Podcast discusses rising government bond yields and debt levels

Financial Times: The Financial Times is a leading global business and financial news organization that publishes the Alphaville blog focused on markets and finance. It produces podcasts including The Story of Money and hosts events like the Art of the Chart exhibition. Robin Wigglesworth serves as Alphaville editor there, contributing to coverage of bond markets and related economic topics featured in recent episodes and articles. Peter Thal Larsen: Peter Thal Larsen is the Global Editor of Reuters Breakingviews and host of its Big View podcast series, where he interviews experts on finance, economics, and business. He recently moderated discussions on topics including bond markets, private equity, and geopolitical uncertainty in September 2026 episodes. In this episode, he explores the history and current state of government bond markets with Robin Wigglesworth. Robin Wigglesworth: Robin Wigglesworth is a financial journalist and editor of the Alphaville blog at the Financial Times, where he also co-hosts The Story of Money podcast. He recently published the book A Fabulous Debt, which explores the history of bond markets from medieval times to the present. In the Reuters Breakingviews Big View podcast, he discusses current government bond market dynamics, historical parallels to today's rising yields and debt levels, and comparisons between AI-driven investments and past infrastructure booms. Bond Yields: Yields on major sovereign bonds including US Treasuries, UK gilts, German Bunds, French OATs and Japanese government bonds have risen to multi-year or multi-decade highs amid ongoing fiscal pressures. Debt Dynamics: Government borrowing has increased substantially in peacetime conditions without corresponding economic booms, prompting comparisons to post-war periods and concerns about sustainability among investors and policymakers. AI Investment Parallels: Large technology companies are increasingly funding data center expansion through bond issuance and off-balance sheet structures, echoing 19th-century railway infrastructure financing booms that led to significant market corrections.