Bond Rout Promises More Pain for Investors

The worst bond rout in decades shows few signs of abating, threatening further pain for both investors and borrowers.

Battered by high inflation readings and sharp messages from Federal Reserve officials about the need for interest-rate increases, bond prices have tumbled this year at a pace investors have rarely seen. In the first quarter, the Bloomberg U.S. Government bond index returned minus 5.5%, its worst performance since 1980. This month, it has lost another 2.4%.