Japanese bonds are challenging the boost bitcoin has received from shifting interest-rate expectations that lifted the price of the largest cryptocurrency by 8% in fewer than seven days.
The 10-year Japanese government bond (JGB) yield has surged to a 30-year high of 2.85%, adding 18 basis points since the start of the month and raising borrowing costs across other major developed markets.
The U.S. 10-year Treasury yield has gained nearly three basis points and is testing 4.5% for the first time in nearly a month. The German 10-year bund is approaching 3% and the U.K. 10-year gilt is yielding around 4.8%. Real yields, which are adjusted for inflation, are also climbing.
For years, Japan kept global yields suppressed through near-zero interest rates and aggressive quantitative easing. That policy fueled carry trades that involved borrowing yen at a low rate and investing in high-yielding bonds elsewhere. Thus, Japan indirectly capped borrowing costs in advanced nations.
This matters for bitcoin because higher government bond yields increase the opportunity cost of holding an asset that generates no cash. Capital parked in BTC is capital not earning the stronger, more reliable returns available in fixed income.