The Great Bond Car Wreck — in Slow Motion

The Great Bond Car Wreck — in Slow Motion

From Trumponomics by Bloomberg

May 20, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the global decline in bond markets and its implications for investors and economies.

Across developed markets, bond markets are staging a slow-motion car wreck. As Opinion columnist and senior markets editor John Authers puts it, the phenomenon is truly global. Authers and Robin J. Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former chief economist at the Institute of International Finance, join host Stephanie Flanders to explain why investors have turned sharply against government bonds across the world’s major developed economies — and how the fallout could affect us all. Read John Authers's column here:  https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/newsletters/2026-05-19/the-great-bond-car-wreck-in-slow-motion And find Robin J. Brooks's substack here:  https://robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/liz-truss-bond-market-blow-ups See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Stephanie Flanders

Guests: John Authers, Robin J. Brooks

Topics covered

  • bond markets
  • investor behavior
  • government bonds
  • developed economies
  • economic fallout

Keywords

  • bond markets
  • government bonds
  • investors
  • economic impact
  • developed markets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Brookings Institution, Institute of International Finance, Bloomberg

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