The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield has broken through the psychologically important level of 3%, leaving analysts contemplating what it could mean the future of asset markets and, more importantly, the global economy. The yield on the benchmark bond — which helps to set prices for debt instruments all over the world — inched past 3% on Tuesday, a level that many market players deem dangerous for investments and the economy.
The Federal Reserve has started to run down some of the investments it made to boost the US economy after the financial crisis. The Fed holds a US$4.2trn portfolio of US Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities, and it will initially cut up to US$10bn each month from the amount it reinvests.
The Federal Reserve looked past a dismal reading on first quarter US growth and gave a mostly upbeat assessment of the economy's prospects as it announced another cut in its massive bond-buying stimulus. Latest information indicates that economic activity has picked up after having slowed sharply during the winter in part because of adverse weather conditions, the central bank said on Wednesday.
Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa said China has one of the largest liquid international reserves in the world and could with “a few drops” finance the development of his country and the whole of Latin America.