Treasuries Move Back To The Downside On Bank Of Japan Decision

After ending the previous session modestly higher, treasuries moved back to the downside during trading on Friday.

Bond prices came under pressure in morning trading but regained some ground in the afternoon before closing moderately lower. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, rose by 3 basis points to 2.335 percent.

The pullback by treasuries came as traders moved into riskier assets amid news of further monetary policy easing by the Bank of Japan.

By a 5-4 vote, the Bank of Japan’s Monetary Policy Board unexpectedly decided to raise the monetary base at an annual pace of about 80 trillion yen. The bank previously targeted an increase of about 60 to 70 trillion yen.

Another upbeat reading on U.S. consumer sentiment also weighed on treasuries, with a report from Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan showing that sentiment improved by more than previously estimated in October.

The report said the final reading on the consumer sentiment index for October came in at 86.9 compared to the mid-month reading of 86.4. Economists had expected the index to be unrevised.

With the unexpected upward revision, the index rose from the final September reading of 84.6 to reach its highest level since July of 2007.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index also came in better than expected earlier in the week, generating some optimism about the holiday shopping season.

Meanwhile, traders largely shrugged off a separate Commerce Department report showing an unexpected drop in U.S. personal spending in the month of September.

Employment data is likely to move into the spotlight next week, with the Labor Department scheduled to release its closely watched monthly jobs report next Friday.

Ahead of the jobs report, trading could be impacted by data on manufacturing activity, international trade, private sector employment and labor productivity.

Published: 2014-10-31 20:41:00 UTC+00

Treasuries Move Back To The Downside On Bank Of Japan Decision