Treasury yields fall as traders rethink Fed rate hikes after Powell comments

Treasury yields fall as traders rethink Fed rate hikes after Powell comments


Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Friday, March 27, 2026.

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images

U.S. Treasury yields edged lower on Tuesday morning, as investors reassessed the outlook for Federal Reserve interest rates and continued to monitor developments in the Middle East.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell more than 3 basis points to 4.307%. Yields on the 2-year and 30-year Treasurys fell by more than 4 basis points and more than 1 basis point at 3.779% and 4.892%, respectively.

One basis point is equal to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.

The U.S.-Iran war continues to hold the attention of investors across the globe. Elevated oil prices are fueling both inflation concerns and recessionary fears, thereby clouding the outlook for monetary policy trajectories.

Money markets are now overwhelmingly pricing in zero rate cuts from the Federal Reserve for the rest of the year, according to the CME’s FedWatch tool. Last week, futures traders briefly pushed the probability of a rate increase by the end of 2026 to 52%.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Monday that he sees inflation expectations as grounded despite rising energy prices so the central bank doesn’t need to respond with higher interest rates.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday evening that Trump told aides he was willing to end U.S. military hostilities against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remained largely closed.

The waterway, a critical shipping route, has essentially been closed for the duration of the conflict, causing a supply glut in the oil market that has sent prices skyrocketing.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera in an interview published Monday that Washington’s objectives in Iran would take “weeks, not months” to achieve.

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