U.S. Treasury yields were flat on Friday morning as investors reacted to the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes and awaited key inflation and consumer data.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was fractionally lower at 3.8751%, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was little changed at 3.8784%. Yields move inversely to prices.
Minutes from the Fed’s last meeting on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 published on Wednesday showed that while there were signs of inflation easing, central bank officials were still concerned about rising prices. They also noted that further interest rate hikes are likely, prompting a fall in yields on Thursday as investors sought safety.
Market participants are concerned about the pace of future hikes against a backdrop of contradictory economic signals, with inflation remaining high but the U.S. consumer proving surprisingly resilient.
January’s personal income and consumer spending figures are due before the bell, with a Dow Jones consensus forecast anticipating a 1.2% rise in personal income and 1.4% increase in consumer spending.
The personal consumption expenditures price index, also due Friday morning, is the Fed’s preferred measurement of inflation.