AI Summary. A global bond sell-off pushed long-term borrowing costs in the US, Europe and the UK to their highest levels in decades, with the 30-year US Treasury yield reaching 5.73%, its highest since 2002. Investors cited concerns over inflation and high public debt burdens, with French and Italian yields also rising.

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The US 10-year Treasury yield fell to 5.29% from 5.36% after strong auction demand. The 30-year yield rose to as high as 5.73%, its highest level since 2002, before settling at 5.66%.

Are inflation and debt worries pushing long-term yields to decades-highs?

Core argument: The 30-year US Treasury yield rose as much as 0.09 percentage points to 5.73%, its highest level since 2002, before easing to 5.66% following a strong 10-year Treasury auction.

A sell-off in US government bonds eased after an auction of 10-year Treasuries drew strong demand in a sign that investors were seeking to lock in the highest yields since the turn of the millennium. US 10-year Treasury yields, a benchmark for borrowing costs in the world’s biggest economy, climbed as high as 5.36% in volatile trading early on Wednesday. But yields fell back sharply after a $39bn auction went smoothly, with the 10-year recently trading at 5.29%. France’s 10-year borrowing costs rose to 4.87%, heading back towards the post-2002 high reached this month, amid persistent worries that the Eurozone’s second-biggest economy was heading for a debt reckoning.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. The 30-year US Treasury yield rose as much as 0.09 percentage points to 5.73%, its highest level since 2002, before easing to 5.66% following a strong 10-year Treasury auction.
  2. A global bond sell-off pushed long-term borrowing costs in the US, Europe and the UK back to their highest levels in decades, as fears over inflation and high public debt burdens rattled investors.
  3. French and Italian government bond yields each rose more than 0.1 percentage points, extending a series of wild swings in European government debt markets.

AI Summary. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose as much as 0.5% alongside oil prices following a pickup in Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, approaching a new peak for the year. Nearly all Group of 10 currencies weakened against the dollar, with the euro lagging all its major peers.

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The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index is approaching a record high for the year as political risk from France weighs on the euro, though it remains ~4% under its pre-Liberation Day level.

Does rising shipping conflict strengthen the dollar against major currencies?

Core argument: The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose as much as 0.5%, approaching a new peak for the year, alongside a rise in oil after a pickup in Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose as much as 0.5% alongside oil after a pickup in Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The gauge is approaching a new peak this year. Nearly all currencies in the Group of 10 have weakened against the greenback, with the euro lagging behind all its major peers.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index rose as much as 0.5%, approaching a new peak for the year, alongside a rise in oil after a pickup in Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
  2. Nearly all Group of 10 currencies weakened against the dollar, with the euro lagging all of its major peers.

AI Summary. Federal Reserve Bank of New York researchers estimate that about 26% of a uniform tariff passes through into non-oil consumer goods prices over twelve months, with roughly 64% of that effect coming directly from higher import prices and the rest through domestic producers' input costs and markups. Pass-through into import prices is nearly immediate, while domestic price responses build gradually.

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FRBNY estimates that a uniform 10% tariff raised consumer-goods prices 2.6% after 12 months: 1.7pp directly via imported final goods, and 0.9pp mainly via higher imported-input costs for domestically produced goods, with the latter effect building over 9–12 months.

How much of a tariff reaches consumer prices within a year?

Core argument: Amiti, Heise, and Weinstein estimate that a uniform tariff passes through to non-oil consumer goods prices at roughly 26 percent over twelve months, with a 10 percent tariff raising prices 2.6 percentage points, 1.7 points of it via the direct import channel.

Tariff pass-through into U.S. import prices is nearly complete. Instrumenting realized duty rates with statutory tariffs to account for endogenous sourcing and exemptions, tariff pass-through into consumer-goods import prices is about 90.5%; a 10% increase in the duty rate raises import prices about 9.1%. At twelve months, a uniform 10% tariff raises consumer-goods prices 2.639%: 1.694pp through the direct channel, 0.770pp through marginal costs, and 0.175pp through strategic complementarity. Import-price pass-through is essentially immediate, while domestic prices adjust gradually; the contribution of the two indirect channels roughly doubles between six and twelve months, with much of the overall adjustment occurring within nine to twelve months. For the actual 2025–26 tariffs, the direct channel accounts for about 70% of the estimated effect; the marginal-cost channel accounts for about 22%, with strategic complementarity accounting for the remainder. Because the regressions include date fixed effects, the tariff contribution is identified relative to less-exposed goods and should be read as illustrative rather than as the absolute contribution to aggregate goods CPI.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Amiti, Heise, and Weinstein estimate that a uniform tariff passes through to non-oil consumer goods prices at roughly 26 percent over twelve months, with a 10 percent tariff raising prices 2.6 percentage points, 1.7 points of it via the direct import channel.
  2. The two indirect channels — marginal costs from imported inputs (0.77 percentage points) and strategic complementarity in domestic markups (0.17 points) — account for 36 percent of the total effect and roughly double between six and twelve months after tariff implementation.
  3. Applied to the actual 2025–26 tariff schedule, the authors estimate the cumulative tariff contribution to goods CPI reached about 2.9 percentage points by February 2026, with import-price pass-through near 90 percent and retail pass-through of 0.56.

AI Summary. The 10-year US Treasury yield has risen past its 2007 high to its highest level since 2002, with the latest move driven by a US services survey showing services inflation proving intractable. The share of supply managers reporting rising prices climbed to its highest level since the post-pandemic surge.

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The US 10-year Treasury yield is at its highest level since 2002. Authers notes: “A move of this magnitude should be a problem for equities. It hasn’t been…. On the face of it, the big tech companies are proving immune to the rising cost of money” likely due to rapidly growing earnings.

Are rising long-term bond yields driven by stubborn services inflation?

Core argument: The 10-year Treasury yield has broken above its 2007 high, the year a bond sell-off triggered the Global Financial Crisis, reaching its highest level since 2002.

The 10-year Treasury yield has now broken through its high from 2007, when a bond sell-off triggered the Global Financial Crisis. It’s now the highest since 2002. The latest impulse upward came from the ISM Services report for the US. Services inflation is proving intractable, and the proportion of supply managers complaining about rising prices climbed to its highest since the post-pandemic surge. With the exception of a few months at the top of the oil price spike in 2008, and in the brief spasm that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the reading is the strongest since the series began in 1997.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. The 10-year Treasury yield has broken above its 2007 high, the year a bond sell-off triggered the Global Financial Crisis, reaching its highest level since 2002.
  2. The ISM Services report drove the latest upward move in yields, with services inflation proving intractable and the share of supply managers reporting rising prices climbing to its highest since the post-pandemic surge.
  3. Apart from a few months at the peak of the 2008 oil price spike and the brief episode after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the ISM Services prices reading is the strongest since the series began in 1997.

AI Summary. The U.S.-bound shipping network once turned about 89% of potential fleet capacity into effective service, but utilization fell below 70% as ships waited at anchor, slowed steaming, or sailed around maritime bottlenecks, and has not recovered. Diverting vessels around the Cape of Good Hope drives much of the loss.

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US-bound shipping can fall far short of potential after disruptions. Pandemic queuing and slow steaming drove effective capacity from ~89% of potential to <70%. Later, Houthi attacks left it near 79% as ships rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope.

Why has shipping capacity to America not regained its prior utilization?

Core argument: The U.S.-bound shipping network converted about 89% of potential fleet capacity into effective service in 2016–2019, but aggregate utilization fell below 70% in 2021–2022 as ships waited at anchor, steamed slowly, or sailed around maritime bottlenecks.

In 2016–2019, the U.S.-bound shipping network turned about 89% of the fleet’s potential capacity into effective service [Figure 3.5]. During 2021–2022, effective capacity declined despite potential capacity reaching record highs. Pandemic-era port congestion and slower steaming pushed aggregate utilization below 70%. On the Asia-Pacific–U.S. West Coast route, utilization fell from about 92% before 2020 to 53% by late 2021. The route has since recovered but remains below its old peak. The network as a whole has not regained its pre-pandemic utilization. More recently, rerouting after the 2023–2024 Houthi attacks in the Red Sea held aggregate utilization near 79%. Utilization on the Middle East and Asia-Pacific routes to the U.S. East Coast via Suez fell to 48% and 61%, respectively, largely because diversion around the Cape of Good Hope lengthened voyages without increasing cargo delivered.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. The U.S.-bound shipping network converted about 89% of potential fleet capacity into effective service in 2016–2019, but aggregate utilization fell below 70% in 2021–2022 as ships waited at anchor, steamed slowly, or sailed around maritime bottlenecks.
  2. Utilization on the Asia-Pacific–U.S. West Coast route dropped from 92% before 2020 to 53% by late 2021 amid port congestion and slower steaming, recovering since but remaining well below its old peak.
  3. Since late 2023, utilization on the Middle East and Asia-Pacific routes to the U.S. East Coast via the Suez Canal has fallen to 48% and 61%, with diversions around the Cape of Good Hope driving much of the loss as ships travel longer distances without delivering additional cargo.

AI Summary. Second-quarter real GDP growth was revised up 0.7 percentage points to +2.2% at an annual rate, reflecting upward revisions to consumption (to +3.8%) and investment (to +4.6%). Private fixed investment was revised up to +9.0%, driven by data center spending in nonresidential structures.

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GS forecasts that the FOMC will not hike in October, will do one 25bp hike in December and “ultimately conclude that additional rate hikes are unnecessary.”

What drove the upward revision to second-quarter GDP growth?

Core argument: U.S. real GDP growth in Q2 was revised up 0.7pp to +2.2% quarter-over-quarter annualized, led by upward revisions to consumption (+0.4pp to +3.8%) and investment (+1.9pp to +4.6%).

Real GDP was revised up by 0.7pp to +2.2% in Q2 (quarter-over-quarter annualized), largely reflecting upward revisions to consumption (+0.4pp to +3.8%) and investment (+1.9pp to +4.6%) growth. The strength in consumer spending in Q2 likely continued to reflect the boost to consumer cashflow from larger-than-usual tax refunds, but we continue to expect consumer spending growth to slow somewhat in 2026Q4 as the fiscal support fades and the headwind from higher energy prices remains. Stronger investment growth reflected an upward revision to private fixed investment (+0.5pp to +9.0%), driven by data center investment in the nonresidential structures category (+1.9pp to +0.1%), and an upward revision to the contribution from inventories (+0.2pp to -0.5pp).

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. U.S. real GDP growth in Q2 was revised up 0.7pp to +2.2% quarter-over-quarter annualized, led by upward revisions to consumption (+0.4pp to +3.8%) and investment (+1.9pp to +4.6%).
  2. Private fixed investment growth in Q2 was revised up 0.5pp to +9.0%, driven by data center investment in nonresidential structures, revised up 1.9pp to +0.1%, alongside a +0.2pp revision to the inventory contribution, to -0.5pp.
  3. Q2 consumer spending strength likely reflected the cashflow boost from larger-than-usual tax refunds, with spending growth expected to slow somewhat in 2026Q4 as fiscal support fades and higher energy prices remain a headwind.

AI Summary. Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan together hold just under $30tn in gross foreign assets, a five-fold rise over two decades, and about $10tn in net foreign assets. The author argues a current account surplus dominated by investment income, which tends to be reinvested abroad, generates less currency appreciation pressure than one driven by trade.

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Northeast Asia’s ~$10T in net foreign assets would yield $400B annually at 4%, versus its ~$600B mean current-account surplus. Unlike export earnings, much investment income is reinvested abroad, creating less appreciation pressure.

Does investment income create less currency appreciation pressure than trade surpluses?

Core argument: Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan together hold just under $30tn in gross foreign assets, a five-fold increase over the past two decades, with net foreign assets of about $10tn after liabilities to foreigners.

Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan now hold nearly US10T net. At a 4% return, those net assets would generate roughly $600B over the past decade. The composition matters for exchange rates: exporters typically convert more of their foreign earnings into local currency to meet domestic costs, while foreign investment income is more likely to be reinvested abroad. A current-account surplus increasingly driven by investment income therefore creates less appreciation pressure than an equivalent trade surplus.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Japan, China, South Korea and Taiwan together hold just under $30tn in gross foreign assets, a five-fold increase over the past two decades, with net foreign assets of about $10tn after liabilities to foreigners.
  2. At the current 4% federal funds rate, $10tn of net foreign assets would imply roughly $400bn a year in net investment income for the four Northeast Asian economies, against a combined current account surplus averaging about $600bn over the last decade.
  3. A current account surplus dominated by investment income generates less appreciation pressure than one dominated by trade, as exporters are more likely to repatriate and convert dollar earnings to cover domestic input costs while investment-income earners are more likely to reinvest abroad.

AI Summary. A rapid rise in long-term US Treasury yields has highlighted vulnerabilities elsewhere, notably France, where risks are elevated. Because France is in the euro zone, any crisis there would extend to the currency area, and European stocks have sold off alongside a weakening euro.

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The spread between 10-year French OATs and German Bunds is pricing a second eurozone sovereign-debt crisis. Authers suggests that the recent surge in US long-term yields has “shone a light” on France’s fiscal weakness, raising its salience to investors.

Do rising US long-term yields expose vulnerabilities in Europe?

Core argument: The speed of the rise in US long-term Treasury yields has raised the risk of dislocations elsewhere, with France a point of elevated vulnerability that would extend to the rest of the euro zone.

The speed of [the upward move in US long yields] brought the risk of dislocations elsewhere, like in France. Much as a surprising hawkish shift from the Fed under Alan Greenspan in 1994 revealed underlying weaknesses in the Mexican financial system that led to the Tequila Crisis, so this Treasury scare has shone a light on where the world’s greatest vulnerabilities are to be found. As France is part of the euro zone, any crisis must naturally extend to the rest of the currency area, at a time when most of its members are moving in a nationalist direction and likely reluctant to help. That is beginning to have an impact on stocks. The main European bourses sold off even as US equities rallied on Thursday. In combination with a weakening euro, the continent’s stocks have now given up almost all their gains since Trump took office.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. The speed of the rise in US long-term Treasury yields has raised the risk of dislocations elsewhere, with France a point of elevated vulnerability that would extend to the rest of the euro zone.
  2. The Treasury scare echoes the Fed’s surprising hawkish shift under Alan Greenspan in 1994, which revealed weaknesses in Mexico’s financial system and led to the Tequila Crisis.
  3. Europe’s main bourses sold off even as US equities rallied, and combined with a weakening euro, the continent’s stocks have given up almost all their gains since Trump took office.