For all the talk of higher interest rates in 2013, the world’s biggest investors are back buying US Treasuries.
At the start of the year, selling Treasuries in anticipation of a rebound in yields seemed like a sensible bet. The nation had just avoided plunging over the fiscal cliff, economic data was upbeat, and some Federal Reserve officials were questioning the size of the central bank’s balance sheet, suggesting that open ended bond purchases would start tapering by the summer.
But fast forward to April and the total return on US government bonds has turned positive as the tone for the economy has softened, led by downbeat jobs data for March. Treasury yields are back near their lows for the year.