Australian benchmark yields could slip below US peers for the first time in over a year as market bets diverge: investors increasingly expect the RBA is close to ending hikes while the Fed retains further tightening scope. Some strategists see Australian bonds outperforming US debt through end-2026. The Australia-US 10-year yield spread has tightened to about 12 bps, near the narrowest since Sept 2025. Barrenjoey Markets and Westpac expect yields to converge in coming months; NAB says the spread

2026-10-02

Australian benchmark yields could slip below US peers for the first time in over a year as market bets diverge: investors increasingly expect the RBA is close to ending hikes while the Fed retains further tightening scope. Some strategists see Australian bonds outperforming US debt through end-2026. The Australia-US 10-year yield spread has tightened to about 12 bps, near the narrowest since Sept 2025. Barrenjoey Markets and Westpac expect yields to converge in coming months; NAB says the spread could turn negative. NAB Sydney rates strategist Kenneth Crompton: "Our base case is the Australia-US 10-year yield spread turns negative in 2027, but it would not be surprising to see this happen sooner. If policy expectations between Australia and the Fed diverge as we expect by year-end, the spread could easily test minus 20 bps."