Rising US Government Debt: What To Watch? Treasury Auctions, Rating Agencies, and The Term Premium
Rising US Government Debt: What To Watch? Treasury Auctions, Rating Agencies, and The Term Premium
February 2024
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comparable terminology.
4
Under current policies, debt outstanding will growth to 200% of GDP
180 180
160 160
140 140
120 120
100 100
80 80
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 0
1790 1820 1851 1882 1910 1941 1971 2002 2032
5000 30
4000 25
3000
20
2000
1000 15
0 10
$ trn $ trn
US: Budget surplus/deficit
Budget surplus/deficit OMB Federal Budget projection
0.75 0.75
0.25 0.25
-0.25 -0.25
-0.75 -0.75
-1.25 -1.25
-1.75 -1.75
-2.25 -2.25
-2.75 -2.75
-3.25 -3.25
-3.75 -3.75
1947
1950
1953
1956
1959
1962
1965
1968
1971
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019
2022
2025
2028
2031
Source: OMB, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist 7
OMB forecasts 5% budget deficit every year for the next 10 years
% %
US: Budget surplus/deficit as a % of GDP
5 5
0 0
-5 -5
-10 -10
-15 -15
-20 -20
1947
1950
1953
1956
1959
1962
1965
1968
1971
1974
1977
1980
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
2010
2013
2016
2019
2022
2025
2028
2031
Source: OMB, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist 8
$ bn
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
5500
6000
Jan-2017
Mar-2017
Apr-2017
Jun-2017
Aug-2017
Oct-2017
Dec-2017
Jan-2018
Mar-2018
Feb-2019
Apr-2019
Jun-2019
Aug-2019
Oct-2019
Dec-2019
Jan-2020
Mar-2020
May-2020
Jul-2020
Sep-2020
Nov-2020
Dec-2020
Feb-2021
Apr-2021
Jun-2021
Securities held by the Federal Reserve
Aug-2021
Oct-2021
Dec-2021
Jan-2022
Mar-2022
More Treasury supply from QT: Fed is selling $60bn every month
May-2022
Jul-2022
Sep-2022
Nov-2022
Dec-2022
Feb-2023
Apr-2023
Jun-2023
Aug-2023
Oct-2023
Nov-2023
Jan-2024
$ bn
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
5500
6000
9
Who owns US government debt?
10
Who owns the $25trn in Treasuries outstanding?
$ bn Holdings of Treasuries
30000
Households Banks Life + Non Life insurance Mutual Funds + Private Pensions Foreigners Fed Others
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Source: FFUNDS, Haver, Apollo Chief Economist 11
Trend decline in foreign ownership of US government bonds since 2015
35% 35%
30% 30%
25% 25%
20% 20%
15% 15%
10% 10%
5% 5%
0% 0%
Sep-75
May-81
Sep-92
May-98
Sep-09
May-15
Aug-85
Aug-02
Aug-19
Jan-70
Mar-84
Jan-87
Mar-01
Jan-04
Mar-18
Jan-21
Jun-71
Apr-74
Jul-78
Jun-88
Apr-91
Jul-95
Jun-05
Apr-08
Jul-12
Jun-22
Nov-72
Feb-77
Oct-82
Nov-89
Feb-94
Oct-99
Nov-06
Feb-11
Oct-16
Nov-23
Dec-79
Dec-96
Dec-13
Source: Treasury, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist 12
US households and real money buying Treasuries. Fed and foreigners selling Treasuries
$ trn $ trn
Holders of US treasuries
8 Federal Reserve Households Real money Foreign Banks 8
7 Fed starts 7
raising rates
6 6
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
-1 -1
70% 70%
60% 60%
50% 50%
40% 40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0% 0%
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
$ bn $ bn
Net Purchases of Treasury Securities Fed starts
1000 1000
Households Mutual Funds Rest of the World raising rates
800 800
600 600
400 400
200 200
0 0
-200 -200
-400 -400
-600 -600
-800 -800
-1000 -1000
$bn, 12 month sum Foreign official institutions holdings of US Treasuries $bn, 12 month sum
50000 50000
Bills Bonds
45000 45000
40000 40000
35000 35000
30000 30000
25000 25000
20000 20000
15000 15000
10000 10000
5000 5000
0 0
Jan-06
Jul-06
Jan-07
Jul-07
Jan-08
Jul-08
Jan-09
Jul-09
Jan-10
Jul-10
Jan-11
Jul-11
Jan-12
Jul-12
Jan-13
Jul-13
Jan-14
Jul-14
Jan-15
Jul-15
Jan-16
Jul-16
Jan-17
Jul-17
Jan-18
Jul-18
Jan-19
Jul-19
Jan-20
Jul-20
Jan-21
Jul-21
Jan-22
Jul-22
Jan-23
Jul-23
Source: Treasury, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist 16
Japanese and Chinese holdings of Treasury securities
$ bn $ bn
Holdings of US Treasury Securities
Japan China
1400 1400
1200 1200
1000 1000
800 800
600 600
400 400
200 200
0 0
600 600
400 400
200 200
0 0
-200 -200
-400 -400
-600 -600
Jan-06
Jul-06
Jan-07
Jul-07
Jan-08
Jul-08
Jan-09
Jul-09
Jan-10
Jul-10
Jan-11
Jul-11
Jan-12
Jul-12
Jan-13
Jul-13
Jan-14
Jul-14
Jan-15
Jul-15
Jan-16
Jul-16
Jan-17
Jul-17
Jan-18
Jul-18
Jan-19
Jul-19
Jan-20
Jul-20
Jan-21
Jul-21
Jan-22
Jul-22
Jan-23
Jul-23
Source: Treasury, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist 18
Japan: Insurance and pension own most of the foreign debt securities
$bn Japanese holdings of foreign debt securities
3500
Other financial corporations Depositary institutions Non-financial corporations General Government
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
Sep-14
Sep-15
Sep-16
Sep-17
Sep-18
Sep-19
Sep-20
Sep-21
Sep-22
Sep-23
Mar-14
Mar-15
Mar-16
Mar-17
Mar-18
Mar-19
Mar-20
Mar-21
Mar-22
Mar-23
Jun-14
Jun-15
Jun-16
Jun-17
Jun-18
Jun-19
Jun-20
Jun-21
Jun-22
Jun-23
Dec-14
Dec-15
Dec-16
Dec-17
Dec-18
Dec-19
Dec-20
Dec-21
Dec-22
Source: Ministry of Finance Japan, Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist 19
Hedging costs are high for Japanese investors buying US Treasuries
2 2
1 1
0 0
-1 -1
-2 -2
-3 -3
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Hedged Treasury yield is calculated as ((((-3 month forward/10000)/exchange rate)+1)^4-1)*100 + 10 year US Treasury yield. 20
Who owns different countries’ government debt?
Foreign official Foreign banks Foreign nonbanks Domestic central bank Domestic banks Domestic nonbanks
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Foreign banks Foreign official Foreign nonbanks Domestic central bank Domestic banks Domestic nonbanks
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
23
Weighted average maturity of debt outstanding: less than 6 years
6.5 6.5
6.0 6
5.5 5.5
5.0 5
4.5 4.5
4.0 4
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
Jan-05
Jul-05
Jan-06
Jul-06
Jan-07
Jul-07
Jan-08
Jul-15
Jan-16
Jul-16
Jan-17
Jul-17
Jan-18
Jul-18
Jan-19
Treasury bills outstanding as a share of total marketable debt
Jul-19
Jan-20
Jul-20
Jan-21
Jul-21
Jan-22
Jul-22
Jan-23
Jul-23
%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
25
The share of T-bills on the Fed balance sheet is much smaller than T-bills as a
share of outstanding marketable debt
%
25%
22%
20%
15%
10%
5%
5%
0%
T-bills share of outstanding marketable debt T-bills share in Fed’s total holdings of Treasuries
27
US government interest payments per day have doubled from $1bn per day
before the pandemic to almost $2bn per day in 2023
$bn Net interest expense per day on public debt
2.5
2.3
2.1
1.9
1.7
1.5
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.7
0.5
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Source: CBO, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Interest rate assumption by CBO: 2.1% in 2022 and 2.7% in 2023. Annual CBO data divided by 365. 28
Debt servicing costs rising rapidly
1.5%
600
400 1.0%
200 0.5%
0 0.0%
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025
2027
2029
2031
2033
Source: Treasury, OMB, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: OMB estimates 10-year yield at around 3.5% in the next 10 years 29
Interest payments on government debt are rising
% %
Total interest expense as a % of public debt outstanding 10 year rates (6m forward) (rs)
5.0 5.5
5.0
4.5
4.5
4.0 4.0
3.5
3.5
3.0
3.0
2.5
2.5 2.0
1.5
2.0
1.0
1.5 0.5
Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23 Jan-24
10
23
77
90
27 24
30
38
24 19
28
33
Treasury auction sizes will in 2024 increase on average 23% across the yield curve
800
29% 28%
700
37%
600
18%
500 10%
400
300 23%
16%
200
100
0
2s 3s 5s 7s 10s 20s 30s
Source: SIFMA, TBAC, Haver Analytics, Apollo Chief Economist. Note: Estimates from September 2023 to Dec 2024 from the TBAC neutral issuance scenario. 34
Auction sizes growing in 2024
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
3.6 3.6
3.4 3.4
3.2 3.2
3.0 3.0
2.8 2.8
2.6 2.6
2.4 2.4
2.2 2.2
2.0 2.0
Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23
10 yr 20 yr 30 yr
3.2 3.2
3.0 3.0
2.8 2.8
2.6 2.6
2.4 2.4
2.2 2.2
2.0 2.0
Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23
$ bn %
LT Treasury issuance Bill issuance 10 yr rates (rs)
1000 5.0
800 4.5
600 4.0
3.5
400
3.0
200
2.5
0
2.0
-200
1.5
-400 1.0
-600 0.5
-800 0.0
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23 Jan-24
80 80
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23 Jan-24
70 70
60 60
50 50
40 40
30 30
20 20
10 10
0 0
Jan-08 Jan-09 Jan-10 Jan-11 Jan-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jan-15 Jan-16 Jan-17 Jan-18 Jan-19 Jan-20 Jan-21 Jan-22 Jan-23 Jan-24
42
Growing debt levels: What to watch?
1. Treasury auctions
2. Ratings agencies
3. The term premium
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0
-1 -1
-2 -2
45
CBO interest rate assumption
%
8.0 10-Year Treasury Note Rate Average Rate on Federal Debt
7.0
CBO interest rate assumption
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025
2027
2029
2031
2033
2035
2037
2039
2041
2043
2045
2047
2049
2051
2053
Source: The 2023 Long-Term Budget Outlook, CBO, Apollo Chief Economist 46
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
%
Jan-20
Apr-20
Jul-20
Oct-20
Jan-21
Apr-23
Market pricing rates higher for longer
Jul-23
Oct-23
Jan-24
Apr-24
Jul-24
Oct-24
Jan-25
Apr-25
Jul-25
Oct-25
Jan-26
Apr-26
Fed Funds futures
Jul-26
Oct-26
Jan-27
Apr-27
Jul-27
Oct-27
Jan-28
Apr-28
Jul-28
47
G4 Central bank balance sheets
1300 1300
900 900
700 700
500 500
300 300
100 100
-100 -100
-300 -300
Jan-08
Jul-08
Jan-09
Jul-09
Jan-10
Jul-10
Jan-11
Jul-11
Jan-12
Jul-12
Jan-13
Jul-13
Jan-14
Jul-14
Jan-15
Jul-15
Jan-16
Jul-16
Jan-17
Jul-17
Jan-18
Jul-18
Jan-19
Jul-19
Jan-20
Jul-20
Jan-21
Jul-21
Jan-22
Jul-22
Jan-23
Jul-23
Source: Bloomberg, Apollo Chief Economist 48
Low liquidity: Public debt outstanding vs primary dealer trading volume
trn trn
40 1
US Total Debt Outstanding Primary Dealer Daily Avg Trading Volume US Govt Securities (RHS)
0.9
35
0.8
30
0.7
25
0.6
20 0.5
0.4
15
0.3
10
0.2
5
0.1
0 0
Aug-01
Aug-03
Aug-05
Aug-07
Aug-09
Aug-11
Aug-13
Aug-15
Aug-17
Aug-19
Aug-21
Aug-23
Apr-00
Apr-02
Apr-04
Apr-06
Apr-08
Apr-10
Apr-12
Apr-14
Apr-16
Apr-18
Apr-20
Apr-22
Dec-00
Dec-02
Dec-04
Dec-06
Dec-08
Dec-10
Dec-12
Dec-14
Dec-16
Dec-18
Dec-20
Dec-22
Source: Bloomberg, Treasury, Apollo Chief Economist 49
Factors contributing to population growth: Migration is key driver
% Population growth
1.0
Net Immigration Births Minus Deaths Population Growth
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
-0.2
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039
2040
2041
2042
2043
2044
2045
2046
2047
2048
2049
2050
2051
2052
2053
Source: The 2023 Long-Term Budget Outlook, CBO, Apollo Chief Economist 50
Torsten Slok joined Apollo in August 2020 as
Chief Economist and he leads Apollo's
macroeconomic and market analysis across
the platform.
51