Global bonds are being sold off in unison, yet amid this market turmoil, investors are still gravitating toward top-tier safe assets like German government bonds, underscoring their relative value.
The surge in U.S. Treasury yields has left investors with virtually nowhere to hide, with global bonds, stocks, and gold all falling in tandem.
Government bonds in New Zealand, Japan, Australia, and many other countries have all suffered heavy losses, but there is a clear divergence in the intensity of selling across these markets.
When the cash flows of bonds denominated in yen, euros, and pounds are fully swapped into U.S. dollar terms, German bunds correspond to the lowest yields.
U.K. gilts and U.S. Treasuries offer yields that are not far apart, while Japanese government bonds are still trading at a discount.
The appeal of German bunds is self-evident.
Like most economies, the eurozone faces upward inflationary pressure from the Middle East conflict, but the European Central Bank has already demonstrated a willingness to take aggressive policy action, making German bunds the optimal choice among bond categories that are broadly being sold off.