📘 Q.5 IAS Prelims 2021— Economics (Government Bond Yields)
🧷 Classroom Explanation | IAS Monk Standard Format
📌 Indian Government Bond Yields are influenced by which of the following?
- Actions of the United States Federal Reserve
- Actions of the Reserve Bank of India
- Inflation and short-term interest rates
📌 Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
📌 Answer: (d)
🧠 Classroom Explanation
🔹 Core Concept: What determines Government Bond Yields?
A government bond yield represents the return an investor earns on holding a government security.
Bond yields move inversely to bond prices, and prices are driven by demand–supply dynamics influenced by domestic and global macroeconomic factors.
🔍 Statement-wise Analysis
✅ Statement 1: Actions of the United States Federal Reserve — Correct
- Decisions of the US Federal Reserve affect global liquidity conditions.
- When the Fed tightens monetary policy (rate hikes):
- US bond yields rise
- Capital flows back to the US from emerging markets like India
- Demand for Indian government securities may fall → yields rise
- Hence, US Fed actions indirectly but significantly influence Indian G-sec yields.
✔️ Correct.
✅ Statement 2: Actions of the Reserve Bank of India — Correct
- RBI directly influences bond yields through:
- Repo and reverse repo rates
- Open Market Operations (OMOs)
- Liquidity Adjustment Facility (LAF)
- Tight monetary policy raises yields; accommodative policy lowers yields.
✔️ Correct.
✅ Statement 3: Inflation and short-term interest rates — Correct
- Higher inflation erodes real returns, prompting investors to demand higher yields.
- Short-term interest rates anchor expectations across the yield curve.
- Persistent inflation expectations push long-term bond yields upward.
✔️ Correct.
✅ Final Answer Logic
All three factors influence Indian Government Bond Yields.
➡️ Correct answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
🔍 Curiosity Raiser
Why do bond markets often react before inflation officially shows up in data?
🧘 IAS Monk Whisper
Bonds listen carefully to the future.
They move not on today’s news, but on tomorrow’s fear.
