Finance1 min read

India bonds emerge as top Asian performers as oil, Treasury yields decline

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The benchmark 6.94% 2036 bond yield dropped roughly 22 basis points to 7.1973%, marking its best weekly performance since April. In tandem, international investors bought nearly 52 billion rupees ($552.28 million) of local debt, their largest weekly total since July. Projections for Reserve Bank of India rate hikes roughly halved to between 50 and 75 basis points, while overnight indexed swap rates fell across one-year, two-year, and five-year tenors. Additional yield declines now hinge heavily on resolving the Iran conflict and pushing crude oil below $90.

Key points

  • Cheaper crude oil has eased trade and fiscal pressures, significantly softening the infla…: Cheaper crude oil has eased trade and fiscal pressures, significantly softening the inflation outlook for the Indian economy.
  • Reduced macroeconomic pressures led markets to roughly halve expected Reserve Bank of Ind…: Reduced macroeconomic pressures led markets to roughly halve expected Reserve Bank of India interest rate increases from 125 basis points.
  • Future sovereign bond yield declines remain dependent on resolving the Iran crisis and se…: Future sovereign bond yield declines remain dependent on resolving the Iran crisis and seeing crude prices drop below $90.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

The benchmark 6.94% 2036 bond yield was at 7.1973% as of 11:40 a.m. IST, up 2.5 basis point on the day but down about 22 bps for the week, set to be its best week since April.

The US 10-year Treasury yield slumped around 10 bps so far this week, burnishing the appeal of high-yielding Indian debt. Indian bonds also outperformed peers in Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Malaysia and Thailand.

This week, Indian government bonds saw a positive trend following a Democratic win in the U.S. midterm elections. The reduction in oil prices and Treasury yields eased rupee pressure, boosting investor confidence. The benchmark bond yield improved significantly, declining by approximately 22 basis points. Furthermore, the surge in foreign investments into Indian bonds marked a notable high since July, leading to enhanced overall market sentiment.

Foreign investors returned to the Indian debt market, buying nearly 52 billion rupees($552.28 million) of bonds in their biggest weekly net purchase since July.

"With currency stability, oil prices and global interest-rate expectations remaining key variables, we believe India is increasingly on the radar of…

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