government bonds

The Federal Reserve is doling out billions to buy bonds in hopes of keeping interest rates low and stimulating the economy. However, several powerful forces are working against that low-rate strategy, ranging from investor psychology to global competition for capital.

In a key test of whether it will be able to raise the %u20AC20 billion it needs to avoid a bailout, the Portuguese government hopes to sell %u20AC1.25 billion in a bond auction Wednesday. Will Portugal end up following the path of Ireland and Greece?

Just as the euro has begun recovering from Ireland's meltdown, another financial crisis is brewing in Spain. The country could be headed for a bailout or reorganization, experts say. How low could the euro go?

Officially, Europe's fiscal health is on the mend, but each time the Continent's debt crisis is declared history, some ugly financial news quickly emerges to undercut those claims. Indeed, the real eurozone meltdown may still lurking beyond the horizon.

Newsweek's current cover story puts forth a provocative thesis for those who own gold. It suggests the U.S. might have to raise interest rates dramatically to attract investors to its government bonds, which would make gold less attractive. And given the huge rise in U.S. indebtedness that began in...