'Only happened a handful of times': Analyst sounds alarm at rare economic 'red flag'
A massive sell-off in U.S. bonds led a CNN analyst to sound the alarm about a rare "red flag" as financial markets reel.
The country saw a significant sell-off in U.S. bonds this week, driven by concerns over President Donald Trump's tariff policies and broader economic uncertainty. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note surged to as high as 4.53%, marking its highest point since February and a dramatic increase from Monday’s low of 3.87%. This reflects a sharp decline in bond prices, as yields and prices move inversely.
Allison Morrow, a senior writer for CNN Business, told anchor Jake Tapper on Friday afternoon that tens of trillions of dollars come into the U.S. from all over the globe.
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"That asset, that bond, is considered to be one of the safest places any investor can put their money because it is backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government," she told viewers. "Ultimately a U.S. bond, a treasury, is a safe haven."
This, she said, is "important" to what happened this week.
"Normally in times of economic turmoil, we would see stocks sell off and investors go to bonds. That didn't happen. We saw investors selling stocks and bonds. And that is really a red flag because it's only happened a handful of times in history and its a signal that investors can't really see which way the economy is going. And they're putting their pencils down and saying, 'We're sitting this one out.'"
The economy is in a "precarious position," now, Morrow said.
The 10-year treasury yield is the benchmark for car loans, mortgages, and credit cards. When bonds are sold off, yield goes up.
"And that's exactly what we saw this week," she said.