MUMBAI, Aug 13 (Reuters) – Indian government bond yields are likely to open steady on Wednesday, with the benchmark 10-year yield seen testing the key 6.50% mark amid a sour mood, following a sharp selloff fuelled by rising fiscal pressure and higher debt-supply concerns.
The benchmark 10-year bond yield will likely trade between 6.45% to 6.52%, a trader at a primary dealership said. It closed at 6.4920% on Tuesday, highest since April 3.
The yield will test a key technical level of 6.50% during the day, traders said, adding that if breached, the yields could climb further.
India’s net direct tax collections dropped 4% year-on-year to 6.64 trillion rupees ($75.82 billion) from April 1-August 11, stoking fears that New Delhi may borrow more to fund a fiscal stimulus as U.S. tariffs threaten growth.
“There seems to be a supply-demand mismatch playing out, and a possibility of fiscal slippage, so there are few takers in the market,” a trader at an AMC said.
Traders are now awaiting clarity from the Reserve Bank of India on whether it is comfortable with the current yield levels.
Meanwhile, New Delhi will raise 210 billion rupees through the sale of 91-day, 182-day and 364-day T-bills later in the day.
The demand for Treasury bills will be tested during the day, traders warned.
India’s overnight index swap (OIS) rates are expected to open little changed, while there will likely be some receiving bias as some traders are pricing in a rate cut due to mounting growth concerns amid tariffs.
The one-year OIS rate ended at 5.51% on Tuesday and the two-year OIS rate was at 5.455%. The liquid five-year OIS rate settled at 5.6725%.
** Benchmark Brent crude futures were at $66.05 per barrel, little change compared to Tuesday
** Ten-year U.S. Treasury yield was at 4.2907%; two-year yield at 3.7371%
($1 = 87.5780 Indian rupees) (Reporting by Khushi Malhotra; Editing by Sumana Nandy)
