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Why bond yields are rising, and why everyone should care

Why bond yields are rising, and why everyone should care

C1🇹🇼 中文 → 🇺🇸 English

September 24th, 2026

Why bond yields are rising, and why everyone should care

C1
Please note: This article has been simplified for language learning purposes. Some context and nuance from the original text may have been modified or removed.

🇺🇸 English

Almost everyone feels the impact of bond market movements, no matter how distant and abstract they may seem.

幾乎所有人都會感受到債券市場動態所帶來的影響,無論其看似多麼遙遠和抽象。

Bond yields have climbed to their highest level in about two decades, which will affect all borrowers, including those who are frustrated by high inflation and struggling to keep up, as well as companies that want to build data centers for artificial intelligence technology.

債券殖利率已攀升至約二十年來的最高水準,這將影響所有借貸者,包括那些因高通膨而感到沮喪、難以跟上步伐的人,以及那些想為人工智慧技術建造資料中心的企業。

The impact of high yields can even extend to those who do not borrow.

高殖利率的影響甚至會波及不借貸的人。

For savers, this means they can earn more substantial interest by allocating their cash to bonds or high-yield savings accounts.

就儲戶而言,這意味著他們能藉由將現金配置於債券或高收益儲蓄帳戶來獲取更豐厚的利息。

This may also depress the value of the stocks in their 401(k) accounts.

此舉亦可能壓低其 401(k) 帳戶中股票的價值。

For all American taxpayers, higher yields may lead their federal government to pay higher interest, because it must continually borrow cash to cover the huge gap between its spending and its tax revenue.

對所有美國納稅人來說,更高的殖利率可能導致他們的聯邦政府支付更高的利息,因為政府必須不斷借入現金,以彌補其支出與稅收收入之間的巨大缺口。

That leaves less money for everything else.

那會讓用於其他所有事情的錢變得更少。

The following aims to shed light on the current situation and its far-reaching implications:

以下旨在闡明當前局勢及其深遠意涵:

When governments and large corporations need capital, they typically do not apply to banks for loans; instead, they sell IOUs to investors and promise to repay the money at a certain interest rate.

當政府與大型企業需要資金時,它們通常不會向銀行申請貸款,而是向投資者出售欠條,並承諾按某個利率償還這筆錢。

IOUs that are not repaid until many years later are called bonds.

多年後才償還的欠條被稱為債券。

Investors buy and sell these IOUs on the bond market after they are issued.

投資者會在這些欠條發行後於債券市場上買賣它們。

If bonds start to appear less attractive—for instance, when concerns about inflation rise—buyers can purchase a bond previously worth $100 for less than $100.

如果債券開始看起來不那麼有吸引力,例如當對通膨的擔憂上升時,買家可以用低於 100 美元的價格買到先前價值 100 美元的債券。

Even if the bond's price falls, it still pays the same interest rate.

即使債券價格下跌,它仍支付相同的利率。

This means that the return, expressed as a percentage, that new buyers earn on their money will be higher than the interest rate the bond pays at face value.

這表示新買家以百分比計算的資金回報,將高於該債券按面值支付的利率。

These payments are known as the bond's yield.

這些支付被稱為債券的殖利率。

In other words, when a bond's price falls, its yield rises; and vice versa.

換句話說,當債券價格下跌時,其殖利率便會上升;反之亦然。

At the heart of the bond market lies the US Treasury, which is essentially the IOU the American government sells in order to borrow money.

債券市場的核心是美國財政部,即美國政府為借錢而出售的欠條。

The yield on US government bonds, in turn, serves as the benchmark against which most other types of borrowing rates are set.

美國公債的殖利率,則是大多數其他種類借款利率所依據的基準。

For example, for someone who wants to buy a home, the interest rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is usually the yield on the 10-year US Treasury note plus a spread that may be small or large, depending on how good or bad their credit score is.

舉例來說,對於想要購房的人而言,其30年期固定房貸利率通常會是10年期美國公債殖利率,再加上一些或很多的利差,這取決於他們的信用評分有多好或多差。

The US Treasury market is made up of several segments, ranging from short-term Treasury bills that mature within days to bonds that are not repaid until thirty years later.

美國公債市場由多個部分組成,涵蓋從數天內到期的短期國庫券,到三十年後才償還的債券。

Each segment affects a different type of loan, whether it is the interest a saver can earn on a 12-month certificate of deposit or the interest a company must pay on money borrowed to expand its factory.

每個部分均影響不同類型的貸款,無論是儲戶從 12 個月定存單可賺取的利息,還是一家公司為擴建工廠而借貸所須支付的利息。

The different segments of the bond market do not always move in sync, but these days they are all rising.

債券市場的不同部分未必總是同步變動,但如今它們卻全都在上升。

On Thursday, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury climbed to nearly 5.18%, returning to levels last seen in 2007 — that is, before the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession drove yields down to zero.

週四,10 年期美國公債殖利率攀升至接近 5.18%,重返 2007 年的水準,也就是 2008 年金融危機與大衰退將殖利率推向零之前的水準。

Since hitting bottom and falling below 0.50% in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, that yield has been climbing steadily.

自2020年因COVID疫情觸底、跌破0.50%以來,該殖利率便持續攀升。

However, since late February its upward pace has clearly accelerated, when the war with Iran sharply drove up oil prices and inflation concerns.

然而自2月底以來,其上行速度明顯加快,當時與伊朗的戰事大幅推升了油價與通膨憂慮。

Before the United States and Iran launched their attacks, the 10-year yield stood at only 3.97%.

在美國與伊朗發動攻擊之前,10年期殖利率僅為3.97%。

This surge has pushed the average rate on long-term US mortgages up to 7%, the first time this has happened since early 2025, making it even harder for potential homebuyers to afford a house.

這波攀升已將美國長期房貸平均利率推升至 7%,此為 2025 年初以來的首次,致使潛在購屋者更加難以負擔得起房子。

This has also weighed on the rally in US stocks, which had only just recovered earlier this week to levels close to record highs.

這也拖累了美國股市的漲勢,而股市本週稍早才剛回升至接近歷史高點的水準。

Rising US Treasury yields push down the prices of all kinds of investments, from stocks and gold to cryptocurrencies.

美國公債殖利率走高,會壓低從股票、黃金到加密貨幣等各類投資的價格。

The reason is this: when US Treasuries offer higher returns than before, why should investors pay high prices for investments that are riskier or pay no dividends?

原因在於:當美國公債提供的報酬比以前更高時,投資人何必為風險更高或零股息的投資支付高價?

The recent rise in US Treasury yields is largely attributable to higher oil prices and concerns about inflation.

近期美國公債殖利率上升,很大一部分是因為油價上漲和對通膨的擔憂。

When inflation is high, a dollar next year will buy less than a dollar today.

當通膨高漲時,明年的 1 美元能買到的東西會比今天的 1 美元少。

Bonds typically pay a fixed amount of interest over many years into the future, which makes inflation a major risk.

而債券通常會在未來多年支付固定金額的利息,這使通膨成為一大風險。

At the same time, governments around the world are accumulating more and more debt, which means they are issuing more bonds in order to borrow money, and a steady increase in supply will drive their prices down.

同時,各國政府不斷累積更多債務,這表示它們發行更多債券來借款,而供應持續增加會壓低其價格。

All the bonds that large companies issue to build AI data centres and to expand their operations in other ways have the same effect.

大公司為建造 AI 資料中心以及以其他方式擴張業務而發行的所有債券,也產生同樣的效果。

US Treasury yields have risen, partly because the American economy, despite facing numerous challenges, still appears remarkably robust.

美國公債殖利率上升,部分原因在於美國經濟儘管面臨諸多挑戰,卻仍顯得十分穩健。

For instance, after a preliminary report on Wednesday showed that growth in US business activity had surged to its strongest level in more than five years, US Treasury yields were given a boost as a result.

例如,週三一份初步報告顯示美國商業活動成長飆升至五年多來最強水準後,美國公債殖利率隨之受到提振。

Data of this kind may convince the Federal Reserve that the economy is strong enough to withstand further increases in the very short-term interest rate it directly controls.

這類數據或可讓聯準會相信,經濟已強勁到足以承受進一步上調其直接控制的極短期利率。

Last week, the Fed raised the federal funds rate for the first time since 2023, aiming to cool the economy and remove some of the factors fuelling inflation.

聯準會上週進行了自 2023 年以來首次的聯邦基金利率上調,以期讓經濟降溫,並消除部分助長通膨的因素。

Traders are betting that the Fed will raise interest rates again this year and next, which has already pushed up yields on shorter-term US Treasuries.

交易員押注聯準會將在今年和明年再次升息,這已推高較短期美國公債殖利率。

The rise in yields in the US Treasury market is not an isolated phenomenon; as investors observe debt burdens and inflation continuing to increase across continents, global yields have climbed accordingly.

美國公債市場殖利率的上升並非個別現象;隨著投資者觀察到各大洲債務負擔與通膨持續增加,全球殖利率也隨之攀升。

The German 10-year yield has long been regarded as one of the safest places to lend money in Europe; it now stands at close to 3.60%, having returned to its 2008 level.

德國 10 年期殖利率長期被視為歐洲最安全的放貸去處之一,目前接近 3.60%,已回到 2008 年的水準。

Earlier this month, the European Central Bank also raised its own interest rates in the hope of slowing inflation.

歐洲央行本月稍早也調升了自己的利率,以期讓通膨放緩。

Japan's 10-year yield now stands at 3.08%, a dramatic shift from the negative yields seen in 2020, when officials were trying to stimulate the economy.

日本 10 年期殖利率現為 3.08%,與 2020 年官員試圖刺激經濟時的負殖利率相比,出現巨大轉變。

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