美國政府借款越多,其償債成本卻越來越低,,這似乎是投資者比國會更愿意支持新一輪刺激措施的原因之一,。
在本財政年度的前11個月,美國的赤字達到二戰(zhàn)以來的最高水平,,但聯(lián)邦預(yù)算中的利息支出卻減少了約10%,。據(jù)國會預(yù)算辦公室(Congressional Budget Office)預(yù)測,從經(jīng)濟規(guī)模的角度來衡量,,未來幾年,,國債的償債成本將低于過去半個世紀(jì)里的任何一個時期。
這是因為在新冠疫情初期,,在規(guī)模達20萬億美元的美國國債市場,,收益率跌至歷史最低,之后盡管債券供應(yīng)量已經(jīng)增至歷史最高水平,,但收益率僅有小幅上漲,。
借款成本肯定不可能始終維持在這么低的水平,但當(dāng)前在經(jīng)過停工和裁員之后,,美國政府正在努力支撐國家經(jīng)濟,,遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)沒有撞上任何財政限制。最近幾周,,隨著經(jīng)濟刺激措施擱淺,,兩黨都有高官表示美國無力繼續(xù)增加支出。
Yardeni Research公司的創(chuàng)始人埃德·亞德尼說:“雖然許多人對于債臺高筑的問題表示擔(dān)憂,,但并沒有出現(xiàn)災(zāi)害預(yù)言家們所說的問題?,F(xiàn)在不止要考慮還有多少債務(wù)沒有償還,還應(yīng)該考慮到償債成本的問題,?!?/p>
國會預(yù)算辦公室預(yù)測美國今年的赤字約為3.7萬億美元,占GDP的16%,,比一年前增加了兩倍以上,。為填補資金缺口所發(fā)行的債券,使美國的國債規(guī)模超過了20萬億美元,高于美國的年度經(jīng)濟產(chǎn)值,。
未到捉襟見肘的地步
債券的平均收益率從去年12月的2.4%下降到1.7%,,預(yù)計還會進一步下降。
盡管在多次國債拍賣中已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了對債券需求下降的跡象,,但在那之后,,政府仍然可以以低于1.5%的利率借款30年。而且美國財政部也傾向于銷售這種長期證券,,這進一步鎖定了史上最低的借款利率,。在9月10日舉行的最近一次長期債券拍賣中,出價較為穩(wěn)定,。
TwentyFour Asset Management公司駐倫敦的投資組合經(jīng)理菲利普·比利亞羅埃爾表示:“美國的債務(wù)負(fù)擔(dān)能力沒有問題,,沒有出現(xiàn)捉襟見肘的情況。我們關(guān)注的另外一點是政府借用資金的預(yù)期用途,,目前政府對于這些資金的使用被普遍認(rèn)為是必要的?!?/p>
政府的預(yù)算政策需要金融市場批準(zhǔn)這種觀點,,在任何情況下都會遭到質(zhì)疑。
反債券衛(wèi)士
亞德尼在上世紀(jì)80年代初創(chuàng)造了“債券衛(wèi)士”這個詞,。所謂債券衛(wèi)士是指通過出售債券或者只是威脅出售債券對政府施加影響,,從而導(dǎo)致政府赤字支出的成本提高。
但現(xiàn)在市場上占主流的是反債券衛(wèi)士,,也就是美聯(lián)儲,。它所做的事情與債券衛(wèi)士截然相反。
自今年3月以來,,美聯(lián)儲從市場上收購了價值約1.8萬億美元的政府債券,,同時財政部新發(fā)行了價值約3萬億美元的債券,。目前,美聯(lián)儲持有的美國國債每個月增加約800億美元,。美聯(lián)儲還承諾在可以預(yù)見的未來將維持短期零利率,,并容許超過目標(biāo)水平的通貨膨脹,同時呼吁政府不要放松財政刺激,。
美聯(lián)儲前副主席斯坦利·費希爾在9月11日接受彭博電視臺采訪時表示,,低利率負(fù)擔(dān)意味著美聯(lián)儲能夠有更多手段支撐美國經(jīng)濟。
他說:“這意味著美聯(lián)儲可以繼續(xù)提供成本非常低的資金,,并且當(dāng)前的利率水平能夠維持更長時間,。”
債券投資者當(dāng)中有一種普遍共識是,,如果政府長期借款的利率開始緩慢上漲(歷史上偶爾會出現(xiàn)這種情況),,美聯(lián)儲可以并且一定會介入,。
美聯(lián)儲抑制債券收益率
按照亞德尼的說法:“如果依舊有債券衛(wèi)士正在推高債券收益率,美聯(lián)儲將會采取針對性的行動,?!?/p>
在8月31日的講話中,美聯(lián)儲副主席理查德·克拉里達沒有排除在某個時間點設(shè)置國債收益率上限的可能性,,但他表示該政策不會在近期內(nèi)出臺,。
投資者表示,即使美聯(lián)儲只是有可能出臺該政策,,也可以幫助降低政府的借款成本,。
彭博社的調(diào)查顯示,10年期國債的收益率連續(xù)數(shù)周維持在0.7%左右,,預(yù)計到今年年底只會在上下幾個百分點的范圍內(nèi)波動。
當(dāng)事情發(fā)生變化
在金融領(lǐng)域,,許多人認(rèn)為,,美國目前日益增加的債務(wù)所享有的低利率只是一種短期的減緩措施,類似于巨額按揭貸款的初始優(yōu)惠利率,。
德意志銀行(Deutsche Bank)的固定收益私人理財服務(wù)負(fù)責(zé)人加利·波拉克說:“美聯(lián)儲正在努力保證金融市場的正常運行,。但未來某個時間點,世界可能會發(fā)生變化,,我們會突然之間面臨巨額的賬單,。”
這種觀點在國會也有一定的市場,,盡管這一次赤字鷹派(即華盛頓的債券衛(wèi)士)沒有像以往那么強勢,。
唐納德·特朗普總統(tǒng)所在的共和黨利用其在參議院的多數(shù)優(yōu)勢,,在新疫情相關(guān)法案中推動縮水的刺激措施,。民主黨總統(tǒng)候選人喬·拜登承諾,,如果他在11月大選中擊敗特朗普,,他會增加財政支出,但他的一位高級助理上個月告訴《華爾街日報》,,現(xiàn)在無法確定美國是否能夠承受增加赤字支出的后果,,因為“美國政府即將面臨財政枯竭?!?/p>
增發(fā)債券不值得
另外一種相反的觀點是新興的現(xiàn)代貨幣理論,。這種理論認(rèn)為,,美國等國家以本國的貨幣借款,可以設(shè)置其債務(wù)的利率,,將其作為一種政策變量,,不需要再發(fā)行債券。由此導(dǎo)致的風(fēng)險是經(jīng)濟過熱而不是市場資金枯竭,。
鴿派引用的另外一個例子是日本,。日本的國債規(guī)模約比美國高2.5倍(與經(jīng)濟規(guī)模相比),。執(zhí)行了二十多年低利率之后,,日本的償債成本幾乎為零,。
David Levy, chairman of Jerome Levy Forecasting Center LLC, says that ultimately there are limits to government debt –- but the U.S. is nowhere near hitting them, and has room for more borrowing to pull its economy out of the coronavirus slump.Jerome Levy Forecasting Center LLC公司的董事長戴維·列維表示,政府的債務(wù)終究是有限度的,,但美國遠(yuǎn)沒有達到極限,依舊有通過借款拉動經(jīng)濟以擺脫新冠疫情造成的經(jīng)濟衰退的空間,。
他說:“要達到所有人都認(rèn)為美元不值錢的通脹情景,,需要很長時間,。這個過程可以持續(xù)下去,,不必?fù)?dān)心會出現(xiàn)問題,?!?/p>
翻譯:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
美國政府借款越多,,其償債成本卻越來越低,這似乎是投資者比國會更愿意支持新一輪刺激措施的原因之一,。
在本財政年度的前11個月,,美國的赤字達到二戰(zhàn)以來的最高水平,但聯(lián)邦預(yù)算中的利息支出卻減少了約10%,。據(jù)國會預(yù)算辦公室(Congressional Budget Office)預(yù)測,,從經(jīng)濟規(guī)模的角度來衡量,,未來幾年,,國債的償債成本將低于過去半個世紀(jì)里的任何一個時期,。
這是因為在新冠疫情初期,,在規(guī)模達20萬億美元的美國國債市場,,收益率跌至歷史最低,,之后盡管債券供應(yīng)量已經(jīng)增至歷史最高水平,,但收益率僅有小幅上漲,。
借款成本肯定不可能始終維持在這么低的水平,但當(dāng)前在經(jīng)過停工和裁員之后,,美國政府正在努力支撐國家經(jīng)濟,,遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)沒有撞上任何財政限制。最近幾周,,隨著經(jīng)濟刺激措施擱淺,,兩黨都有高官表示美國無力繼續(xù)增加支出。
Yardeni Research公司的創(chuàng)始人埃德·亞德尼說:“雖然許多人對于債臺高筑的問題表示擔(dān)憂,,但并沒有出現(xiàn)災(zāi)害預(yù)言家們所說的問題?,F(xiàn)在不止要考慮還有多少債務(wù)沒有償還,還應(yīng)該考慮到償債成本的問題,?!?/p>
國會預(yù)算辦公室預(yù)測美國今年的赤字約為3.7萬億美元,占GDP的16%,,比一年前增加了兩倍以上,。為填補資金缺口所發(fā)行的債券,使美國的國債規(guī)模超過了20萬億美元,,高于美國的年度經(jīng)濟產(chǎn)值,。
未到捉襟見肘的地步
債券的平均收益率從去年12月的2.4%下降到1.7%,預(yù)計還會進一步下降,。
盡管在多次國債拍賣中已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了對債券需求下降的跡象,但在那之后,,政府仍然可以以低于1.5%的利率借款30年,。而且美國財政部也傾向于銷售這種長期證券,,這進一步鎖定了史上最低的借款利率。在9月10日舉行的最近一次長期債券拍賣中,,出價較為穩(wěn)定,。
TwentyFour Asset Management公司駐倫敦的投資組合經(jīng)理菲利普·比利亞羅埃爾表示:“美國的債務(wù)負(fù)擔(dān)能力沒有問題,沒有出現(xiàn)捉襟見肘的情況,。我們關(guān)注的另外一點是政府借用資金的預(yù)期用途,,目前政府對于這些資金的使用被普遍認(rèn)為是必要的,。”
政府的預(yù)算政策需要金融市場批準(zhǔn)這種觀點,,在任何情況下都會遭到質(zhì)疑,。
反債券衛(wèi)士
亞德尼在上世紀(jì)80年代初創(chuàng)造了“債券衛(wèi)士”這個詞。所謂債券衛(wèi)士是指通過出售債券或者只是威脅出售債券對政府施加影響,,從而導(dǎo)致政府赤字支出的成本提高,。
但現(xiàn)在市場上占主流的是反債券衛(wèi)士,也就是美聯(lián)儲,。它所做的事情與債券衛(wèi)士截然相反,。
自今年3月以來,美聯(lián)儲從市場上收購了價值約1.8萬億美元的政府債券,,同時財政部新發(fā)行了價值約3萬億美元的債券,。目前,美聯(lián)儲持有的美國國債每個月增加約800億美元,。美聯(lián)儲還承諾在可以預(yù)見的未來將維持短期零利率,,并容許超過目標(biāo)水平的通貨膨脹,同時呼吁政府不要放松財政刺激,。
美聯(lián)儲前副主席斯坦利·費希爾在9月11日接受彭博電視臺采訪時表示,,低利率負(fù)擔(dān)意味著美聯(lián)儲能夠有更多手段支撐美國經(jīng)濟。
他說:“這意味著美聯(lián)儲可以繼續(xù)提供成本非常低的資金,,并且當(dāng)前的利率水平能夠維持更長時間,。”
債券投資者當(dāng)中有一種普遍共識是,,如果政府長期借款的利率開始緩慢上漲(歷史上偶爾會出現(xiàn)這種情況),,美聯(lián)儲可以并且一定會介入。
美聯(lián)儲抑制債券收益率
按照亞德尼的說法:“如果依舊有債券衛(wèi)士正在推高債券收益率,,美聯(lián)儲將會采取針對性的行動,。”
在8月31日的講話中,,美聯(lián)儲副主席理查德·克拉里達沒有排除在某個時間點設(shè)置國債收益率上限的可能性,,但他表示該政策不會在近期內(nèi)出臺。
投資者表示,,即使美聯(lián)儲只是有可能出臺該政策,,也可以幫助降低政府的借款成本。
彭博社的調(diào)查顯示,,10年期國債的收益率連續(xù)數(shù)周維持在0.7%左右,,預(yù)計到今年年底只會在上下幾個百分點的范圍內(nèi)波動。
當(dāng)事情發(fā)生變化
在金融領(lǐng)域,,許多人認(rèn)為,,美國目前日益增加的債務(wù)所享有的低利率只是一種短期的減緩措施,,類似于巨額按揭貸款的初始優(yōu)惠利率。
德意志銀行(Deutsche Bank)的固定收益私人理財服務(wù)負(fù)責(zé)人加利·波拉克說:“美聯(lián)儲正在努力保證金融市場的正常運行,。但未來某個時間點,,世界可能會發(fā)生變化,我們會突然之間面臨巨額的賬單,?!?
這種觀點在國會也有一定的市場,盡管這一次赤字鷹派(即華盛頓的債券衛(wèi)士)沒有像以往那么強勢,。
唐納德·特朗普總統(tǒng)所在的共和黨利用其在參議院的多數(shù)優(yōu)勢,,在新疫情相關(guān)法案中推動縮水的刺激措施。民主黨總統(tǒng)候選人喬·拜登承諾,,如果他在11月大選中擊敗特朗普,,他會增加財政支出,但他的一位高級助理上個月告訴《華爾街日報》,,現(xiàn)在無法確定美國是否能夠承受增加赤字支出的后果,,因為“美國政府即將面臨財政枯竭?!?/p>
增發(fā)債券不值得
另外一種相反的觀點是新興的現(xiàn)代貨幣理論,。這種理論認(rèn)為,美國等國家以本國的貨幣借款,,可以設(shè)置其債務(wù)的利率,,將其作為一種政策變量,不需要再發(fā)行債券,。由此導(dǎo)致的風(fēng)險是經(jīng)濟過熱而不是市場資金枯竭,。
鴿派引用的另外一個例子是日本。日本的國債規(guī)模約比美國高2.5倍(與經(jīng)濟規(guī)模相比),。執(zhí)行了二十多年低利率之后,,日本的償債成本幾乎為零。
David Levy, chairman of Jerome Levy Forecasting Center LLC, says that ultimately there are limits to government debt –- but the U.S. is nowhere near hitting them, and has room for more borrowing to pull its economy out of the coronavirus slump.Jerome Levy Forecasting Center LLC公司的董事長戴維·列維表示,,政府的債務(wù)終究是有限度的,,但美國遠(yuǎn)沒有達到極限,依舊有通過借款拉動經(jīng)濟以擺脫新冠疫情造成的經(jīng)濟衰退的空間,。
他說:“要達到所有人都認(rèn)為美元不值錢的通脹情景,,需要很長時間,。這個過程可以持續(xù)下去,,不必?fù)?dān)心會出現(xiàn)問題?!?/p>
翻譯:劉進龍
審校:汪皓
The U.S. government is paying less as it borrows more, one reason investors appear more comfortable than Congress about funding another leg of stimulus.
Interest payments in the federal budget declined about 10% in the first 11 months of this fiscal year, when America was running up its biggest deficit since World War II. Over the next few years, servicing the national debt will be cheaper than any time in the past half-century when measured against the size of the economy, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
That’s because yields in the $20 trillion U.S. Treasury market plunged to record lows early in the pandemic -- and they’ve risen only slightly since then, even though the supply of debt has surged to a record.
Borrowing probably won’t always be this cheap, but for now the U.S. government is far from running up against any financial limits, as it seeks to shore up the economy after a wave of shutdowns and layoffs. Concerns that the country can’t afford much more spending have been voiced by officials from both political parties in recent weeks, as stimulus efforts ground to a halt.
“While there’s been a lot of concern about the mounting debt, it hasn’t caused the problems that were anticipated by the doomsters,” says Ed Yardeni, founder of Yardeni Research Inc. “It’s not just a question of how much debt is outstanding, but what is the cost to service that debt.”
The CBO predicts a deficit of about $3.7 trillion this year, or 16% of GDP, more than triple the year-earlier figures. Bonds issued to fund the shortfall have pushed the U.S. public debt past $20 trillion –- more than the economy’s annual output.
“Not stretched”
Yet the average yield on the debt has dropped to 1.7%, from 2.4% in December, and it’s set to fall further.
Even after a few auctions that saw signs of faltering demand, the government can borrow for 30 years at below 1.5%. And the Treasury has tilted sales toward such longer-term securities, helping lock in historically low rates. The latest long-bond auction on September 10 drew a solid bid.
“The U.S.’s debt affordability is quite OK, not stretched by any means,” says Felipe Villarroel, a portfolio manager at TwentyFour Asset Management in London. “We also look at what is the perceived use of the money a government is borrowing, which is now widely accepted as necessary.”
The idea that governments need financial-market approval for their budget policies has in any case been called into question.
Anti-vigilante
Yardeni coined the term “bond vigilantes” in the early 1980s. It described investors who were supposed to exert power over governments by selling their bonds, or merely threatening to, and thus making deficit-spending more expensive.
But now the dominant presence in markets is a kind of anti-vigilante, which does the opposite of all those things: the Federal Reserve.
Fed purchases have siphoned about $1.8 trillion of government debt out of the market since March, while the Treasury was issuing some $3 trillion of new bonds. The central bank is currently adding about $80 billion of Treasuries a month. It’s also promised to keep short-term rates at zero for the foreseeable future and tolerate above-target inflation, while urging the government not to ease up on fiscal stimulus.
Stanley Fischer, former vice chair of the Federal Reserve, said on September 11 in a Bloomberg Television interview that a low interest-rate burden means the Fed can do more to bolster the economy.
“It means that the Fed can keep going with very cheap money, that it can go on for a much longer time at this rate,” he said.
There’s a broad consensus among bond investors that if rates on longer-term government debt start to creep up, as they’ve occasionally threatened to, then the Fed can and will step in.
“Still out there”
“If there were some bond vigilantes still out there to push the bond yields higher,” is how Yardeni puts it, “then the Fed will target the bond yields.”
In an Aug. 31 speech, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida left the door open to a policy of capping Treasury yields at some point, though he indicated it’s not imminent.
Even the potential for such a move is helping to keep the government’s borrowing costs down, investors say.
The 10-year Treasury note has been trading around 0.7% for weeks, and it’s forecast to end the year within a few basis points of that level, according to Bloomberg surveys.
“Look different”
In the financial world there are plenty who argue that the low interest bills America currently pays on its growing debt are just a short-term respite –- like a teaser rate on a jumbo mortgage.
“The Fed is greasing the system to make sure the financial markets are functioning well,” says Gary Pollack, head of fixed-income for private wealth management at Deutsche Bank. “But at some point in time the world will look different, and all of a sudden we are going to be stuck with a huge bill.”
That view still carries some weight in Congress too, even if deficit hawks –- Washington’s version of bond vigilantes –- aren’t the force they once were.
President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has used its Senate majority to push for scaled-back measures in the next pandemic bill. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has promised more spending if he beats Trump in November’s election, but a senior aide told the Wall Street Journal last month that it’s not clear what America can afford because “the pantry is going to be bare.”
“Not worth anything”
Taking the opposite view is the emerging school of Modern Monetary Theory. It argues that countries like America, which borrow in their own currency, can set the interest rates on their debt as a policy variable –- and don’t really need to sell bonds anyway. The risk is overheating the economy rather than running out of market funds.
Also cited by the dovish camp is Japan, which has a national debt about two-and-a-half times bigger than America’s (by comparison with their economies). After more than two decades of low interest rates, its debt-servicing cost is approximately zero.
“It would take a long time to get to the type of inflationary scenario where people thought the dollar was not worth anything,” he says. “You can keep this process growing without it breaking down.”