What's the Significance of the 10-Year Treasury Yield? Here's Why It Matters to Stock and Bond Investors

Key Points Higher Treasury yields siphon investors away from riskier stocks. Older bonds will also become less appealing than newer, higher-yielding bonds. 10 stocks we like better than S&P 500 Index › The 10-Year U.S. Treasury yield recently hit 5%, its highest level since 2007. Three major catalysts fueled that rally. First, inflation -- exacerbated by the ongoing war in Iran -- drove the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rates for the first time since 2023. Second, many companies issued more corporate debt to invest in new AI technologies . Lastly, the U.S. government issued even more debt to cover its soaring expenses. As corporate and government bonds jockeyed for investor capital, borrowing costs skyrocketed across the board.