By Kate Gibson, MarketWatch
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — U.S. Treasury prices fell for a second day Friday as investors bet on higher-risk investments in anticipation that Europe will keep a lid on Greece’s debt troubles.
Yields on the benchmark 10-year notes 10_YEAR +1.91% rose four basis points to 2.03%.
Optimism was voiced by the leaders of Italy, Germany and Greece that agreement on Greece could come at a gathering of Euro-area finance ministers in Brussels Feb. 20.
“Markets assume European finance ministers on Monday will approve the bailout package for Greece,” said Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at MIller Tabak.
The U.S. government’s consumer price index rose 0.2% in January, slightly less than the 0.3% expected by economists, furthering the Federal Reserve’s view that inflation will be held in check.
U.S. government debt on Thursday fell after jobless claims hit a near four-year low.
