Australian bonds plunge tracking U.S. Treasuries on hopes of avoiding trade war; RBA keeps interest rate unchanged

Australian bonds plunged during early Asian session Tuesday, tracking similar overnight movement in the U.S. Treasuries as investors hope to avoid a trade war over the coming months, thus weighing on safe-haven instruments.

Also, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has remained on hold at its monetary policy meeting, concluded early today scheduled for March 6.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which moves inversely to its price, jumped 6-1/2 basis points to 2.82 percent, the yield on the long-term 30-year note surged 8 basis points to 3.41 percent and the yield on short-term 2-year traded 4-1/2 basis points up at 2.01 percent by 04:30 GMT.

U.S. government debt yields rose Monday as top Republican lawmakers urged President Donald Trump against tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. Investors across global markets remained on edge Monday after a surprise announcement came from the U.S. administration last Thursday when President Donald Trump stated that the U.S. would be imposing new tariffs on aluminum and steel.

RBA Governor Philip Lowe and his board kept the cash rate at a record-low 1.5 percent Tuesday, in line with market and economists’ expectations. They’re trying to prolong a hiring boom and soak up spare capacity in the labor market in order to generate faster wages growth. The RBA chief signaled he’s seeing some progress.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 index traded 0.09 percent higher at 5,950.5 by 04:35 GMT, while at 04:00GMT, the FxWirePro's Hourly AUD Strength Index remained neutral at 6.66 (a reading above +75 indicates a bullish trend, while that below -75 a bearish trend). For more details, visit http://www.fxwirepro.com/currencyindex

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