10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since November

U.S. Treasury yields were little changed on Tuesday to cap off a month of sharp gains, as traders weighed the prospects of tighter for longer monetary policy.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was last lower by 1 basis point at 3.912%. Earlier, it touched a high of 3.983%, its highest level since Nov. 10. Meanwhile, the yield on the 30-year Treasury bondrose less than 1 basis point to 3.922%.

The 2-year yield climbed slightly to 4.801% after reaching its highest level since November on Monday. Yields move inversely to prices.

Tuesday marks the final day of trading in February. The 10-year Treasury yield has advanced more than 50 basis points for the month, and the 2-year yield has gained more than 70 basis points.

Those gains come as traders increasingly bet on Federal Reserve rates staying higher for longer, as recent data points to persistent inflation. The core personal consumption expenditures price index rose 4.7% in January from the year-earlier period, beating expectations. The overall PCE index advanced 5.4% year over year, also more than expected.

“Notably, current yields are meaningfully higher than where they stood in mid-January. As a result, Treasuries and other conservative assets currently offer investors competitive returns for less risk compared to stocks,” said Ameriprise chief market strategist Anthony Saglimbene.

“On the margin, stocks are seeing increased competition from bonds and money market funds this month. We believe this dynamic is contributing to the outflows seen across equity funds in February.