Euro zone yields at multi-week highs as traders price in three ECB hikes in 2026
June 8 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields climbed to multi-week highs on Monday as traders came close to fully pricing in three European Central Bank rate hikes by year-end amid fading hopes for a swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that new strikes by Israel and Iran would not affect his administration's peace talks with Tehran.
A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would ease energy supply constraints, lowering inflation pressures while reducing expectations of monetary tightening and pulling bond yields lower.
Germany's two-year yields <DE2YT=RR>, more sensitive to expectations for policy rates, rose 3 basis points to 2.72%, their highest since May 20. They reached 2.771% in late March, the highest since July 2024.
Investors are also bracing for the European Central Bank policy meeting later this week, where a 25-basis-point rate increase is widely anticipated.
Money markets are pricing the ECB deposit rate at 2.73% by December EURESTECBM5X6=ICAP, from the current 2%. They also indicate a more than 90% chance of a first rate rise this month, followed by a second in September.
Germany's 10-year government bond yield <DE10YT=RR>, the euro zone benchmark, was up 2.5 bps at 3.06%, its highest since May 22. It reached 3.20% on May 19, its highest since June 2011.
Italy's 10-year yields <IT10YT=RR> rose 4.5 bps to 3.85%, with the premium over German bunds <DE10IT10=RR> at 76 bps.
