TOKYO: US Treasuries were supported in Asia on Monday as market players look to the US Federal Reserve for signs it will not rush to shrink its huge balance sheet at a policy-setting meeting this week, though buying was kept to a minimum before a series of auctions.
The yield on the 10-year US Treasuries stood at 3.40 percent, little changed from late Thursday trade before the Easter holiday.
US government debt yields have declined over the past two weeks as investors anticipate that slowing growth and pressure to cut government spending will require the Federal Reserve to hold rates lower for longer than some had expected.
Traders also expect Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to offer a more dovish tone on the bank's policy than hawkish members of the bank when he holds a news conference -- the first regularly scheduled news briefing by a Fed chief in the central bank's 97-year history -- after its policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Fed is expected to renew its commitment to complete its $600 billion in government debt purchases by June, with focus on whether the bank also plans to keep investing proceeds from maturing mortgage-backed debt into government bonds.
But investors were not in a hurry to buy ahead of three debt auctions, including a $35 billion offer of two-year notes on Tuesday and a $35 billion sale of five-year notes on Wednesday.
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