JGBs little changed ahead of Bessent's visit, auctions

TOKYO: Japanese government bonds were little changed on Friday as the market geared up for an eventful week, including a visit of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to Tokyo, and auctions.

The 10-year JGB yield rose 0.5 basis point (bp) to 2.480%.

The two-year yield was up 0.5 bp to 1.37%, and the five-year yield rose 1 bp to 1.860%. Yields move inversely to bond prices.

“JGBs traded sideways with a weak note in the current session as the market awaited the week with market-moving cues,” said Katsutoshi Inadome, a senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management.

Bessent is scheduled to meet with Japan’s prime minister, central bank governor, and finance minister in his three-day visit to the country starting Monday, sources told Reuters.

There will be auctions for 10- and 30-year bonds, and the Bank of Japan will release the summary of opinions for its April meeting.

“The Bessent visit will probably not become a source of turbulence in the market, but the market weighs the auctions and the BOJ’s summary of opinions,” Inadome said. Both the auctions will be weak, as the market is cautious about buying the 10-year bonds ahead of the BOJ’s imminent interest rate hike, Inadome said.

The 30-year bonds have become expensive in a recent trend of the curve flattening, he said.

The spread between 10-year bonds and 30-year bonds has narrowed to around 122 bps on Friday from 130 bps at the end of March.

“The ideal level of the spread for us to buy the 30-year bonds is around 140-150 bps,” Inadome said.

The 30-year yield fell 2 bps to 3.705%.

The 20-year JGB yield slipped 1 bp to 3.350%. The 40-year JGBs have not been traded as of 0438 GMT.