Euro zone government bond yields edge up before ZEW survey

BY Reuters | ECONOMIC | 11/12/24 02:32 AM EST

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields rose slightly on Tuesday as investors awaited possible clues about the European Central Bank monetary easing path from German economic data.

The ZEW Economic Research Institute will issue figures on German investor morale later in the session.

Borrowing costs dropped the day before, while media reports about potential candidates to serve in the U.S. administration of President-elect Donald Trump renewed concerns about tariffs that could hurt the bloc's economy.

Germany's 2-year yield, which is more sensitive to ECB interest rate expectations, was up one basis point (bp) to 2.14%, after falling 5 bps on Monday.

Money markets priced in a depo rate at around 1.9% in July , from around 2% the day before, while fully pricing in a 25 bps rate cut in December and a 20% chance of a 50 bps move.

Germany's 10-year government bond yield, the euro area's benchmark, was up 0.5 bps at 2.33%, after dropping 4 bps on Wednesday.

Italian 10-year government bond yield, the benchmark of the euro area's periphery, rose 1.5 bps to 3.61%.

The spread between Italian and German 10-year yields - a gauge of risk premium investor demand to hold Italian debt - stood at 126.5 bps.

(Reporting by Stefano Rebaudo, editing by Tmothy Heritage)

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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