The two-year US Treasury yield briefly touched a record low of 0.1049%. Benchmark 10-year yields eased slightly to 1.2771%, pulling away from the highest level since Feb. 27, 2020 as some investors judged that recent selling of fixed income had gone too far.
The British pound held firm at $1.3895, having reached its highest level since April 2018 on Tuesday. Against the euro, the pound traded at its highest level since early May at 87.02 pence per euro.
Trading was subdued as the Shanghai Futures Exchange is shut during Feb. 11-17 for the Lunar New Year holidays in China, the world's top metals consumer.