By Ronnie Harui
Asian government bonds fell in price terms early Monday as mounting inflation concerns spurred fears of interest-rate increases by central banks.
Higher crude oil prices added to the worries as U.S. President Trump warned Iran that the "Clock is Ticking" on a peace deal, threatening military action if Tehran does not agree to a peace deal.
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said "For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them." The U.S. and Iran remain far apart on issues including the extent to which Tehran should have any control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway through which one-fifth of the world's oil is typically transported.
"The main theme was risk-off, driven by a sharp global bond sell-off," Commerzbank Research analysts said in a research report.
The global government bond sell-off comes in the wake of hotter-than-expected Japan producer price index of 4.9% on-year in April, the highest in three years, the analysts said. This followed the firmer-than-expected U.S. consumer price index and PPI reports released last week, the analysts added.
Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds climbed 9 basis points to 2.790% after earlier touching 2.800%, the highest intraday level since October 1996, according to data provider Quick. Yields on 10-year Australian sovereign securities rose 6 basis points to 5.1320% and on 10-year New Zealand government debt added 5 basis points to 4.8030%.
"The moves in bond yields came alongside a rise in the oil price," said Sally Auld, group chief economist at National Australia Bank, in commentary.
Crude oil prices extended gains after "Trump's meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping failed to offer any meaningful indication of progress on increasing energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz," Auld said. "The lack of concrete measures deepened concerns that disruptions to global supply could worsen as inventories are drawn down," the economist added.
Front-month West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures rose 2.1% to $107.63 a barrel, and front-month Brent crude oil futures advanced 1.8% to $111.20 a barrel, ICE data showed.
Equity markets across Asia fell, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average declining 1.2%, South Korea's Kospi dropping 1.5%, and Singapore's FTSE Straits Times Index shedding 0.5%.
Write to Ronnie Harui at ronnie.harui@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 17, 2026 21:40 ET (01:40 GMT)
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