Treasury yields hit highest since 2007 as markets fret Fed action

Treasury yields have risen in the lead-up to the Federal Reserve’s next interest rate decision this week, with the 10-year yield hitting its highest level in more than a decade.

Benchmark 10-year Treasury yields were sitting at 4.34% on Tuesday, the highest they have been since 2007. Meanwhile, the benchmark two-year Treasury yield was at 5.08%, the highest it has been since 2006, although it was briefly a bit higher in March.

The yields are also inverted, meaning that the shorter-term yields are higher than longer-term yields. Yield curve inversions can portend recessions and can show investors have little faith in growth picking up in the coming years.

The higher yields come a day before the Fed makes its next decision on interest rates. The consensus is that the central bank will hold its rate target steady on Wednesday at 5.25% to 5.50%, although recent inflation reports have made it likely that it will have to hold a restrictive stance for longer, which likely, in part, is factoring into the higher yields, according to Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.