On Tuesday, Treasury securities experienced a decline in value, following a significant surge in the previous trading session. Bond prices fell early in the session and maintained a downward trend throughout the day. Consequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which inversely correlates with its price, increased by 3.7 basis points, reaching 4.302 percent.
This downturn in Treasuries can be partially attributed to profit-taking activities, after Monday's session saw the ten-year yield drop by 14.5 basis points. Market participants were also responding to President-elect Donald Trump's recent announcements concerning potential hikes in tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China.
In a statement on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump declared his intention to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Mexican and Canadian products on his first day in office. He attributed this decision to the supposed responsibility of these countries for rising levels of illegal immigrants and drugs entering the U.S. He stated, "This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!"
Furthermore, Trump announced an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports, criticizing China's efforts to curb the influx of drugs, particularly Fentanyl, into the United States.
Such threats somewhat dampened the market optimism that had initially arisen from reports of Trump's intention to nominate Scott Bessent as Secretary of the Treasury. Bessent has previously advocated for a gradual implementation of Trump's proposed tariff increases.
Treasuries remained weak as the Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy meeting minutes disclosed that officials supported a "gradual" reduction in interest rates. The minutes revealed that policymakers consider a slow approach to lower rates to a neutral level as appropriate, assuming economic indicators align with expectations, inflation progresses towards the 2 percent target, and employment levels remain strong.
The Federal Reserve also highlighted that monetary policy decisions are not fixed and will depend on evolving economic conditions and their implications for the outlook and balance of risks.
Wednesday's trading may be influenced by responses to various U.S. economic data releases, including the Fed's preferred measures of consumer price inflation.