TOKYO: The Japanese government bond yield curve flattened a touch on Thursday on relief after an auction of 30-year debt managed to attract some demand after early indications had suggested a weaker outcome.
The benchmark 10-year yield was up half a basis point at 0.035 percent, but off an earlier high of 0.040 percent. The 20-year yield was down 0.5 basis point at 0.500 percent.
The 800 billion yen ($7.06 billion) 30-year auction results were not particularly strong, with the bid-to-cover ratio, a gauge of demand, slipping to 2.85 from 3.50 at the previous auction.
Still, the market was relieved as expectations towards the sale were low to begin with. Although not impressive, the results still showed that a degree of demand from investors still existed for the 30-years despite the headwinds facing the market, notably the recent surge in global yields.
"As 30-year yields have risen about 10 basis points since the previous sale (in October), it appears to have attracted buyers with long-term investments in mind," said Makoto Suzuki, senior fixed-income strategist at Okasan Securities.
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