Australian bonds flat after disappointment in December retail sales; RBA Gov Lowe’s speech eyed

The Australian bonds remained flat during Asian session Thursday after investors experienced a disappointment in the country’s retail sales for the month of December, released early today ahead of the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe’s speech, due later today by 22:30GMT.

The yield on Australia’s benchmark 10-year note, which moves inversely to its price, hovered around 1.097 percent, the yield on the long-term 30-year bond slipped 1 basis point to 1.702 percent and the yield on short-term 2-year also barely lost 1 basis point to trade at 0.789 percent by 05:10GMT.

Global risk appetite continue to gather momentum, with Wall Street up for a third session and the S&P500 at a new record amid robust US economic data, namely the ADP employment and non-manufacturing ISM, OCBC Treasury Research reported.

China’s death toll from the coronavirus has risen to at least 560 and the World Health Organization warned that a vaccine is still a long way off. Separately, the US Senate has voted to acquit President Trump of his impeachment charges. With the abating risk aversion, the UST bond yield curve bear-steepened with the 10-year UST bond yield at 1.65 percent (highest since January 24), the report added.

Meanwhile, the S&P/ASX 200 index traded tad 0.48 percent higher at 6,984.50 by 05:15GMT.