U.S. Treasury yields held steady on Friday as investors digested the previous day’s economic data which signaled economic resilience.
The 10-year Treasury yield fell 2 basis points to 4.079%. The yield on the 2-year Treasury yield ticked lower by 3 basis points to 3.955%.
One basis point is equal to 0.01%. Yields and prices move in opposite directions.
These moves come after retail sales, released Thursday, rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% in September, indicating solid consumer spending. The data reflects an increase from the 0.1% gain in August and beat the 0.3% Dow Jones forecast.
Meanwhile, weekly initial jobless claims fell to 241,000, below the estimated 260,000, according to a report from the Labor Department.
On Friday, investors are awaiting fresh data on building permits and housing starts for September.
Comments are also expected from several Federal Reserve officials, including Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic and Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari. Investors will follow the remarks closely for hints about policymakers’ expectations for the economy and monetary policy, especially interest rates. Fed officials earlier in the week indicated that interest rate cuts are set to continue.
Elsewhere, the European Central Bank delivered its third interest rate cut of the year on Thursday, reducing the deposit rate by a further 25 basis points to 3.25% as inflation risks ease in the European Union.
