Ireland's two-year yield fell to minus 0.196 percent on Sept. 24, before rising to end the week at minus 0.17 percent. A negative yield means investors buying the securities now will get back less upon maturity than they paid.
ECB President Mario Draghi said on Sept. 23 that it was too soon to say whether risks to the economic outlook warranted a step-up in stimulus. While ECB policy makers have repeatedly said the central bank is willing to bolster its bond-buying program if necessary, officials have yet to commit to altering the 1.1 trillion-euro plan which is set to run through September 2016. The central bank has an inflation goal of just below 2 percent.
Germany's 10-year bund yield ended the week little changed at 0.65 percent after swinging between gains and losses on uncertainty about the direction of global central-bank policies. The yield on Europe's benchmark securities touched a one-month low on Sept. 24 before jumping on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen signaled a day earlier that U.S. policy officials would raise interest rates before year-end.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-09-26/bond-investors-looking-to-euro-area-inflation-to-kindle-more-qe?cmpid=yhoo
I frankly have never understood bonds. This makes them even less understandable. How can one issue a bond with a negative yield? Is the idea that I expect every other investment to lose money faster, so I buy a bond with a negative yield so I lose money slower? Why wouldn't I just keep cash?
I'm with you, ergophobe
IMO, CASH IS KING @ this time.
When the consequences of PRINTING $$$ [Monetizing Debt] finally comes home & INFLATION kicks in then some Hard Assets are to be considered.