US Treasuries

US Treasuries represent securities in the form of government debt instruments issued by the United States Department of the Treasury to finance government spending as an alternative to taxation.

US Treasuries actually comprise four different types of marketable treasury securities.

This includes Treasury bills, Treasury notes, Treasury bonds, and Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS).

The US government sells these securities in auctions conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, after which they can be traded in secondary markets.

These instruments are extremely liquid and are backed by the full faith and credit of the US. This means that the government promises to raise money by any legally available means to repay them.

Why Invest in US Treasuries?

Consequently, Treasuries reflect some of the world’s lowest-risk investments. The most prominent of these is the 10-year yield for US Treasuries, which helps give a snapshot of the US economy and investor sentiment.

Several factors can impact US Treasury yields, ranging from interest rates, economic growth metrics, and inflation.

Overall, the prices and yields of US Treasuries move in opposite directions and are dependent on investor sentiment in relating to economic performance.

For example, if investors are feeling optimistic about the state of the US economy, then they are less likely to invest their money in low-risk Treasuries.

As such, they are more likely to trade assets deemed riskier. In this instance, the price of Treasuries dip and yields rise.

By extension, with pessimism surrounding the outlook of the US economy, investors often prefer safe haven assets, with US Treasuries being a top option.

Investors are more interested in and purchase Treasuries, causing the price to increase and yields to decline.