Bond yields pointing to 10-year issue

Greek bond yields eased significantly on Tuesday, in line with other eurozone peripheral bonds, remaining on the positive course set in mid-January, right after the issue of the five-year note. This is paving the way for the Public Debt Management Agency to implement the plan to issue a benchmark 10-year bond next month.

Market observers point out that investor interest is particularly strong, with monthly turnover in the secondary market being the highest of the last 12 months in February.

The yield on the 10-year paper came to 3.72 percentage points on Tuesday, down 1.6 percent from Monday’s level and close to a 13-year low. The five-year yield dropped below 3 percent, to 2.97 percent.

Greek officials told Reuters on Tuesday that the issue of the new bond, which would be the first 10-year paper since March 2010, is possible next month, for an amount similar to that raised from the five-year issue, if conditions remain favorable.