Prices slip on Spain bailout talk, Aussie rate cut

US Treasuries prices fell on Tuesday as talk of Spain’s willingness to seek a bailout and an unexpected rate cut by Australia’s central bank favored riskier assets over safe-haven U.S. debt.

By (Reuters)

Published: Tue 2 Oct 2012, 7:42 PM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 11:11 AM

Spain is said to be ready to request a euro zone bailout for its public finances though not, according to Spanish media, as soon as this weekend. However, European officials say Germany has signal led Spain should hold off. An aid request from Spain would pave the way for the European Central Bank to buy Spanish bonds.

“This sense of a better environment for risk assets is taking a small shine off rates,” said John Briggs, Treasury strategist at RBS Securities in Stamford, Connecticut.

A largely unexpected quarter-point rate cut to 3.25 percent by Australia’s central bank also favored risk assets over safe havens like German bunds and U.S. Treasuries.

“Australia eased, which wasn’t particularly expected, so that gave the ‘additional-stimulus-will-help-growth’ crowd a bit of a boost,” Briggs said.

A Reuters article reporting that Spain was willing to ask for aid was also seen as a positive development for riskier assets and a negative for safe-haven Treasuries, he said.

Consequently, riskier Spanish bond yields eased about 15 basis points and the spread between Spanish and safe-haven German bunds narrowed by about 18 basis points.

Still, Briggs said, the market is essentially recording small movements “within the framework of waiting for (September US) payrolls data on Friday.”

Economists polled by Reuters estimated nonfarm payrolls added 113,000 jobs in September.

Technical charts showed the recent rally in Treasury futures, which rose two points in the last two weeks of September, may be running out of steam and vulnerable to further falls. (Edi