In January of this year, the yield of 10-year German bonds for the first time since May 2019 came out of the negative zone and broke the mark of 0% per annum. Moreover, the growth continued, today the yield approached 0.9%.
Negative profitability - does this really happen?
Quite. And the reason for everything is the reduction of the key rate — one of the ways to stimulate economic growth. When loans become cheaper, companies actively take money for their development. As a result, their growth occurs. Therefore, in the last few decades, the central banks of developed countries have sought to lower the key rate. And they actively worked in this direction until they reached 0% per annum.
Is that it, a dead end? Or is it possible to stimulate growth further? After all, the cheapness of money does not always contribute to the growth of lending and investment. Banks, funds and ordinary people can simply save money "under the pillow". In this case, there is money in the economy, the rate is minimal, but the money does not work. We need to force them.
"What if we make money storage paid?" - that's what the central banks thought and introduced negative deposit rates. As a result, now the ECB deposit rate is -0.5%
Well, in such a system, why not appear government bonds with a zero coupon? There is a demand for them, but at auctions they are placed at a price above par - which means that the yield on them turns out to be negative.
By the way, this approach was first invented by countries facing the problems of deflation and lack of growth. The pioneer was Sweden, which introduced negative deposit rates in 2009. Then her example was followed by Japan, Switzerland, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
And for the state, such a monetary policy is also a way to reduce debt.
Who buys "anti-bonds"
Surprisingly, the demand for them is stable. Who needs them?
- Those who should. These are banks, pension funds, insurance companies. After all, banks are forced to keep their reserves in accounts with the Central Bank, and funds and insurance companies must keep part of the portfolio in reliable instruments. And if banks can still shift the costs to their customers in the form of additional account maintenance fees, then pension funds and their clients suffer from such a policy.
- Sometimes it is cheaper to "park" your money in bonds with negative yields than to pay fees for servicing a deposit in a bank.
In general, such bonds are not designed to hold them to maturity. For conservative investors, they are an analogue of money. For speculators — the opportunity to buy cheaper and sell more expensive.
Bonds with negative yields are also bought by players counting on the strengthening of the currency in which the bonds are denominated.
The main buyer is the Central Bank
In the context of the policy of quantitative easing, that is, buying assets from banks, the main buyer of government bonds are central banks.
The ECB's statement on the continuation of asset purchases makes German bonds, as the main economy of the Eurozone, attractive. After all, if the price stimulated by the ECB continues to rise and the yield falls, then you can make money on it. While in the opposite situation, with the reduction of the quantitative easing program, without the support of the ECB, the price will begin to fall, and the yield will grow.
Why is the yield on German 10-year bonds getting higher?
Investors' expectations related to ECB policy. He plans to wind down the asset purchase program in the third quarter of this year, and then proceed to raise the rate.
The growth in the yields of American 10-year treasuries, which approached 3%. In terms of the yield/reliability ratio, treasuries are clearly ahead of German bonds.
What can the rise in German bond yields lead to?
- Change in the exchange rate. The flow of funds overseas will strengthen the dollar and weaken the euro. Although much here will depend on the strategies of monetary tightening of the two regulators - the Fed and the ECB.
- German bonds are an important indicator of the European debt market. An increase in bond yields leads to an increase in the cost of borrowing for all other eurozone countries. The situation could greatly harm weaker EU economies such as Greece and Italy. Against the background of high inflation, these countries may face problems in selling their bonds and, as a result, in servicing their debt. As a result, there is a risk of a repeat of the scenario of the 2010-2013 Eurozone debt crisis.