Episode Details

Many economists say the bond market is the most important financial market in the world. It sets the baseline for almost everything Canadians borrow: mortgages, car loans, lines of credit. And right now, it’s looking pretty weird.

30-year U.S. Treasury yields are the highest they’ve been since 2007, in the runup to the great financial crisis. The U.S. now spends more on interest payments than they do on defence.

Canadian bond yields are rising too. But, on the whole, the market here seems more stable than it is in the U.S. At a press conference last month, Prime Minister Mark Carney assured reporters that “we have our house in order.”

John Authers is a senior markets editor at Bloomberg, and he’s on the show to explain why the bond market matters, and whether a shaky U.S. treasury market could be a boon for Canada.

For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts