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The Treasury is set to auction $42 billion worth of bonds that expire in 10 years this afternoon. The auction comes after the latest inflation report revealed that the central bank remains far from its 2% target. Expectations of stubborn prices make investors demand higher yields to make up for the loss in a bonds’ purchasing power.

Consumer prices jumped more than expected in April, a sign that inflation is accelerating as the Iran war's fallout ripples through the economy. The headline consumer price index rose 0.6% from the previous month and 3.8% from a year earlier, above the 0.59% monthly gain and 3.7% annual increase economists had forecast, according to a survey by FactSet. The 3.8% annual increase marks the fastest pace of price growth since May 2023 and is also a notable jump from March, when CPI rose 3.3% year over year.

Treasury yields rise as U.S. inflation accelerates while Middle East tensions remain high. Consumer prices rise at a 3.8% 12-month pace, accelerating from 3.3% in March. Economists surveyed by WSJ expected 3.

Stocks are inching lower on Monday in anticipation of a pivotal week, with data on inflation and retail sales. The Dow was down 68 points, or 0.1%, while the S&P 500 was down 0.1%. Markets are awaiting an update on prices, especially gasoline when the consumer price index is released Tuesday morning.

U.S. Treasury yields are choppy following a stronger-than-expected April jobs report. While the economy added more jobs than anticipated last month, bond investors were taking the data in stride. Many have become less worried about the labor market in recent months and shifted their focus to energy prices and the state of U.

Bond yields nearly rose to levels seen in March during the height of fears over the Iran War–but it shouldn’t frighten investors. Much of the gains in yields came ahead of that hour as the Treasury market sold off alongside rising oil prices. Multiple Fed presidents didn’t support the inclusion of an easing bias, or potential lower rates in the future, in the FOMC statement, telling traders the Fed is likely closer to hikes than cuts.

Inflation remains above the Fed's 2% target and Powell says there are too many factors set to hit inflation in the coming months to consider cutting interest rates right now. After three Fed presidents said they disagreed with language in the April FOMC statement that indicated an easing bias for the Fed, markets are moving to price in lower odds of an interest-rate cut in 2026. Markets are now pricing in just a 1.3% chance of a cut this year, down from an 18% chance just a day ago, per the CME FedWatch Tool. While Powell said there wasn't discussion of near-term interest rate hikes during the most recent meeting, markets are starting to price a slim chance of a rate increase.

The U.S. debt market selloff picked up after the Fed left rates steady again. The Fed left rates steady but there was a higher level of dissent among participants. Fed governor Stephen Miran has typically dissented, but this time there were also multiple Fed presidents who didn’t support statement language including “an easing bias.”

It’s no secret that the Trump administration has consistently pushed the Fed to cut interest rates. Fed Governor Miran, one of the Fed’s most vocal advocates for lower rates, said at a Washington forum this month that he has scaled back his outlook from four cuts this year to potentially three, acknowledging the inflation picture had grown more complicated even before the conflict with Iran began. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went a step further at a separate conference, saying cuts should come eventually but that waiting for clarity on the Iran situation is reasonable.

Chair Powell said in late March that policy is “in a good place to wait and see,” a view Governor Michael Barr and others have shared. In early April, St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem said he believes the current rate will likely remain appropriate for some time, though he left the door open to both cuts and hikes depending on how conditions evolve. Gov. Christopher Waller has warned that an energy shock on top of existing tariff pressure could produce a more lasting rise in inflation, drawing a comparison to the pandemic-era sequence of supply shocks.

The majority of investors don't see the Fed cutting interest rates again until October 2027, according to the CME FedWatch tool. The outlook for an extended rate pause comes as oil prices surge once more and inflation remains well above the Fed's 2% for the fifth consecutive year.

Treasury yields nudged higher but remained largely rangebound ahead of a rate decision and a Senate Banking Committee vote on the confirmation of Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh. The Fed is largely expected to hold rates steady again this month, with the last of Chair Jerome Powell’s press conferences set for 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Powell, whose term as chair ends next month, is likely to be replaced by Warsh, who will face a vote prior to the end of the Fed’s two-day meeting in Washington.