Treasury Bond Yield Drops to Record Low as Global Rout Widens

Treasury 30-year bond yields tumbled to record lows as the collapse in oil and commodity prices smother inflation and hamper global economic growth.

Global sovereign yields fell to records in the U.K., France, Canada and Japan as a report showed retail sales in the U.S. slumped in December by the most in almost a year, reflecting a broad-based retreat that may prompt economists to cut growth forecasts. The slide prompted traders to push back expectations for the timing of the first Federal Reserve interest-rate increase into December less than a month after speculating that rates could rise as soon as April.