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Jim Cramer warns stock investors to track rising bond yields

CNBC host Jim Cramer pointed to persistent inflation and heavy corporate debt issuance as key pressures pushing long-term interest rates higher.

The short version

  • CNBC host Jim Cramer cautioned stock investors to pay close attention to elevated long-term Treasury yields, which are applying downward pressure on equity markets.
  • The 10-year Treasury yield rose near 4.7% while the 30-year yield surpassed 5.3%, driven by inflation concerns, national debt, and heavy corporate borrowing for AI infrastructure.
  • Although the Treasury Department announced plans to double buybacks of longer-dated government debt to ease rates, Cramer argued the move cannot resolve structural fiscal issues without controlling inflation.

Key facts

  • The 10-year Treasury yield climbed from under 4% in February to almost 4.7%, and the 30-year yield recently surpassed 5.3%.[CNBC]
  • A 30-year Treasury auction held earlier in the month saw weaker investor demand compared to the prior month.[CNBC]
  • The Treasury Department announced it would more than double its planned buybacks of longer-dated government bonds.[CNBC]
  • Cramer attributed higher yields to elevated oil prices stemming from conflict with Iran, a $40 trillion U.S. national debt, and technology companies issuing debt to build artificial intelligence data centers.[CNBC]

What remains uncertain

  • Whether inflation will cool sufficiently to allow long-term Treasury yields to decline remains unknown.[CNBC]

Sources