(FILE) - A file photo dated 19 January 2011 showing a sign at the Goldman Sachs both on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange after the Opening Bell in New York, New York, USA. Goldman Sachs released better than expected 1st quarter 2018 results on 17 April 2018, saying their revenues climbed to 10.04 billion USD, while net earnings stood at 2.83 billion USD. Net revenues for the first quarter were highest in three years. EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE 
“The global rally in yields is likely to continue, driven by accommodative central banks, near-term weakness in data, and an asymmetric set of risks” including the trade war, Middle East tensions and Brexit, Goldman strategists led by Praveen Korapaty in New York, wrote in a note Wednesday.
- U.S. 10-year yields are seen rebounding somewhat to 1.90% by mid-2020
- Japan’s 10-year yields will breach the Bank of Japan’s tolerance zone by 10 basis points, hitting negative 0.3% by year-end
- German 10-year yields seen at negative 0.55% for year-end, versus 0.35% previously
- Ten-year gilts are forecast at 0.70% at year-end, against 1.85% before
The “substantial” forecast changes reflect both the new policy developments and global risks, and “a sense that the near-term trajectory of many of these drivers makes fading the bond rally a difficult proposition,” the Goldman strategists wrote. “In the U.S., we believe reassuring growth data and an eventual reduction in trade war risks are probably necessary for the Fed to cease easing once it begins,” they also said.
The new year-end forecast from the two Wall Street giants is still well above that of Germany’s second-biggest bank. Strategists at Commerzbank AG earlier this month projected 10-year yields will hit a record low of 1.25% by year-end. The yield was at 2.04% as of 10:07 a.m. in Tokyo.