GoKawiilUS Treasury bond yields stay elevated despite Bessent's buying push
The Trump administration's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent moved to boost bond purchases last week, hoping to push yields down and ease the government's debt-servicing burden. Yields dipped briefly but climbed back to pre-intervention levels by Friday, with the 30-year bond trading near multi-decade highs. Trump has responded by attacking the Federal Reserve and even threatening Switzerland over its lower rates.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Rising Treasury yields ripple through mortgage rates and broader borrowing costs, squeezing consumers and dragging on the housing market while making the ballooning $40tn federal debt more expensive to service. The failure of a direct government intervention to tame yields suggests markets are losing confidence in US fiscal management, raising deeper questions about whether Treasurys will keep functioning as the world's premier safe-haven asset.
- Bessent's bond-buying effort failed to sustainably lower Treasury yields.
- Interest payments now consume 13.5% of federal spending, exceeding defense costs.
- Persistent high yields threaten the dollar's status as the global safe-haven benchmark.
The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham — When bond yields swing and headlines scream about safe havens, Graham's classic is the calm counterweight — it explains how bonds, rates and risk actually fit into a portfolio. The revised edition with Jason Zweig's commentary ties Graham's principles to modern markets, making it a useful read while sorting through treasury turmoil.
See The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: theguardian.com — Eduardo Porter, 2026-08-24
Published there as: “The treasury bond mess: is this the demise of the US as a safe haven?”
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