarks, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher soothed concerns about the low unemployment rate, saying a tight labor market may not necessarily translate into upward inflationary pressure, due to globalization. "Globalization means economic potential is no longer constrained by political and geographic boundaries. The econometric calculations of the various capacity constraints and gaps of the U.S. economy were based on assumption of a world that exists no more," he said in a speech delivered at Midwestern State University in Texas. Chicago Fed President Michael Moskow, who is not a voting member on the Federal Open Market Committee this year, also made remarks Tuesday. He said further rate hikes may be needed, depending on how inflation develops. Since it started raising rates in June 2004, the Fed has hiked rates 15 straight times. Investors expect the Fed to raise interest rates from the current 4.75 percent to 5 percent when it meets in May, but they are searching for clues as to when the central bank might pause. In currency trading, the euro bought $1.2257, up from $1.2142 late Monday, while the dollar bought ¥117.46, down from ¥117.72 in the previous session. -- from staff and wire reports. ---------------------- For complete economic coverage, click here. |
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