Investors Are Anxious About the Debt Ceiling. These Charts Show How Much

  • Prospects for default in limbo even after tax receipts flow in
  • Cost of insuring against non-payment has continued to rise

The US Capitol in Washington, DC.

Photographer: Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg
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Investors are little closer to knowing just when the US might default on its debts than a week ago and there are signs that they’re getting more worried about the risks posed by the $31.4 trillion statutory borrowing limit.

The yield premiums demanded by investors for securities that are more at-risk for non-payment have increased relative to other maturities. Meanwhile, rates on those that are most assured of avoiding the potential storm — the very shortest securities — have been pushed lower by overflowing demand from buyers.