Greenspan: Rising Treasury yields may signal interest-rate gains

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said the recent rise in Treasury yields represents a "canary in the mine" that may signal further gains in interest rates.

Higher yields reflect investor concerns over "this huge overhang of federal debt which we have never seen before," Greenspan said in an interview Friday on Bloomberg Television's "Political Capital With Al Hunt."

"I'm very much concerned about the fiscal situation," said Greenspan, 84, who headed the central bank from 1987 to 2006. An increase in long-term interest rates "will make the housing recovery very difficult to implement and put a dampening on capital investment as well."

The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was 3.85 percent Friday in New York, down three basis points from late Thursday and up from 3.69 percent at the end of last week. U.S. interest-rate swap spreads declined to the lowest levels on record this week, reflecting investor concerns about the ability of nations to finance rising fiscal deficits.

The rate to exchange floating- for fixed-interest payments for 10 years fell below the comparable-maturity Treasury yield for the first time Tuesday.

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U.S., U.K. Move Closer to Losing Rating, Moody’s Says

The U.S. and the U.K. have moved “substantially” closer to losing their AAA credit ratings as the cost of servicing their debt rose, according to Moody’s Investors Service.Under the ratings company’s so-called baseline scenario, the U.S. will spend more on debt service as a percentage of revenue this year than any other top-rated country except the U.K., and will be the biggest spender from 2011 to 2013, Moody’s said today in a report. Under its adverse scenario, which assumes 0.5 percent lower growth each year, less fiscal adjustment and a stronger interest-rate shock, the U.S. will be paying about 15 percent of revenue in interest payments, more than the 14 percent limit that would lead to a downgrade to AA, Moody’s said.
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