Macro

Rates are not the story. Term premium is.

The 10Y yield is flat YTD. The shape of the curve is not. Here is what the bond market is actually telling you.

The Desk · 25 May 2026 · 7 min read

The shape, not the level

The 2s10s steepened 45bp in eight weeks. Realized term premium, per the Adrian-Crump-Moench model, is back above zero for the first time since 2017.

What that means

Bond investors want to be paid to own duration again. Translation: they no longer trust the Fed to absorb supply.

What breaks first

  • Long-duration tech at 35x earnings.
  • Regional bank held-to-maturity books, again.
  • EM carry trades funded in JPY.

None of this is priced into IG credit, where spreads remain near cycle tights.

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