Move Reflects Plummeting Borrowing Costs Across Europe
Germany on Wednesday sold five-year government debt at a negative yield for the first time on record, reflecting plunging borrowing costs across the region in the run-up to the European Central Bank’s sovereign-bond-buying program.
The German Finance Agency sold €3.281 billion ($3.72 billion) of bonds maturing in April 2020 at an average yield of minus 0.08%. At a similar deal in January, the yield was 0.05%.
The negative yield means investors are effectively paying the German state for holding its debt. Even so, bond prices—which climb when yields drop—are expected to rise further once the ECB starts its latest round of stimulus measures next month, meaning investors could potentially sell the bonds at a profit.