Europe’s weaker economy limits fallout of US bond rout

London, Aug. 30 (BNA): A big selloff that pushed U.S. borrowing costs to 15-year highs left euro zone bonds relatively unscathed in August, reflecting investor bets the bloc’s economic growth and funding needs will increasingly lag those in the United States.

 

A resilient U.S. economy and rising borrowing needs pushed Treasury yields to their highest in over 15 years in August amid growing expectations that interest rates would stay higher for longer.

 

Furthermore, U.S. inflation-adjusted borrowing costs rose above 2% for the first time since 2009, hurting stocks and pushing up borrowing costs globally, Reuters reported.

 

European bonds, however, were less affected.

 

While the U.S. economy, which grew 2.4% last quarter, has delivered a string of positive surprises, sharp contractions in business activity last week pointed to deepening economic pain in Europe.