The 10-year Treasury yield increases during the week, with Powell stating that the Fed has no immediate plans to continue lowering interest rates.

The 10-year Treasury yield increases during the week, with Powell stating that the Fed has no immediate plans to continue lowering interest rates.
The 10-year Treasury yield increases during the week, with Powell stating that the Fed has no immediate plans to continue lowering interest rates.

On Friday, the 10-year Treasury yield increased, concluding a week where the yield jumped due to new inflation data and remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell indicating that the central bank might not be as aggressive with its rate-cutting campaign next year.

Last week, the 10-year Treasury yield was about 0.12% lower than its highest point in the past 10 years, while the 2-year yield was about 0.07% higher than its lowest point in the past 10 years. Yields and prices move in opposite directions, with higher yields indicating lower prices.

On Thursday, Powell's speech was closely watched by investors for indications of future monetary policy decisions. Powell stated that the central bank would not need to rapidly reduce interest rates due to the robust U.S. economy.

"Powell stated in his speech that the economy is not indicating any urgency to lower rates, as the current strength allows for cautious decision-making."

The Fed cut interest rates by a quarter point last week, but investors now expect a different outcome at the next December meeting.

The probability that the Fed will cut rates by 25 basis points at its December meeting has decreased from 82.5% to 62.4% after Powell's remarks, while the likelihood of the Fed holding rates steady at the meeting has increased from 17.5% to 37.9%, according to the CME FedWatch tool.

The annual inflation rate for October was 2.6%, but the core CPI, excluding food and energy, accelerated to 3.3% annually, still falling short of the Fed's 2% target. Additionally, weekly jobless claims for the week ending Nov. 9 decreased by 4,000 from the previous week to 217,000, indicating a strong economy.

Economic data, including retail sales, industrial production, and import prices, will be the focus of investors' attention on Friday.

by Brian Evans

Markets