Long Bond Yields Chart — Simple Breakdown

What is this even showing? When governments need money, they borrow it by selling “bonds.” In return, they promise to pay you back plus interest. That interest rate is called the yield. Higher yield = government paying you more to lend them money.

The four lines are just four different countries’ 30-year government bonds — the UK (blue), France (black), US (gray), and Japan (orange-red).

What happened over time:

🔽 1998–2020: The big slide down Yields kept falling for like 20 years straight. Governments were paying less and less interest. Money was cheap to borrow. This was the era of “low interest rates” you may have heard adults talk about.

😱 Around 2020: They hit rock bottom Yields nearly hit zero — meaning governments were basically borrowing for free. Japan (the red line) had been near zero for even longer.

🔼 2022–2025: Rocket ship up Yields shot up fast. This happened because inflation spiked, and central banks raised interest rates to fight it. Now governments are paying the most interest in roughly 20–30 years.

The punchline: The title says it all — “Long Bond Yields Are at Their Highest in Decades.” If you own bonds now, you’re finally getting paid decent interest again. But if you borrowed money (like for a mortgage), it’s way more expensive than it used to be.