U.S. 10-Year Swap Spreads Reach Record Low as Treasuries Drop
- Company debt sales and Fed rate bets contribute to move
- Risk-free Treasuries have become more expensive to hold
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The rate on 10-year interest-rate swaps touched a record low relative to Treasury yields as balance-sheet constraints on bond dealers and corporate debt issuance undermined prices on U.S. government debt.
The 10-year swap spread ended little changed after falling to negative 17.6 basis points Thursday, the lowest in Bloomberg data beginning in 1988. A basis point is 0.01 percentage point. The gap turned negative for the first time in three years in September. The spread reached record negative levels in other maturities as well, including the five- and seven-year.