Treasuries saw a significant rise on Wednesday, driven by a positive response from traders to a key report on consumer price inflation.
Bond prices saw a robust surge early in the session and maintained their upward trend throughout the day, leading to an 8.9 basis point decline in the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, settling at 4.356 percent. This marks the third consecutive session in which the ten-year yield has dropped, reaching its lowest closing level in over a month.
The leap in treasuries followed the release of a Labor Department report indicating that consumer prices in the U.S. increased slightly less than anticipated in April.
According to the Labor Department, the consumer price index rose by 0.3 percent in April, compared to a 0.4 percent increase in March. Economists had projected a 0.4 percent rise in consumer prices.
When excluding food and energy prices, core consumer prices also saw a 0.3 percent increase in April, consistent with the previous month's 0.4 percent rise. This increment was in line with economist expectations.
The report further noted that the annual rate of consumer price growth slowed to 3.4 percent in April from 3.5 percent in March, aligning with expectations.
Additionally, the annual rate of core consumer price growth decelerated to 3.6 percent in April from 3.8 percent in March, also meeting estimates.
Following hotter-than-expected producer price inflation data from the previous day, this report bolstered optimism about the future of interest rates.
Quincy Krosby, Chief Global Strategist for LPL Financial, commented, "The CPI print offered a modicum of hope that inflation is cooling, albeit slowly." She further noted, "The Fed will surely need several cooler reports to adjust its rate easing timetable, but the CPI report suggests that the path towards 2% inflation is less bumpy."
In a separate report, the Commerce Department revealed that retail sales in the U.S. unexpectedly held steady in April.
Retail sales remained virtually unchanged in April following a downwardly revised 0.6 percent rise in March, the Commerce Department reported. Economists had anticipated a 0.4 percent increase in retail sales, compared to an originally reported 0.7 percent rise the previous month.
Excluding sales by motor vehicle and parts dealers, retail sales edged up by 0.2 percent in April after a 0.9 percent increase in March, aligning with economist estimates.
Thursday's trading may be influenced by reactions to another series of U.S. economic data, including reports on weekly jobless claims, industrial production, and import and export prices.
