Surprise: Low interest rates seen sticking around

I read this article in the Globe and Mail today – many of the experts believe that interest rates are heading up this year, but the evidence so far supports the opposite view.

From the Globe and Mail:

Interest rates have recently being going somewhere unexpected: down.

At their trough last week, the yields on 10-year U.S. Treasuries, the benchmark North American rate, touched 3.11 per cent, the lowest level in six months and more than half a percentage point below their February peak.

Yields on 10-year Government of Canada bonds have fallen, too, and are now virtually identical to their U.S. counterparts.

the sliding rates have surprised many market watchers. With the United States government bumping up against its debt ceiling, inflation ticking upward, and a growing debt crisis in Europe, most expected interest rates to be increasing.While predicting the future for rates is notoriously difficult, some observers believe that the current low-rate environment may continue for a while. If so, it will mean pain for savers, but good news for borrowers.

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