treasury yield

Treasury yield is the return an investor earns on U.S. government debt securities—Treasury bills, notes, and bonds.

Because the U.S. government is considered virtually risk-free, treasury yields serve as a benchmark for other interest rates throughout the economy.

When commentators mention "the ten-year yield," they mean the yield on ten-year Treasury notes: Treasury yields rose on inflation concerns.

Yields move inversely to bond prices—when demand for Treasuries drops, yields rise.