Treasury Yields Scale 24-Year Highs

The US 10-year Treasury yield traded near 5.3% on Thursday, while the 30-year yield stood around 5.64%, with both reaching their highest levels since 2002 amid concerns that persistent energy-driven inflation could prompt tighter monetary policy. Deteriorating fiscal conditions, growing US government debt and weaker-than-expected bond buybacks have also weighed on the Treasury market in recent weeks. Oil prices remain elevated as the US and Iran make little progress in negotiations despite signs of recovering Middle East flows, raising inflationary risks. Meanwhile, data released Wednesday showed the US PCE price index rose 0.3% in August, below expectations for a 0.4% increase, while core PCE advanced 0.2%, also below forecasts of 0.3%. Markets now see roughly a 38% chance of a Federal Reserve rate hike in October, down from 51% before the PCE data. Investors also await the latest weekly jobless claims on Thursday and the September jobs report on Friday.