Overseas Headlines- February 28, 2017

U.S.:

Treasury Yields Rise From Near 2017 Lows as March Hike Odds Rise
Treasuries fell, led by short maturities, as market-implied odds of a Federal Reserve interest-rate hike in March rose the day before President Donald Trump is to address Congress on his fiscal agenda. Yields were higher by 3-6 basis points as of 2:10 p.m. in New York, led by notes maturing in two to five years. The move accelerated after noon amid heavy volume in futures, especially April fed funds and December Eurodollars. Earlier, Trump in a speech to governors at the White House said the U.S. is “going to start spending on infrastructure big.” Last week, fading expectations for fiscal stimulus helped drive gains for Treasuries. 10Y yield rose 5.5 basis points from its lowest closing level this year to almost 2.37%, also reflecting potential for a rebound in corporate issuance this week and rising yields in Germany as French political risk ebbed
<https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-02-27/treasury-yields-rise-from-near-lowest-of-2017-as-curve-flattens>

Europe:

Euro zone banks cut cross-border lending as stability fears grow
Euro zone banks have cut lending to their peers in other members of the currency bloc over the past year, European Central Bank (ECB) data showed on Monday, as questions mounted about the health of some lenders and the very future of the euro. Loans between banks and to the rest of the economy have been growing in a slow but steady fashion for the past 1-1/2 years but this picture belies increasing fragmentation along national borders. The retrenching makes euro zone countries more vulnerable to domestic downturns and contradicts the ECB’s objective to create a banking union in which credit flows wherever it is needed.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eurozone-lending-ecb-idUSKBN1660ZE>

Asia:

President Xi: China aims to improve economy’s quality, efficiency – Xinhua
China will strive to improve the quality and efficiency of the economy and deepen supply-side structural reforms this year, the official news agency Xinhua quoted President Xi Jinping as saying on Tuesday. China will stick to the basic tone of "seeking progress while maintaining stability" in 2017’s economic work to ensure stable and healthy economic development, Chinese Xi told a meeting of the Central Leading Group on Finance and Economic Affairs. China’s key economic targets will be announced at the annual parliament meeting, which begins on March 5.
<http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-idUSKBN16714T>

2017-06-10T17:09:25-05:00