A worsening U.S. fiscal situation caught stock and bond investors off guard in the past week and now a round of approaching government auctions is about to provide a crucial test for Treasurys.The question in the days ahead is whether risks to the demand for U.S. government debt are growing. If so, that could put upward pressure on Treasury yields, which would undermine the performance of stocks.
Gene Tannuzzo, global head of fixed income at Boston-based Columbia Threadneedle Investments, said that while he and his team still have room to add T-bills to the government money-market funds they oversee during the week ahead, they haven’t made up their minds about whether to buy more longer-dated maturities for their bond funds.
Key Words: Warren Buffett dismisses Fitch downgrade: ‘There are some things people shouldn’t worry about’ On the flip side of the debate is John Flahive, head of fixed income at BNY Mellon Wealth Management in Boston, which managed $286 billion in assets as of June. He said equity markets will continue to be much more focused on economic developments and earnings. And as long as the latter of the two remains robust, stocks “can grind higher in a low-volatility environment,” Flahive said via phone.