Bonds in Australia and Singapore are getting a lift from rising questions about the appeal of Treasuries, as fears that a proposed US tax bill may hit foreign investors add to pressure following a recent ratings downgrade.
Strategists and portfolio managers are re-examining whether Treasuries are offering enough compensation, a rare challenge to the place of the world’s largest bond market in global portfolios. Taiwanese insurers are making plans to back away from dollar assets, while Hong Kong pension funds have been told to draw up contingency plans for a further downgrade of the US.
“A huge amount of fiscal risk is not priced into US bonds — the downgrade, the fiscal package, investors stepping away from lending the US government money,” said Kellie Wood, head of fixed income at Schroders Plc in Sydney. “The potential for a fiscal misstep is increasing.”
That is adding to the appeal of the world’s dwindling…
