f285b50246f86f880bda6e01_ms5815c.jpg Margaret Scott

America’s Bond-Market Blues

The market for US Treasury securities is one of the world’s largest and most active debt markets, providing investors with a secure stock of value, while helping to lower America’s debt-servicing costs. But the recent dumping of long-term US debt by foreign investors heralds the end of an era of cheap financing for the US.

BEIJING – The market for United States Treasury securities is one of the world’s largest and most active debt markets, providing investors with a secure stock of value and a reliable income stream, while helping to lower the US government’s debt-servicing costs. But, according to the US Treasury Department, overseas investors sold a record $54.5 billion in long-term US debt in April of this year, with China slashing its holdings by $5.4 billion. This dumping of US government debt by foreign investors heralds the end of an era of cheap financing for the US.

As it stands, the US government holds roughly 40% of its debt through the Federal Reserve and government agencies like the Social Security Trust Fund, while American and foreign investors hold 30% each. Emerging economies – many of which use large trade surpluses to drive GDP growth and supplement their foreign-exchange reserves with the resulting capital inflows – are leading buyers of US debt.

Over the last decade, these countries’ foreign-exchange reserves have swelled from $750 billion to $6.3 trillion – more than 50% of the global total – providing a major source of financing that has effectively suppressed long-term US borrowing costs. With yields on US ten-year bonds falling by 45% annually, on average, from 2000 to 2012, the US was able to finance its debt on exceptionally favorable terms.

To continue reading, register now.

Subscribe now for unlimited access to everything PS has to offer.

Subscribe

As a registered user, you can enjoy more PS content every month – for free.

Register

https://prosyn.org/KIBnB0D