JGBs mixed in muted trading session amid ongoing global economic worries

The Japanese government bonds remained mixed on Friday amid ongoing global economic worries in a muted trading session that barely witnessed any data of esteemed economic significance.

At close, the yield on the benchmark 10-year JGB note, which moves inversely to its price, hovered around -0.233 percent, the yield on the long-term 30-year jumped 2 basis points to 0.182 percent and the yield on short-term 2-year slumped 27 basis points to -0.274 percent.

Global risk appetite appears to be attempting to stabilize as the S&P 500 index edged up overnight amid better-than-expected US retail sales data, albeit the UST bond market continued to rally, OCBC Treasury Research reported.

The 10- and 30-year UST bond yields broke through 1.5 percent (for the first time since August 2016) and 2 percent respectively to a low of 1.47 percent and 1.95 percent (record low) and bull-steepened the curve, the report added.

Also, President Trump opined that a trade deal with China must be on US terms and he will have a call with China’s Xi very soon, OCBC further noted in the report.

Meanwhile, the Nikkei 225 index slipped -0.18 percent to 20,368.85 at close.