#interest-rates

#interest-rates

The iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF holds only U.S. Treasury notes and bonds across the maturity curve, providing the cleanest expression of flight-to-quality stability in a single ticker. Credit risk is effectively zero because every holding carries the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.

PCY holds U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bonds issued by emerging market governments. The interest payments those governments make flow through to PCY shareholders as monthly distributions.

"That's a dangerous thing," he said Thursday during an interview with Bloomberg TV, describing a scenario where demand and prices for Treasuries fall as foreign interest in the market declines.

It's obviously welcome to see savings rates go up. Albeit from a low enough base. Several new providers such as Moco, Monzo, and Bankinter are all now quite active in the savings space in Ireland, so this is perhaps a response to increased competition.

Capital Southwest is an internally managed BDC that provides loans to lower-middle-market companies and earns interest on those loans. It borrows at lower rates, lends at higher rates, and passes the spread through to shareholders as income.

High-yield savings accounts (HYSAs) are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the National Credit Union Administration up to $250,000, per depositor, per insured institution.

The current pressure is largely driven by tensions in the Middle East, as signals from the U.S. and Iran remain conflicting. While the U.S. has indicated that negotiations are ongoing, Iran has firmly denied any talks, increasing uncertainty around the prospects of de-escalation.

Brevan Howard's Master fund has given back its 2026 gains after falling 6% this month through last Friday, while Caxton Associates is down 15% on the month.

By Q4 2025, management acknowledged the math. The quarterly dividend was cut to $0.09 per share, down from $0.25, with CEO Theodore Koenig citing 'the decrease in base rates' as a key driver.

The Bank of England has held rates at 3.75 percent, with global tensions including the conflict in Iran keeping inflation risks alive and delaying hoped-for cuts.

Sterling fell by 0.5% against the dollar, dropping below $1.33, as the US currency strengthened due to a flight to safety. The dollar index increased by 0.3%.

Financial markets were firmly in the red as investors reacted to the Middle East conflict intensifying, with stocks down across Asia and Europe. Gold also fell, which suggests investors are once again liquidating assets that have previously served them well, or they are reacting to a further strengthening in the US dollar.

War in the Middle East has pushed up energy prices. You can already see that at the petrol pump and, if it lasts, it will feed into higher household energy bills later in the year. Whatever happens, our job is to make sure inflation gets back to its 2% target.

The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. The implications of developments in the Middle East for the US economy are uncertain, the central bank said in a statement announcing its policy decision and referring to its Federal Open Market Committee.